Ciro and Brahim lay in the back of one of their cargo trucks. They reveled in the large amount of money their employees had brought them from the United States, the product of drug sales and a little from illegal arms smuggling. It was not the largest sum they had ever made in their lives, it surely exceeded, and by far, what they made daily in Russia or Mexico, however, what had them overflowing with happiness was having challenged the supreme authorities of North America and being immune. Only months before the FBI breathed down their throats, they undertook a marathon that saved them from the cages. This loot was counted for pride.
-And you told me it was crazy. - Ciro reproached his brother as they got off the truck.
"And I stand by it," Brahim said confidently, shaking his hands.
-You have little faith in me, brother. - Cyrus added with a smile that stretched from end to end of his shining face.
For Brahim, America was just another country o
Early in the morning, Michael headed east of the city, towards the Carter Real Estate Company . He was anxious, as he could not have been otherwise, considering that he had heard absolutely nothing from Bethany for several days. A woman who had taken up sitting on a bench in the main square as a hobby, suddenly stopped going. And being aware of the lineage to which her husband and brother-in-law belonged, his worries were more than justified. Bethany was a threat to the brothers, so their lives were conditioned. Although she was a complete stranger, Michael could not stop worrying about her. He was living under a delusion.He arrived at the company and prayed to his gods that everything would go well, not only for Bethany but for himself as well. From the first moment he set foot on that property, he had put his life at risk. He was under the radar of the Tonali brothers, that was for sure. Every move had to be careful."I'm looking for Bethany Carter," he ask
Bethany sat on the bed with her back against the wooden headboard and her legs stretched out. All that could be heard in the room was her quiet breathing and the wind that occasionally made the balcony curtains flutter. She didn't do much else for the rest of the day. She only left the room when she was absolutely sure that Ciro wouldn't be there, and that he wouldn't be here for a long time. Facing him was becoming more and more difficult.He heard a knock on the door and got up, assuming it was Silvia who had kindly brought him dinner. That was how things had worked the last few days. He opened the door and found Ciro. He wanted to close it immediately, but the Italian stood in the way.-I'll invite you to dinner. -Ciro said.-I wouldn't go around the corner with you. - He refused with hostility.-I know, that's why I organized a little soiree here. You just have to go down to the dining room.-Cyrus, you..."I insist," he bellowed, antici
Ciro meant it when he told Brahim that he would take care of Bethany whenever he couldn't be with her. That's why, early in the morning, the youngest of the Tonali brothers was at his brother's house."What am I supposed to do?" Brahim asked with obvious discontent as he watched Ciro finish shaving.-Just make sure he doesn't get into trouble, that's all. -He said simply."We're talking about a grown woman, not a child," argued Brahim, who found the idea of taking care of his sister-in-law to be at least stupid.-She's a very curious woman and she has reasons to be. -Ciro said, removing the shaving foam from his face. -Don't worry, you won't have to do much. She'll probably stay in the room most of the time.-And what will you do all this time? -Ciro looked at him seriously.-Voslov is in town and wants to talk to me.-Incredible. He'll threaten to reveal Bethany in exchange for more Italian land. And you, being so stupid, will give i
When Ciro arrived at the meeting place with Voslov, the latter was not there, but a retinue of his men was there. The Italian kept his composure and continued on.He waited for the Russian for more than two hours until he finally appeared, arrogant as usual. The hatred that Ciro felt towards him could not be hidden, although the Russian did not care.-My dear partner, you cannot imagine how eager I was to return to tell you how grateful I am for your generous treatment. My business flourishes on your lands. - Voslov said only to irritate his Italian counterpart. Ciro wanted not to pull on that thread and kill the subject before it spread any further. The man in front of him tried to take the life of the woman he loves on her wedding day, that was an unresolved score. So the best and wisest thing to do was to avoid tempers getting heated.-Why did you call me? -Ciro explained the reasons for the meeting quickly.-Because I wanted to hold a celebration in h
Ciro, sitting on the bottom steps of the ivory staircase, checked the time on his original Rolex every five minutes. It was almost time for dinner and he was starting to get impatient. The sooner they arrived, the sooner they would be back, and Voslov was not good at waiting.He sighed heavily and looked up, expecting to see his wife ready to leave, but it was no more than a hope. He snorted. What he feared most was going up to the bedroom and finding Bethany in a state of anarchy, refusing to go with him. Just like on their wedding day. He felt melancholy every time he thought of that day. He understood that sooner or later Bethany would have to discover some semblance of reality, but he hated that it had been that day of all days.Surrendered to despair, he began to walk upstairs. He did not even notice that his cotton suit had become wrinkled from sitting for so long. He knocked on the door with a racing heart."Bethany?" he said. He felt bad calling her by h
They arrived at Paste Rich, one of Voslov's properties in Italy. It was a large restaurant with a modern, gothic feel that did not please any diner, except for the superstitious and fervent believers, whose culture could be seen to be challenged by the Lucifer decorations and Stars of David displayed like Picasso paintings. It was an open interpretation of what was going on in the mind of the restaurant owner. The happy couple arrived hand in hand, drawing the attention of many of those present who saw Sandro's firstborn for the first time since he died, being the leader of one of the most feared organisations in Europe. They were debating whether he would be up to his father's level or if the throne had become too big for him.-Bethany, I need you to do something for us: for me, for Brahim and for yourself. –Ciro said, holding his wife's hand tightly. –I need you to forget the hatr
The glow of a full moon bathed the elegant Florentine city. From the balcony where Bethany was standing, she could see the river in the distance, flowing with an imperturbable calm, enviable for the chaotic soul of the woman who could not calm down.It had been a couple of hours since Ciro left her alone after he ran into old acquaintances and they invited him to their private poker tournament. Bethany considered the idea of staying inside and chatting with someone, she was sure she would find someone who was as lonely as she was, however, she remembered the place she was in, and the people invited. She wouldn't talk to engineers, doctors, much less lawyers, but rather they were mobsters; very powerful criminals. It was enough to decide to isolate herself from the rest, because she wanted to believe that she didn't belong to that shady world and that it was an accident that brought her together with Ciro, despite the fact that he told her that she knew who he was the day she
The sun caressed Bethany's face, prompting her to wake up. The first thing that crossed her mind was the previous night and her "special" meeting with her brother-in-law in her husband's wine cellar. She thought that with the dawn she would also feel remorse, but that was not the case. The only thing she regretted was not having been brave from the beginning to refuse marriage, and the fact is that she had always had doubts about getting married. Her relationship with Ciro was a real farce, at least that was how she felt.She stood up and went straight to the laptop on her desk. Since she learned the truth about the Tonali brothers, she hadn't checked her email again, and it was about time she did. The emails were divided between advertisements and newsletters from subscription sites, but what predominated in her inbox were emails from Lorient who, despite Bethany's obvious lack of interest, did not stop keeping her informed of everything that was h
It was the first time in several days that Bethany had walked alone through the streets of Florence. Without any of her brothers looking after her, or at least that's what she assumed.She thought a lot about Brahim; about what happened the night before, wanting to understand why it happened. If it had been Ciro, she would have rejected him for sure. But when it came to Brahim, she didn't hesitate. Alcohol played a very important role, that was clear to her, but there was another reason. With Brahim it was a sexual experience, superficial. On the other hand, Ciro had sworn to make love to her and Bethany couldn't conceive it. As much as her husband claimed to love her, she couldn't believe it definitively. And she didn't want to get to a point where she would forget everything he had done to her, the lies and the deceptions and end up falling in love. Forgiving him was not an option.She arrived at the street called "la dolce far niente", a very pleasant neigh
The sun caressed Bethany's face, prompting her to wake up. The first thing that crossed her mind was the previous night and her "special" meeting with her brother-in-law in her husband's wine cellar. She thought that with the dawn she would also feel remorse, but that was not the case. The only thing she regretted was not having been brave from the beginning to refuse marriage, and the fact is that she had always had doubts about getting married. Her relationship with Ciro was a real farce, at least that was how she felt.She stood up and went straight to the laptop on her desk. Since she learned the truth about the Tonali brothers, she hadn't checked her email again, and it was about time she did. The emails were divided between advertisements and newsletters from subscription sites, but what predominated in her inbox were emails from Lorient who, despite Bethany's obvious lack of interest, did not stop keeping her informed of everything that was h
The glow of a full moon bathed the elegant Florentine city. From the balcony where Bethany was standing, she could see the river in the distance, flowing with an imperturbable calm, enviable for the chaotic soul of the woman who could not calm down.It had been a couple of hours since Ciro left her alone after he ran into old acquaintances and they invited him to their private poker tournament. Bethany considered the idea of staying inside and chatting with someone, she was sure she would find someone who was as lonely as she was, however, she remembered the place she was in, and the people invited. She wouldn't talk to engineers, doctors, much less lawyers, but rather they were mobsters; very powerful criminals. It was enough to decide to isolate herself from the rest, because she wanted to believe that she didn't belong to that shady world and that it was an accident that brought her together with Ciro, despite the fact that he told her that she knew who he was the day she
They arrived at Paste Rich, one of Voslov's properties in Italy. It was a large restaurant with a modern, gothic feel that did not please any diner, except for the superstitious and fervent believers, whose culture could be seen to be challenged by the Lucifer decorations and Stars of David displayed like Picasso paintings. It was an open interpretation of what was going on in the mind of the restaurant owner. The happy couple arrived hand in hand, drawing the attention of many of those present who saw Sandro's firstborn for the first time since he died, being the leader of one of the most feared organisations in Europe. They were debating whether he would be up to his father's level or if the throne had become too big for him.-Bethany, I need you to do something for us: for me, for Brahim and for yourself. –Ciro said, holding his wife's hand tightly. –I need you to forget the hatr
Ciro, sitting on the bottom steps of the ivory staircase, checked the time on his original Rolex every five minutes. It was almost time for dinner and he was starting to get impatient. The sooner they arrived, the sooner they would be back, and Voslov was not good at waiting.He sighed heavily and looked up, expecting to see his wife ready to leave, but it was no more than a hope. He snorted. What he feared most was going up to the bedroom and finding Bethany in a state of anarchy, refusing to go with him. Just like on their wedding day. He felt melancholy every time he thought of that day. He understood that sooner or later Bethany would have to discover some semblance of reality, but he hated that it had been that day of all days.Surrendered to despair, he began to walk upstairs. He did not even notice that his cotton suit had become wrinkled from sitting for so long. He knocked on the door with a racing heart."Bethany?" he said. He felt bad calling her by h
When Ciro arrived at the meeting place with Voslov, the latter was not there, but a retinue of his men was there. The Italian kept his composure and continued on.He waited for the Russian for more than two hours until he finally appeared, arrogant as usual. The hatred that Ciro felt towards him could not be hidden, although the Russian did not care.-My dear partner, you cannot imagine how eager I was to return to tell you how grateful I am for your generous treatment. My business flourishes on your lands. - Voslov said only to irritate his Italian counterpart. Ciro wanted not to pull on that thread and kill the subject before it spread any further. The man in front of him tried to take the life of the woman he loves on her wedding day, that was an unresolved score. So the best and wisest thing to do was to avoid tempers getting heated.-Why did you call me? -Ciro explained the reasons for the meeting quickly.-Because I wanted to hold a celebration in h
Ciro meant it when he told Brahim that he would take care of Bethany whenever he couldn't be with her. That's why, early in the morning, the youngest of the Tonali brothers was at his brother's house."What am I supposed to do?" Brahim asked with obvious discontent as he watched Ciro finish shaving.-Just make sure he doesn't get into trouble, that's all. -He said simply."We're talking about a grown woman, not a child," argued Brahim, who found the idea of taking care of his sister-in-law to be at least stupid.-She's a very curious woman and she has reasons to be. -Ciro said, removing the shaving foam from his face. -Don't worry, you won't have to do much. She'll probably stay in the room most of the time.-And what will you do all this time? -Ciro looked at him seriously.-Voslov is in town and wants to talk to me.-Incredible. He'll threaten to reveal Bethany in exchange for more Italian land. And you, being so stupid, will give i
Bethany sat on the bed with her back against the wooden headboard and her legs stretched out. All that could be heard in the room was her quiet breathing and the wind that occasionally made the balcony curtains flutter. She didn't do much else for the rest of the day. She only left the room when she was absolutely sure that Ciro wouldn't be there, and that he wouldn't be here for a long time. Facing him was becoming more and more difficult.He heard a knock on the door and got up, assuming it was Silvia who had kindly brought him dinner. That was how things had worked the last few days. He opened the door and found Ciro. He wanted to close it immediately, but the Italian stood in the way.-I'll invite you to dinner. -Ciro said.-I wouldn't go around the corner with you. - He refused with hostility.-I know, that's why I organized a little soiree here. You just have to go down to the dining room.-Cyrus, you..."I insist," he bellowed, antici
Early in the morning, Michael headed east of the city, towards the Carter Real Estate Company . He was anxious, as he could not have been otherwise, considering that he had heard absolutely nothing from Bethany for several days. A woman who had taken up sitting on a bench in the main square as a hobby, suddenly stopped going. And being aware of the lineage to which her husband and brother-in-law belonged, his worries were more than justified. Bethany was a threat to the brothers, so their lives were conditioned. Although she was a complete stranger, Michael could not stop worrying about her. He was living under a delusion.He arrived at the company and prayed to his gods that everything would go well, not only for Bethany but for himself as well. From the first moment he set foot on that property, he had put his life at risk. He was under the radar of the Tonali brothers, that was for sure. Every move had to be careful."I'm looking for Bethany Carter," he ask