The Mafia Part II: April's Return

Part I: Chapter 1

Their fear was not exactly unwarranted. The last time Zander and April had returned to Italy had been four months ago for Demetrio and Raven's wedding. She knew they had different reasons for their horrible experiences. Zander had to face his father’s silent accusation of being partway responsible for his sister’s death and for leaving home just to travel the world and louse about. Ciro was getting older and he had no idea whether or not his son was fit to lead their faction because he had never seen him even try at it.

Every spare moment they had with one another was spent going around and around in circles over the same argument. Zander simply was not ready and there was nothing his father could say to change his mind. When they were not alone, Ciro alluded to it as if the opinion of others would be enough to sway his son’s opinion. It was a gruelling week. He had to face everyone, who he knew thought the worst of him even if he was ‘family’. It further cemented his view that he did not belong there... at least not yet.

April, on the other hand, was in the wedding party, her sister’s maiden of honour. She had attended every meeting, gathering and party required of her and she had done so with a smile on her face. Her big sister had found the love of her life and, even if she did believe Demetrio was an absolute arsehole, she had to admit they were perfectly suited and that she had never seen her happier. The problem was that it was all a front. She did not feel any of the happiness she showed on her face and keeping up the facade was exhausting.

Added to that, she felt more than guilty for celebrating love so close after Angelo had passed on. To be honest, she never told anyone this, but she felt a little betrayed at the fact that they had even elected to have their wedding so soon. She thought they would at least wait for six months, preferably a year. April and Zander had barely even spoken to one another in the week they were there, but she could not help, but long to be anywhere else. At least if they were on a beach in Tahiti or something, she did not have to act like all was right in her world when it felt like it was crumbling down around her.

Before she knew what she was doing, April had dialled her sister’s number. As usual, she picked up fairly quickly.

“Two phone calls in one day, Raven answered her phone dryly. “And one of them actually initiated by you. My, am I feeling popular today.”

“Are you pregnant?” April asked, abruptly cutting through the banter they usually began their calls with.

“How did you find out?” Raven asked in shock.

“Oh, so it’s true,” she surmised. “Does everyone else know? Am I the only one in the family who didn’t know?”

“Hold on, April,” Raven said. She heard her yelling in the background and the deep voice that was answering back at her suggested she was giving her husband the business. “I'm sorry, April. I was going to tell you on my own, but I was waiting for the right time. I didn’t count on Demetrio’s big mouth letting one too many people know until word reached you. I'm only three months along, anyway. ”

“And what exactly would ‘the right time’ consist of?” April asked, affronted and aware of Zander paying keen attention to their conversation.

“A time when you seemed like your old self,” Raven responded in a tone that told her not to act dumb with her. “Maybe a time when I called you and you weren’t surrounded by blankets obscuring your face. Or even a time where I called you before noon and you were awake.”

The worry and accusation in her sister’s words were left unsaid, but they were loud all the same. The music started increasing steadily in the background and April realised soon they would not be able to hear each other at all.

“It looks like the party is about to get started,” April said. “I should get going.”

“The yacht party? April, don’t let us end this on a bad note,” Raven pleaded.

“I love you,” April said. It was said with finality, but also meaning. She strongly believed in not leaving things sour with those she loved.

Raven sighed in defeat. “We’ll talk about this later. I love you, too.”

They both hung up at once and she looked up to see Zander looking down at her with his arms folded impatiently.

“Well?” he prompted.

“She’s only three months along,” April said. “so we have time. And even when we go visit the baby, it’s not like we’re going to be required to stay forever. You have six months to man the f**k up.”

She threw her phone back into her satchel and saw amusement warring with offence on his face.

“I forget how mean you are sometimes,” is all he said in return. “Where are the guys?”

“I left them with Nate and company. Are you done with your scouting?” she asked.

“Not quite. Get back to Henry and I'll find you both after I'm done,” Zander said even as his eyes were back on full alert and looking everywhere around him.

“Sure. We might manage to escape if we can, but if we do we’re going to leave Lance right where he is. He seems to fit in perfectly,” she joked with snark as they went their separate ways once more.

When she returned to the makeshift circle, it had disbanded. The chairs were arranged more formally around the deck in preparation for the coming guests and she noticed a couple of familiar faces walking by, but ignored them because they were not the ones she was searching for. Before she could walk down one way, she felt an arm drape itself across her shoulders with familiarity, but by their scent, she could immediately tell that she and this person were not close. She pushed the heavy weight away from her to see Nate looking at her with a wounded expression.

“Where’d you go?” he asked as April wondered just how inebriated he was.

“I had to talk to Zander, remember ?” she asked with no small amount of annoyance. Surely he could sense it. “Have you seen Henry anywhere?”

“Who?” asked the host, taking note of the frost in her brown eyes. “Oh, yeah he and Lance hit the bar. Come on, I'll walk you. Drink's on me.”

They turned in the direction of the bar and April made sure to walk just out of reach of his grabby hand.

“Isn’t this an open bar?” she asked.

“Yes, but I'm paying for it, so technically the drinks really are on me,” he said suavely with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Completely against her will, a chuckle escaped her lips at that, but she instantly regretted. It would doubtlessly encourage him in his doomed endeavour.

“So you and Zander,” he began and April did not even try to hide her groan of annoyance. “Open relationship?”

“No” she said firmly, hoping her tone would show how uninterested she was in talking about this.

“But you go everywhere together,” Nate argued as he saw the bar in sight and put a hand on her arm to stop her before they reached it. “We met in both Madrid and Dubai. Who spends that much time with someone they aren’t involved with?”

“We are family,” April said simply, leaving out the fact that they were not related and hoping he would not ask her about the semantics.

“Oh, that makes sense then,” Nate said as he finally let them keep walking. “I guess that’s why he threatens every guy that even looks at you.”

April had no idea that was happening, but after seeing it play out in real-time earlier that afternoon, she now knew. While she did not want any man declaring her off limits to others, she also was not ready to leap back into the dating game, so she appreciated Zander’s efforts, but she never planned on telling him.

“Then what you’re doing right now is pretty dangerous,” April said as she looked into his blue eyes and cut right to the heart of the matter. “One would say you’re a fool to even try.”

“Maybe I think you’re worth it,” Nate said daringly and April smiled sadly.

“If the sentiment were returned, perhaps I would be,” she said emotionlessly. “But as it is, I have far too much on my plate to add the guilt of your s*******r onto it.”

With those words, she left their host standing there and proceeded to the bar. She spotted Henry immediately and gave her phone to him.

“Put your number in there so that the next time we get separated, I don't have to go through what I just went through,” she said as she slid onto the stool beside him.

He smirked and gave her his phone to do the same.

“Nate?” he guessed as they gave each other their phones back.

“Oh, it was horrible,” she said dramatically as she paused to order a screwdriver from the bartender before continuing. “What is this obsession people seem to have with Zander and I?”

“I know it's hard not to take it personally, but try,” Henry said. “It has less to do with you and more with the fact that Zander is well-known and has never had a platonic relationship with a woman before. It’s a hot topic.”

“And no one likes to gossip more than rich socialites with nothing, but time on their hands,” April said pessimistically.

Henry offered her his glass to clink against when her drink was set in front of her. They did so with sardonic smiles.

“That goes without saying,” he said good-naturedly.

“Where’s Lance?” she asked.

He pointed towards the other end of the bar where the couple who had been doing lines had managed to rope the blonde into joining them. April’s nose wrinkled in distaste, but otherwise she did not say a word.

“Not your thing?” Henry guessed, her expression saying everything her lips did not.

“You’d think I’d be used to seeing it by now,” she said thoughtfully, but it’s still really jarring sometimes.”

“You looked like you were going to jump out of your skin when you saw them earlier,” Henry guffawed. “You’ll get used to it, though. Give it some time. Ah, here comes the great Andolinna now.”

Zander did not look amused at being referred to by his surname as he approached and greeted the other man with a hard punch on his arm as he came to a stop beside them. April winced at the force of the attack, but Henry did not blink an eye, so she assumed it could not be too bad.

“Everything look good?” Henry asked as if he had not just been punched.

“Yeah,” Zander said as he joined them at the bar. April was now firmly ensconced between the two. “All clear. I even had a word with the captain. He said we were setting sail twice, just in case some people want to leave early. The second time we leave port is probably when things will start to get a little crazy.”

“I'll be sitting that part out,” April said, even though it went without saying.

“Same,” Henry said as he looked around. “There’s a lot of coke at this party, man. Even more than usual. Seems like the type of night where tragedy is bound to happen and I don’t want to be here when it does.”

“I actually agree with you guys, Zander said much to both their surprise. “I saw a lot in my perusal. I'm pretty sure Nate is planning an orgy. I didn’t sign up for that.”

The party was now in full swing and they felt the water beneath them rocking as they left port. Lance came out of nowhere with an arm around a strange woman. His other arm draped itself across Zander’s shoulders.

“Where have you been, man?” Lance asked over the music that had risen in volume.

“Familiarising myself with the place,” Zander responded easily, not seeming to mind his friend’s close proximity before he eyed the woman. “Who’s the broad?”

Upon hearing the word, April immediately jabbed her elbow sharply into Zander’s stomach.

“I mean, who is the lovely young lady you’ve brought along with you?” he rephrased in an exceedingly ingratiating tone, just to get a further rise out of April, but her only response was a rolling of her eyes before she sipped on her screwdriver.

“This is Betty,” Lance introduced her, completely ignoring the fact that his friend had all but insulted her.

Upon closer inspection, she looked like the woman he had been doing lines with earlier.

“Love at first snort,” Henry said in a low voice beside April, causing her to mask her laugh as a cough.

They all got to talking and the two latest additions settled in beside Zander. April caught a glance of Nate and they each looked away from each other quickly before she sighed and ordered yet another drink. This would be a long night