The drops of water fell, warmer and warmer until they had cooled completely. Anne did not want to feel that icy sensation that was trying to erase from her skin the soft caresses of the hot water that had filled the bathroom with steam until it seemed like a sauna. She opened the sliding door and covered herself with a towel. She went from the bathroom to the bedroom, without noticing anything out of place, she couldn't do that, Brahim had left everything as it was. She passed the towel along her silhouette, drying every last trace of moisture. She approached the closet and took out a velvet tracksuit, comfortable and warm, and a black sweatshirt. As for footwear, she opted for some sneakers for sports. She would go for a run, although she would not go too far and for that she had two bodyguards designated by Ciro, who followed her all the time keeping a comfortable distance. She needed to clear her mind and calm her anxiety. She hadn't yet managed to get back in touch with the feds
In no time, Dr. Lamberti improvised an obstetrics room in one of the guest rooms, after having healed Brahim's wounds with alcohol and covered them with adhesive bandages, he had them everywhere, including his face, which, far from losing attractiveness, gave him an alpha appearance.She applied gel to his abdomen under the watchful eye of Brahim who wanted to verify with his own eyes the supposed child that was being conceived inside her."Is Ciro dead?" Anne asked, breaking the overwhelming silence that had enveloped the moment. She did not take her eyes off the ultrasound screen.-No, I just hit him really hard. - Brahim answered calmly. He had to send Lamberti to inspect his brother, the bodyguards had picked him up from the office floor and carried him to the main room; Anne's, she still hadn't regained consciousness.Dr. Lamberti, his hand shaking, pointed at a small dot on the screen. He cleared his throat before saying:-Indeed, Mr. Tonali,
For the rest of the day, Anne was very attentive to Ciro's needs: she brought him food, juices and water, and from time to time she stayed in the room just to keep him company, even though they didn't talk much. Ciro, naturally, appreciated it, he felt her close as he hadn't felt for a long time, but there was a disturbing feeling in him that worried him. He still didn't understand why Brahim hadn't touched a single hair on his head. Perhaps it was an absurd doubt to resolve, but until he understood what had made his brother change his mind, he wouldn't be calm. In the meantime, he would remain alert, succumbing to what seemed to him to be the calm before the storm.Dr. Lamberti had prescribed him rest and some aspirin because, although the blow to the head had not been very severe, it did not mean that it was a minor issue. For the moment, dizziness and headaches were bothering him, so Ciro slowly sat up until he was sitting on the edge of the bed."Do you want help?"
That night, husband and wife rested on the same bed, respecting the limits of their bodies, much to the chagrin of Ciro, who was dying to sleep with her in his arms, just that, without any passionate pretensions. He only wanted to have her on his chest and feel her heartbeat up close, and to believe naively that she still belonged to him, even if it was an illusion. His soul needed it as much as a bird needs its wings to keep from falling. But he restrained himself. He looked at her slender back, which was slightly exposed by the strapless shirt of her pajamas, and in a daring act he decided to trace her skin with the tip of his finger. They were soft touches that ran from one side to the other, descending and then rising again and repeating the process.He didn't mean to wake her. There was no point in waking her up, though. She was already awake. It had been a long time, ever since she discovered who she really was, that she had been unable to sleep. She slept for short int
Early in the morning, when mothers were getting their children ready to take them to school or men were heading to their offices, a heavy-duty truck was parked at the Tonali mansion with kilos and kilos of narcotics disguised as baby formula. The young driver Brahim was talking to the other day obeyed his orders and showed up early, before leaving for North America, so that his boss could check the quality of his product. Brahim took out a small knife and filled the tip with white powder, which he then tasted. He smiled, pleased at its pure taste; none of his competitors would sell anything similar. He gave the OK and the young driver got ready to return to his truck.-Alvaro, - the driver heard. He turned towards the mansion where his master's wife was leaving. Anne approached him and handed him a white, sealed envelope. -Brahim says that you should give this to the first American policeman who stops you to inspect the truck. It is very important that he receives it sealed,
The letter.The sealed envelope that Anne had given to the young driver was in the glove compartment of the truck, along with a box of cigarettes and another of matches, being watched by Alvaro who would occasionally open the glove compartment just to make sure that the letter was with him, although he had no way of losing it, he still hadn't taken it out of there. He was already crossing the gallant Milanese city halfway through the day, and he still had a long way to go. But Alvaro didn't complain about his job, he was rewarded with ten thousand euros just for driving a cargo truck two or three times a month. He wasn't stupid either, he knew what he was transporting on each trip, why it was the best-rewarded job of all the others he had worked as a driver, but for him the risk was worth it (he naively believed it because he had never been imprisoned by the authorities). The letter clearly sensed that his luck would soon reverse.After an hour or so,
Ciro, feeling better, stood in front of the many different bottles of liquor he kept in his cellar, unable to choose one. He picked up a small, almost square-shaped bottle and looked at it. It was an Absolut vodka. He thought for a moment and then returned it to its place. In his opinion, it was a drink that would be had to have a good time, and this was not the occasion."You're calling me, sir?" One of the housemaids appeared. Ciro barely took his eyes off the shelves.-Yes. Bring me Brahim, we have business to discuss. - he ordered expressionlessly.He walked around the round table in the center and stood in front of another shelf. He saw wines and cocktails, liquors that were also of no merit at the meeting of brothers, they were very soft drinks, to numb their senses and Ciro needed to have the five lively ones. Among the soft liquors there was a long and narrower bottle than usual that was out of harmony with the rest of the category, it was a
Dr. Lamberti was a general surgeon, one of the best in Italy, and he knew little, almost nothing, about pregnancies. However, when Brahim informed him that he would be responsible for caring for Anne's pregnancy, he got to work and educated himself as much as he could on the subject, consulting books, theses and asking the advice of various colleagues specialized in the area. He also had to improvise a consultation room in one of the rooms in his own house.-Everything seems to be in order, sir, the fetus has no abnormalities and neither does the mother. - Lamberti informed, afraid of giving specific details that could reveal her precarious formation. Brahim was comfortably seated in a leather chair placed exclusively for his needs. He stood up and approached the stretcher where Anne lay, centimeters from the ultrasound machine."Can you determine the sex?" he asked inexplicably.-It's still early, sir."It's a boy," Anne said, looking at the blank screen
During the crossing over the scarlet waters of the Atlantic, Alvaro lived the five best days of his life; drinking unlimited quantities of the most exquisite liquor, smoking one after another, the best tobacco; and trying out the women he wanted. He alternated all this with card games, darts and billiards. Boarding the ship from the United Kingdom to Le Havre, France, was the most fun part for Alvaro; he had not wanted the ferry to ever arrive. The owners of these cargo ships used to accumulate exaggerated debts with the Tonali brothers, so the shipments of their merchandise were a form of retribution.The letter had always been kept in the inside pocket of his jacket, and he had not trusted it to leave it anywhere else, or with anyone else, even when he returned to dry land, driving a new truck, it was there. Only the Swedish police had given the envelope any importance, otherwise they had ignored it.He arrived in the United States, off the coast of New York, exactly
A second ultrasound revealed healthy fetal development, in harmony with the mother who had followed Dr. Lamberti's instructions to the letter. The pregnancy was already beginning to be an external reflection, her flat abdomen was growing, forming a small, though noticeable, belly. They left the consulting room (or rather, Lamberti's house). Anne had an inconceivable feeling. A second look at her son left her strangely moved. She couldn't say if it was like this the first time, with her firstborn, or if it was a new sensation, either way it wasn't right, the situation she was in didn't allow her to think of sleeping teddy bears or color palettes. As much as it hurt her, the fate of that child was still in doubt.-Hey Anne… - Brahim suddenly said, staying a couple of steps behind, she had already opened the door of the Roll Royce - I feel like I owe you an apology for everything I've said
Although he would have liked to say nothing to James about the letter, Jonas saw no other alternative, so he traveled to the journalist's house and explained the situation SWAT was in, that blind spot from which it was not moving forward, and the solution he had approved as effective.-The private detective you hired would probably have found the house of these two criminals. - Jonas said. - If you give me the information he collected, maybe we can find an address.-That damn detective turned out to be a con man.-That!-As you hear. He was asking for more, much more than what was agreed in exchange for what he had discovered. I lost track of him weeks ago, I haven't heard from him again. - Jonas listened attentively, thoughtfully. It was not an option that was ruled out.-Give me his details and everything you know, or think you know about him, we will find it somehow. -And so James did. Michael was not a hidden or mysterious character, on the con
During the crossing over the scarlet waters of the Atlantic, Alvaro lived the five best days of his life; drinking unlimited quantities of the most exquisite liquor, smoking one after another, the best tobacco; and trying out the women he wanted. He alternated all this with card games, darts and billiards. Boarding the ship from the United Kingdom to Le Havre, France, was the most fun part for Alvaro; he had not wanted the ferry to ever arrive. The owners of these cargo ships used to accumulate exaggerated debts with the Tonali brothers, so the shipments of their merchandise were a form of retribution.The letter had always been kept in the inside pocket of his jacket, and he had not trusted it to leave it anywhere else, or with anyone else, even when he returned to dry land, driving a new truck, it was there. Only the Swedish police had given the envelope any importance, otherwise they had ignored it.He arrived in the United States, off the coast of New York, exactly
Dr. Lamberti was a general surgeon, one of the best in Italy, and he knew little, almost nothing, about pregnancies. However, when Brahim informed him that he would be responsible for caring for Anne's pregnancy, he got to work and educated himself as much as he could on the subject, consulting books, theses and asking the advice of various colleagues specialized in the area. He also had to improvise a consultation room in one of the rooms in his own house.-Everything seems to be in order, sir, the fetus has no abnormalities and neither does the mother. - Lamberti informed, afraid of giving specific details that could reveal her precarious formation. Brahim was comfortably seated in a leather chair placed exclusively for his needs. He stood up and approached the stretcher where Anne lay, centimeters from the ultrasound machine."Can you determine the sex?" he asked inexplicably.-It's still early, sir."It's a boy," Anne said, looking at the blank screen
Ciro, feeling better, stood in front of the many different bottles of liquor he kept in his cellar, unable to choose one. He picked up a small, almost square-shaped bottle and looked at it. It was an Absolut vodka. He thought for a moment and then returned it to its place. In his opinion, it was a drink that would be had to have a good time, and this was not the occasion."You're calling me, sir?" One of the housemaids appeared. Ciro barely took his eyes off the shelves.-Yes. Bring me Brahim, we have business to discuss. - he ordered expressionlessly.He walked around the round table in the center and stood in front of another shelf. He saw wines and cocktails, liquors that were also of no merit at the meeting of brothers, they were very soft drinks, to numb their senses and Ciro needed to have the five lively ones. Among the soft liquors there was a long and narrower bottle than usual that was out of harmony with the rest of the category, it was a
The letter.The sealed envelope that Anne had given to the young driver was in the glove compartment of the truck, along with a box of cigarettes and another of matches, being watched by Alvaro who would occasionally open the glove compartment just to make sure that the letter was with him, although he had no way of losing it, he still hadn't taken it out of there. He was already crossing the gallant Milanese city halfway through the day, and he still had a long way to go. But Alvaro didn't complain about his job, he was rewarded with ten thousand euros just for driving a cargo truck two or three times a month. He wasn't stupid either, he knew what he was transporting on each trip, why it was the best-rewarded job of all the others he had worked as a driver, but for him the risk was worth it (he naively believed it because he had never been imprisoned by the authorities). The letter clearly sensed that his luck would soon reverse.After an hour or so,
Early in the morning, when mothers were getting their children ready to take them to school or men were heading to their offices, a heavy-duty truck was parked at the Tonali mansion with kilos and kilos of narcotics disguised as baby formula. The young driver Brahim was talking to the other day obeyed his orders and showed up early, before leaving for North America, so that his boss could check the quality of his product. Brahim took out a small knife and filled the tip with white powder, which he then tasted. He smiled, pleased at its pure taste; none of his competitors would sell anything similar. He gave the OK and the young driver got ready to return to his truck.-Alvaro, - the driver heard. He turned towards the mansion where his master's wife was leaving. Anne approached him and handed him a white, sealed envelope. -Brahim says that you should give this to the first American policeman who stops you to inspect the truck. It is very important that he receives it sealed,
That night, husband and wife rested on the same bed, respecting the limits of their bodies, much to the chagrin of Ciro, who was dying to sleep with her in his arms, just that, without any passionate pretensions. He only wanted to have her on his chest and feel her heartbeat up close, and to believe naively that she still belonged to him, even if it was an illusion. His soul needed it as much as a bird needs its wings to keep from falling. But he restrained himself. He looked at her slender back, which was slightly exposed by the strapless shirt of her pajamas, and in a daring act he decided to trace her skin with the tip of his finger. They were soft touches that ran from one side to the other, descending and then rising again and repeating the process.He didn't mean to wake her. There was no point in waking her up, though. She was already awake. It had been a long time, ever since she discovered who she really was, that she had been unable to sleep. She slept for short int
For the rest of the day, Anne was very attentive to Ciro's needs: she brought him food, juices and water, and from time to time she stayed in the room just to keep him company, even though they didn't talk much. Ciro, naturally, appreciated it, he felt her close as he hadn't felt for a long time, but there was a disturbing feeling in him that worried him. He still didn't understand why Brahim hadn't touched a single hair on his head. Perhaps it was an absurd doubt to resolve, but until he understood what had made his brother change his mind, he wouldn't be calm. In the meantime, he would remain alert, succumbing to what seemed to him to be the calm before the storm.Dr. Lamberti had prescribed him rest and some aspirin because, although the blow to the head had not been very severe, it did not mean that it was a minor issue. For the moment, dizziness and headaches were bothering him, so Ciro slowly sat up until he was sitting on the edge of the bed."Do you want help?"