by Kathy Ivan
Antonio chuckled. “I promise, nobody’s going to die.”
She blushed, realizing she’d spoke her thoughts aloud. “Good. I’m too tired to defend myself.”
“We’re only going to talk. I think it’s past time for both of us to be honest, don’t you?”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Antonio led Serena around the side of the house and across the patio. She looked around at the chairs and table, along with pots holding a plethora of greenery thanks to his mother’s green thumb. The spot was cozy, a place where he knew she’d spent many afternoons with his momma, sipping sweet tea and talking about work and whatever else women talked about when they got together and there weren’t any men around.
Curiosity filled her expression when he kept going, past the patio and headed to a spot he knew she’d never been. A place reserved for family, one very few outside their close-knit clan were privileged with an invitation.
He guided her through a strand of tall pine trees several more yards before he stopped, giving her time to take in the idyllic scene, one that always filled him with a sense of awe. A conical-shaped, white-roofed gazebo sat in the center of a clearing. White lattice surrounded the bottom, with a circular roof perched atop the structure. Its graceful lines and angles of the structure blended into the surroundings like something from a fairy tale, the otherworldly beauty seeming unnatural yet inviting, the perfect escape deep in the heart of this spread of Texas earth. This was his mother’s favorite spot on the ranch.
Intertwined around the base and pillars of the gazebo were climbing pink and white roses and ivy. Tall ornamental grasses lent to its fairy tale-like appearance. Inside the gazebo, at its heart, sat something even more surprising—a wishing well. Smooth stone and wood, its incongruous appearance should have been out of place on a working Texas ranch, yet somehow in Antonio’s mind it fit.
Taking Serena’s hand, Antonio led her to a white painted bench partially hidden away within the gazebo’s walls. Tiny white lights wrapped around the tree bases, and along the inside of the roof. He flicked a switch by the entrance, and smiled as the lights turned on, the soft golden glow wrapping the entire place in beauty.
“What is this?” He heard the wonder in her voice, watched as she traced the petals of the roses. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Momma’s secret garden. She loves this place.”
“I never knew this was here. She must have spent years getting it to look like this.”
Antonio nodded, joining Serena on the bench. “You ready to talk?”
When she looked at him with those big eyes, he swallowed hard. He tried to picture her without the colored contact lenses. Didn’t matter, no matter what color her eyes were in his imagination, she still looked like his Serena. Her darker hair was windswept from the cool afternoon breeze, darker than her picture in his FBI file. Her eyes gleamed in the dappled sunlight shining through the gazebo’s walls.
“I know everything, Serena.”
He didn’t think her eyes could get any bigger, but she proved him wrong, reminding him of the anime characters from comics he’d devoured as a teen. Her indrawn breath gave away her nervousness. “How?”
“Did you forget I work for the FBI?”
“Of course not.”
He held on when she tried to pull her hand away, needing to keep contact between them, more for his own sanity than any real desire to keep her captive. Telling her what he knew was going to be hard enough, he didn’t want a chasm between them.
“The case they assigned me when I came to the Austin office was to look for Sharon Berkley. Imagine my shock when I saw the photo in the case file. Different hair, contact lenses. At first, I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t say anything to the special agent in charge of your case; instead, I hightailed it back to Shiloh Springs. I wanted to see with my own two eyes what my brain told me was fact.”
“Why didn’t you confront me right away? If you knew who I was—”
“This morning I got to Shiloh Springs, and went to see Rafe. I wanted to talk with him, figure out what I should do because I didn’t trust my instincts. Before I could say anything, do anything, your townhouse was broken into. Should I have pounced on you the minute I crossed the threshold, told you the FBI wanted you back in protective custody? Even I’m not that much of a monster, Serena.”
“So much has happened in such a short time, I guess I forgot we hadn’t spoken in a while. But you could’ve taken me in, or had the FBI pick me up and put me back into protective custody. Why didn’t you?”
Antonio looked down at their joined hands, needing to find the right words to convince Serena he was on her side. “I persuaded Williamson, he’s the SAC on your case in Austin, you’d be safer staying at the Big House where we could keep you close, but still out of the public eye. We didn’t have any idea Big Jim already knew you were in Shiloh Springs. Rafe and I talked to Williamson, because I’m still not totally convinced there isn’t a leak further up the chain with the feds. How else could your uncle have found you?”
Serena pushed her hair behind her ear in an unconscious movement, her head dipped low. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He wished for the millionth time they’d met under different circumstances. One where she wasn’t on the run for her life. Where he wasn’t the FBI agent whose job it was to bring her in, even if it meant keeping her safe. But those were the facts, and until he could figure a way around it, he needed to keep his emotions under check, no matter how much he wanted to pull her into his arms and shield her from everything the world tossed her way.
“I might have the answer to that.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “The magazine article about Boudreau Realty.”
Antonio stared at her, trying to understand what she was talking about. He didn’t know anything about a magazine article. “What article?”
“Didn’t your mother tell you about it? Some interior design magazine did this thing about the top realty companies across the United States, and Ms. Patti’s was one of the featured offices. I did my best to not be in when the photographer was there, but somehow I ended up in one of the pictures, which naturally was the one used. It’s only a profile shot, but I’m there. It’s the only thing I can think, because I’ve been super careful to stay out of the public eye for almost a year.”
“You’re probably right. I’ll have Williamson check out the magazine. I can’t picture Big Jim Berkley reading interior design magazines, though.”
“Yeah, I don’t think he’s the type to read them, but maybe one of the women who follow him does.”
“Good point.”
Serena squeezed his hand tight, and he felt the slight tremble in hers. “Antonio, I’m scared.”
“You know I’ll never let anybody or anything hurt you ever again, right?”
She gave a shaky laugh. “I hate to burst your bubble, Captain Caveman, but you can’t be with me all the time.”
“Watch me.”
“Be realistic. The best thing for everyone is to turn myself over to the FBI. Go into seclusion until I have to testify. Again.” Pulling her hand free, she stood and walked over to stand at the entrance of the gazebo. Silhouetted against the backdrop of all Mother Nature’s bounty, the tall pines, the delicate roses and climbing ivy, she appeared like an earth goddess, fragile yet with an inner strength which refused to be quenched by life’s turbulent chaos.
“Serena, stay here. You’ll be surrounded by people you know. People who care about you. Whenever I’m not here, somebody will be. There are enough Boudreaus around at any given time, you’ll never be alone. Plus, I bet Momma would love to have another woman around the place. She’s always complaining there’s too much testosterone smothering her. I guarantee she’ll spoil you.”
“I want to, but I can’t put your family in danger.” He could almost hear the unspoken “or you.”
He stood and walked to stand beside her, needing to be closer. Everything in him screamed to hold her i
n his arms, protect her from anybody or anything trying to harm her, but he resisted the impulse. He knew she was off balance by the day’s events and here he was, springing the news that her cover had been blown. He spoke softly, keeping his tone gentle. “Before you argue any further, let me tell you what I’ve done. I’ve set it up some safeguards so there’s always somebody here when I’m not around. All my brothers, Dad, off-duty officers from the sheriff’s department. If I need to, I’ll have the FBI send a couple of people to assist, but rest assured you are not going to be alone. Big Jim’s people aren’t getting anywhere near you.”
“Antonio, you can’t—”
“Serena, even if this wasn’t my job, I would move heaven and earth to keep you safe. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
Her eyes searched his face, surprise and hope in her gaze. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything, except you’ll be careful, and you won’t leave the Big House without me or somebody with you. Promise me.”
After a short pause, she nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”
He clasped both of her hands between his, and ran his thumb across her knuckles, the gesture soft and gentle, before he led her back to the bench. “Can I tell you something? It might help explain why I’m being a smidge overprotective.”
“Of course.”
“You know I’m adopted. Douglas and Ms. Patti are the best parents anybody could ask for. Loving, kind, they gave out hugs when they were needed, and discipline when I screwed up.”
“Everybody talks about the Boudreaus in Shiloh Springs. I can’t remember anybody ever saying a bad word about Douglas or Ms. Patti. When I first moved here, I almost thought they walked on water, the way people described them. Too good to be true. There had to be a catch somewhere. Only there isn’t one. With them, everything I heard is true. What they portray to the community is exactly who they are out of the public eye when nobody is watching. I love that about them.”
“They epitomize the best of humanity. When I came to stay with them, Rafe and Brody already lived here. Things were…” he paused, choosing his words carefully, “rocky in the beginning. Being from New York, I wasn’t the easiest kid to get along with. Add in the hormones of puberty, a chip on my shoulder the size of a boulder, and a ‘don’t mess with me’ attitude, I wasn’t the perfect candidate when Dad and Momma took me in.”
Serena scooted a little on the bench, until her thigh pressed against his, and leaned her head against his shoulder. “It’s hard to imagine you as a kid. I bet you were a handful. How’d you end up in Texas?”
“That’s a long story, and I’ll tell you everything another time, but the short version is my mother fell in love with somebody her family didn’t approve of, sort of a Romeo and Juliet affair. Only instead of the Montagues and the Capulets, we’re talking the two biggest crime families in New York and New Jersey.”
Her hands twisted in his grip until she now held his, and she squeezed them reassuringly, silently urging him to go on.
“You can imagine how that went over between the two groups. My mom was told in no uncertain terms she couldn’t see my father anymore. My dad’s family gave him the same ultimatum. The infighting got worse, until my mom dropped the bombshell she was pregnant.”
“Oh, boy.”
“Yeah, it wasn’t a match made in heaven. My parents didn’t care, they were stupid kids in love, and thought the whole world revolved around them. They were too young and too naïve to realize things didn’t always work out the way you plan. My mother’s father was a consigliere, or counselor, for the family, part of the upper tier without actually being part of the violence. My mother getting pregnant by a rival family member brought shame to the family.”
“Nonsense.”
“No, Italian mob. We’re talking years ago, when things were a lot different, when the balance of power was delicate and earned with violence and bloodshed.” He lifted their entwined hands and placed a gentle kiss on the back of hers. “My father wasn’t high in the hierarchy. Basically, he was a snot-nosed kid, and his family had ties to the organization. His maternal cousin ties to the don. But he was a good man involved in a lot of bad stuff. Growing up, I was sheltered from a lot of it, but you aren’t raised in that culture without grasping the subtle and not-so-subtle nuances of violence and people disappearing all the time.”
“It must have been awful.”
“Sometimes. Most of the time I played with my cousins like any other kid, even though I wasn’t allowed to go outside as much as the other kids. My parents weren’t allowed to marry, the families forbade it. My father visited when he could, and my mom loved me and made sure I knew how much my dad loved me too.” He tried to remember his mother’s face, her sweet smile and perfumed hugs. A lot of time had passed, years spent with the Boudreaus filled with love and compassion and a whole different kind of family.
“When I turned nine, tensions escalated between the two families, disputes over power and territory. My mom knew I’d be sucked into that world if she didn’t do something. She had money, cash she’d socked away for years. Maybe she had a premonition of what might happen, but we took off one night. Didn’t tell anybody, simply walked out with the clothes on our backs, and fled.”
“Antonio, it must have been so scary. No child should have to deal with living like that.”
“I know. She did it to protect me. She didn’t want me dragged into a world of violence and crime, and knew if we stayed there wouldn’t be any other option for me. I was already being taught to hate my father’s family. This grudge, battle, whatever you want to call their struggle for dominance in the Italian districts, bled over into every aspect of life. It informed every decision, every action, and she loved me so much.” He stopped, drawing in a deep breath. He needed to cut to the chase, and tell her the hard part before he chickened out. Living with the Boudreaus, he didn’t have to talk about or rehash his early years; they’d accepted him the way he was, without prejudice or censure. Most families wouldn’t want the responsibility or possible danger of bringing a child of the mafia into their home, but Douglas and Ms. Patti hadn’t even blinked, instead sheltering him and giving him the kind of stability he’d craved.
“We left New York with nothing. Took the subway to Connecticut. My mom bought a used car and we headed anywhere outside New York. New Jersey was out of the picture, too. I didn’t find out until weeks later the reason we left in the dead of night was because my mom got a message smuggled in from a friend. My father had been killed, and the inevitable battle between the families loomed. Getting me away was the only thing she knew to do to keep me alive.”
“I’m glad she did,” Serena whispered, her head still snuggled onto his shoulder. “I guess we have more in common than I thought. We both come from unconventional families, who don’t have any problem bending the law to suit their own purposes.”
“True.”
“Tell me the rest. How’d you end up with Douglas and Ms. Patti?”
“Mom did her best to stay off the radar. Paid cash. We drove from state to state. I don’t think she planned on staying in Texas long. We’d stopped for the night at some crappy motel. There was a convenience store across the street, and she left me in the room while she went to grab us some stuff for dinner, and snacks for the next day. I—I wanted to go with her, but she told me she’d just be a minute. If I’d gone with her, maybe I could have saved her, done something. She was killed in a botched robbery. Some druggie needed cash for a fix, and held up the store while she was there.” He closed his eyes against the painful memory, the one filled with sirens and screams.
“I’m so, so sorry, Antonio.”
“It was a nightmare. Cops, social workers, paramedics. Chaos. Everything blended together, sights and sounds, and I couldn’t focus on anything. They’d sat me in the back seat of a police car with the door open. Then this giant of a man walked up to me, looked me right in the eye, like he was searching from something. He didn’t say a word, but
watched me for the longest time. Finally, he held out his hand, and I took it.”
“Douglas?”
Antonio smiled. “Yep. One of the paramedics worked with him before, when they got Rafe. Said there was something about me, some instinct or whatever, which made him call Douglas. He and Ms. Patti pushed through all the paperwork and red tape to get me into their home. You know the rest.”
“I’m sorry you lost your parents, Antonio, though I’m happy you ended up with Douglas and Ms. Patti. Without them, I don’t think you’d be the man you are. A man with compassion, integrity, and honor.”
“I’ve been blessed. There’s a whole lot more to the story with my biological family, but it can wait for another time. We need to get you settled in.”
“Wait, I do have one question. Your last name is Boudreau. Douglas and Ms. Patti adopted you?”
Antonio relaxed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “No, between the state and information obtained from sources, it was decided it would be too dangerous to adopt me. Adoption meant bringing my whereabouts to the attention of the very people my mother was running from.”
“Then how—”
“It’s kind of a tradition amongst us. Rafe started it, and the rest of us did it, too. When we turned eighteen, and could legally do it, we changed our last name to Boudreau. Partly out of respect and admiration for the people who raised us, and partly because we are a family. I’m honored to carry the name Boudreau. I wasn’t born with it, but it’s mine by choice, and I’m proud to be part of this amazing family.”
They stood, and Antonio brushed the hair back from her cheeks, tempted beyond words to pull her into his arms and kiss her until they were both breathless, but knew the time wasn’t right. She’d been hit with a lot, an overload of information, along with the threat of her uncle. He’d give her time to adjust, to think about what he’d told her. But not too much time, because he intended Serena to be in his life for the long haul, forever.
