My Mafia Romance

Capitolo Dieci

Several days later I had my bags packed and was ready to board a private jet back to the states. Domenico was under the impression that I was going to visit my cousin Claudia with his sister Angela. But in all actuality I had been doing as much research as I could to track down Domenico's son and was now flying to Chicago to meet Claudia and begin our search.

"Have a safe trip Apollonia," Domenico said sparing me a momentary glance. He was still upset with me, but the way I see it I was doing him a favor.

The Manzoni women were all in on my plan as were Claudia and Giovanna. Domenico's mother Antonia thought I was a saint for what I was doing for her son.

I was scheduled to return home in a week so my plan had to smoothly due to the time crunch, I couldn't have Domenico terrorizing the entire city of Chicago looking for me.

"Good luck Apollonia," Giovanna whispered as she hugged me goodbye. I was so incredibly thankful for her, without her I wouldn't have been so motivated to find and bring Domenico's son home.

It took an eleven hour flight to finally reach Chicago and get booked into our hotel suite.

"So where exactly are we going to start?" Angela asked browsing through the papers that I had printed out from online and had written notes on.

"I found out where Francesca's aunt lives. She hasn't moved in twenty years and her name is Flora," I said.

"Well let's just go there now and see if she is willing to give us the kid back," Claudia said as if showing up at someone's doorstep demanding for them to give us a three year old was the most natural thing in the world. But oddly enough it was the only option we had. We decided aganist telling any other the men that worked for the Manzoni's figuring they would run back to Domenico.

Francesca's aunt Flora lived in a severely rundown and decrepit house in a rural area of Chicago. From what I gathered she didn't have much money and took care of her five grandchildren as well as her alcholic husband.

'Knock, knock'

I waited with one girl on either side of me as anxiousness passed over all three of us. Finally an unshaven man wearing a white beer stained t-shirt with a faux gold chain around his neck appeared behind the screen door.

"What do you want?" He asked burping in the proces.

"We were wondering if a Flora Accardo lived here?" Claudia spoke up.

"Flora!" He shouted before taking another swig from his beer bottle. "You got three broads here that want to talk to you! It's probably about the electric bill again!"

I shared concerned looks with the other two girls. If these were the conditions that Domenico's son was being raised in, then he could not get upset with me.

Suddenly a thin and weak woman rushed to the door balancing a toddler on her hip. "I am so sorry about missing the bill again, but- wait you aren't from the electric company."

"No ma'am we aren't. We were looking to see if you had your niece's son?" I questioned.

"Oh yes, my niece Francesca had a son but she died before he was born, it was a miracle that he survived at all."

"My brother and her husband is the father of that child," Angela spoke up.

Flora remained silent obviously mulling over what we were getting across to her. "Domenico Manzoni? That is who you are talking about?"

I nodded 'yes' waiting for her reaction.

"Francesca mentioned him several times and I have heard about his reputation," Flora nodded her head several times absentmindedly. "I'm assuming you've come to take Daniele back with you."

"Yes ma'am. We don't mean to shock you," I said.

"So you are Apollonia Manzoni? I heard about your wedding to Domenico from family I still have back in Sicily, it was all anyone could talk about." Flora readjusted the drooling toddler on her hip.

"If you want to take that brat with you then you're going to need come up with a trade," Flora's husband stood forgotten behind his wife but slowly trudged his way forward. "That wedding ring is a good start. How much does one of those go for anyway?" He roughly grabbed my hand to examine my wedding ring.

"I would need to see Daniele first before I start discussing any type of negotiation," I sounded like I was bargaining for a hostage situation.

"Well come on in," he waved us in and led us upstairs and down a dusty, dark hallway to a dimly lit room. He opened the door and there sitting in a corner playing with a brown teddy bear was Daniele.