“If it was up to me, I’d put a bullet between his eyes and feed him to my pigs. My father, on the other hand, believes that if we sit and talk with Francesco, we could figure out a way to move forward. I don’t give a fuck about family who’s not even blood. I’ll make sure he never comes near you again, you have my word. Let’s go inside.” I couldn’t help but smile as I opened my door. I had no worries about whether Buddha would defend me. I usually felt safe around him; I just had to keep in his good graces.
“Dior, oh my goodness. It’s so nice to see you,” Victoria greeted me as Buddha, and I walked into the living room. I smiled as she walked over to me with her arms wide, ready to give me a hug. I willingly hugged her back, enjoying the way her embrace made me feel. My mother and I never had a relationship in which she would hug me, so I really appreciated it.
“Damn, don’t I get hello and a hug?” Buddha asked his mother with a fake look as if he was hurt.
“You never want my hugs,” Victoria said, shooing him away with her hands. “Come, Dior, let’s go sit in the backyard so you can tell me all about your trip,” Victoria said, reaching for my hand. Before she even got the opportunity to do so. Buddha snatched my hand and pulled me away.
“She’ll be right with you, mamma,” he said, dragging me a few feet away from Victoria. I looked at him, confused about why he was moving me away from his mother.
“Dior, let me reiterate. Do not speak about Catalina and Enzo to my mother until Tomasso and I figure this shit out,” Buddha wagged his index finger in my face, with a no-nonsense expression.
“Aye, aye captain,” I said, putting my hand to my forehead in a fake salute. He made a face as though I got on his last nerves before letting me go.
Buddha left to go find his father and Victoria, and I walked toward the backyard. Victoria brought out a bottle of wine and poured two glasses as we sat outside.
“Tell me how much you love Italy,” she asked, smiling at me. I smiled right back as I sipped my wine.
“I love it. The people, the food, the scenery. I did a tour when Buddha and the guys were out. It was pretty dope.” The smile vanished from my face when Enzo’s face flashed in my mind.
“Why did your face drop like that? Is something the matter?” Victoria studied me closely when she asked her question. Biting into my lower lip, I try to avoid her eyes. I really shouldn’t confide in her about Catalina and Enzo. I mean, Buddha did warn me, and I should really listen.
“Dior, something happened in Italy. Tell me. I already know something is up because Tomasso has been acting really strange since he got back,” Victoria said, looking out at the garden. I bit into my lip a little harder and then started to talk.
“Well, Luca kind of tried to assault me in a public restroom,” I just know how that probably sounded, the way Victoria swung her head to look at me.
“What!?”
“Yeah, but Buddha came just in time and choked his ass out, damn near almost killed him,” I said, with a shrug as I took a sip of my wine.
“Dior, wait just a minute. Run that by me again and speak to me as if I’m really stupid, help me understand,” Victoria gave me her undivided attention as she waited for me to clarify. Taking a deep breath, I strategically gave my story about going to the bar and being followed by Luca. Conveniently omitting why Buddha wasn’t with me.
Victoria took a deep breath as though she was trying her best to let what I said soak in. After a couple of minutes, she turned to me with a perplexed look.
“I may not be the smartest woman in the world, but I do believe your story is missing parts,” she lifted her eyebrows.
“How so?” I asked, knowing I shouldn’t have said shit.
“For starters, why wasn’t Phillipe with you? Why did he show up so long after? Luca could have forced himself on you; this is unacceptable. Francesco needs to do something about his son. He’s out of control,” I listened to the way she spoke. Victoria seemed to get a faraway look in her eyes.
“Are you alright?” I asked, wondering why she was acting so strange.
“Yes, I’m just glad my son came when he did. So, Tomasso knows about this, yet he hid it from me,” Victoria released a very long sigh. Damn, I hope I didn’t get Tomasso in the doghouse.
“I mean, they promised me that they would deal with it. Besides, I’m not scared of Luca,” I lied through my teeth because had Buddha not shown up when he did, Luca would have raped me.
“You should be. Now, tell me what else happened that you’re not telling me and do not lie to me.” Victoria crossed her legs and then folded her arms.
Shit,I cursed in my head, knowing I was about to spill the tea. I sighed loud as hell, pinching between my eyes before looking at Victoria.
“Buddha is gonna kick my ass for this. I was warned not to tell you anything. So if your son feeds me to his three little pigs, it’s on you,” I pointed my index finger at Victoria. Her facial expression didn’t even falter.
“Phillipe isn’t about to do shit to you. Now talk.”
“Ok, so the tour I told you about, there was this guide, a young guy. I believed he was in his twenties…”
“Oh my God, did you sleep with the guide, Dior?” Victoria interrupted me. Her question threw me for a loop, and I stared at her as though she was crazy.
“What? No, that’s not what happened…Jesus. Anyway, the guide’s name was Enzo, and his mother owned this cafe I asked Buddha to take me to because he met me in Florence. So we get to the cafe, and Enzo’s mother comes out,” I stopped and staredat Victoria, hoping that she would somehow magically connect the dots. Instead, she sat there staring at me, hanging on to my every word.
