The Twelve Zenati Pt. 13

"What is any of that supposed to mean? That I am not my father's son?" he asked incredulously. "I am exactly like my father and brothers, in all ways!" It was a lie, he knew it was a lie but he needed that familial bond more than ever recently, and he wasn't going to let this woman take it away from him with some stupid riddle of words.

"Your father and brothers are leaders of men because of their familial links and their place within the grand scheme of things. They each have specialised skills that make them invaluable in their roles for your table," she paused but Noah only sighed and leaned his body and head back again, prepared to let her talk having been on the receiving end of one of her lectures before and knowing she would not make her point until she was ready.

"You have specialised skills and familial ties just like all of the men of your family but more than that you have a... lack of ego, a spirit and sense of self that allows you to be exactly who you are without needing the approval of others. Some may see it as arrogance, but it is different in you, it is a self-assuredness that allows you to walk through the world unhindered by doubts as others are. Dominic is similarly gifted with the same open mind and heart. This allows you to let others less qualified or able than yourself to take the lead while you take on a supportive role, secure in the knowledge that your status as a leader is never questioned and as such you don't have the same self-protection barriers in place that other men carry. You, as Dominic has told you, will not suffer the same curse breaking signs as your brothers as your heart does not need freeing," she paused again as if she had finally run out of words.

"So, I will meet my mate today?" he turned his head to look at her through narrowed eyes.

"You have already met your match, young Lord. You chose not to see her for who she was and rejected her out of hand but when she is in danger does not your stomach roil? When she is reckless do you not break out in a cold sweat and tremble with anxious energy until you see her and know she is safe?" Imelda asked also narrowing her eyes in response.

Noah laughed loud and long before he could stop and catch his breath enough to explain. "You couldn't be more wrong, old woman!" He chuckled again. "Marcella and I are not compatible in the slightest. If you are trying to dupe me into moving like a pawn in one of your games, then you chose the wrong lie to dupe me with." He laughed loudly again and shook his head.

"Believe as you wish, but you knew her name without me even speaking it. You had no doubt of who I spoke. Your dismissal of her comes from misinformation not from what is true within your heart and mind. To keep denying her is to deny your own future. Today will be a turning point for many, most especially you, and how you react to the events that transpire today will determine your future with or without your true mate," Imelda warned and stood. "Be well young Lord. Think about what I have said and the tacit friendship you have with the woman. Today will bring unpleasant revelations, and you must deal with them carefully."

"Dominic will be fine?" he asked to be sure that the unpleasant events of the day wouldn't concern his cousin and the surgery he was about to undergo.

"You and he both know that he will recover fully in time," Imelda smiled. "Dominic is not who you should be concerned about today." With that she left, walking so quietly from the waiting room it was as if she floated above the hard laminate floors.

Noah tried to make sense of what the woman had come to tell him. Why had she come all this way to speak directly to him? His father's voice this morning, also referring to his big heart, echoed along with her words. It couldn't be true though. He may be able to play a supportive role in the family and his everyday life, but at home and particularly in bed, he needed his mate to be the beta to his Alpha, and he was sure that was something Marcella Gambaro would never do, not for anyone. It was a ridiculous notion that she could possibly be his one, his curse breaker. Yet Imelda's words lingered in his mind making him examine his interactions with Marcella recently.

*****

Marcella sat across from the tarot card reader in the small room bordered by a heavy curtain from the upmarket well-being shop beyond. She spoke in a hushed voice as she sat and introduced herself and saw the flicker of recognition in the woman's eyes as she shuffled the cards in her hands in a slow, deliberate motion. Going through the motions, the woman passed the cards to Marcella and asked her to shuffle and cut them before giving them back.

"I need to send a message to the Captain," Marcella hissed across the table.

"I know," the woman said placidly, unruffled by the obvious tension in the woman opposite her. "Let us see what we see first, then you can give me your message."

Marcella ground her teeth as she sat watching the woman and then listening to her speak about influences from her past that would affect her present and future. What the woman said was generalised enough that they could suit any number of people and situations and she assumed the woman spouted the same bullshit to all her clients. It was toward the end of the long reading that it became slightly individualised and more specific to Marcella. Then the woman paused and looked and narrowed her eyes considering the young woman across from her.

"You cannot run from your fate, you can only delay the inevitable by fighting the cords that weave the tapestry of your life. What has happened has all built to this time. Your destiny has been foretold through ages and continents. In the end, you will have little choice but to accept your destiny or turn your back on the happiness and true love that could be yours," she said while holding Marcella's gaze.

"I don't believe in destiny. You make your own success; you get back what you put out into the universe. Love is for fools and dreamers, not for a realist like me," she huffed and opened her mouth to deliver the message she had come here to leave for Vinnie but was halted as the woman spoke again.

"Regardless, true love, obsession and possession will come for you sooner than you think. The paths of three men will converge on you, one will try to force you to accept what you have always denied. The path he offers will be hard, but the rewards will be great. Another will seek to isolate and control you through fear and threats masquerading as care and affection. A third will offer what you think you want but to take it may well destroy you," the fortune teller warned seriously. "Think hard on my words lady. Your future is perilous, and you must look past the obvious to see the reality of each man who seeks to own you."

"Own me?" Marcella spat in indignation. "You cannot possibly see even a hint of who I am in those cards if you think I would ever be owned! Save your warnings for someone who needs them," she huffed. "Let the Captain know the price is too high, but I am open to negotiation for what I want. I want Hermione's and will go to the second messenger in two days for my answer." With that, she stood, and without waiting for a response, she strode purposefully away from the woman, parting the curtain to find her friend still browsing the large shop, holding some scented candles.

"Ready to go?" Vivienne asked checking her watch and realising they would be cutting it close to meet the other women.

"Sure, you taking all of those?" Marcella indicated the candles in her friend's hands.

"Yeah, they remind me of the ones we had in the yurt when we..." Vivienne blushed and turned quickly toward the counter hearing her friends soft laugh behind her.

"That yurt sounds very romantic," Marcella teased. "You're going to have to spill the beans some time, you know you want to tell me."

"I think I have told you more than enough about my wedding night," Vivienne whispered as they reached the counter.

"None of the really good bits though," Marcella grinned evilly as Vivienne blushed an even deeper shade of red.

"One day you will fall in love, and you will understand why I want to keep that night close to my heart and not for open discussion or commentary. One day you will understand just how special a real love can be," Vivienne warned.

"Oh no, you don't. You can't curse me with that goofy look you have whenever Gideon is around. I would like to keep my mind from turning into goo like yours does whenever you're with him." Marcella waved off her words easily. "I'm not the type of woman men take home to meet the parents and make romantic proposals to. I'm the type of girl that's a challenge they feel they need to try to conquer only to find out it's not possible."

"It's true you're a force of nature," Vivienne agreed. "I'm glad we're friends, and I am not one of the people standing in your path." She grinned teasingly. The truth was she knew Marcella had a softer side and a huge heart for the people she cared about. She played the bitch card well, but that wasn't who she was in her heart of hearts. Vivienne just wished she knew how to help Marcella let other people see that softer side of her nature more often.

Once again, she considered what she knew of her and Olivia's lives growing up in a house dominated by a man stuck in the past and archaic family traditions and how they had turned out so differently, and not for the first time she wondered what their other sister, Jessa, was like. If she had grown up hard and tough like Marcella or softer and sweeter like Olivia who was able to compartmentalise the horrible things that occurred in her life and move on. Perhaps she should make an effort to find out for herself.

"Alright, let's go an indulge in the spa treatments," Vivienne announced, taking her purchases from the woman behind the counter and walking toward the door with Marcella. "Any idea what sort of treatments you want to try today?"

"All of them," Marcella grinned as they made their way to the car.

*****

Noah was standing back from the entrance to the spa giving Xavier space to talk quietly with Emma before leaving her for the rest of the morning with the other women. He saw Marcella approach with Vivienne and tried to clear his mind and just concentrate on what he felt as he watched her. It was fucking ludicrous, he reminded himself, shaking his head. The old woman had just been trying to rattle him and take his mind off Dominic and the bigger picture of what today meant for him, for Genesis, for their table and the family as a whole. If they lost Dominic, the family would struggle to recover. He was their glue, the bridge between generations, cousins and brothers. He was simply indispensable, and Noah had no illusions about being able to fill his shoes even temporarily.

"You okay?" Xavier asked taking Noah by surprise and making him drag his gaze from where Marcella now stood at the front counter with Emma and Vivienne.

"Yeah, just sending up another prayer, you know?" Noah gave the feeble excuse for the look of consternation he realised he had been wearing. The old woman had definitely been playing mind games with him this morning. There was no way Marcella of all women could be his curse breaker. He shook his head again and turned to survey the watchers scattered about the complex and knew there would be more inside including at least one of Olivia's bodyguards. The women would be safe here today.

"Alright, let's go check in with operations. Something came up while we were at the hospital. We'll deal with that and whatever else is on the agenda, then we'll pick up Emma for lunch before we go back to the hospital. Ambrose will call if anything happens," he said sounding as if the words were more to reassure himself than explain the plan to Noah. They walked out to the waiting car and drove back in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

Gideon had been watching over operations with Orlando in Xavier and Noah's absence, and as the two men came to sit them, Noah could sense some sort of tension over and above the worry for Dominic. He silently raised an eyebrow at his brother and inclined his head as if to prompt him to speak.

"There's a Martino jet coming in. It will land in an hour or so. Apollo Martino, he says he has business here and is asking for a guest apartment or suite and a motorcycle when he arrives," Orlando said before Gideon could open his mouth.

"I thought the Martino's were still on lock-down after the attack on the mothers," Genesis grumbled coming to sit with the group as did most of the others who were present in the base of operations.

"Seems they're loosening the reigns a little. It has been a while now, and the Tatar and AFP have been pretty thorough there," Xavier said with a frown. "What do we know about him? Apollo seems like a Savoy name, but you said, Martino?"

"Most of the high-ranking Savoys have been exiled, those that stayed had to make the change as a sign of allegiance to the table and its leaders. It's been a shit show down there, but the dust is finally settling, and the Savoys have been outcast if they didn't accept the change. Apollo is well respected in the family and when the dust settles could be on the newly formed table," Orlando filled in what he had managed to learn so far. "We're still working it."

"What sort of business does he have here?" Gideon frowned. He hadn't come across the name before in his dealings with the Martino family.

"He didn't say, just that it was personal and wouldn't affect our family or our business dealings in this city at all," Orlando added. "Quinto took the call early this morning, from the family exchange." He nodded to the younger man at the far end of the table. The younger man looked up from where he sat talking quietly with Zanto. They made a good team with their technical skills and knowledge, and were looking at ways to improve the communication set up in their base of operations.

"Can't hurt to have him here I expect; it's a free world. If we offer him the accommodation he wants, we'll just need to be extra vigilant with everything else going on today. Where have we got available for him to stay that's not close to anything sensitive?" Xavier was still considering what the man would want or expect from them aside of a room to stay in. Without familial ties or friendships like his own with the leaders and oracles of the other tables, it was rare to get a random visit with requests like this.

"Most of our family have stayed out of the city since the attack, although a few are here for Dominic. We have space at our apartment block, but it's possibly better to go for one of the hotel apartments in the centre of the city. Especially as Olivia and Marcella will be at ours for a while longer. We can't be sure of the effects of the fallout from Mario's betrayal on the Martino table, and given the investigation into Olivia at the moment it might be best to keep them apart," Genesis said gruffly. He was more than wary about having a Martino in town. Even before the attack on the mothers, he disliked the table that flaunted their wealth and power in overtly excessive lifestyles.

"Yeah, something doesn't sit right with this visit," Noah agreed. "Best keep him separate from anything sensitive that's going on at the moment. Do we still have that apartment in the Tall Trees down on the foreshore?"

"Yeah, and Val always had a few bikes in the fleet ready to go," Xavier looked around and raised his voice slightly to his cousin who was not at the table but rather using a laptop off to the side of the larger group. "Val!" he jerked his head indicating the man need to join their conversation.

After a further twenty minutes of discussing the details of how to show the family's largesse while protecting themselves and the family from any issues that might arise from having a visiting Martino within their city, Xavier ceased all speculation and made some decisions.

"Noah, take Orlando to pick him up and get a feel for the guy while you take him to the Tall Trees. Val can meet you there with Gideon and the car and do a hand over of keys. Take him to lunch if he will let you and see if you can find out exactly why he's here," Xavier issued orders before speaking more quietly to Noah. "If your running late Taino will be with Em and me. We'll meet you when you're done. Be thorough, don't hurry because of me or Em. Make sure he is no threat to us or anyone linked to us," he said seriously. "You're in the oracle chair, it's our responsibility to protect this family regardless of what else is going on around us."

"I'll be there, don't worry," Noah said confidently knowing that keeping Emma calm and distracted today was their main priority. He stood and looked at Orlando who packed up his ever-present tablet and the two men left the building, choosing to drive themselves to the airport considering the small amount of information they had been able to glean in the short amount of time Orlando had been working on it.

"Son of the most recent warrior, he trained at the Battaglia compound, first as a warrior and then as a Master. He spent a lot of time with the Battaglia since he turned sixteen, and they vouched for him when his mother was exiled with the Savoys. He was at the Battaglia compound when the shit with the Donatis went down but wasn't involved in it as far as my source knows. He's also made several visits to the Gambaros, possibly as a prospective warrior for their new table, but we can't confirm that yet. He may know Olivia and Marcella, depending on his ties to the Gambaro family. Maybe the sisters are his business here?" Orlando speculated as if talking to himself.

"He'd have to get through Gen to get anywhere near Olivia. Gen's been more than overprotective recently because of the AFP," Noah warned. "Though finding her boat went some way to heading them off. If we could find evidence of a more significant part of her story it would put a lot of the speculation to rest."

"True, maybe Marcella invited him because he has a clue or might know something or someone who can offer up those answers she's been searching for. I have to admit after the way she went about finding the boat she has pretty good skills. It genuinely could be Marcella he is here to see, odd as that seems," Orlando suggested.

The words of the old woman that morning slammed into Noah again. How he and his brothers reacted today could make or break her trust in them? Could this be the crisis they would react to? Badly? He frowned as he considered if Marcella was indeed the reason Apollo Martino was flying into Darwin with very little warning and practically unannounced. His was not an unusual request. Many people asked for the same hospitality. It was merely the circumstances that had caused the request to come through to the younger table and the timing in regards to the freedoms of his family to be flying freely around the country that caused him to question the motives behind the visit.

The one person he could talk to about Imelda's predictions was currently having his skull bored into by surgeons. His brothers both had enough on their plates today of all days, and he was stuck here with the one guy who would put the family as a whole above an individual's wants and needs, so he could not talk to him about his concerns and doubts or the fact that the old woman could speak in his mind. Not that he knew what he wanted or needed and he cursed the old woman for placing this unsettling blanket of confusing questions over him today of all days. Thankfully, Orlando left him to his silent brooding as he continued to work on his tablet, gleaning as much information as the could before meeting the visiting Martino.

The silence remained as they waited on the tarmac of the private airfield for the jet to taxi in. The watchmen, knowing what happened to the Papillo earlier in the year at their private airfield, were on full alert, and Noah frowned that anyone would fly into a capital city without going through the usual family protocols if they expected preferential treatment as this man seemed to. Almost in unison he and Orlando stepped from the car as the stairs were locked in place and the jet door finally opened to reveal the man they had both been speculating about.