Affliction by S. W. Frank Page A

and showed Yosef he wasn’t fast enough. A foot sweep from Nico sent Yosef crashing to the floor.
    On his back, bruised and bleeding, the Israeli fucking laughed. “Ah, I like this work-out but I fear shagetz that Sophie will have our heads.”
    Nico gripped the splintered porcelain, his emotions were closed. A joke during killing was Vincent’s M.O. He was Nicolo Serano and when he brought death, there was never a smile. The Yiddish word ‘shagetz’ had a negative connotation geared at non-Jewish men. Even lying on his tush, the arrogant bastard refused to relent.
    Nico spit blood , and tossed the jagged shard across the room. His hand slipped to his waist for a special blade to carve clean lines across the bastard’s face and then his throat. Death was on Nico’s mind; darkness was his vision.
    “You do not want to kill me . Sophie will die and I am sure you do not want that.”
    Nico twirled the knife in his fingers , he held the fallen man down with his foot. He put more weight on Yosef’s chest. “No, she’ll be fine.”
    “ You are wrong. Do not risk her life for your ego. I die or go missing; Sophie’s death will be on your hands.”
    Blood dripped from Yosef’s fingers to Sophie’s polished floor. The beautiful floral arrangement that had been a centerpiece on a baleboste’s table lay strewn atop wood mixed with leaves and water.
    Nico bent, pushing the tip of the weapon to Yosef’s face. Nico flexed to thrust inward through skin when a command from Sophie spared Yosef’s life.
    “ Ferma Nico! Lasciato vivere!” she shrieked, “Put the knife down.”
     
     
     
     
     
    C HAPTER SEVEN
     
     
     
     
    Riding in a limo with Giuseppe and Matteo talking shop during rush hour traffic is where Alfonzo found himself . Another weekday morning in Palermo, Sicily is filled with congestion. Becoming acclimated with daily living in an environment he now considered home, wasn’t easy when palm trees and quiet is what one’s accustomed to in the morning.
    The transition also included accepting the company of others when sometimes he enjoyed being alone. He had asked the driver to turn on music, however on the ride to a business meeting, family and politics was the conversation during the commute between his brother and Matteo.
    Alfonzo dozed.
    Giuseppe elbowed Alfonzo awake. “Has the wife kept you up during the night?”
    “ Geez, can’t a dude catch some shut-eye without you bugging him, damn?” Alfonzo asked sluggishly as he slid up.
    Giuseppe ignored the complaint. “Did you not hear what Matteo said?”
    Alfonzo rubbed his eyes. “No, what did I miss?”
    Matteo grinned. He let Giuseppe break the news –again.
    “Our cugino asked his sister to stand in as the Best Man .”
    Alfonzo pulled a face. “So.”
    “Fratellino, you would think he would ask one of us, no?”
    “Sergio can do whatever he wants..”
    Matteo spoke, “Sí, but this is a traditional wedding mio amico, not a circus performance. Mia madre non piace. ”
    “Your mother may not like it, but it’s not her wedding,” Alfonzo quipped.
    “Speak to him. Explain our traditions,” Matteo requested.
    Alfonzo adjusted his sleeves. Matteo sat on the opposing side in his suit, tie, impeccably dressed and annoying to an equally fashionable guy. But, what separated the men were Alfonzo’s blue eyes, tanned muscular skin and his unrivaled stature.
    Alfonzo’s agitation showed. “Which ones, your family or the church?”
    “Entrambi .”
    Alfonzo scoffed. “Le ave Sergio alone Matteo. He’s marrying Lucia. Who he asks to stand beside him is his choice. That’s the only goddamn tradition I care about, comprende?”
    Giuseppe laughed. “You are not pleasant today. Now you understand Matteo, what I must deal with on a regular basis.”
    “Bésame culo, hermano!” Alfonzo shot back, irritated that his brother considered him disagreeable due to his stand on the matter.
    Matteo leaned forward. “Ah, Americanos. Your people spit on