49I knew Felicia spoiled her daughter but I didn't realise to the point where she had personally paid for the play itself to be held at the City Theatre. The family had come out in hoards, hundreds upon hundreds of Angelo's relatives paraded around the theatre making a group of our own.
It was bitterly cold this night, but I had decided to wear the black chiffon dress, when left the centre of my back open and bare, before swooping low across my lower back threatening to reveal everything.
It had pretentious written all over it, but I couldn't refuse the soft silk once it had caressed my skin.
I held onto Angelo's arm swooping my breasts into his body, I was cold and this was my only source of warmth. A running figure made its way towards me.
"Adrianna! Darling." Felicia had primped her hair high into the air and she looked ridiculous. "The whole family is here, it's such a big day for my little girl."
"I bet it is." I gave a small smile, letting her usher us indoors, under the warmth of the chandelier. Her voice began to transform into a low hum as my eyes wandered around and through the family.
My eyes moved around the lobby once and like lightening they picked up a body. I moved away from Angelo making my way to Marciella."Why is Emily here?"
Marciella looked up, catching Emily's eyes." He's not sleeping with her anymore, Felicia invited her. They got to talking at a party, I didn't attend." I gave Marciella a cryptic look. I flared, quietly unamused , before peering at Angelo under my lashes, he wasn't aware
"You expect me to believe they stopped sleeping with eachother." Marciella gave me an annoyed look.
"Believe what you want but that's what happened. Now happy the fuck up before you piss me off." She looped her arm around me and pulled me away to another family member.
It was hard to focus as my attentions' Marciella dragged me from conversation to conversation and the scent of Emily followed and engulfed my enter being like a leech to flesh, I couldn't shake her off and as much as I tried to escape her constant reminder of my husband infidelity. All, thoughts of my drunk conversation rose from the depths of my memory and suddenly I was very sad.
Sad because I thought of what we had, what he wasted and what I had lost. And that burning resentment that I had told myself I had forgetten told myself to forgive and forget. But then Emily showed up and brought back the vomit from my throat.
I sucked in a deep breath before being drawn to another Uncles arm and smiling my way through conversation.
It seemed the whole family and appeared surprising seeing how much they hated Felicia. There was a deep spike that slammed into my back, unsure of what it was I shimmed in my dress a little. Again the spike pressed into my side, now i abruptly released the arm around my own, and begun playing with my dress.
"What are you doing?" Marciella eyed me up and down concern on her face.
"There's something wrong with my dress." She sighed wobbling to my back, and patting me down.
"There's nothing here."
There was a slight intake to my gut as my eyes wondered to the door. Emily stood across from Angelo, her fingers tightening around his fingers her lips brushed his ear, her eyes were begging ,pleading, she was asking him something, no begging him for something. I swallowed the heavy lump in my throat.
But then as, he eased away from her smiling, our eyes met. I wondered, in that moment, how I must have looked, shocked sad even. Either way I turned around.
But I could hear and feel his footsteps and like the coward I am, I ran, I was not ready and he couldn't see me like this, when I was like this and he was like that.
I pushed past the bathroom door. Clutching at my stomach it was either vomit or tears that wanted to come out. But as I stood there waiting for it to rush out. Nothing came, a sweet moment of serenity broken by the reflection of my body in the mirror.
Revolted I turned around, my back facing the mirror, my eyes lifting upwards. I could avoid him if I had to, keep to Marciella and not talk to him.
But that wouldn't work Marciella was just as close to him as she is to me. As the horror kept crawling up my back, I heard the distinct call to move into theatre. I sighed, picked up whatever courage which had sunk into my hands and moved out of the bathroom.
I glanced upwards at the second step of the stairs. Poised as ever both hands in pocket, a calm balanced look on his face. I sucked in my salvia.
His eyes were dimmed. His head bobbed briefly so his chin touched the top of his chest before looking up.
"Hurry up.' He pushed his hand outwards towards me. I eyed it once then twice as my eyes flickered between his face and his hand.
I pinched my lips and took it/
Of course, the family had booked all balconies within the theatre. Angelo moved with ease into the first and most elaborate.
My seat was next to Angelos' so close that all I had to do was lean little right and our shoulders would brush. I allowed my body to shape into his.
My eyes glimpsed on and off the stage, the play would have appealed to me if it were interesting. But it was average quiet lovely for a school play but still boring enough to make my eyes wander here or there.
Automaticaly my eyes flittered to the last box, the closest to the stage where Felicia sat, Emily by her side. I watched her how she sat, her chest somewhat concaved in her shoulders slumped, I averted my eyes quickly.
When intermissionI followed Marciella hoping that I could catch up with her and begin walking with her, but my arm was caught and my body dragged right to the back of the group. Angelo wrapped his limbs around my waist, and brought my face to his, we were alone in the balcony
The kiss was excruciating slow, as if he was testing water. Biding the time, with my lips.
"Everyone is waiting." I mumbled under my breath, turning my head slightly towards the stage. The room was still emptying it wouldn't take much for someone to notice us.
He chose to ignore my comment and opted for. "They can wait." I gave him a small smile.
"I want to call , the babysitter, I want to hear Luciano" I moved my eyes again shifting them away from his.
"He's fine."
I pinched my lips together facing him. "It wouldn't hurt to check."
He moved forward. 'Stop avoiding me. I hate that.'
"I'm not avoiding you." We were calm.
"Don't lie to me'
"I'm not." Intermission was over and I pushed past him, taking my seat.
Somewhere between the frogs' song of 'recognition' and the trees 'swaying.' To the wind. One of Angelo's Bodyguards stormed into our balcony. The Bodyguard was discreet, he whispered some wuiet tones and murmurs into Angelo's ear. Angelo was stoic as ever, nodding once or twice before tapping Marciella's husband on the shoulder, both men stood then walked out of the room. Bodyguard following.
I couldn't help crane my neck behind me. I was so invested in what he was doing I failed to notice that my chair was tilting backwards about to fall.
I straightened again, returning my eyes to the stage again, ignoring the nagging that was in the back of my head.
Angelo was never a nervous man, he prided himself on the ability to keep unnaturally calm in situations that, to some, would have got them quivering. To calm further heighten his calmed self he would light a Cuban, and take long heavy drags from it. Finally when the smoke was cleared he, calmly and almost uncaringly, asked " How many men were taken out?"
"Forty-seven" Angelo, liked his sisters husband, he was loyal trustworthy and most of all he did what he was told.
Angelo had overestimated the Frenchman and the Russian, he was knew he clicked a few buttons too far after killing the Frenchman's family, but one had to understand, murder in this manner was business. If , Angelo had allowed the Frenchman to continue on his meteoric rise, to power, then Angelo would suffer the consequences and Angelo didn't like to lose.
"Call in the German." Angelo motioned with his fingers."And kill the fucking Frenchman and the Russian, by tonight I want their heads on a platter, I've had enough of this."
My head swivelled when I heard the door open, he walked in calm as ever but as I looked closely, I could see that he was planning something, that his mind was working ten paces ahead of everyone.
I leant towards him, pressing my arm onto his shoulder. He took note of this turning immediately to see my side profile, I turned as well giving him my eyes. And silently asked him.
"What's wrong?"
He ignored me, as if I were an insect.
I leant back into my seat, pulling my body away but he caught my hand and began stroking it.
Angelo knew that someone was going to die on his side maybe more than three if it was possible, and he wasn't bothered by it at all.. He wanted nothing but the validation that both the Russian and Frenchman were dead.
One of his men came in at that time, he leant over Angelos' shoulder: "We've found The German, his head cut with a note inside his mouth." A little smile graced Angelo's lips in that moment. The Frenchman had upped his game
He took the note reading it slowly.
It's a shame how he screamed for his mother, Who will you scream for?
"Kill him." The man moved off.
It was silent after, his mind switched invariable between the death of the Frenchman and what shoul happen if the Frenchman, were too, miraculously survive.
He had islands in Greece where he could hide out with his Son and Adrianna, his sister would be fine with her husband and the Business would be controlled by his older brother. If the Frenchman were to survive, his family was have to pull away from each other, survive on their own, he had done this once, in his life time. He didn't like it then, and he wouldn't like it now.
A finger tapped his shoulder, and mouth whispered in his ear.
"The Russian is dead, we can't find the Frenchman." He smiled briefly.
The play ended, we gave our undeserving was a slow progression, as we filed out, for all that was good and worthy. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who noticed the large amount of security we now had as opposed to the begin, I'msure that no one bothered to ask they probably all knew already.
I found Marciellas' arm. She gave me a strange look." Why is the entire family Guard here?"
"I thought you knew? Angelo hasn't told me anything." I shrugged, I stopped asking questions a long time ago.
"No…something's wrong, something's happening." She said nothing else, but marched towards her brother.
I cleared my throat, and my made my way for the bathroom.
I moved into it giving a slow breath, closing my eyes briefly then opening them. Emily was on othersider of the bathroom wall, her action mirroring mine. "I never got to meet you.' Her voice was, soft, wispy as if she couldn't breathe. It was attractive.
"But we've heard all about each other.' I realised how ugly mine was, so hoarse.
"Yes, we have…Congratulations for the baby. I was at your baby shower… I dodn't..couldn't greet you then." She moved to the sink rubbing her hands together.
"Yes I saw, I was going to talk to you. But you walked away. You were fucking him in the bathroom. I was by the door." My voice was biting, I could feel the chill of it.
"I'm sorry."
I guawffed."Not your not, Emily.I know oyou've got everyone wrapped around this whole, soft tender little girl act you have. But I can see right through you, I can see how much you hate me, how much you wish it was you being pushed and prodded around like cattle by Angelo like I am. I know your little act Emily, because you're looking at the master of the façade." I moved out of the bathroom into the hall, heading for Marciella.
"We need to leave." Marciella said with finality. She passed me over , grabbing my arm, before dragging me outside the Theatre doors.
The wind stung my skin as I pushed out of the building, my nose must be red. The family was scattered around the entrance of the stairs, idly waiting for the cars to make their appearance.
I pulled away from Marciella and began trudging my way to the foot of the pavement, anything to get my blood heated and pumping from the cold.
"Miss?" I looked up stunned, the face was unrecognizable. "You must be Adrianna." The smile I was given was horrible disgusting even.
"Yes, I am who are you?"
He lifted something out of his pocket shifting a little in his hands."You may call me the Frenchman." He lifted the gun to my head.
"ADRIANNA!" Angelos' scream vibrated against the base of my skull.
Languid, was how to describe the feel of the bullet in my head. At first it jilted me hard then there was a short languid pause as my body shifted and moulded into gravity. It wasn't hard to realise that this bullet, this small round shaped metal, was spiralling into my skull and into the wall behind me.
Briefly as the bullet was making its damage, my eyes were aware, they took in the sky As if the shining stars were inviting me to join th-
FIN
Thank You