Quiet Secrets

by J. L. Drake

  “Everything all right?”

  “Yeah, um…” I wanted to be alone. “Would it be okay if I went for a walk? I’d really like to enjoy this alone.”

  “Sure, I don’t see the harm.” He smiled as I raced out the side gate.

  I took the path and strolled through the sunflower field. I wanted to take my time. I savored the handwriting on the envelope as I walked. I stopped when I found just the right spot and settled in to open the precious letter.

  Dearest Sienna,

  I hope this letter finds you well and happy. It took me nearly a lifetime to find you. I read the article about your life journey, and I cried once I realized how well you’re doing now. There are some people in this world who deserve happiness, and one of those is you. I often dream of meeting you again and us becoming lifelong sisters. I have to know, are you still in contact with the boy from the pond? Elio, I believe, right? I’m living in Florence now, and how I wish we could meet up. Please do reach out. We have a lifetime to catch up on! I have included my address and cell number.

  Sincerely, your sister, Cara

  P.S. I hope you finally got to run in that field full of sunflowers.

  If she only knew! I looked around at the smiling yellow faces that surrounded me and dried the tears that had raced down my cheeks as I read. I threw back my head and laughed with pure happiness. How I’d missed Cara. I always wondered if our paths would link up again. I couldn’t believe how many people the article had brought me. I snapped a photo of the letter and sent it to Wyatt with a crying emoji, and somehow my mother crept into my thoughts.

  With my newfound high, I moved to the road and started to walk up the hill, only to be greeted by a car that slowed and lowered its window.

  “Good afternoon, Ms. Sienna.” Gain—an odd name—was one of Elio’s soldiers. He gave me a warm smile and a wave. “Do you need a ride?”

  “I’m heading to the Hill House.”

  “So am I. Hop in.”

  “Thanks.”

  Within thirty seconds, we arrived in the driveway, and I hopped out, spotting Elio in the doorway. He looked at me oddly, then at Gain.

  “Were you just in the car with Gain?”

  “Hello, dear.” I rolled my eyes at his lack of greeting. “Yes, your soldier spotted me coming up the hill and offered me a ride.”

  “But I thought Vinni got you.”

  “I’ve already been home, but then I went for a walk.”

  “Why?”

  Seriously, I hadn’t seen him in three days, and he was questioning me like I was up to no good.

  “I was posing for my photoshoot.” I smirked.

  “Sienna,” he growled in warning, and I was instantly turned on. He waved Gain to move on, and we were left alone in the driveway. “I will take you upstairs and prove to you just how wrong that comment was.”

  “Is that a promise, Mr. Capri?” I raised my eyebrow playfully. “Because if that’s the case,” I stepped closer, lowering my voice, “I was in a black lace corset with a red thong and matching heels.” My fingers traveled down my beloved necklace, and I fingered the crow pendant between my breasts.

  His hand cupped my jaw as he grinned his interest and lowered his head to mine. “The only one who’s going to see you naked is me. If I find out you accepted that deal, we will have a problem. I will show you my darker side, and, bella,” he paused, “you won’t like it.”

  I shuddered under his hold. I was both terrified and equally turned on.

  “Maybe if you were anyone else,” I licked my lips as his hand dropped away from my chin, “I would behave and know better, but when you get like this,” I ran my hand down his stomach and across his erection, “all I want to be is bad. Very, very bad.”

  He growled, grabbed my hand, and pulled me toward the garden shed. “You want to push my limits?” He slammed the door behind me and pressed me down, front first, across a stone table. He hiked up my dress as he dropped his pants, shifted my dripping panties aside, and plunged deep inside me. I shot forward in a moan, loving him inside me. I used my arms to prop myself up, but he took a fistful of hair and gently lifted my head to see out the window. Mariano had pulled in and was now in the driveway as he made a call. My phone rang, and Elio dumped out my purse and slid my phone over to me.

  “Answer him,” he commanded.

  “No.” I hated that idea.

  “Sienna.” He gave my bottom a swat, and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to come.

  “Fine,” I groaned and answered the call on speaker. “Hi, Mariano.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m, ah…” I fought to keep my head straight. “Almost there, I mean home.”

  Elio slowly dragged out of me to the tip and plunged back inside with such force I was thankful for the strength of the table.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Mmhm.”

  Elio’s hands moved to my hips under my belly and palmed my breasts.

  “I want to take you to dinner.”

  “I’m pretty full at the moment.” Elio chuckled quietly, and I rolled my eyes at my cheesy choice of words.

  “You can eat. We have some things to discuss. I’m in the driveway. How long until you arrive?”

  “Any moment now.” I clicked the phone off and let out a much-needed moan. “Yes, Elio, I’m so close.”

  “Yeah?” He pounded harder, and I started to see black spots. I was racing so close to the finish line I could taste sweet victory. My body coiled, my toes curled, my mouth watered, and-and…

  “My bella.” Elio suddenly stopped. “I told you not to test me.” He slid out, and I gasped. “Now,” he moved my panties back into position, lifted me onto my feet, and finger brushed my hair to lay smooth, “if you want to come, you need to behave.”

  “That’s messed up, Elio.”

  “What’s messed up, my love, is that you want to test my limits for your enjoyment. When you’re ready to be a good little lady, you know exactly where we are.” He smirked and kissed my lips roughly.

  “So, you’re holding out on me? No sex until I behave?”

  “Sex yes, coming no.” He grinned in delight.

  “Oh, Elio,” I matched his tone, feeling so much better than I did this morning, “game on.” I winked and thought how fun this would be.

  I started to gather my belongings that he had so nicely dumped on the table when he snagged my letter.

  “What’s this?”

  “A letter.”

  “From?” He didn’t enjoy my sarcasm.

  “You remember my old friend Cara, from the DeVaio house?” His expression changed to a serious one. “I guess she found me. Found me at the newspaper, I mean, then Wyatt sent it to Vinni, who gave it to me. She wants to meet up.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she’s my friend.”

  “I want to read it.”

  My head snapped back, and I tried to understand where that tone was coming from. “Elio, is there something you want to ask me?”

  “I just did.”

  “No, you demanded.”

  He shook his head like there was too much going on inside it. “Let’s talk tonight, our place, eight p.m.”

  “Okay.” I tried to follow his spinny head then gave up and slid my letter from his hold. He left, and I waited a beat then approached Mariano, who was looking in the other direction as he lowered his phone. I came up behind him.

  “Hey, Mariano. Sorry, but I can’t make it tonight.”

  “Where is the car?” He looked at the driveway.

  “I was walking.”

  “Sienna, do you just not want to be alone with me?”

  “Like I’ve said countless times, I’m not looking to date. Honestly, Mariano, I think given recent events, going out for anything at all just isn’t appealing.”

  “You know I’ll protect you.”

  I internally rolled my eyes. “I know, but I need to pass.”

  His hands were in his hair pulling roughly.
“You’re a God damn tease, Sienna.”

  “What? How? I’ve been honest with you from the very start.”

  “Have you?” His eyes searched mine, and I took a step back. “Do you have the notebook?”

  “What?”

  “Don’t play games with me!” he nearly yelled, and Francesco appeared at the top of the steps and cleared his throat. “Sorry.” His face smoothed out, and the scary, intense lines that had just creased his forehead disappeared. “That’s not what I meant to ask.” He rubbed his face with both hands like he was coming down from a high. “I think I need some sleep.”

  “Agreed.”

  “I’m sorry.” He took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “We can do dinner another night.”

  “That would be best.” I stepped back and watched him get back into his car and peel out of the driveway.

  “Are you okay?” Francesco asked as he joined me.

  “Yes, thanks. Dealing with Mariano is always such fun.” I grimaced.

  “He’s getting worse.” He watched as Mariano took the corner hard. “We have someone tailing him, and I hope it’s only a matter of time before he leads us to something worth all this. It’s so frustrating.”

  “I think I want to see my mother. Can you take me?”

  “Yeah,” he smiled, “I can do that.”

  As we drove, I sat quietly. Francesco seemed to understand I needed that and did not break into my thoughts. There was so much racing through my mind I wasn’t sure where to start.

  “Again,” I started to speak in the middle of a thought, “you’re not blood related to the Capri family, correct?”

  “No, just very good friends with Piero. He trusted me, and I became his right-hand man.”

  “Right-hand man, that’s also known as his consigliere, right?” He nodded. “And you’ve been in love with my mother since forever.”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re not my father, because my father was murdered.”

  “Correct.”

  “But you’ve been around the Capri family for nearly a lifetime.”

  “Yes…” He eyed me for a moment, trying to catch up to where I was.

  “Which means you know his family like you would your own?”

  “If not more.”

  “Is there anyone you don’t particularly like?”

  He pulled into the driveway of the hotel and left the car on for the cool air.

  “Sienna, did someone do something?”

  “I…” I paused, unsure I wanted to pull at the thread just yet. “I guess I’m just a little confused over a conversation I had with someone.”

  “What was said?”

  “They told me I needed to leave. They acted like they knew me, but I had never met them.” I flipped my hair out of my face, needing something to do. “It was their tone and anger toward me that was so confusing.”

  “Can you share with me who it was?”

  I bit down on my lip and chewed the inside of my cheek. My nerves got the better of me, and I couldn’t say it.

  “All right.” He held up a hand. “You don’t have to say, but tell me, whoever is saying this, are they part of the Capri family?”

  I held his gaze for a moment then reached for my purse and politely thanked him for the drive. Dashing across the parking lot, I headed inside. The maid was just coming out of the door, and I stepped around her.

  “Mama?” I called. After a moment, I realized she wasn’t there. I sat on a chair and waved the maid goodbye. She didn’t question me as she closed the door behind her. If there was one thing I’d learned in all my years of chasing stories, it was to look like you belonged, and no one questioned you.

  I went into her bedroom and sat at the vanity and admired her makeup and perfumes. I removed the cap to one of them and breathed in the heavenly scent of roses. I liked being in her space. Like a child seeking comfort when they didn’t feel good, I just wanted to feel her.

  I held an earring up and watched it sparkle in the light. I loved her fashion sense. She was just an older version of me. I placed the earring with the other and knocked over a lipstick.

  “Shoot,” I muttered and reached under the chair for it. When I bent down, I saw a stack of papers under her suitcase. Curiosity got the best of me, and I pulled them free. A copy of Fab Magazine was on top. I felt something stiff between the pages, so I tipped it upside down and caught a card before it fell to the floor.

  Scribbled in black marker was, “You couldn’t hide her forever.”

  I blinked at the sentence and stood. I felt frozen and barely registered the door being opened and my mother’s gasp.

  “Sienna what are you doing here?”

  “Who sent this?” I held up the card and watched her eyes close as she let out a long breath.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Why are there people after us—after me?”

  “Because a bad thing happened, and we were part of it.”

  “What bad thing?” I shouted.

  “The-the men who killed your father are after us too.”

  “Who are the men? No,” I tossed my hands in the air, “better yet, who was my father?”

  “That’s a lot for me to explain and a lot for you to understand.”

  “How do you know Noemi Capri?” Her face fell, and she took a step back. “I saw you at the party. I saw what passed between you both.”

  “That’s complicated.”

  “No,” I laughed lightly, “try being on my end, the end of not knowing a damn thing!” I grabbed my purse, stuffed the note inside, and headed for the door.

  “Wait,” she called after me, and Oscar blocked my path. “Okay, fine, just come back in the room and I’ll tell you.”

  I glared at Oscar then turned on my heel and closed the door in his face.

  “Noemi used to date my brother. She’s a crazy, controlling woman who is only after money and the finer things in life. When she grew tired of my brother, she latched herself to someone else.”

  “Who?” I crossed my arms, refusing to play her Mad Libs game.

  “Your father.” That took the wind out of my lungs. “In fairness they were dating before I met him, but nonetheless, that’s who she wanted. Only thing is, she wasn’t part of the family agreement, I was. So, when it came time for us to marry, Noemi didn’t take it very well."

  “Hold on! You’re telling that Noemi dated your brother, and Francesco never knew? I find that hard to believe.”

  “They dated for such a short period of time, and Francesco was working a lot, plus Noemi made it very clear she wanted nothing to do with the Capri syndicate. It was the one thing we ever agreed on.” She scoffed. “But where there’s money and power, Noemi will be there, and Theo kept her out of the public most of the time. She made my life hell for a good number of years. Meanwhile, my brother was suffering from a broken heart and tried to win her back. I know she pulled some strings and made him disappear.”

  “It wasn’t the Capris who killed him.”

  “Believe what you want,” she dismissed me. “All I know is that woman turned your father and his family against me, against us, and forced us to live in a horrible situation.”

  “She doesn’t come across as someone who would do that.”

  “None of the Capris show their true colors until they need to.” Her voice dripped hatred.

  I wrung my hands as her words sank in. “But I’ve met Noemi countless times. Why is she so nice to me?”

  “Because she doesn’t know who you are. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I grabbed what I could and left. I legally changed your name for your own protection. You weren’t born as Sienna.” She sank onto the vanity seat. “Your birth name was Alessia. Sienna was a name Francesco and I had chosen years before when we dreamed of having a baby girl together.”

  I wiped a tear away, feeling emotional all of a sudden.

  “She only knew you up until we left. You were very young then, and now have a new name. She wouldn’t put two a
nd two together. And I’d really rather keep it that way, Sienna.” She waited for my spinning brain to focus on her. “I know you and Elio are close, and I know I need to accept that, and I will,” she let out a frustrated sigh, “but I need to ask you for a big favor.”

  “It depends.”

  “Elio’s family doesn’t know about Noemi’s past, and that part of it is deeply connected with ours. Just for right now, could you keep what I share with you private until I know it’s safe for it to come out?”

  “Francesco is going to dig.”

  “I will deal with him.”

  I hated the idea of not telling Elio what I knew. That wasn’t who I was, but it was my life, my past, so maybe I needed to think about it from a different angle. I needed answers, and she had them. If this promise was what it took to find out, maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing.

  “If I agree to this, will you promise to share more with me?”

  “Yes.”

  “All of it?”

  “Yes.”

  “All right.” Everything in my gut told me it wasn’t wise, but really, what choice did I have? “Now that’s been settled, can you tell me anything else about who sent you this card?”

  “I had Oscar look into the postmark, and it was sent from Venice. After a lot of digging, we found nothing.”

  I sank onto the bed, and we went back and forth wondering who in the world it could be, but we both came up empty.

  Finally, after my head hurt, I checked the time on my phone and saw I needed to get home to Elio. “I need to get going.”

  “You can’t stay a little longer?”

  “I promised Elio I would be home for dinner.” I threaded my purse over my shoulder and headed for the door.

  “Teddy,” she blurted, which made me turn around.

  “Huh?”

  She took a deep breath and held her stomach. “Your father’s name was Teddy.”

  “Oh.” I instantly reached for my teddy bear pendant and held it tightly. “Teddy,” I whispered, testing out his name.

  “Yeah.” She caught a tear and turned to look away, making a show of fixing the belt on her dress.

  “Thank you,” I paused, “Mama.”

  I heard her breath catch in her throat as she tried to hold it together. Slowly, I left with a glare at Oscar, who quickly moved out of my way.