“Lola, I love Braden.” Finally, their gazes made direct contact. “I’d never do anything to intentionally hurt him.” She gulped hard. “And right now, it’d be wrong of me to condemn you, especially considering the fact that I’m currently in a relationship with Carlo.”
“Why is that?” Lola’s gray orbs turned puzzled. “You’re hopelessly in love with my son, yet you stay with his cruel barbaric father. Is it that you’re afraid to leave him?”
“No. At the moment, there are circumstances that are preventing me from going. But, that won’t be the case much longer.” Her lips pursed in a thoughtful frown. “Things are being put into the works. Just know that you won’t have to worry about Carlo Vitali anymore. I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
Lola’s forehead crinkled in a frown. “How do you propose to do that?”
“I can’t give any specific details to that yet. But, just know that you are safe from him.”
“You’re confusing me.” Lola’s frown worsened. “What you’re saying does not make any sense.”
“At the moment, it won’t.” She grasped Lola’s hand on the tabletop, and then squeezed it. “But, here soon, it will.” Her gaze turned empathetic. “There are other things that I want to say to you, Lola.”
“What’s that?” Lola asked, and her lips trembled behind the veil.
“I’m sorry for all the hell that Carlo has put you through.”
Carefully, Lola disengaged her hand before balling it into a fist on the table. As her gray orbs filled with sudden tears, she looked away from her. “I’m ashamed for being so weak where Carlo’s concerned---,”
“You are not weak,” she said strongly, and tears shot to her own eyes. “Lola, please look at me.” To her relief, she did. Swallowing hard, she blinked back the moisture in her eyes. “Again, you are not weak. As a matter of fact, you’re probably one of the strongest women that I know.”
“How is that possible?” Lola scoffed with widened eyes. “Look at me! I’m a hideous monster hiding behind a veil. For years, I’ve practically been a recluse in these mountains. That doesn’t make me a strong person.”
“Again, I firmly disagree with your assessment. How many women do you really think could survive a situation such as yours? Trauma can lead to many consequences with one of them, unfortunately, being deadly ones such as suicide.” To her chagrin, more tears burned her eyes. “But, despite all that was happening to you and around you, Lola, you kept standing. You raised your son, one that turned into an incredible, kind, and caring man. Only a strong woman can do that. You are a survivor.”
“You really think that?” Lola whispered in a hopeful breath.
“Not only do I think that, but I know that.” She grabbed her hand again, and thankfully Lola didn’t pull away. “You are an incredible woman, Lola Jameson. Never doubt that about yourself.” Then, patting her hand, she let it go. “Now, let’s say we enjoy the rest of our breakfast, why don’t we?”
Finally, Lola offered a real smile. “Sounds good.”
For the next minutes, they ate in silence.
At intermittent points, she felt Lola’s curious gaze on her, and with each passing moment, it seemed that she grew more comfortable with her. Her notions were solidified when Lola shyly caught her attention again.
“Bella, I can call you that, can’t I?” Lola probed, and a blush stained her features behind the veil. “I’ve heard Carmine refer to you as such.”
She smiled gently. “Yes, you can call me Bella.”
“Can we start all over? As I said before, we started out on shaky ground.”
“I’d like that.”
“Well, good,” Lola smiled once more. “So, let’s talk.”
Her smile warmed. “I can’t think of a better way to begin the day.”
Just like that, their relationship began.
***
The afternoon passed quickly enough.
To her surprise and delight, Lola invited her to the garden home.
Carmine had been stunned, as well, at her arrival; but, he’d been extremely pleased by it. While he’d trampled about, she and Lola spent a tremendous amount of time in her greenhouse flower garden. She’d learned that his mother was quite intelligent and studious, having a careful eye for intricate details and such. Not only that, Lola was very talkative and headstrong. More often than not, she’d playfully hushed Carmine when he’d attempted to intervene. Speaking of Carmine…his relationship with Lola was more than cordial, she’d noted. Throughout the day, she’d pretended not to notice their subtle glances and soft touches. Unbeknownst to them, she’d even caught sight of their little smooch. But, she’d played it off as if she’d seen nothing. It was clear that they were in love, but obvious that they hadn’t revealed that truth to Braden yet.
By the time she left, it was close to 5:30 pm.
They’d parted on a good note, too.
After sharing hugs, they’d loaded her goodies into the rumbling Jeep, she recalled, several moments later, while driving. With a smile, she passed a fast glance at the passenger’s seat. The small area was now heavily loaded with several botany catalogs, and various potted plants rested on the floorboard.
Her smile widened.
The fact was there.
She and Lola had really connected.
It was dusk by the time she arrived at the Chalet home.
As the Jeep rolled up the drive, she noticed Cassius’s four-wheeler parked close to house. Wheeling on past, she headed for the garage, but not before seeing a subtle flash to her right. Surprised, she glanced in that direction, only to find nothing amiss. “Maybe, I just imagined it,” she said with a quick frown. “In these woods, there’s no telling what you’ll find.”
Shrugging, she maneuvered the Jeep into the garage.
The heavy garage door closed and shut out the outside world.
***
The hotel room was overwhelmed by the smell of sex, cocaine, and liquor.
If his recollection served correctly, he’d already snorted two perfect rows of white powder, drank a full bottle of brandy, and the sex, well, there was something to be said about that part.
Still, his warped senses weren’t lit enough.
A ring of cigar smoke lassoed in the air.
Scowling, Carlo waved a hand through it before giving a half-satisfied grunt. Then, as his thighs fell open wider, the hot mouth between them suctioned on his penis harder. While her breathless moans billed around him, he fought back a bout of irritation.
Still, her amorous actions weren’t enough!
Why wasn’t he experiencing the usual rise into euphoria?
His dick was as limp as a noodle.
Suddenly, growing exceedingly impatient, he reached sideways before dropping the cigar onto the ashtray. Through a drug-fused haze, he stared down at the fast bobbing head before clamping a firm hand against it. Then, he cruelly snatched a fistful of blonde tresses and tugged at them hard. “Come on, bitch! Deliver the goods as promised. You call this eating head?” he hissed on a violent note. “Bastarda! Do it right or pay the penance…harder…faster…close your mouth on my meat…yes…like that…”
As the woman heeded his blistering order, he squeezed his eyes shut. Real explicit pleasure still eluded him, however. When the cell phone shrilled from the nightstand, he released a fiery expletive.
“Who the fuck is it?” he snapped and snatched it up on the third ring. Then, he barked into the phone. “What!”
“Hey, Pops,” Mauricio muttered with obvious hesitation. “It’s me.”
“Bloody idiot! What’s my rule? I’ll tell you what it is! Don’t interrupt me while I’m being fucked to oblivion and back. In other words, now is not the time---”
“Sir, I apologize for breaking into your pleasantries. But, your orders were to keep an eye on Titan and Ms. Spencer while you were away,” Mauricio hedged cautiously, and then cleared his throat. “I’m afraid that you’re not going to like what I’m abo
ut to tell you. I have some unfortunate news where they’re concerned.”
“Damn it to hell!”
Swearing hard under his breath, he clamped a heavier hand against the woman’s head, so much so that she started flailing and fighting for air. Her muffled screams met his thighs, and against it, he felt her wet spittle. Once satisfied that she’d neared pure suffocation, he relented and let her up.
Whimpering, the woman scampered across the bed away from him.
He released a crazed chuckle. “Little desperate for air, dear?”
Hell, she was nearly blue-faced.
With rising glee, he watched while she coughed on a series of near-strangled breaths. Then, ignoring the phone in his hand, uncaring of Mauricio being on the other end, he addressed the hooker. “Get out of here. You’ll find your money on the table. Piece of advice, take a few courses on head-eating. You suck at it, bitch.”
Wide-eyed, frightened, the nude woman scrambled from him bed and nearly fell to the floor. After grabbing her flimsy dress from the carpet, she pulled it over head quickly before making a speedy departure.
Once the door slammed shut behind her, he spoke again.
“Tell me what’s going on with my dearly beloved, Isabella and my bastard son,” Carlo remarked bitterly, sitting high up in the bed, and pulled the sheet over himself. Reaching over, he retrieved the metal nutcracker and English walnut from the bedside table. His hand tightened along the tool. “Were my suspicions right about them?”
“If that’s what you want to read into the situation---”
“What do you mean, ‘if that’s what I want to read into the situation’, you fool?” he razed violently and glared across the room. Suddenly, red was the only color that he saw. “Either they are fucking or they’re not fucking.”
“Like I told you, they left the compound.” Mauricio cleared his throat uncomfortably. “My sources say that they’ve been staying at Jameson’s Incorporations.”
“Spit it out, will you!” The veins bulged in his neck, and now, it seemed that he was the one in danger of suffocation. A fistful of explosive anger was bottled in his chest and constricted the air flow. “Are they screwing one another?”
“Yes. Sources say there are indications that they are intimate---”
“That little whore-mongering motherfucker.” He gave a caustic laugh. “Titan actually has more balls than I’ve given him credit for. He’s actually banging my woman, my woman, right under my nose. Even worse, he has no shame about it.” His laughter worsened, turning maniacal in nature, and along with it, his burning ire turned into outright rage. After his crazed laughter subsided, he spoke again. “Where are they now?”
“I sent some people out. They went to check on things.” Mauricio hesitated for a brief second. “Just got word back from them; they say that Ms. Spencer and Titan are at his mountain home.”
“So, he’s squired her away to his so-called little hideout, huh?” Carlo smiled mercilessly, and then tensed on the bed. “Did they also catch sight of my little she-monster, Lola? ”
“Yes, her as well.” Mauricio supplied again. “Also, there are some other things that we’ve found out. They’re even worse than---”
Furious, he cut the call off.
Certainly, he wasn’t in the mood for more bad news!
What could possibly be worse than this, anyway?
His son, his son, was banging his woman!
“All of this, pretending that we were getting closer…working by my side…it’s all been nothing but a ruse; and I fell for it!” Tensing, shaking all over, he squeezed the nutcracker with a tremendous amount of force, so much so that the walnut broke into tiny jagged pieces. “You want to play games, Titan?” A cold smile stretched across his face, making him more crazy looking than he already was. “Alright, we’ll play. By now, you should know that you can’t outwit me. I swear on my life, I’m going to make you pay.”
***
“I’ve already scheduled a meeting with my attorney and Richard Barnes.”
Cassius whistled. “Barnes is topnotch.”
“That he is. From my research, it’s clear that he’s highly respected and known for negotiating deals for the most difficult cases. His reputation precedes him, and according my personal lawyer, he’s involved heavily in federal cases.”
“Are you certain about this? Giving information to the feds and actually working with them?” Cassius questioned with a serious look and lounged further back on the sofa. After sipping the steamy coffee from the mug, he carefully placed it on the side table. “What makes you and Bella so sure that this will work in your favor?”
Though he sat casually in the armchair, the unrest simmered in him.
He returned Cassius’s pointed stare across the way.
Hadn’t the very thought bombarded his mind?
Now, the red ribbed turtleneck sweater felt too tight around the neckline. While saying the truth out loud about Velasquez and Smokes was freeing in a sense, it also choked him up. True, he’d never been a saint. But, to actually be that close to such illegal dealings was sickening. Becoming a miniature version of his father was certainly something that he didn’t want.
The very idea of it was what was driving this current choice.
That’s what he had to focus on.
“Admittedly, it’s a gamble. In the end, it’ll be worth it.”
“Long story short, it means that you and Bella live happily ever after.” Cassius raised a high brow. “Is that what this is about?”
“Partly,” he shrugged, crossing a leg at the knee. Then, he sighed heavily. “I don’t know, man. For the first time in my life, I don’t want everything to be about my revenge plot against Vitali. All these years, for as long as I can remember, that’s all I’ve fed on. But, now…” He paused in thought. “Bella has made me see that there’s more to life than that. She makes me incredibly happy. In truth, she’s the only thing that I really want.”
“Finally.” Nodding, Cassius gave a wide smile. “You’ve admitted that you love the woman.” Arching his head, he passed a knowing look. “And considering that it’s taken me all day to actually have contact with you, I’d say that you’ve been a pretty busy boy.”
His grin was arrogant. “You guessed right.”
“Listen, I know that I’ve given you a hard time about Bella.” Cassius reared forward on the sofa. “But, not anymore because if I had any doubts about her before, I don’t now. It’s obvious how much she cares about you. You both have my full blessing, and I wish you all the happiness in the world.”
“Thanks, bro.” His gaze held appreciation. “You know if there’s an opinion that I value, it’s yours. You are my brother in every sense of the word. Knowing that you have my back on this means a lot.”
“What about Vitali?”
He raised a brow. “What about him?”
“Do you really think that he’s going to take this laying down?”
“Of course, he won’t,” he quipped tightly. “This is exactly the type of thing that he feeds on.” His good mood lessened a bit. “Whatever he has coming, I’ll deal with it.”
“No doubt, he’ll be out for blood. When the hour comes, you better be ready. We both know that he doesn’t fight fair.”
“Don’t worry, I can handle him.”
Cassius’s features turned stern. “You know that I’ve got your back, dude.”
“Of course, I do.” His own features were taut. “If he believes that he can take on us two thickheads, he’s more foolish than I thought. But, again, his arrogance knows no bounds.”
“You’re damn straight on that.” Cassius’s lips curled down in disapproval. “It’s high time to prove to him that the world doesn’t bow at his feet.”
“That’s exactly what’s going to happen.” He stared at a point across the distance. “This day has been in the making for a long time. I’ve been living for the moment to strip him down to nothing.” As the naked hatred filled him, his stare met his frie
nd’s again. “No longer will he control our lives. Finally, we’ll be free of him for good.”
“It’s a day that we’ll all relish.”
For a brief moment, they both became lost in thought.
A second later, the silence was shattered.
“Well, I’ve got to run. I have business to take care of, namely with Lucinda Ricci.” As Cassius came to his feet, his expression became unreadable. Yet, still, there was an undercurrent of something. “If there ever were an enigma, it’s her.”
Stiffening, he stood up. “Any luck getting your hands on that flash drive yet?”
“Let’s just say that I have something in the works.” A warm flush crept along Cassius’s features. “With all luck, I’ll have that flash drive sooner rather than later.”
“I owe you, man.” After returning a fast fist bump, he dropped his hand. “Any other time, I would’ve handled this situation on my own.”
“Don’t sweat it. Besides, what other choice do you have? You’ve got the old ball and chain around your neck now,” Cassius teased with a fast chuckle. “That’s the way things go when that happens.”
“Get the hell out of here before I knock the living daylights out of you,” he laughed in turn and pushed him towards the door. “Besides that, I’ve got to get the place ready. I have something special planned for Bella. So you’ve got to bounce.”
“Oh, shit. Look at you throwing your game. You’re a goner for sure, son.” Cassius lassoed a single finger in the air. “Bella has you wrapped around her finger.”
Rise of the Titan Page 56
