The Life - Rebirth (The Life 4)

I got the news maybe minutes before it came over the airwaves and only seconds before the phone rang with the news that Gia was coming home. It had been hell keeping the news that she’d been found away from Gabe, and I guess I was a bit skeptical as well that he’d so easily found her once the excitement had worn off, so I played a game of wait and see.

It looks like they hadn’t needed the fake engagement after all, but Mancini still insisted at Lyon’s behest that they go through with the plan. I’m not sure they knew that he’d react this way, dropping everything and heading back without question. I’m so damn proud of him, not only because of this but because of all that he's done.

Even though I’ve gone legit, I can still enjoy the workings of a mind like Gabe’s. In some ways, he’s like an old throwback to the golden years of the life, and in so many others, he’s unique. It’s that blend of eastern philosophy meets western mind. He’s a son any man could be proud of, and I’m proud to call him mine.

His moral code is astounding in one so young, the way he tackles things almost instantaneously. I wonder if he realizes how pure his heart and mind are. They’d have to be for him to make the decisions he does without blinking. With Gabe, I’ve come to realize there’s no grey area, just black and white, right and wrong, no matter who is involved.

His sister and brother were back at the house being looked after. My wife had read me the message our son had sent her when he asked her to take them in, and I looked at my son now, wondering how the hell he’d become this amazing man.

He'd figured out that I was working with Mancini and the others though he still doesn’t know their identity. How the hell did he do that? Had I given myself away without even knowing it? I don’t see how. I’ve been very careful not to show my hand the few times we’ve been together. It doesn’t matter now anyway.

There was a soft ding on my phone alerting me to an incoming message. It was Guy, back on the ground in Sicily. “Salvatore Ricci just put a hit out on his son. Erase!” I looked over at Gabe, who had his eyes closed as if asleep, but still, he somehow felt my eyes on him.

“What is it?”

“Salvatore just put a hit out on Alonzo. Why are you smiling?”

“Where did you hide him?”

“Hide who?” Shit, the kid can’t be that good.

“Ricci!”

“How did you know?”

“If Sal had him, there wouldn’t be any need to put a hit out on him. He could just handle it in-house. Is that what the message was?”

“Yeah, from Guy. Now, why are you smiling? And why don’t you seem surprised?”

“I may have made it seem like I was taken out of the palazzo when I left. I didn’t have time to say goodbye, but I figured there was nothing stopping me from using this opportunity either.”

“How did you do that?”

“I turned over some stuff, left the room in shambles without actually breaking anything. The place is a shrine to Sal’s dad. Now with both me and Ricci gone and the room in chaos, he probably thinks Ricci did something to me."

“But how did you know that Sal didn’t have Ricci or even that Ricci was gone?”

“Martin said he was somewhere I can’t find him. He’s been in touch with the one you’re dealing with as well. I think you got to Ricci that night. Is Fabrizio working for you?”

“No, but someone else got to him.” He’d figured that out too?

“Geez, Gabe, how does your mind work?”

“Like a puzzle!” He still hadn’t opened his eyes. We spent most of the flight in silence after that. I even took a nap; not sure if he did. There were only two hours left in the flight when next I looked at my watch. Gabe sat gazing off into space, and I started to feel nervous for the first time.

Up until now, I’d taken Mancini’s word at face value, not questioning things when I usually would. But so far, nothing he said or did could hurt my son or me. Now, with our arrival drawing close, I started to panic as wayward thoughts filled my head. What if the girl is not there?

GIANNA

“You doing okay, kid?” Why does him calling me that always fill me with warmth? In the few days I’ve known him, Colton has been the father I wish I’d had. Just watching him interact with his kids back on the island was eye-opening. I used to think that the Russos were one in a million, an anomaly, but now I know that it was my family life that was out of the norm.