by Theresa Papa
The afternoon sun glints off the lake to mesmerize me into a blank stare out the window of my dad’s study. I’m relaxing, reclined in the chair with my feet up, when Liz clears her throat to grab my attention. When I look toward the doorway, she leans against the frame, looking as beautiful as ever. The woman takes my breath away to the point where when I sit up and say, “Hi,” it comes out in almost a whisper. I clear my throat and try again.
“Hi, are you and Mom finished for now?”
She must have picked up on what I was thinking. There’s a slight blush in her cheeks as she looks down at the floor and smiles before she answers.
“Yeah, I’m ready to go to the store if you are.”
On the way into town in the Range Rover, Liz quietly picks at her nail polish. I decide to ask her some questions about what she was doing working in a place like Club Beta.
“I’ve been meaning to ask. Was the reason you worked at Club Beta to expose Richard Harrington as the owner? Or to get back at him in some way?”
She looks up at me, her eyebrows peaked and lips slightly ajar.
“Wow, you know he owns the club. Um … yeah, I wanted a way to get revenge. I still do. And I won’t stop until I accomplish that.”
Chapter 12
Liz Pope
The ride into town is reflective for me. I realize that the safest place for me is at the Dragonetti’s home with either Tony or the bodyguards that protect me twenty-four hours a day. But on the other hand, I would never be able to live with myself if something terrible happened to anyone in his family because of me. I’m on a slippery slope to decide what is best for everyone.
Tony jolts me out of my indecision with an unexpected question of my intention for revenge on Richard Harrington. I’m caught off guard and answer him truthfully that I intend to make Richard pay for his crimes against me. I shouldn’t have admitted that, though. Now Tony will be more overprotective of me than ever.
“Do you know where Richard lives now?”
“All I know for sure is he’s somewhere in another country where he either ships children back here to his contacts in the sex trade, or he produces child porn there. Most likely, it’s both,” I surmise out loud.
“How long have you gathered information on him?”
“Probably about six or seven months now. At first, I was satisfied to write an exposé about him to tell the world what a sick bastard he is. But as I collected information and wrote, the angrier I got until one day, I became aware that more was needed to be done. That’s when I got the job on the inside.”
“What happened once you started at Club Beta?” Tony asks as he parks in front of the local butcher shop and turns off the car and turns to face me.
“It was just dumb bad luck that Marcus Dent found his father’s game with my pictures on the web at the same time his investigation turned up the manager’s job at the club. When he saw me, he couldn’t believe his eyes. I, on the other hand, had no idea about the game or that anyone was looking for me. At first, he played it cool, never showing any interest in me out of the ordinary. Then when he saw his opportunity, he drugged me and locked me inside a bathroom,” I admit with a shrug.
A knock on my window surprises me, making my heart beat out of my chest. When I turn around, it’s a short, stocky man with a white apron who was obviously the butcher. I roll down my window to his perky reception.
“I’m sorry if I startled you, young lady. Lucia called ahead to tell me her order and that you both were on your way here. You must be Elizabeth?” he asks as he shifts the white package into his left hand and extends his other hand to shake through the opening. I shake his hand and smile, surprised that Lucia discussed me with him.
“Hello, sir.”
“Please call me Jimmy. I’ve known the Dragonettis for many years. Lucia is my best customer when she stays at their summer home here in Wisconsin. Isn’t that right, Anthony?”
Tony climbs out of the car and walks around to greet the man on my side of the SUV. He smiles, holding out his arms to hug Jimmy.
“Jimmy is part of the family,” he confirms. “How is Marcella?”
“She is good. The kids keep her very busy,” Jimmy says. “Here’s your mother’s flank steak. I told her I would pound it thin at no charge, but for some reason, she’d rather you do it at home.” He has a funny smile on his face like he wants to convey a message to Tony, but Tony just shrugs it off. He pats Jimmy on the back, takes the package, and says his farewell.
When we’re back on the road, I inquire about the strange facial expressions. And Tony laughs.
“I thought you knew my mother well enough to know what all that meant by now,” he says looking over at me.
“I guess I don’t …”
“My mom and his wife, Marcella, are good friends who talk either in person or on the phone every day. Weren’t you surprised that he already knew your name when we pulled up?”
I nod my affirmation.
“That means that my mother and Marcella have already been on the phone to discuss us.” He gestures between the two of us and continues. “My mom wants me to pound the flank steak so that I stay in the kitchen with you while you learn to cook.” He chuckles.
“Oh, I see … but there is no us anymore,” I say without thinking.
Tony’s face drops, and I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth. My mind wrestles to think of something to erase it or make it better, to no avail. Silence ensues until we reach our next stop where he pulls around the back of the store to park.
“I wouldn’t usually go into a women’s clothing store with you, but I don’t want to take any chances. I promised your uncle and cousins that I would keep you safe,” he states, still coming off slightly aloof.
My safety is still at the forefront of my mind, so I welcome Tony’s hesitation. He has always looked out for me.
“Just do a quick observation of the place. I can handle myself alone if you wait here.”
I open the rear entrance to the store. He grabs the door handle and holds it open for me to pass. When I slide by him, he rolls his eyes as if I’m a pain in the ass, but after I overheard what he said to his dad, I know he still cares about me.
Clothes have never been a huge deal for me like they are for other women, so I find a few casual outfits right away. By the time Tony finishes checking the place out and gestures to me that he’ll be out back, I’m on my way to the dressing room. Upon entering, I’m faced with one of the last people I ever wanted to see again. Margaretta Wilson was the typical high school bully who picked on every person who didn’t make it into her so-called popular group. She is tall and skinny with red hair and brown eyes. Lots of freckles sit on a tiny little upturned nose. She must have learned how to hide them better with makeup since high school.
The hand-picked clique she hung around with referred to her as Margy. Usually she kind of left me alone in favor of more satisfying prey until one day the guy she liked tried to ask me out on a date. As I explained before, my father never let me date anyone. He didn’t want a guy to interfere in his plans for me while I was drugged so he could in return get his sexual fix from Richard Harrington’s daughter, Amanda. So to keep up with his end of the deal with Richard, he made sure I was always available and cooperative. Whenever I woke up the next morning tucked in my bed, the strangest feeling would come over me like I somehow lost time. The drug would cause what Dr. Baxter called anterograde amnesia where I would be temporarily unable to form any new episodic memories which caused me to go into a “now” state where new events would not be remembered. He would also give me something else to make me cooperative. I can only assume that Amanda Harrington got the same. So when … what was his name? Oh, I know, David Dunstan! When the guy Margy liked asked me out, I declined. I had to sneak out of the house even to see Tony. And he was much more important than David Dunstan.
“Elizabeth Pope, you’re supposed to be in jail for your father’s murder,” s
he crows with a fake smile. “When did they set you free?”
Margy blocks my entrance to the dressing room, making it impossible for me to ignore her. So I look up at the ceiling with a deep sigh, showing my disdain. But she keeps up her assault as she places her grimy paw on my forearm to prevent me from escaping the way I came in.
“If you must know, Margaretta, I was acquitted. I have someone waiting for me, so I’m in a hurry.”
She scoffs as I pull my arm away from her grasp and push past her directly into a dressing room and lock the door.
Everything I chose fits, and as I hang up the last of the items, the salesperson knocks.
“Can you please hand me the items you would like so Mr. Dragonetti can purchase them for you?”
“Sure, here they are.” I unlock the door and pass the clothing to her. “Thank you.”
I pull on my shorts and shirt quickly, and then check my reflection. After I smooth out a few strands of wayward curls, I turn and open the door. Unexpectedly, I’m pushed backward against the wall with my hands pinned at my sides. The surprised expression on my face is reflected back at me from the dressing room mirror. I blink and take in my female captor who has the upper hand at the moment. It’s Margaretta.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? Let me go!”
“You’re not going anywhere, little treasure chest,” she says. “David is right. It wasn’t too difficult to find you. We plan to cash in on your ass.”
She is one of the gamers, or she works with one. I have no choice but to try to escape to get to Tony. She’s slightly taller than me, which is ideal because my forehead is right in line with that cute little nose. I count off in my mind and think back to my self-defense class. Bam. I nail her with a solid hit from my forehead directly into her nose and knock her backward. She falls back with so much force that her head hits the mirror, knocking her out. Blood runs from her nose when I look down at her slumped form. I step over her, quickly exit the dressing rooms, and cautiously check to see if she has a partner waiting for her. No one is around, so I slip out the rear entrance to find Tony in the car, his head leaned back against the headrest. He smiles with his eyes still closed, when I open the passenger door and climb in.
“It took you long enough to get redressed. Where …”
“Hurry up and start the car. I’ll explain as we drive,” I sputter.
He straightens to quickly respond to the urgency in my voice and drives swiftly onto the highway toward his house.
“What the hell happened, Liz? Are you all right?” He reaches out his right hand, pushes my hair back off my face, and then looks back at the road. “It looks like you hit your head.”
I can feel my body as it reacts to the let down from the adrenaline surge. I shake, and my voice is hoarse as I explain.
“There was a girl who tried to kidnap me out of the dressing room. She had me pinned against the wall. It was actually someone I went to high school with. She called me her treasure chest, the bitch! I broke her nose.” I close my eyes and place my palm over my mouth. Tony pulls me into his arms to hold me tightly. His chin rests on my head. I didn’t even realize he had pulled the car over! It feels so good in his arms. Why can’t I have him to lean on all the time? Oh yeah, I don’t deserve him.
Chapter 13
Anthony Dragonetti
The aroma of the gravy and meatballs cooking on the stove is the best in the whole world. It encompasses the words family, good food, and home. I take it in deeply when we walk through the door back at the house. Liz goes directly to the kitchen to give the flank steak to my mother, and I go to my father’s office. My anxiety has me so close to the edge, even a deep breath of my mother’s home cooking won’t calm me down. In my father’s chair, with my face in my hands, my mind races with ideas of how I can better manage Elizabeth’s safety. I’m also worried because my brothers and sister are set to arrive here tomorrow, and now my entire family’s safety is at risk. I decide to put a call into Michael at the office and have him send more bodyguards, and from now on, like it or not, Liz is never left alone.
My mother’s voice calls my full name. It’s time to pound the flank steak and, thanks to Mom, spend more quality time with my Liz. To my surprise, Lizzie waits for me with her apron in hand when I enter the kitchen. She looks up at me with big green eyes that mesmerize.
“Will you help me with this again?” She hands me the apron and turns around. I take full advantage of the opportunity to get close to her. My body rubs up against hers as I reach around to fasten the ties. When I’m finished, she looks back up and smiles. It takes all my willpower not to kiss her, but I know she’s not in the right mindset for it. It would be a mistake to take advantage of her vulnerability because of what happened at the store. She slowly walks away from me toward the stove to stir the large pot of gravy and meatballs. I follow her to look into the pot and sniff the gravy.
“Mmm … it smells so good,” I moan.
Lizzie looks up at me with a look of adoration on her face that I’m shocked to see. She has speckled gravy on her cheekbone from stirring the pot. One of the meatballs must have popped up and splashed her. I use my thumb to gently wipe the sauce off her cheek, then suck it off with my mouth.
“Mmm … it tastes even better on you,” I moan again. I’d like to take my tongue and lick every inch of you from top to bottom, baby.
“Oh, really? I had gravy on my face? Come on, Tony,” she says, rolling her eyes.
“I swear you really did! Maybe a meatball splashed you while you stirred.”
“Well, now that you mention it, some of them did bop around a bit.”
My mom hands me the meat tenderizer mallet, and I beat the hell out of that steak to conquer all my frustrations. When every piece is just how my mother likes it, my job is finished, and I go over to the sink to wash my hands. Liz scoots over so I can fit next to the sink with her as she washes a pot. She giggles as I pour out the soap and bubbles fly through the air. I catch some bubbles and put them on her arm. She hip checks me first, and when I reciprocate, she proceeds to grab the faucet sprayer and soak me.
“I give up! I surrender!” Lizzie’s giggling has turned into a full-on belly laugh.
My shirt is so wet it’s dripping, so I pull it off over my head. Silence. Liz gapes at me like I’ve never seen her do before. Her eyes fill with unadulterated lust, but then she blinks, and says, “You better go dry off and put on another shirt.”
“Yeah, I’ll be right back.”
She swallows and then mutters, “Okay … uh, sorry I, uh … got carried away.”
I leave the kitchen and head upstairs to my room with an underlying excitement. This is the first time in years it feels like Lizzie is attracted to me. Even when I hugged her in the car, she melted into me like never before. Once in my room, I stand in front of my dresser, take a shirt out of the drawer, and catch my reflection in the mirror. All those hours in the gym just paid off when my Liz looks at me like she wants me. I smile at myself, pull the shirt over my head, then run my fingers through my hair to straighten it out. I can’t wait to get back down to the kitchen.
From the doorway, I don’t let on that I’m here so I can observe. My mom has Lizzie cutting the string that ties the rolled meat and keeps it together. She looks so cute as she concentrates to measure each string and tries to make them the perfect length. Mom stands in front of me and looks up into my eyes to bring me out of my blatant admiration for Liz. She puts her hand on my shoulder and says volumes without a word. I bend slightly and kiss her cheek.
“I love you, Ma,” I whisper.
“I love you too, dear.”
When I look back at Liz, I’m shocked to see her gazing at both of us with tears that stream quietly down her face. Then she puts down the scissors and runs out the patio door. My mom and I look at each other, and I follow Liz, but she stops me.
“Anthony, wait! Let me go. She needs a different kind of love and understanding righ
t now.”
“All right, Ma, you’re the expert on feelings and the best at love.”
“Thank you, sweetheart … but you know flattery still won’t get me to say you’re my favorite son in front of the others.” She chortles, closing the door behind her.
Chapter14
Elizabeth Pope
As I wipe the stupid embarrassing tears from my face so I can see where I’m walking, I head toward the lake path. Clouds have begun to move in over the body of water and block the sunshine from earlier today. The imposing branches of the mature trees on this stretch of the path create a cave-like feeling and add to my melancholy. It’s been a while since I’ve been so weak psychologically that my inner volcano, as I refer to it, has come to the surface. It’s a bubbling, oozing, steaming pit of sadness, anger, and frustration that lives inside my gut, coursing under my skin, but is usually kept a secret from the outside world. But recent events have caused pressure to build, and my emotions are uncontrollable today. The tears in my eyes surprised me as much as they did Tony, by the look on his handsome face.
I’ve been adamant about my protection of him. To keep him away from my damaged heart and soul, no matter how painful it is for me. Putting one foot in front of the other, I wipe the tears away again. I can walk this off and pull myself together.
“Yooo-hooo! Lizzie, please wait for me!” Lucia yells from the path behind me.
I wipe my face again quickly and turn around with a forced small smile. When Tony’s mom reaches me, she immediately throws her arms around me in a bear hug. It feels like hope, comfort, and love, so I let myself melt into it to ease away the pressure inside me a little bit. She cares about me enough to take time to find out why I’m upset.
“Sweetheart, we are so sorry if we have said or done anything to upset you,” she sympathizes as she runs her palm over my hair. We begin to walk, her right arm around my shoulders, farther down the path. Not very far down, we come to a clearing with benches that face the lake where we both sit, silent at first.
