“I am sorry,” Giaimo’s rich voice held a quiet reverence when he addressed the lady of the house.
Forgiveness laced Athena’s smile. “Thank you for bringing Tonelo,” she looked to Mica. “Thank you both.”
Cold regard returned to Giaimo’s eyes when he looked to his brother. “Li.” He said and turned for the door.
“Please think on what I said,” Mica urged Liam and then followed behind their brother.
~7~
Tonelo Aliri’s injuries proved superficial for the most part. While he was in a state of pain over much of his body, his wounds weren’t life threatening or debilitating. Tone, however, wasn’t above spending a few days in the Tesano’s spare bedroom. Athena had insisted he would recover more quickly there where he could be watched instead of two floors down in his smaller apartment.
Tone was able to confirm the description of the men Giaimo and Mica had seen running from the scene. Beyond that however, he had no idea who they were.
The news was bittersweet, but Athena couldn’t deny she was more than a little relieved. Tone’s inability to recall his attackers kept everything at a standstill. Liam’s brothers didn’t rush into mayhem and Liam himself didn’t have to choose between being who he was and who his brothers thought he should be. Athena wondered if any of it mattered to her husband or whether she was the only one preoccupied by it.
Justice for Tonelo wasn’t all that had the Tesanos preoccupied. The factory was still a work in progress as well as the modest number of orders continually arriving. Athena had been instrumental in hiring a small, yet talented crew of seamstresses who managed to keep Tesano Textiles operating efficiently enough to fulfill its orders on time.
Business interests however, took a back seat when Liam treated his wife to the long overdue date night that had been postponed. Athena had to appreciate her husband’s timing since she herself had nearly overlooked the significance of the night.
~~~
The Tesanos were toasting their anniversary. Athena laughed when the champagne bubbles tickled her nose. She then took a self conscious look around the dining room, sparsely populated given it was the middle of the week and a rainy evening besides.
“Can we afford this, Liam?” She asked in a whisper.
“Relax,” he cooed, “we aren’t dining at the Waldorf or taking in a show on Broadway.”
No they weren’t. Taking in a 7pm special showing of Bogart films and dinner at the cozy French cafe not far from the factory could hardly compete with the expense of an upscale evening.
“Tonight competed with and surpassed in every way that counted,” she said.
Liam regarded his wife closely. “Is this why you look so down?”
“Have you given any thought to when we might move?”
“You don’t like the neighborhood?” Liam’s expression was a testament to his surprise.
“I do, I-I just wondered if you’ve given any thought to it.”
“Do you want to move, Athena?”
She focused on the invisible image her fingers traced into the tablecloth. “It might be nice to have a place befitting the proprietor of an up and coming factory.”
“Is that it or is this about my brothers? I know their lives seem glamorous,” he said when she didn’t respond. “Running across the globe fulfilling vendettas,” he looked past the bay window next to their booth. The cafe occupied a reasonably quiet stretch of road in the upper west side of the city. The dark street was slick with the chilly rain pounding it.
“My brothers have always been blood thirsty,” Liam looked as if he were seeing his past in the window. “They loved our parents, but I always believed what happened to them was the excuse they needed to feed that thirst.” He blinked as though emerging from a daze and sent Athena a strange smile.
“I’ve never told that to anyone before,” he said.
Athena reached across the table to squeeze her husband’s hand. “I’m glad you told me but I hope that isn’t true. I think they sincerely want to help you.”
A smile fainted across Liam’s mouth. “I believe that too. I believe they want to help everyone they take on a vendetta for. It’s what the service costs that concerns me.”
Athena seemed amused. “I’m sure they wouldn’t charge-”
“I mean my integrity, Athena. The integrity of the Tesano name and the business I want to bear it.” He settled back to the booth’s off white seating and tapped his fingers to the table.
“Remember when they came to the wedding? What Emilio said about checking them out? I did. Their- our name is almost as feared here as it is in the old country. Murderers posing as saviors. Do you know how many people they cut down in the quest to root out the men ultimately responsible for what happened to my parents?”
“Liam, hear me now. I’m sure many sleep well tonight knowing they got justice for a lost one or ruined business.”
“Are you worried I can’t keep you safe?” He seemed to accuse.
“No Liam, no that’s not it.” Athena shook her head wildly, “but you need to remember this isn’t the old country. Here, we are the outsiders and these Americans know no honor. They are the animals they accuse the rest of us of being. I’m not worried you can’t keep me safe, amor. I’m worried you won’t be safe.”
Liam grinned. “I know how to watch out for myself. I’ve been doing it ever since my brothers raced out into the night all those years ago.”
“Alright,” patience swelled the word. “You can watch out for yourself but what of the business? What’s to stop those two from coming back with three times that many and catching someone else off guard while leaving the factory? What happened to Tonelo was a message. The next time someone could die.”
“I should put you in charge of my security, you know? You’d be damn good at it.”
Athena reached for the glass of champagne she’d scarcely touched. She seemed more content just holding it. “Why me when there is someone near with far more experience?”
Again, Liam rested back on the booth seat. He watched his wife with affectionate exasperation as she broke off a portion of the herb crusted crepe still on her plate.
“Your business may never go where you want it if you’re steadily trying to prevent this kind of attack on your own,” she warned. “At least this way it’s your family keeping watch instead of strangers.”
A muscle started a sudden dance along Liam’s jawline. “Did my brothers put you up to this?” His voice held a deadly calm. “Did they ask you to change my-”
