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Mistaken Identity	By : Kanashii Category: S through Z > The Sopranos Views: 1825 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Sopranos, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
The days and weeks
began to blend into a comfortable gel for Aria. Each day she grew stronger,
more healed physically and her heart still felt only love and longing for her
protector and soul-mate Furio. She noted that he seemed to have two modes of
operation in this famiglia. On some
days he would dress casually and would work around the farm, or in the winery
or even hunting or target shooting with the fellow guards. On these days he
often came in with sore muscles from a hard day�s physical labor and Aria would
massage the stiffness out of him. The days he worked here he was �her Furio�
with the laughing eyes, easy smile and gentle personality. Then there were the
other days. Usually the days he would drive Salvatore Casertano around. On
those days Furio would dress much more formally or else in dark clothing, his
eyes were dark and intimidating on those days and he often came home in a
taciturn mood, his knuckles scraped up and bleeding or cuts and bruises on him.
Those days he never discussed with her, occasionally he would make runs into
Naples with his boss Salvatore sometimes to be gone overnight.
Aria knew full well what her Furio did on the
days he was with Casertano, those were the days he was like the deadly and
terrifying Furio she had seen at the shanty outside Mondragone, as he had shot
the assassins, or killed Malco, and in her heart she truly did not want to know
about that Furio and what he did. That was the �enforcer Furio� and she was
glad that she didn�t have to see the violence she knew he was capable of. Regardless of what work he did that day, she
noticed he seemed to spend a lot of time with Valerio after dinner, often the
two walking around the fields at night or sitting on the porch and chatting in
low, quiet tones.
For nearly 3 weeks Aria hardly saw anyone but
Furio, or occasionally Salvatore Casertano who would sometimes stop by for
coffee or breakfast in the morning or Valerio Ladone who would stop by on some
evenings. And to be honest Aria really had no want of meeting a lot of people.
She still felt so lost and an outsider as only a very few here spoke any
English and she often felt embarrassed at her rudimentary Italian if she spoke
it to anyone other than her husband.
One day there was a knock on the door and she
saw Don Turi�s daughter Gianna standing outside. Always the woman was
impeccably dressed in the most expensive of clothing; even her casual clothing
was designer jeans or expensive custom clothes.
�Ciao, Gianna.�
Aria opened the door for the woman to let her in.
�Hello Aria,� Gianna
spoke in her sultry voice in nearly flawless English. She entered and gave Aria
the automatic hug and kiss that most Italians who knew each other greeted one
another with. She was an attractive woman with dark brown hair and intense
almost hazel eyes. Her skin was lighter in color than many of the other
southern Italians, and she was a good 5� taller than Aria who only stood 5�4
herself. �So I have come to get you out of the house and integrate you a bit
more around here.� She said as she glanced around the guesthouse. �You spend
too much time in here alone; you�re a young woman, not a spinster. You need to
make an effort to meet and work with some of the other women. Believe me; they
are as shy and wary of you as you are of them.� Gianna said truthfully but not
unkindly.
�I do want to,�
Aria said feeling a bit embarrassed as she offered Gianna a glass of wine. It
seemed almost customary, Furio had told her, that when someone came over you
either poured them a glass of wine or a cup of coffee depending on the time of
day. �I just don�t know what to do. All this is so, new and alien to me.�
�Then make an
effort, jump into it with both feet.� Gianna said as she sat down at the table.
�You won�t learn just being cooped up in here. We are going to be canning a
bunch of early spring fruit and making jars of marinara and pesto starting
tomorrow, you can come and help us then. A lot of wives will be there,
Salvatore�s wife, you know her.� Gianna offered. Aria just nodded and sipped her own wine,
�That sounds good, thanks for the offer.�
�Also,� Gianna
continued, �We can drive into Naples sometime and do some real shopping. After
all there is nothing really classy to buy this area. Trust me; I am sure Furio
is not expecting you to be a nun in here.� Gianna eyed Aria levelly if not a
bit sultry a moment, �So you did land yourself a handsome husband, that is for
sure. What is he like, good?� she asked boldly as she winked at Aria.
Aria felt the heat
rise in her face a bit the way Gianna had asked the question as well as the
look in Gianna�s eyes. She had seen Gianna at the party staring at Furio or
often touching his arm in an almost seductive way. Aria said nothing because
she knew many Italians were touchy or expressive, but regardless of culture she
knew in her heart as a woman, that Gianna thought Furio a hot commodity. �He�s
quite good.� Aria said playfully but also elusively. �How about yourself, are
you married?� she asked. If Gianna wanted to ask bold questions, she could play
the same game.
Gianna laughed a
deep throaty laugh. �Yes, we have an ocean home near southern Naples, my
husband, Roberto he spends most of his time there. He runs some export business
for my father and such and is one of my father�s most trusted capos, but I much
prefer the serenity of my father�s county estate here. It�s a much healthier
place for my children to grow up in, and their grandfather enjoys having his
two grandchildren underfoot.�
Aria could only
nod, �Yes, this place is beautiful.�
Gianna looked at
her with a look of slight smugness, �Oh, it is. I certainly enjoyed growing up
here along with my brothers. You met my older brother Stefan, my second older
brother Carlino was killed by your Furio nearly 20 years ago, you know.�
Aria had not known
this, and the almost casual way that Gianna had thrown this out felt like a
hard shove to her gut. �Oh.� She said stupidly not knowing what to say at this
news. Frankly she was shocked to hear Gianna talk so casually about Camorra
business, Furio had always told her not to talk about it, but yet Gianna just
rambled on about Salvatore Casertano the underboss, �He�s a lecherous old man,
watch out for him, he would fuck a woman right under his wife�s nose I think.�
and her brother Stefan who she said was the family counselor.
�Although my father
has been setting up the family to be run by Salvatore Casertano, I think it�s a
mistake. It would make much more sense for him to turn it over to Stefan, his
true blood.� Gianna seemed almost miffed. �So is Furio with Salvatore today or
is he here around the farm somewhere?� Gianna asked switching subjects as
rapidly as a bee darts from flower to flower.
�He went with
Salvatore.� Aria said drinking more wine. She was just not having anything in
common with this �mafia princess� except that she spoke flawless English, and
even worse, Aria was beginning to develop a dislike of the arrogant and smug
woman.
�Well,� Gianna got
up after finishing her glass of wine. �I will stop by tomorrow around 10 am to
pick you up. Dress casual as we�ll be doing a lot of cooking and such. Ciao!� she said in an offhand way and
gave Aria a quick kiss and then departed.
�She is an arrogant
snob!� Aria told Furio later that evening when he came home, �You know, I think
she had the hots for you.�
�Hots?� Furio asked
finally glancing up from his dinner plate. �What means �hots�?� He had been
sullenly quiet ever since he had come home.
�Lust, passion, sesso; she wants to get in your pants,
have mad sex with you!� Aria said a bit indignantly.
Furio snorted at
this and actually laughed. �My, my, do I detect jealousy in you Aria?� he said
with a wicked grin. �Besides, why would I do something to insult Don Turi? His
daughter is not my type.�
�Yeah, well she
doesn�t care. She likes you; she asked me how good in bed you were!� Aria said
even more tersely.
�And what did you
say?� Furio looked at her his grey eyes dancing with laughter.
�It�s not funny Furio!� Aria threw her napkin
at him and stormed off to the kitchen. �That woman drives me nuts!�
�Aria,� Furio
stood up and came over to her, �Come on, I was just kidding. I�m touched that
you are so jealous of me, after all, I thought I was the only one possessive
and jealous about you.� He winked and held her close. �So what did you tell
her, that we had hot, roaring sex?� he teased.
Aria smacked him
hard in the ribs, and he just laughed and grabbed her wrists in an iron grasp.
�Ah, ah. No get feisty with me woman.� He teased. �Or maybe we get feisty in
the bedroom, so you can have something to gossip to Gianna about, eh?�
Aria tried to twist out of his grasp, her own
fiery temper rising. But Furio just enjoyed her getting worked up even more. He
picked her up and carried her still struggling and mad at him to the living
room, then put her on the thick animal skin rug and pinned her beneath him
until she settled down. Then his own passions ignited, he undressed her and the
two of them made crazy love, their moans and her screams of lust and orgasm as
loud as her fiery soul.
Later as they lay in bed together Furio
turned to her and gently stroked her cheek, �Aria, listen to me a minute.� He
said in his serious voice that she knew far too well. �Maybe is good thing
Gianna going to get you to meet people tomorrow and such. I am going to have to
be in Naples for a little while; I�m not sure how long, maybe up to a week.�
Aria turned to him as though to ask him a
question but he just covered her lips with his fingers, �Shhh, mia amore. I can�t talk about it, Ok?
And even more important you cannot talk about it. You do not know where I am or
anything until I come back, Ok?�
She just nodded and
held him close to her, snuggling against him. �Ok.� She whispered.
But already there were tears in her eyes, she always missed
him when he was gone, always worried about him.
�My, my.� He said
soothingly, �You so emotional lately. Angry one minute, crying the next. Moody
you are, eh? What is wrong.� He whispered gently soothing her like a frightened
animal.
�I don�t know.� She
said snuffling against him. He was right, she had been moody lately and she had
no idea why. Shouldn�t she be happy that they were in this wonderful house,
that she was with her soul-mate, that he had some protection now from this Buccilla
famiglia? But sometimes he seem
stretched so thin, with his running around with Salvatore, or working for 12
hours on the farm or long nights he would spend with Valerio. A part of her had
liked when it had just been the two of them, alone, relying on no one but
themselves. Their love, passions and explorations of one another had been so
special it was the most precious memories she could remember. Of course he was
still passionate, still her beloved husband, but he just seemed to be
constantly running here and there. �I just miss you I guess.� She said softly.
�I am always here��
he touched her heart, �and here,� he touched her head, it was a little gesture
he had always done with her and it aroused her and filled her with such love
every time he did it. �And you are always in my heart and soul. You know that,
yes? You not worry about people like Gianna. You have something that she will
never have.�
�What?� Aria looked
up at him.
�You have my heart,
Aria. I chose you, remember? I could have had 100 women like Gianna or Annalisa
or Carmela Soprano, but in you I saw a mix of passion, loyalty and even
innocence. But best of all I see in you not just a �woman� but someone I could
grow old with, someone who is a friend. I so wanted that more than anything in
the world and you gave that to me. I would be stupido to throw away what I have wished for all of my life, eh?�
�Thank you, mi marito.� She said this time the
tears she shed were of happiness at his words to her heart. With a soft smile he kissed her head, �You so
moody lately mia moglie.� He teased.
While Aria fell
asleep in his arms rather promptly Furio lay there awake, feeling her gentle
and soft breathing against him. His mind was far to wound up to sleep for he
and Valerio had been working and planning hard over the last several weeks, and
tomorrow he and Val would be leaving to put those plans into motion, to kill
Annalisa and fulfill his promise to Don Turi.
Furio while finding Valerio Ladone a capable
and sometimes quiet man given to broodiness on occasion still wondered about
the whole blood oath thing. Nothing else had been spoken by either of them
after that night. So far Valerio had indeed worked to get Furio information and
had even gone on a few enforcement assignments with him. In one assignment
things had gotten out of hand and the person they were supposed to be beating
up had a few of his buddies pop up in at the last moment. Had Furio been alone
it would have been a bad outcome, but Valerio had indeed stood solidly by Furio
and together they had badly beaten and killed two of the 6 men. Furio was
impressed by the strength and vengeance that Valerio could dish out when he was
on a job, but outside of working together they rarely talked of personal
information.
On one occasion
Furio thought Val might have said something, it was the day they had fought the
6 men and on the way home Valerio had mentioned that Furio was lucky to have
such a good woman to return home to at nights. �That one,� he had said as he
was driving them back from Naples, �Your Aria, you can tell she really loves
you.�
Furio had glanced over at him briefly, �Yes, she is a
special woman indeed. No one else could ever be like her.�
Valerio just
grunted an affirmative reply, �Women like that, they only come around once.
Just once.� A dark and haunted shadow had flickered briefly over the man�s face
and then he said no more on the way home.
The next morning Furio was up before the
break of dawn, he had to get an early start still under the cover of darkness.
Valerio had told his friends he was taking a �much needed vacation� and told
Furio he would meet him outside a small caf� on the outskirts of northern
Naples. It would do no good for Val and Furio to be seen leaving together,
after all, this was an unsanctioned-unauthorized execution, and Valerio would
have to cover up his whereabouts even from Don Turi and his men. As Furio
showered and dressed he had to give Val credit, it was actually the capo for
the guards who had come up not only with the ideal plan but had gotten wind of
the perfect time to do it. Furio was a bit surprised when he came out of the
shower and smelled coffee going in the kitchen and some scrambled eggs with
tomatoes and bacon. He got dressed then walked in to see Aria working in the
kitchen still dressed in her camisole and pajama bottoms.
�What you doing
up?� he asked gently as he slid on his leather coat and double checked the
custom pistol he had kept from Malco.
�I didn�t want you
to leave before I said a proper good bye.� She said with a sharp look in her
eyes that told Furio he would have gotten an earful had he left without waking
her.
He walked up to
her and kissed her hair as he ran his hands across her sexy body, �You a
treasure, I not leave without saying goodbye, but you didn�t have to make
this.� He motioned to the cooking breakfast and gave her a squeeze.
�I wanted to. Why
is it you have such a hard time letting me take care of you on occasion?� she
eyed him a moment and then slid a coffee cup over towards him.
�I guess because I
never had a woman who wanted to before.� He said with a small smile at her
tenacity and love, �Always I had to do for myself or everyone else, but believe
me, is very nice.�
After breakfast Aria was overcome with nausea
and had to run and go throw up, but she assured Furio it was just because she
was nervous about him leaving and would miss him.
Furio looked concerned a moment at her almost as if not
believing her, �You injuries not hurting you are they?� he asked, �You have been
a bit wired up lately, eh? Nervous, moody. I worry about you Aria.�
�I�m fine, I
promise.� She sighed and hugged him tightly after she had cleaned up, �I just
love you so much, promise me you will come back to me safely. Promise me.� She
hugged him so tight Furio thought she would never let him go.
�I always promise
you, mia amore.� He soothed her, �I will
always come back to you safely, this time is no different. In fact when I come
home I bet things will slow down as far as me running around all the time, eh?�
reluctantly she released her hold on him and stepped back, her eyes filled with
only love and loyalty for him. �Ti amo,
remember?� he said with a soft voice.
�Ti amo, my love.� She said and gave him
one more quick kiss, then watched as her darkly dressed husband disappeared out
into the still dark early morning. As loving and gentle as he had been with
her, she saw a hidden darkness and revenge in his eyes lately that reminded her
of that awful day he had killed Malco.
Furio met up with Valerio nearly an hour
later at the assigned place. �Hey Giunta,� Valerio greeted him while sipping
some espresso and munching down on some frittatas.
�Things are still on target so far.�
�You never told me
this plan yet, Val.� Furio eyed the big man quietly then ordered a cup of
espresso for himself.
Valerio waited until the waiter had served
them before he began talking again in a low but strong voice. �I have a
connection with one of the men who drives Annalisa around; you know her driver
and bodyguard. His name is Luca. Anyway, the day after tomorrow she has an
appointment in the evening time at the home of some lover of hers.�
�She wastes no
time, does she?� Furio interjected with a rough grunt. �Malco�s dead 3 weeks
and she already has another lined up.�
Valerio shook his
grizzled head at him, �Man, you are out of the loop. She has 4 lovers she runs
back and forth to, a regular whore she is. Whether Malco knew about the others,
who knows? My guess is he did, but wanted to ride Annalisa�s tail to the top�
Valerio even sounded like a cop as he continued his briefing in a level and
almost no-nonsense tone. �She tends to put her favorites high on the command
chain, you know? Anyways,� Val finished shoving the rest of his frittata in his
mouth, �This Luca will be driving her to her lover�s house 2 days from now.
When he does, he usually waits outside until she is done and drives her home. But
this time we will be driving her home, or rather I will take Luca�s place and
you get to hop in the back seat and�� Val just trailed off and made a quick but
discreet hand sign of a gun.
Furio nodded his
head slightly a moment and really looked at Valerio, studied him intently now.
How did the man get all this information, make these connections? As though sensing
Furio�s unspoken thoughts Val looked up at him, �Luca is a fellow Sicilian, he
also had worked for Don Perrino but came up here much like you did when you
went overseas with the Soprano crew to cement relations between the Vittorio�s
and them. The Perrino�s in Sicily have long wanted to get into Camorrista business. I had worked with Luca
before; he�s a pretty sharp bodyguard and soldier. Besides you�re no babe in
the woods, you know that war or not, people are always making friends among
other clans and famiglia�s, how else
could we all spy on one another. Business is business, but there is also life
outside the business too.�
�And he is just
handing over the car to you? Turning a blind eye in all this?� Furio asked very
quietly in disbelief.
�I never said that
Giunta.� Val looked up at Furio, and for the first time Furio saw a quick
sardonic smirk run across the man�s scarred face. �I just said I know the time
and plan and that I�d be taking Luca�s place.�
Furio leaned back and nodded. His respect for
Valerio climbed a lot higher in that moment. �Ok, so what is the plan for now?�
�I gotta keep in
contact on and off with Luca, just to make sure things are still set. You need
to keep a low profile here in Naples, you�re a wanted man. Until all this is
ready to kick off, just make sure to stay firmly in Buccilla territory here in
the city.� Val and Furio had already exchanged cell phone numbers weeks ago,
�When everything is set for that night I will call you about 2 hours before and
give you last minute details. I take it you are carrying?� Valerio alluded to
Furio having a weapon.
�But of course!�
Furio nodded, �Remember that piece I showed you that once belonged to Malco?�
he hinted.
�Oh yeah,� Val
grunted his eyes half closing for a moment like a content mastiff pondering a
delicious morsel. �Well that will be a sweet irony won�t it then.� He chuckled
slightly. �Alright, time to split up, we don�t want to be seen hanging out with
one another.� Valerio said as he threw some money down on the table for both
his breakfast and Furio�s coffee, �Stay low, I will call you as needed. I�m
supposed to be on vacation for a week.� He grunted in a dour laugh, �Hell of a
vacation, a little hunting is good though.� He said and then with nothing further
to say he spat on the ground and walked off. Furio noticed that Val moved a bit
stiffly today, and he had also noticed that ever since he had met Valerio three
weeks ago, the man seemed to be getting a more sunken look to his hard and
grizzled body.
Furio
spent some time shopping for himself and Aria in a few shops as well as stopped
at an expensive jewelry store to get her a necklace with a medallion on it and
on the back had engraved �il mio amore per te � eterno.-Furio � �My love for you is eternal.� He knew it would
please her to have something of his spoken love close to her heart when he
wasn�t there. After picking out some clothing for her and a few suits for
himself he kicked around parts of the city he knew he would be safe looking up
a few more items he had in mind for his and Aria�s future.

Aria actually found that being in a throng of nearly 30 Italian women at
once cooking was actually not bad at all. Several of them did speak some type
of English, since some of them worked in tourist areas of Naples, and all were
very kind to her about her learning Italian. Gianna seemed to enjoy presiding
like a queen over the throngs of women and while she could be arrogant, she was
very respectful of many of the older ladies such as Salvatore�s wife, and
several others. Aria had a few more bouts of sudden and quick nausea over the
next couple days, (the preparing and canning would be going on for the next 4
days) and it was Salvatore�s wife, Marta who finally came up to Aria and
cupping the woman�s face spoke to another older woman who spoke some English and
translated for Marta. �She say congratulations, are you happy?� the older
matriarch spoke.

�Happy?� Aria was confused now. Marta once again smiled and went on and
on in Italian to the older woman Portia, while hugging and kissing Aria on the
cheek, or patting her stomach.

�She say you, incinta.� Portia
didn�t know the word, instead she made a gesture with her hands indicating a
swollen belly, �You know, baby. Marta never wrong about this thing, she always
has sense about this.�

Aria felt her world seem to suddenly lighten with an inner happiness;
she was pregnant with Furio�s child! She hoped he would be as happy as her, but
somehow she sensed he would. She could already feel a silly grin on her face
and again her eyes almost filling with tears of happiness. Aria excitedly
hugged Marta and Portia back and said, �Si,
certo!� Both women nodded and smiled
at her look, as Portia said, �Yea, you happy.� She winked at Aria.
Aria could think of nothing else as she
happily worked along side some of the other women now. Pregnant with the child
of the man she loved more than life itself, she couldn�t wait to tell him. It
explained much about her moodiness and sudden nausea on occasions. After all Aria
had not had a menstrual cycle since she had been with Furio, she thought it was
just because of her injuries and all the moving around and stress, but as much
as the two of them were constantly having passionate sex, it didn�t surprise
her.

Furio had been staying in one of
the various brothels run by the Buccilla gang, it was dingy and run down but he
was able to stay in the back out of the way in hiding, often playing cards with
some of the various soldiers or associates. On the afternoon of the second day
his phone rang and he recognized Valerio�s number. �Pronto,�
he said.

�We�re on for that thing tonight,� Val�s voice said to him. �At 8 pm
come down to the following location.� He gave Furio an address.

�Got it,� Furio said, �See you then.� He flipped off the phone and then
went and began to meticulously clean and oil his gun. He read the inscription
once again on the handle.
�Malco, your love has shot me in the heart, may this keep
you safe, Annalisa.� �This gun will shoot you
in the heart alright,� Furio thought with a sadistic warmth beginning to burn
deep in his heart and soul, �and your head as well my traitorous bitch of a
cousin.�

Furio met up with Valerio near a
west end garage, inside several cars were in the midst of being repaired, or
�chopped up� for stolen parts, it was hard to tell which. Valerio just gave him
a brief nod and cautiously the two men walked inside. It appeared deserted
except for one smallish middle age man who was digging around some oily rags
near a Cadillac. �Stay here in the shadows.� Valerio nodded to Furio, �Until I
take care of him.� and then the large man lumbered into the garage as if he
owned it.

�Eh, Valerio!� the smaller man�s face lit up in a smile as he saw Val,
�You came right on time. I bought those items you wanted,�

Val gave the smaller man a quick embrace and then reached inside the
pocket of his pants and pulled out a thick envelope. �Here.� He discreetly
handed the envelope to the smaller man. �Let�s see the items.� He smiled warmly.

Luca bent down in one of the nearby trunks digging around and searching
as he jabbered away to Valerio the whole time, mostly talking about Sicily and
old times. Valerio cast his eyes around a moment as though searching intently,
and then spying a short thick tire iron rod; he smoothly picked it up and held
it loosely at his right side. No sooner was Luca beginning to stand up then
with an expert aim and the power of a professional baseball player he swung
that tire iron into the smaller man�s throat instantly crushing his trachea and
shattering his larynx.

Luca�s eyes went wide with fear and surprise as he silently grabbed at
his throat unable to breath. Instinct was making him back up and he crashed
into a small cart with tools that fell with a loud clatter to the floor. Holding
the tire iron now almost like a sword, Valerio advanced on the man who was
backing away from him and with no expression on his face, and with the aim of
years of skill he thrust the tire iron right into the man�s temple. Luca
dropped instantly on the spot dead as a door nail.

Furio cautiously crept into the shadows of the garage in case the
clatter of tools bought any guards or soldiers, but apparently everyone was out
right now. �Remind me never to piss you off when you have something in your
hand.� Furio grunted lightly with a raised eyebrow.

�Old law enforcement baton trick.� Valerio dryly said as he began
dragging Luca�s body into the shadows. Furio immediately scooped up the dead
man�s legs and helped him. After hiding Luca�s body Valerio walked over to the
Cadillac the man had been working on. �This is the one.� He gently lowered the
hood and then picked up the suit that was hanging on a hook near the wall.
Valerio sighed a bit and Furio looked slightly amused as Valerio who was at
least 6� taller and around 70 lbs heavier than Luca tried to jam his thick body
into the tight pants and coat. �Well it only has to work for a second or two.�
Val glowered at Furio for a moment as though daring him to laugh aloud at him.
Furio
went and opened the garage door and then slid into the back seat of the
Cadillac DeVille and lay down on the seat so no one would see him in the car.
He felt Valerio get into the car, start it up and begin driving out into the
street, thankfully no one stopped them or even seemed to notice anything as
Valerio scrunched down a bit in the seat himself and began to drive around some
of the narrow streets of Naples. �Ok, here is the plan Giunta.� Val spoke after
several minutes, �I�m gonna drop you off up here about 2 blocks away, we hid
Luca good so I doubt anyone will find him tonight and hopefully when they find
him in the morning our main mission will already be done.� Valerio turned a
hard right onto another street and then continued talking, �The address is
this,� he flung a piece of paper over the seat where Furio expertly snatched
it, while still laying down in the seat. �At midnight I will be picking
Annalisa up there, so you better be right there in the shadows ready to run
into the back of the car after her, got it? Because I doubt she will buy that I
am Luca more than a few seconds.�

�I got it.� Furio said, already his own instinct was kicking in, and as
long as he was in the back of the car he discreetly felt under the drivers
seat, passengers seat and between the cushions of the back seat for any hidden
guns or knives. He found one tiny snub-nosed revolver and a wicked looking
folding knife hidden between the seats which he quickly pocketed. Valerio�s
hard eyes just seemed to nod in silent approval of Furio�s checking the vehicle
out for hidden weapons and then he dropped him off. �See you in 3 hours.� The
capo nodded quietly then added with disgust. �Damn tight pants are crushing the
shit out of my balls.�

Furio melted into the shadows as
he thought about his own plans and plots. He still wondered if he could trust
Valerio Ladone 100%, wondered if somehow the man wasn�t involved in all this or
playing double loyalties to both families. After all, Furio had trusted Malco
and he had easily betrayed him, he would not trust Valerio under any
circumstances unless the man truly proved himself to him. There was still that
matter of Valerio being the one who had executed Furio�s mother and sister over
20 years ago. He would definitely be on guard and alert for any treachery, he
knew this now. However Furio�s inner voice was telling him differently. He had
seen him kill a fellow countryman with his own eyes, and from the way Luca had
greeted Valerio it was obvious the two were indeed friends on the sly. In many
ways this only made Furio think harder and confused him more. If Valerio was
indeed being loyal and honest to Furio, fulfilling the vows of the �blood oath�
why? Why had he chosen Furio, the man who probably hated him the most, to take
such an important vow with? He just trudged onward to the destination staying
low and out of the way of eyes who might see him. This was easy enough to do,
after all this is what Furio had done nearly all his adult life. Stay low, kill,
intimidate and enforce for the Vittorio family, he knew this end of the town
backwards and forwards.

Finally at a few minutes to midnight Furio sidled up along behind and to
the side of the stone staircase that lead to the apartment building that
Annalisa was in with one of her lovers. He could see that Valerio had pulled up
with the Cadillac and was just sitting there awaiting Annalisa to come out,
probably as Luca would do. Furio was glad that there seemed to be a streetlight
out, making things even more dark and shadowy and he half wondered if Valerio
hadn�t somehow disabled the light himself earlier in the day.

But he was shaken out of the thoughts as he heard the main door open and
the sound of a womans high heels striding down the steps towards the awaiting
Cadillac. Furio already had Malco�s gun in his hand, his dark eyes watching
with cruel intensity towards the outline of his cousin as she grabbed the back
handle of the car door and began to get in.

Already Valerio had started the car, and with a sudden rush of speed Furio
darted forward and dove into the backseat and half on top of her before
Annalisa even knew what was going on. Furio had grabbed her wrist cruelly
grinding the bones together, as he looked down at the person he hated even more
than Valerio or Malco. �Hello my cousin.� He said in a level voice, there was
no emotion in his cold eyes, none whatsoever. �Miss me?� For the first time
that Furio could ever remember he saw total fear and terror on his cousin�s
smug, arrogant face. Her eyes were huge with horror and terror, her body going
almost limp with fear in his strong grasp. Already Valerio had the car in
motion as he smoothly drove off into the dark night. There were two sudden loud
reports in the Cadillac DeVille, two flashes of quick light from the muzzle of
a gun.

Furio sat back in the seat and glanced at the body of Annalisa Vittorio,
half her skull blown out against the side door, her eyes still holding a look
of fear in them, even in death. Furio glanced at the gun in his hand and for
the slightest of instances had the urge to place it to the back of Valerio�s
skull and kill him as well. He slammed down that emotion and then with an easy
move slid his body into the front passenger seat.
�Listen to me well, Valerio.�
Furio said as he took out a set of car keys. �I have my own friends who are
expecting me in one hour. If I do not drive the car back to them in one hour,
they will be looking for you. Understand?�
�No
problem Giunta.� Valerio said almost with the slightest hint of amusement. He
didn�t even bother to look at Furio as they drove the Cadillac with the dead
body of Annalisa in it to the heart of her territory and then both men got out
and locked the car, and melted into the shadows. The message was unmistakable
and clear, hopefully now the Vittorio�s would be willing to concede and
renegotiate with the Buccilla�s to avoid anymore bloodshed. The boss of their famiglia was dead.

Neither man talked as they walked together to where Furio was leading
them, where he had parked a car earlier for his return trip to the brothel deep
and safe in Buccilla territory. Furio had put his gun back in his waistband,
but still his eyes would occasionally cast towards Valerio as they walked at a
fast pace nearly a mile towards the docks. Every so often the older man would
spit heavily onto the side walk or cough deeply, but other than that he made no
talk or complaints or even bother to look at Furio.
When they got near the small Fiat,
Furio tossed the keys to Valerio, �You drive.� He said.

�No problem.� Valerio walked over to the car. Furio was still slightly
shocked just how compliant and obedient this man was acting with him, even
though Furio was riding him hard, keeping him firmly under his watchful eye.
The man was acting as though he and Furio were truly blood brothers, no matter
what requests Furio made of him, even though he outranked him as a caporegime and even more surprising he
had truly fulfilled his oath to Furio of having helped kill Annalisa Vittorio.
Furio had to admit, without Valerio Ladone�s intense planning of this, it would
have taken him weeks or months longer to set up the execution of her.

They both got in the car and Valerio slid it into gear and smoothly
drove out. �So Giunta, where to?� he asked.
�We have 35 minutes yet, just drive around some here in Buccilla
territory.� Furio said offhandedly.

Finally Valerio looked over at his companion, the man�s dark eyes
peering into Furio�s. �So Furio,� Valerio asked almost in a quiet gentle tone
for him. �You�ve had your chances, why don�t I have a bullet in my brain yet?
Or are you waiting until you drop me off?�

Furio glared over at Valerio in both shock and embarrassment. Had the
look in his eyes been so easy to read? Had his emotions been that strong? �Is
that why you made the blood oath with me, Val?� Furio asked him bluntly,
�Hoping that I wouldn�t kill you then, because we would be bound as brothers?�

Valerio gave a deep snort and grinned. �Of course not! The vow didn�t
mean much to Malco did it? Frankly, I meant the oath. And if you killed me
after doing your favor for Don Turi, it would not matter to me.�
Furio
turned and looked harshly at the man a moment. �Pull up over there, near that
empty parking lot.� He quietly ordered Valerio. Not surprisingly Valerio
complied with almost an amused glint in his eye. Valerio�s last words had
shaken Furio so deeply he felt almost as he did that night Valerio had first
told him he had been the one to kill his mother and sister.

They pulled up and Valerio turned off the car and faced Furio, the look
in his grizzled face was that of a very tired and weary lion now, one who
almost welcomed death. But Furio had no intention of reaching for his gun,
�What did you mean, it would not matter to you if I killed you?� Furio demanded.
He knew Valerio was telling the truth for there was no fear or distrust in the
man�s eyes. �I still want to know the real reason you made the blood oath with
me Val.�

�Ok, Ok.� Valerio said and held up his hands in gesture of placation and
gentle submission. �You deserve the truth now; we have history together now as
you said. Have fought along side one another, have killed together, and have
completed this thing you needed to do together.� Valerio reached slowly inside
the pocket of the tight sport coat and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, he lit
one up and offered one to Furio. �The short of it is this Giunta.� He said as
he exhaled the smoke out in a thin stream, half closing his eyes. �I truly did
mean the oath when I offered it to you, we may have been enemies once, but I do
respect you. I am already a dieing man,� Val paused slightly. �I have been
diagnosed 3 months ago with cancer of the stomach and the throat, it is so
advanced there is nothing to be done, the doctors figure I only have about 6
months tops anyway. So a quick death is not something I feared, if you were to
take your revenge on me.�

Furio felt himself chilled deep within his core and heart, despite the
warm balmy May night. This he had not expected Valerio to say, but it did
explain the man�s recent gaunt and haggard appearance and his habit of
constantly spitting all the time.

�But, my condition is something very few know of.� Valerio continued, �I
don�t want sympathy Giunta, but I do need to make things right in my life. To
try and rectify whatever little things I can, that I have done to hurt people.
It�s just a thing with me, I know, this coming from a Mafioso, eh?� he laughed a deep rumble, then coughed and rolled
down the window to spit outside. �When I met you, when I heard your tale,� Val
continued, �I heard of a man with extraordinary loyalty. A man who worked with
undying loyalty for Don Vittorio, who went to a strange land where he was
unappreciated to work for the Soprano�s on behalf of that crazy woman Annalisa,
and then a man who came back to his homeland knowing his life was in danger on
all fronts. A man who had to kill his best friend and blood brother and a man
who showed bravery and courage to come to the very people who were once his
enemies to serve them as loyally as he had served the Vittorio�s.�

Furio watched as Valerio smoked in silence a few seconds catching his
breath. He felt still rooted to the spot, knowing Valerio was going to confess
everything in his heart and soul to him tonight.

Valerio nodded again and picked up where he left off. �As I said, all
that loyalty impressed me. Including the love and loyalty to your wife Aria.�
He looked at Furio again, that haunted shadow briefly crossing his face.
�Before I came here to Napoli, I had a young, beautiful wife. Her name was
Sabina, a beautiful Sicilian woman; we loved each other with crazy love as much
as you and Aria do. We had just had our first child a son, who was 3 months
old. Remember I told you that unknown to me at that time, Don Perrino was trying
to set me up, to get me to do darker and more deadly deeds on behalf for him.
He had Sabina and my son killed one day as they were driving into town. Of
course I had no idea it was Don Perrino at the time. He was quite helpful in
helping me find the mysterious shooters, and �discovered� they were people from
his enemy famiglia, the Caggiano�s.

�So with vengeance and vendetta in my veins I happily went around
killing members of the Caggiano family. It wouldn�t be until I came here that I
would find out that not only was it Don Perrino behind the shooting but how he
was also setting me up to take the fall with the Italian government to cover
his own ass. Like you, Don Turi did me this great favor, perhaps because he
also sensed in me loyalty and a strong sense of duty to the famiglia.�
Furio
still said nothing. He could not even imagine the road this man had tread; his
life was one bad experience after the other. Furio�s mind briefly thought of
Aria and he knew how he would feel if anyone ever laid a hand on her.

Valerio reached out and briefly put one thick hand on Furio�s shoulder,
�Ah, but now we get to the real question, why the oath with you and why am I
telling you all this now.� Furio just nodded slightly, he could feel his own
heart and soul softening towards Valerio more and more by the minute. �Simple,�
Valerio spit out the window again and then leaned back. �As I said before, one,
I felt I owed you something for the past transgression against you and what I
did to your family. Of course we know it is just business, we do what we are
told to do, no more different than you killing Carlino Buccilla. But now you
are not an enemy of the Buccilla�s you are one of us, so I felt I owed you
something.

�Second, once I received my diagnosis several months ago I have planned
and looked for who I wanted to replace me as captain of the guards. Of course
Don Turi has final say, but Turi and I are actually very dear friends. He
trusts me implicitly, almost as much as he trusts his best friend and underboss
Salvatore Casertano. While the current line-up of guards are good loyal
workers, none of them have exceptional leadership skills and none of them have
the unfaltering loyalty that you do, Giunta. You are a man gifted with brains
as well as courage, even though you fight being given a position of leadership.
Myself, I think you fight it because you would take the lives and interests of
the men who serve under you very personally, for good or bad. And that is
precisely why you would make such a good leader, because you care deeply.�

Furio had to look away a moment,
like Don Turi had so easily read him, and seen deep inside Furio�s soul, so
Valerio seemed to be as insightful. It was one of the reasons that Furio had
never wanted to be anything other than someone who worked alone. He wanted to
make sure everything always went smoothly and he knew whether something went
good or bad he would have no one other than himself to account to.

�Think about it Giunta, I ask nothing else.� Valerio patted Furio�s
shoulder again briefly, �As much as you think you would not be good at it, you
would be an excellent caporegime I am
still going to recommend you for the position to Don Turi.� Valerio leaned back
and closed his eyes briefly, he was so weary and tired now, and he desperately
wanted to have some wine, anything to fight the pain that was gnawing like a
hot iron within his body. �That is
the reason I made the oath with you. The reason I extended my hand in
friendship. You have been betrayed on many fronts and still you are always
strong and courageous. I wanted to let you know that sometimes people do keep
their oaths that sometimes people do offer fully the friendship and protection
they promise. It was a gift you had earned and deserved, and if instead you would
have shot me out of revenge for what I did to your family years ago, then that
would have been your choice and you would have given me a quick death anyway.�
He finally turned and looked at Furio. �I really need some good wine, my
friend.� Valerio managed to smile a toothy smile at him.

�Yeah, sure, you come with me to the brothel, they have plenty there.�
Furio said; his heart truly ached not only for Valerio, but that he would not
have time to fully know this complicated man more. He had no more hate or anger
in his heart and soul for Valerio Ladone now, only true devotion as a friend
and fulfillment of the blood oath. In many ways Furio felt far more respect and
friendship for Valerio than for Malco, even though he had grown up with the
man.

�I can�t.� Val said, �We have to split up, remember? I�m supposed to be
on vacation. At least you get to go home now, your mission is done. Maybe I
will go hang out at the beaches for a few days and look at the pretty girls,
soak up some sun.�
Furio
smiled then at Valerio, a true smile of friendship. �That sounds like a good
idea my friend.� He said and meant it. �Come, I drive you to a place that has
some wine and fun and drop you off.� Furio and Valerio got out of the car and
switched seats as Furio now took over the driving. Furio drove down to one of
the sections of the city he knew was still hopping with nightlife activity.
�Val,� he put the car in park a moment and turned to the capo, �Promise me you
come back safe and sound from your vacation, eh?� Furio did not want the man to
end up committing suicide or doing something stupid to get himself killed to
end his life.

Val gave a short honest laugh, �I�m Sicilian and Catholic, so I won�t
kill myself and while I would be lying if I said it wouldn�t be pleasant to die
fast before the pain was intolerable,� he paused a moment, �I will come back
home safe and sound, Furio.�
The two men briefly embraced in
friendship and Furio gave him a hard squeeze and warm clap on Val�s shoulder.
�Take care, my friend. I�ll see you in a week.� Furio said quietly and with
respect as he watched the man get out of the car, spit on the ground and then
wander off over to one of the loud, raucous nightclubs.
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Mistaken Identity