FEDERICO

Calm the fuck down.

My knee bounces as I wait for her to answer, but the phone rings and rings.

You just need to hear her voice.

Why isn't she answering?

It goes to her voicemail and I groan. How did this fucking happen?

I'm desperate to remember last night but it's a blank void. I try her number again. Please pick up!

"Hello, my love." Her soft voice greets me and I lean back in the chair, breathing a sigh of relief, closing my eyes for a moment.

"Hey, baby, I wanted to hear your voice."

She chuckles. "That's really sweet, considering it sounds scratchy and throaty; I just woke up."

"You sound sexy. Was it a good night?" I ask, even though I wish the bachelorette and bachelor parties were skipped altogether now.

"Anytime you wake up with a penis stuck to your face is a good night."

I sit up, my pulse racing. "What?!"

She laughs. "A candy penis, Rico, not a real one." My phone buzzes in my hand; she sent me a picture of her sister with a gummy-shaped penis on her forehead. "See? Jackie is going to wake up the same way I did, only mine was on my cheek." She laughs again.

I grumble, rubbing my eyes. "Next time preface with it being a fake one."

"Next time? I don't know about you but I only plan on getting married once, Mr."

I chuckle. "So do I, amore." But then my smile fades, hoping there's still a marriage after this. (love)

"So...how was your party? Did you guys go all crazy?" Elenora asks me. I hold my head in my hand, leaning over on my elbows.

Just tell her. It's better to be upfront. But you don't even know what happened, stronzo. (asshole) Everything she ever questioned about you is now a fucking reality.

"Rico?"

"It was okay; glad it's over." I answer and end with the truth, at least.

"Well, that doesn't sound like you had much fun."

"I wish I was with you instead." My eyes are burning. It's the truth, but she'll want nothing to do with me after this.

"You sound sad, polpetta...Are you okay?" (meatball)

I clear my throat. "I'm fine, amore. I love you, more than anything in the world."

"I love you more, Rico. I'll see you soon, at home."

"See you at home." I smile; she likes to tease that we live in a hotel but she's managed to make it into a home and I look forward to seeing her there every day.

I walk back into the room from the balcony after I hang up.

"You didn't tell her, did you?" Angela sits up in the bed, keeping the sheet from falling off her bare body as she stretches. "She'll understand. We just got carried away."

"Get the fuck out, Angela." I light up a cigarette and inhale deeply, wondering how I'm going to get out of this and how Elenora will react if I tell her. No, when I tell her.

I just need to figure out how.

As much as I try to remember last night, I can't. Bits and pieces of it come to me but after going to the club everything is blank.

I remember greeting several associates, a few friends, Uncles and cousins were there, including Gabriel and Renzo but they stayed away from me.

Even though Angela had wanted me to put our differences aside, I didn't get the chance to meet with them beforehand so I was surprised to see them there.

The last thing I remember are the girls in the club giving us lap dances and the never ending drinks, and then I woke up naked.

With Angela.

I ran to the bathroom as soon as I saw her, emptying everything in my stomach. It wasn't from the alcohol, but more from the fact that I did this to Elenora.

She will never forgive me.

There's no way in hell she'll marry me, but that's not what scares me the most, it's the fact that I will lose her forever. My hands are shaking so much I can't make them stop.

"You act like you committed the ultimate sin, Rico. You. Don't you find that a bit ironic?" Angela gets dressed quickly and saunters over to me, taking the cigarette from my hand and takes a puff.

I glare at her. "How are you so fucking casual about this? What about Gabe?"

She averts her eyes. She hides her panic well, but I want to know why. "What the fuck happened, Angela? And why can't I remember any of it?"

"Relax Rico, think of this as a last hoorah before you sentence that dick of yours to a life of boring, married sex." She smiles, handing back the cigarette.

"Shut the fuck up. Elenora and I make love, something you know shit about. If you say anything to her..."

Angela chortles. "What? You'll kill me?" Her grin widens. "What are you afraid of? That she has no idea who you really are, Federico? I told you to be upfront about everything with her. And just so we're clear you called me, last night. You sounded distressed so I came."

"Why don't I remember it?"

She shrugs. "Maybe these will jog your memory." She hands me her phone and another wave of nausea hits me, as I scan the pictures of us in bed.

"Don't bother deleting them, I already emailed them to myself." She grabs a stick of gum from her purse and slips it into her mouth.

"I...I thought you liked Elenora, and you're with Gabe."

She shrugs, looking away. But I've known her long enough to recognize the guilt in her eyes. I storm up to her and shake her. "What fuck is going on? Why? Why are you fucking doing this, Angela?"

She doesn't meet my furious gaze and I shove her away. "Whatever it is, whatever made you betray me like this after everything I've done for you—it better be fucking worth it! Get the hell out, if I ever see you again, you're going to wish you never met me."

"You can't do anything to me. Gabriel would go apeshit if I tell him you're threatening me."

"Do it." I challenge her. "In fact, I'll tell him myself. I'm sure he'd love to know you're still up to no good; you haven't changed one bit since we were kids."

A flash of fear crosses her face before she scoffs, turning on her heel. A knock comes at the door before Domani walks in looking as awful as I feel. His eyes narrow as Angela walks past him.

"Hey Dom, long time no see. Last night was fun, yeah?"

He doesn't respond, watching her walk out of the room. He continues staring at the door for a moment before looking back at me and then his eyes move to the bed. "What the fuck happened last night?"

"I was hoping you'd tell me." I lean back, wishing I could turn back time.

"All I remember is getting to the club, people congratulating you, the girls dancing on us and that's it. I woke up in the fucking stairwell, man." He plops down in a chair holding his head in his hands groaning.

"I'd trade you any day," I state, solemnly. My heart is beating out of my chest as the weight of what this means comes over me and my eyes begin to burn. "I can't remember shit...but...it looks like I fucked Angela." I press the heels of my hands into my eyes.

I stand up and yell out in anger. "This doesn't make fucking sense, how can we both not remember what happened? Where's Luca? And where are all the fucking men I pay to prevent shit like this from happening?"

"We only came with Eddie and Nico, because Luca had the security covered, remember?" Domani says as he rubs his head.

"So where the hell are they?" I growl.

"Come on cuz, my head is fucking splitting and I'm as clueless as you are. I haven't felt this bad since sophomore year when they gave us that mixed drink with Molly. You remember that shit? I woke up in the bushes and you were in the dumpster."

My mind is racing, unable to shake the thought that something was planned against me by my own people. "You think we got drugged?"

"What other explanation is there?" He stands, opening the mini fridge in the room to grab a water bottle.

My phone rings; Ciccio's calling.

I hit the speaker button. "What?"

"Boss, I don't know if you've heard about Eddie and Nico."

Domani stops chugging the water bottle and looks at me. "What happened?"

"They were found in the garage of The Di Maggio, inside the SUV they drove in last night...dead. We've been trying to call Dom, but he ain't answerin' his phone either."

"I'm here, Ciccio, and I have no fucking idea where my phone is," Domani tells him. "I'm pretty sure someone fucking slipped us something and most of the night is completely blank."

"Who would be fucking crazy enough to do that?" Ciccio questions.

I look back at Domani. "Get Mickey to trace Domani's phone. It could lead us to who was behind it. And then have him dig into Luca's phone. I want to see who he's been talking to. Do we have anything on Gabriel?"

"Not much; he's been in contact with Angela, but that doesn't seem out of the ordinary considering their seeing each other again."

My blood begins to boil thinking about her betrayal, but now I wonder if Gabriel is in on this. Would he go this far? No, the look of panic in Angela's eyes when I challenged her to tell Gabriel flashes in my mind.

"I want fucking heads for this!" I growl.

"Ciccio, tell Mickey I want him to gather the footage from this hotel and from the garage at The Di Maggio too," Domani orders.

"Will do, Dom," Ciccio replies into the phone. "Oh buongiorno Ms. Borelli." I sit up waiting to hear her voice. (Good morning)

"Hi Ciccio, it's good to see you." Her happy voice filters through the phone. "If that's mia bel polpetta, you're talking to, tell him to get his fine ass home, per favore." (my handsome meatball, please)

Ciccio stammers. "Uh...Boss?"

"Polpetta?" Domani sniggers at the same time.

I roll my eyes at Domani. "Tell mia patatina she's going to get it when I get home." Her loud laugh carries in the background before I hang up. My smile vanishes, wondering if that will be the last time she talks about me with love in her voice.

"We'll figure this out, Rico."

"I have to tell her about Angela regardless." I hold my splitting head in my hands.

"I'm not saying not to, but give me a couple of days to figure this shit out first. I know you love Nora and you wouldn't do this to her. Someone set you up." Domani claps a hand on my shoulder.

I've never been a superstitious person, but I can't help wonder if this is Karma for all the wrong and bad I've done in my life. The old thought I've had plaguing me since I was young seeps back into my mind for the first time since meeting Elenora: I don't deserve happiness.

***