Promised For Truce

Chapter 20

The guestroom in the Sciacca mansion was filled with a comfortable silence as both occupants went about their morning routine.

"Do we have any plans today?" Luciano asked his wife when he finished making up their bed.

"I'm going to my aunt and cousin. Do you want to come?"

"Will they give me a headache?"

"No, they are nice people."

"If you say so and you're sure they are free? Does your aunt not have their hands full with tomorrow's preparations? I imagine there will be plenty of people paying their respects at Rino's funeral."

"Papà said that pretty much everything had been taken care of. I'm sure he did so with pleasure."

Noting the dark tone in her voice, he said, "Your father also hates your uncle? Is it some sort of tradition that every male in your family antagonizes their brother-in-law? Tell me what Rino did."

It took her a second to process his words. In the past, he had never cared about or at least shown interest toward anyone outside her immediate family and she wished he hadn't started now.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Asking me that isn't going to make me less curious. So, yes, I want to know."

"I can't even begin to summarise the horrid things he did to my aunt. I'm sure she hasn't even told me half of it." She let out a heavy sigh. "Rosaria would often call me lucky to have a father like mine and-"

"Rosaria?"

"My cousin." She clarified, then she hugged herself. "After turning sixteen, I would notice Rino looking at me. He'd get too close to me during festivities; have his arm around my shoulder, dropping his head on my lap when he was drunk, hugging me too long during goodbyes. It felt degrading. Oh, and he always reeked of alcohol. Usually, I was able to handle it by subtly pushing him off me but sometimes his grip was too strong and since I couldn't go and create a scene," – Nina rolled her eyes in annoyance – "someone else had come to my rescue."

His hands were balled into fists. Fury coming to the surface but no one to direct it at. Can't exactly kill a dead man.

Sensing the changing air around Luciano, she continued, "Can you keep everything I just said between you and me?"

Luciano simply nodded, knowing how prideful she was; he would never bring it up again.

When the door to their room got opened without warning, heads turned toward it; one had their eyebrows scrunched together and the other had them up in surprise.

"What did I tell you about privacy?" Nina scolded her brother immediately.

"I'm sorry! I forgot you weren't alone."

"You still have to knock even if it's just her," Luciano said to Giorgio, feeling mildly irritated by his lack of manners.

Giorgio shot a glare back at him. "Nobody asked for your opinion."

"You have some nerve, Kid." Luciano's smile was more like a baring of his teeth.

"They're hopeless," Nina mumbled to herself as she slightly leaned against the doorpost of the adjoining bathroom. "Giorgio, what did you come for?"

"I came to ask where a certain someone was but," – the palms of Giorgio's hands showed as he gestured at Luciano – "Looks like I already found him on my own. You have to come to the office. My father wants to speak to you."

"What does he want to discuss?"

"How am I supposed to know? It's you he needs to speak to, not me." Giorgio said as Luciano passed by him to leave toward Carlos' office. "For someone who is supposed to be a Don he sure does ask stupid questions."