Part 12

After the dinner – and two big ice creams, on Carlo’s insistence – we came out. It was already dark, the evening was warm – the ideal time for a romance. If only I was Carlo instead of Lexie…

He would expect something from me, even very little. Just cutting him off would be really nasty after accepting this dinner. And he really deserved to be with a beautiful girl… How to manage the situation? What to do, so that we neither get intimate, nor he is just left high and dry?…

“Nice evening, Lexie. Would you want to take a walk in a park? There is one just a block away.”

There would be people walking in the park now, even if not many. I would be keeping him company, but getting intimate wouldn’t be appropriate. Perfect!

“I would love it, Carlo. Let’s go!”

To my surprise, the park turned out almost empty. Luckily, Carlo didn’t try to touch me or anything. Held my hand on some bridges over the stream passing through the park, but nothing more. We talked about how the different trees smell while blooming, told me about some stars we could see. I understood that this is a first step to further things, but so far it appeared okay to me. And was the best lesson ever on how to be nice and unobtrusive with a girl.

The more we walked, the more things about him I noticed. For example, he always left the space for me away from cracks on the walk that could catch on my heels, dirty or muddy places, pieces of garbage, low-hanging branches of trees – anything that a girl wouldn’t like to meet. Couple of times batted away from me early night butterflies. Walked exactly with my speed, leaving me to pick the pace most convenient for me. Thinking of me, not of himself. The real man – so much more man than me…

In the middle of a bridge, he stopped and turned towards me.

“Being with you is a pleasure, Lexie. Could we come here some other time too?”

I felt cold coming down my spine. That was to be expected, and was as tactful as likely only Carlo could make it, but still…

Looked around. There was one couple about a hundred meters ahead of us, walking away. Nobody more…

What could I do to stop this from developing further? Was I right to give Carlo hopes that could never come true?

But could I also just drop him like some bitch? I had plenty of contempt for girls who use and then discard boys. Did I want to do exactly that?

And what would the women think if I rejected him? Wouldn’t my masquerade be uncovered very soon? Possibly before I could do anything to even just disappear? They were pretty close…

And wouldn’t, if I dropped the masquerade and sought a job as myself, the agents of that intelligence find me? Having used the bodysuit for months already? Would they even leave me alive after that?

Carlo was waiting patiently. Probably thinking that I am delaying my answer to play with him… I felt my blood coming to my face again. And knew that the bodysuit shows that too, and the lamps around gave enough light to show it…

“Yes, of course—”

In the middle of my sentence however Carlo tensed:

“Shh!” He pointed ahead.

In the same instant there was a woman’s scream. I quickly turned there. The man that was with her was lying on the walk, and she struggled with another man who was trying to twist her arm.

I immediately ran towards them, but the damned heels and the dress were delaying me. In less than a second Carlo overtook me, bellowing like a loudspeaker:

“LEAVE HER, BASTARD! I WILL KILL YOU!”

The attacker turned to us, then let the woman go and ran away. Carlo ran past her and continued chasing him. A couple of seconds later I was also there.

“Are you okay, Miss?”

“I’m okay, but Hans—”

The man was strangely crouched, like if he had had an epileptic seizure. But he couldn’t likely have one exactly while being attacked?… I dropped on my knees next to him. He was not breathing! I instantly started resuscitating him. Meanwhile, the girl was talking on the phone:

“We got attacked, Dad… Yes, I’m okay… He appears hurt, but a girl here is helping him… Her boyfriend chased the attacker away… Yes, my GPS is on… We will wait for them… Okay, I love you.”

A few seconds later I head heavy breathing and the voice of Carlo:

“He managed to lose me, Miss. I apologize for this. Are you okay? I see your jacket is torn…”

“No problems, I am fine. My bodyguard is not, but your girlfriend is helping him already.”

“Do you need something? Call the police?”

“They are coming already. Thank you very much for the help! Without you, I don’t know what could happen to me. And to Hans too.”

“Do not worry, Miss. You are safe. We will be with you.”

“Thank you again… Isn’t that the police?”

I heard the roar of a car engine, coming at speed on the alley. A few seconds later there was screeching of brakes and opening of car doors.

“Miss, were you attacked?”

“Yes, Officer. My bodyguard is hurt.”

“Enrico, call ER. These two people?”

“They saved us from the attacker. I am very grateful to them…”

In a couple more minutes the ambulance arrived too. The man on the ground had a stable heartbeat, but still needed help with breathing. Luckily, the ambulance had a rebreather. One of the ER techs quickly checked the man and looked towards me:

“Good job, Miss. He appears to be hit with a high-power taser – if it wasn’t for your help, we might have been too late.”

I didn’t know what to say. It was so normal for a mountain climber to resuscitate someone.

“Mademoiselles, Mister, I need to take your statements.” said one of the policemen. “Please come with us to the PD, I will drop you anywhere you want after that.”

“Could we just leave, Officer?” asked Carlo. “It is late already and tomorrow we have to be at work.”

“Sorry, Mister, that is our procedure” sighed the policeman. “Please come, I will try to make it as quick as possible.”

* * *

The police department turned out to be close to the park. Filling and signing the forms the policeman gave us took less than ten minutes. When we left the room however, we saw in the corridor waiting a massively built man about fifty in an obviously expensive suit. The park girl ran to him:

“Hi, Daddy! I am just fine, not even a scratch.”

“Glad to hear that. Hans is improving quickly too. And I guess this beautiful couple are the people who saved both you and him? Miss, Mister, I am immensely grateful for your help. Without it, my daughter could now be raped or killed. Whom we owe this?”

Carlo hesitated. I did too – my identity was likely law-proof, but still…

“But where are my manners? My name is Gianfranco Puglisi.” He smiled warmly. Carlo however visibly tensed.

What was up?

“I am Alexandra Manzoni” I took the initiative.

“Carlo Gatti,” Carlo added hesitantly.

Puglisi regarded him carefully.

“Am I making you uncomfortable, Mr. Gatti?”

Carlo said nothing, but his tension could be felt even more strongly.

Puglisi sighed:

“You have heard some nasty things about me?”

Carlo hesitantly nodded.

“Of course, they aren’t true. I am a law-abiding financier and investor. Any rumors to the contrary are just a slander.” Puglisi looked at Carlo. There was something in his eyes that… well, not threatening, but somehow still scary.

“I am sorry, Mr. Puglisi. One just hears things…”

It suddenly dawned on me what these rumors probably said. And that they were likely true to the dot.

Puglisi sighed again. Then nodded to the policeman who accompanied us. The uniformed guy nodded back and quickly went away.

“Come, please. Let me tell you something.”

I was really scared, both for myself and for Carlo. But if this guy just ordered the police in their own PD like he is their boss, we had no choice… Puglisi invited us in the room we wrote our sstatements in and directed us to sit around the table.

“There is something you might benefit from knowing.”

I was all ears, even if scared. Carlo had paled slightly, but listened too.

“Mafia bosses might not be good people, but they know this and are not proud with it. They have been good people before, no one is born bad. And when they see people who continue to be good, they feel a lot of sympathy and warmth for them… Also, they love their children like everyone else. And when someone saves the life of a child of theirs, they value this very highly. More highly than most people do – they know better than most people what danger is.”

Puglisi kept silent for some time, then continued:

“Of course I am not one of them, I deny this most categorically. However, I happen to be rich enough to afford rewarding you for saving my child.” He pulled two gold-encrusted bank cards out of the inside pocket of his jacket. “These are yours. Do not be afraid to use them, I guarantee that they will never connect you to anything illegal. The life of my daughter costs to me more than can be measured in money, but money is all I have to thank you with.”

“No, Mr. Puglisi” said Carlo categorically. “We both are employed and draw excellent salaries, in times when many people barely survive. If we take these cards, it will be to donate the money on them to those who struggle financially. Better donate them yourself, they are your money and you deserve the credit for helping those in need.”

“I agree,” I joined. “I absolutely believe you that nothing bad will come to us from using these cards. However, I know what is to be without income today. There are so many people who need money more than us. Let them have these – you would know much better than us who they are and how to reach them.”

For some time Puglisi said nothing, just scrutinized us. Then put the bank cards back in his pocket.

“If that is your will, that is where these money will go. But I remain indebted to you.” Two old-fashioned business cards appeared in his hand. “If you need anything, absolutely no matter what, just call me. I am a man of honor – will not abandon you in need.”

* * *

“Did you kiss?”

“No, we didn’t… The situation was not right, we were never alone. And you know, Carlo is a true gentleman. Will not press for a first kiss where other people are present…”

“Did he at least hold your hand?”

“Only when crossing bridges in the park.” God, when they will stop the questioning?

“Still a start. Did it feel good?”

“Ummmm, yes, of course… How it could not be, with a man like him…” I felt my face burning due to the embarrassment. Probably even more because, well, it didn’t feel sexually good, but somehow left the feeling of rock-hard stability and reliability. No matter how much I felt embarrassed by that, I almost wished to be a real girl. One surely would be really happy with Carlo.

“Girls, let’s stop embarrassing Lexie. If that is her first date, she will have a lot to process, given how shy she is. Let’s go for the work.”

I was so grateful to Mommy for that!

About an hour later, Fabricia entered the room:

“Lexie, could you come and see The Boss?”

I went to his office, not knowing what to expect. After entering, I saw that Carlo is already there. The Boss was concentrated on his desk, typing something. After a few seconds he finished it and looked at us:

“I am glad to see you, Ms. Manzoni, Mr. Gatti. And also proud, I should say.”

I looked at Carlo, feeling perplexed. He looked at me too, and I could see the same feeling in his eyes.

“I was called today by an assistant of none other than Gianfranco Puglisi. He congratulated me with having real heroes in my company. Told me how you have saved the life of his daughter. Emphasized on that Mr. Puglisi feels deeply grateful and indebted to you.” The Boss smiled.

“We didn’t do much,” Carlo replied, very carefully selecting his words. “Just saw a girl being attacked in the park and ran to help her. The attacker ran away, not creating any problems. I believe that Mr. Puglisi does not need to be indebted to us at all.”

The Boss raised a brow and looked at me.

“Carlo is right, we did practically nothing,” I agreed. “Just happened to be there at that time… By the way, who is Gianfranco Puglisi?”

Both The Boss and Carlo looked at me with surprise.

“Puglisi is the capo of the biggest and the strongest Mafia group in Italy,” The Boss explained. “One of the most powerful people in the country. He is the creator of what the media call ‘the modern Mafia’. Statistically speaking, the chance to save his daughter is practically zero. The chance for her needing to be saved is practically zero, to start with. You must be incredibly lucky.”

Huh?! The man we talked to yesterday was definitely a mafioso… but the most powerful in Italy?!

“Some say that he returns the Mafia to its roots. Others dispute it, pointing to the excellence of his people with high-tech and the proficiency in its usage. I personally believe that he does both, and also incorporates a lot of know-how from the Japanese ‘gumi’, together with some cutting-edge economy theory… In any case, he is both the nicest Mafia don Italy has seen, albeit this doesn’t amount to much, and the most dangerous one if you cross him. As you surely already guess, if he feels indebted to you, a boss that even only tries to abuse you would meet a horrible fate minutes after Puglisi learns about it. In fact, the call I got was a nicely worded warning to that.” He smiled.

“You never abused me or Carlo!” I jumped. “I cannot even imagine a nicer company to work than yours! You were ready to fire Filippo Mastroianni just because he inadvertently created the impression of harassing me! Please do not worry about that at all! I will tell all that personally to Puglisi if you have problems with him!”

“I trust you about that. More than to anyone else I know,” nodded The Boss.

“I can say the same – you are a true man of honor” added Carlo. “You not only kept your promise about that reward, but also didn’t used an opportunity to skip it completely. I have nothing but highest praise for you, and will not hesitate to tell Puglisi this.”

“By the way, how is that Puglisi is so powerful?” I asked. “Is he more brutal than any other don, or what?”

“In Mafia quarrels, he is,” answered The Boss. “Eight years ago, the Ndrangheta decided to open a war against his growing influence. All of their top dons were immediately killed, in a single night. Turned out, he knew perfectly well who and where they were, to the last one. All was done with incredible precision, none of them survived and no proof who did it was found… And while the lower levels were still trying to reconnect and organize, the police arrested them all – it had received lists with their names, proofs about their crimes etc. Everything needed to put them in jail. The police got a huge credit for destroying them, but nobody doubts that Puglisi provided the info and the leverage for the police to act on it.”

I gulped, remembering how he ordered the policemen in their own PD.

“On the other hand, being on his good side is helpful. If your town gets an insurance against damages with his companies, it is costly, but all kinds of vandalism simply disappear. Street crime too. Every nuisance around gets advised by Puglisi’s men that just being there is already bad for his life. Your town is hit by a quake or similar – Puglisi will weigh on the government to help you generously, and will make sure that not a single penny of the help is stolen en route. Even the government plays with him – where his people come in, he makes some profits, but all of them are legal, and any corruption and crime there ends for good.”

“He ends corruption and crime?!” I couldn’t believe my ears.

“Or else it will make rich some other capo, and Puglisi is smart enough to not allow it… People around know that politicians that are rumored to be involved with him will never steal, if they value their life. Sure, they will make services and favors to Puglisi, but never illegal ones. And Puglisi will take care in return for everyone to benefit.”

“Same is on lower level. Your business insures with insurers connected to him – it costs an arm and a leg, but suddenly tons of businesses in all of Europe are happy to work with you, you easily cover the insurance expense and make profits on top of it. You don’t know where to invest this money – the investment funds with Puglisi behind them charge a hefty tax for their service, but provide returns that cover this tax and beat anyone else’s returns on top of that. You need any kind of supplies – a Puglisi-connected consultant will charge you a lot, but you will get excellent quality, always in time and will never be cheated, to the degree it’s more than worth the payment to the consultant. You want to develop your business and need a loan – if you insure it with Puglisi, a loan from his banks is low-interest for you, sometimes zero. You can’t return it in time – the bank will help you improve your income, will give you more time, additional loans etc. You still fail through no fault of your own, thanks to unforeseeable circumstances, and can’t return the loan – you will have to sell your excesses to cover the losses, but can keep a modest home and car, and remaining debt is forgiven with no strings attached. You try again doing business, showing that you learned the lesson – Puglisi’s people are again happy to work with you, you are more valuable to them than a beginner…”

“Sounds strange. A Mafia capo that is so benevolent and fair…” I still had doubts.

“Nothing pays more than benevolence and fairness, when used wisely. A statistician should know that.” The Boss smiled to us. “Now, Puglisi or not, I am really happy and proud that you have been heroes, in so many things.”

“Many things?” Carlo looked at him inquisitively.

“I was told also that you both donated yesterday evening five millions each to charities that care for the homeless and the hungry.” The Boss smiled again. “Don’t worry, I guess what happened. But also that you could keep the money to yourselves, and chose instead to help the others. Knowing people like you must make proud everyone. I certainly am.”

I returned to The Boudoir, trying to somehow assimilate the news. The women there however didn’t leave me any chance to ponder over it:

“You donated five millions?! You could have lived the rest of your life off them!”

Fabricia heard something and talked to them? Surely…

“T-t-that was so noble of you, L-lexie! Was t-t-that mafioso scary?”

“So Carlo refused those money too? Just when he might have to provide for a family? So unreasonable of him.”

I felt the blood rushing to my head. They can speak and think whatever they want of me, but Carlo deserved better!

“Both Carlo and I have been without income, barely surviving. Now we have decent salaries, but so many people now still just survive. They need that money more than us. We decided it together. It was the only way for both us to be who we are. That is worth more than all the money in the world.”

For a couple of minutes, there was a complete silence. Finally, Lu sighed:

“This is the kind of thinking that has made Lexie and Carlo… well, themselves. The people whom we like so much, whom we admire and learn from. Girls, looks like Lexie has yet more lessons to teach us… Still, how exactly this all happened? Please tell us…”