There were enough people around that I wasn’t too nervous being on the streets at night. I was still young enough to think I was invincible, but I kept my guard up, aware of my surroundings. When a car so dark it almost blended into the night slowed beside me, I kept moving at a steady pace. If I sped up, whoever was behind those tinted windows would know I was nervous. I lifted my chin, putting on an air of confidence even though my heart rate had accelerated exponentially.
“It’s cold.”
I’d only heard that voice once, yet it was branded on my memory. “No shit,” I replied without turning toward him, the angel warrior. I kept moving. He laughed, and I nearly tripped, but I held it together despite feeling every note of his laughter all over my body. I’d never heard a laugh like that, and I got the feeling he didn’t let it out all that often. It was deceptively alluring, and it was dangerous. I already felt myself warming toward him when I didn’t want to.
“Get in. You shouldn’t be out here on your own.” Just like I hadn’t asked for that tape to seal the envelope, he wasn’t asking me if I needed a lift. He was commanding me. It both turned me on and pissed me off at the same time.
“I’ll take my chances,” I tossed back, continuing toward the office without looking at him. If I saw that face again, I’d be in trouble, and it was taking a valiant effort to avoid temptation.
“Don’t be foolish just to prove a point.” His accurate assessment sent a shiver through me. The car continued to creep along beside me, all other traffic be damned. I didn’t give in. It was far less dangerous out on the street than it would have been in there with him.
“Go away.”
He laughed again, and I had to keep myself from walking faster. “That’s something I’ve never had a woman say to me before.”
“There’s a first time for everything. Even at your age,” I added, hoping the little dig would insult him. He couldn’t have been older than his early thirties, but I was grasping at straws to get him to leave me alone. I didn’t like people who made me nervous, and this man made me quake like no one ever had.
“Don’t make me get out of this car.”
I hated threats, but coming out of his mouth, the warning was sexy. What will you do if I make you get out? I dared him in my mind.
A group of six people approached, laughing as they strolled. I seized the opportunity to join them when they veered off into a discreet club. I made a beeline through glow-sticks and black lights directly to the back door, where I exited into a dingy alley. Most of the floodlights overhead didn’t work, and I all but ran back to the main street, peering around the corner to make sure that damn black car was gone. The coast was clear, and my walk was brisker than the wind for the remaining few blocks to the building where the Hamer‐ stein and Associates offices were housed.
Once I was inside stretched out on the breakroom sofa, I didn’t sleep a wink. All I could think about were those eyes and that laugh that was still rumbling through me. He wasn’t like the boys at school or even the men who were friends of my father. I couldn’t put my finger on it, struggled to find a single word in the English language to adequately describe him.
Sex wasn’t something I had time for. Johnny Caldwell was a mistake I had no intention of repeating with just anyone. But I knew the man with the seductive laugh would have left me with a different outlook if he’d had me first. He drew out this desire in me I hadn’t known was there, a potent yearning for his hands and that mouth to touch me anywhere they could. I now regretted wasting myself with Johnny in a way I hadn’t before, yet I knew if I let that raven-haired god touch me, there would be no coming back from it. How could there be, when he’d left me breathless after the briefest of encounters? I stared at the ceiling, my eyes adjusted to the dark, every so often checking the time on the green digital display of the microwave clock. My heart wouldn’t settle into a normal rhythm as I worked over why a stranger had had such a profound effect on me. I was smart, but I was at a loss, this sort of thing beyond my realm of knowledge. So I did the only thing I could. I got up, put on a pot of coffee, and focused on something that would actually benefit me…work.
Chapter 4
DANIEL
* * *
Present
* * *
I COULDN’T SAY no to her. It was like a chronic symptom of a problem I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to fix. That was the reason why, instead of Vivian in the back of the car headed to her new apartment, I was. She had demanded a week, one I desperately didn’t want to give her, couldn’t afford to, yet I’d caved.
There was no way I could stay in our home with her. Hell, I’d nearly changed my mind when she’d growled in that stubborn voice to “fuck fond.” I couldn’t have agreed more with that sentiment. It didn’t even scratch the surface of what we had between us.
I scrubbed my forehead a few times. The battle had started. I’d completed my task, yet I felt no better for it. In fact, I was worried. Vivian hadn’t made leaving her easy, but I’d expected to still be arguing, likely until the sun came up.
But she hadn’t cursed me out or screamed at me. Overall, she’d remained relatively calm. I’d come out unscathed, at least from the standpoint of her reaction, and that was a bad sign. It was impossible to guess what her next move would be, but there would be one.
What if there isn’t? I’d told her to move on with her life, in essence given her my blessing and a parting gift. Vivian didn’t realize it, but she’d been wrong when she said I couldn’t cut my heart out. I had, but I hadn’t thrown it away. I’d given it to her.
I hated that it had come to this. That the past and the future had finally collided, no matter how I’d tried to keep them apart. But there was nothing to be done for it. This was to spare her what lay ahead. Letting her go was the best thing for her. So why didn’t it feel that way?
My phone vibrated in the pocket of my pants. A pit formed in my stomach when I saw the caller ID, but I couldn’t ignore the other woman in my life. “Muriella.” My voice sounded strained and raw.
“Did you do it?” she demanded in a tone I couldn’t recall ever hearing from her. Anger. Hurt. All rolled into one statement.
“Yes.” It was all I could say. It was all I would get the chance to. Dead air in my ear, I looked at the screen. She’d hung up on me. In over twenty years, that was a first.
I’d told her that I was breaking things off with Vivian before I’d done it. In hindsight, I wondered if I’d been hoping she’d talk me out of it, show me another way. But when she’d demanded the why for my actions, I’d clammed up, as I was apt to do, refusing to give her the particulars. Because it was going to affect her too. I wasn’t ready to lose both of the people who were my family.
“Fuck!” I yanked on my hair just as the phone vibrated again. “What?”
“You need to get to the docks.”
I practically snapped the phone in half. I didn’t have the time, patience, or inclination to deal with Vinny Salvatore right now. The last place I wanted to go was the docks.
“There better be a good fucking reason and no goddamn problems.”
“Just get here.”
I jabbed the screen to end the call and instructed the driver to a new destination. I made a fist and had a feeling tonight I was going to want to plant it in Vinny’s face. The only reason I had anything to do with the motherfucker was out of obligation to his brother. Some‐ body had to be the one to keep him on a chain. He was a liability. Had the worst judgment of any human being I’d ever met. I didn’t trust him, and neither did his family.
Vinny wasn’t actually stupid, but he thought he was smarter than everyone else. Constantly tried to go over, around, and under his older brother, whose authority he resented tremendously. I tried to stay out of that family squabble, yet somehow I always ended up right in the fucking center of it.
I owed Donato Salvatore my life. He supported me in my business, and had taught me how to use my natural skills and turn them into something profita
ble. He ran interference if I got into trouble, guided me without insinuating I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing. And when he needed me, I was there for him.
Unfortunately, keeping up with his younger brother Vinny was a full-time job.
The buildings lost the shine of Manhattan the closer we got to the East River. I knew who owned much of the property in Hunts Point. The dilapidated state was by design, to warn off anyone who ventured into the territory. The sky was a rich orange as daylight drew to an end. It was dangerous to be here at any time, but I’d lost my fear of the area nearly thirty years ago. I preferred the shadows of the darkness to the light. It was easier to hide in the blackness. This was where I’d become a man. As much as I hated returning, I needed it. To remind me of where I’d been.
The car rolled past an old warehouse on Dupont Street that caused bitterness and pure hatred to rise to the surface. Over the years, I’d come to believe my course had been set the second I came into this world, but in that building, the defining moment of my life had occurred. There, I’d learned exactly how worthless I was, and that I’d do anything to prove I wasn’t.
I spotted Vinny through the window. I cracked my knuckles and rolled my neck like I was about to throw down. That’s what dealing with Vinny felt like every fucking time. I’d always managed to keep my temper in check around him, but this evening, I could guarantee I was ready to beat the shit out of someone, and Vinny was well- deserving.
I slid out of the car, approaching him unnoticed. He jumped when he discovered I was right behind him. “Jesus Christ, Elliott.” His hand immediately went to the concealed gun on his hip.
“You should always be aware of your surroundings,” I said coolly, and his eyes flared.
“You sound like my brother,” he returned with disgust.
“He’s a wise man. Perhaps one day you’ll be smart enough to listen to him.”
Vinny’s fingers flexed around the Beretta, and I fought the urge to laugh in his face. His short temper had taken many a life, but he wouldn’t take mine. Not here. Not like this.
“We have a problem,” he gritted out. Technically he was second in command in his family, but he was well aware his brother trusted me above him. Donato and I weren’t oblivious to Vinny’s feelings. They were valid, but most times secondary.
“When do we not have a problem?” I muttered, walking to the edge of the worn-out docks, avoiding a nail sticking up out of one of the planks.
“The painting is gone,” Vinny said behind me. I immediately halted. “It was supposed to be on that boat.” He pointed to a fishing vessel that looked ready to sink. “It’s not.”
“You put an $80 million Cézanne on a boat?” Fury boiled up.
“We had to hide it.” His gaze shifted back and forth, from the vessel to me. He licked his lips. It was his tell. He’s lying.
“So instead of using one of the planes at your disposal, you put yet another set of hands on the painting? Let's not even mention the elements,” I stated coldly. With Vinny it was better to play along. Eventually he’d lead right where I wanted to go.
“This seemed more discreet. And you’ve used this tactic before,” he justified. We were around the same age, but sometimes he was like a fucking teenager.
“The difference is my goods made it to their destination safely. Here’s what I suggest. Either you find what you’ve lost or come up with the cash.” I walked away and was halfway back to the car before I turned. “By tomorrow.”
“There’s no way!” he shouted.
“You should have considered that before.”
I climbed back into the car and instructed the driver to go two blocks and stop where I could see the docks. Then I dialed.
“Is it delivered?” Donato asked hopefully. He harbored a lot of guilt about his brother, felt responsible for the man he’d become.
“He says it’s gone, but he’s lying. Get someone on his tail immediately.”
“Already done,” he said. This didn’t surprise me. Donato frequently had eyes on his brother because he was a loose cannon, too much of a liability.
“Then you know where he’s stashed the goods?”
“In a warehouse that isn’t ours. I hoped he was being thorough, but he can’t be trusted. I’ll send in a team to extract it now.” There was disappointment in Donato’s voice. He wasn’t naive, but his brother was a difficult spot for him.
“I told him to come up with the painting or the money by tomorrow. What are we going to do about him?” I was tired of Vinny getting preferential treatment because of who he was. But more than that, I was sick of him in general.
“I’ll handle it.”
Fantastic. Something else Vinny would blame me for. More grief I didn’t want or need. But I owed it to Donato to help with this job, though he never made me feel as if I was in his debt. I had my own separate business, but it was entwined with his. I depended on him, and I was afraid one day Vinny would be the thing that ripped us apart.
If he didn’t, what I had to do very soon likely would.
Chapter 5
VIVIAN
* * *
Present
* * *
THE SOUND of a key in the lock made my heart slam in my chest. I’d said he wouldn’t even know I was at the apartment. That wasn’t exactly the truth, but I hadn’t intended on being parked in the foyer either.
I pressed my palms into the hardwood beside me. I wasn’t ready to see him. God, I wanted to see him. It couldn’t have been more than a few hours since I’d left him in his study, but it felt like weeks. I missed him already.
The doorknob turned in slow motion, my eyes riveted to it, breath held. After one look at the petite frame clad in dark jeans and a jade sweater standing in the doorway, I exhaled a lungful of air.
“Vivian,” Muriella said, sweeping into the room, shoving the door shut behind her. She glowered at the luggage, and then her expression morphed into one of pain.
The minute she sank down to join me on the floor, her tiny arms slid around me, and I buried my head against her chest.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered against my hair. “He told you?” I mumbled into her sweater.
“Don’t hate me,” Muriella said, and my head popped up, our eyes meeting. Her mocha ones were tormented, and I tried to reassure her with mine that I could never hate her. Muriella was my best friend, my sister, my family. Just like I was nothing without Daniel, I couldn’t function without her either. “He told me earlier today.”
I gave her a watery smile. “I should have figured that.” Then I gestured toward my stuff.
She vehemently shook her head no, long hickory-colored locks flying. “I told him if he was intent on doing this, he was completely on his own. There is no way I’d ever help him destroy his life. Yours either.”
I let out a long breath and dropped my head to her shoulder. “I made him give me a week to find somewhere else to go.”
“Forget that. You’ll come live with me,” she insisted, steely determination behind her words.
“I can’t. It’s too close to him.” I squeezed my eyes shut, wondering how in the hell I was ever going to make myself leave. It was the only place I’d ever felt at home. “He bought me an apartment. Can you believe that shit?”
“I’m giving you a free pass on your language, just for today,” she admonished, but she didn’t mean a word of it. Bless her, she was trying to maintain a little bit of normalcy for my benefit. She was forever scolding me for my language, which we both knew was never going to change. “He wants to take care of you.”
“Then why is he doing this to us? You don’t buy an apartment and load up the bank account of someone you’re breaking up with. And I swear I didn’t see it coming. But I should have, should have seen some sign. I honestly thought we were good. Better than that,” I finished, sounding as deflated as I felt.
“I don’t know what’s going on. When I asked him, he shut down. But I’m scared, V. This afternoon, his eyes looked
like they used to, before you came to us. There was nothing in them. They were just…cold.” Muriella appeared mystified by the change in the man we both cared for.
We were quiet for a minute, reflecting on how to fix our family and where it all went wrong. Daniel had to have known this would not only affect the two of us as a couple, but Muriella as well. He wasn’t an emotional man, but he felt something fierce for her. I was furious with him for putting our M in the middle of this. It wasn’t fair to make her choose sides or even feel she would have to. I knew he needed her. If push came to shove, I’d give her up. But I was hellbent on keeping us all intact.
Muriella amazed me. Though she was only six years older than me, her wisdom was that of someone far more mature, yet she managed to keep a lightness about her. Her determination not to let the past completely rule her was inspiring. That was one reason she spoke with no accent whatsoever despite her Nicaraguan origins. She wanted to blend in with her surroundings, disassociate from what she’d left behind, and she did.
I pointed my chin toward the mountain of stuff. “So you don’t have any idea where my pajamas could be?”
Muriella snickered. Where I’d found the strength to joke at a time like this, I wasn’t sure. But there wasn’t time to fall apart, even though I felt like all that was keeping me from going over the ledge was my fingernails. The breakdown was imminent, but I couldn’t let that happen until I had exhausted all efforts to get Daniel back.
“I have no idea,” M said, taking my fingers in hers and squeezing. “Then looks like I’ll be wearing something of Daniel’s,” I said, preparing to stand. “Let’s get off this floor. My ass is numb.”
We rose, but Muriella grasped both of my biceps, her expression worried. “Vivian—” she started, but I shook my head.
“Not now, M.” She was here for me. That was what I needed. I wasn’t ready to talk.
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