Her Consigliere

by Carsen Taite

  She had questions. Tons of them. Details, specifics. Her lawyer mind listed them, point by point. Had Sophia Mancuso known? Had Dominique? Who else knew? Why was he telling her this now? She got that he wanted to let this secret go before he died, but why burden her with this truth when she’d made peace with the lie long ago?

  But he was dying, and to interrogate him now seemed cruel and unnecessary. She’d always loved him like a father. No reason to erase that now that it was official. She bent down and kissed him on the forehead. “I love you. No regrets.”

  She started to straighten back up, but he reached for her arm and held her in place. “You didn’t choose this life. You’ve made it work, but it’s not for you. It wasn’t for your mother either. I don’t know what I could’ve become if I’d chosen to be with her, but I think I would’ve been happy. You have a chance to be happy. I’ve made sure you’ll never want for money. Leave this life.” He gasped, and his last words were a whisper. “Be with the one you love.”

  She stood perfectly still, bent over his chest, waiting for more. Words, sounds, anything to signal he was still with them, even though she knew in her heart he was gone. The machine closest to them rang a flat, steady tone to make it official, and she clutched him in her arms in the kind of over-the-top show of affection they’d both always avoided.

  She had no idea how long she’d been holding him when Royal eased her away. The machines were silent now and two nurses were in the room, almost done gently extracting him from the web of wires and tubes. She stared at his face, as peaceful as she’d ever seen it. He’d lived for years with a burdensome secret, but now he was free, and the burden was hers to carry. She had a father, or rather she’d had a father, and he’d loved her deeply. That would have to be enough for now.

  “Siobhan.”

  She turned into Royal’s arms. “I know. We need to go, but I need to speak to Michael before we leave.”

  With one last look at Carlo, she left the room with Royal. Michael was standing guard still, and she told Royal she’d be right back. She pulled Michael aside and broke the news. He took it quietly, but he’d been with Carlo for years and she knew he had to be taking it almost as hard as she was. There was work to do, though, and she gave him instructions on the funeral arrangements. The preparations had been made a year ago when his diagnosis had first become dire. Normally, a don of his stature would warrant a large service with family and friends at the church and graveside, followed by gatherings well into the night, but he’d left very specific instructions about the disposition of his remains. He was to be cremated and his ashes buried in the family plot. He didn’t forbid a service, but he didn’t want one. She hadn’t understood the reasoning behind his requests when he’d first shared them with her, but his revelations made it more clear. The people who would show up to celebrate his life hadn’t really known him at all, and he’d rather go quietly than with fanfare he didn’t feel he deserved.

  Michael assured her he would set Carlo’s plan in motion, and she returned to Royal’s side.

  “I just heard something buzz. Your phone, maybe?” Royal said, handing over her purse.

  She’d forgotten she’d asked Royal to hang on to it while she spoke with Carlo. She reached into the bag and pulled out the phone. She didn’t recognize the number for the missed call, but she had a text from Muriel. Be on the lookout for an important call. She’d barely finished reading it when the phone rang again. “Hello?”

  “Siobhan, it’s your good friend’s cousin.”

  It had been years, but she instantly recognized the easy cadence of Cain Casey’s voice. She grasped Royal’s hand and ducked into an empty room. She held the phone between them so Royal could hear too. “It’s good to hear from you.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss, lass. He was a good man.”

  She didn’t bother asking how Cain knew Carlo was dead. Cain Casey had a multitude of contacts and knew everything that happened in the south and beyond. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’m going to do without him.”

  “I’m afraid you’re going to have to find out, and quickly. Those documents you sent check out. She’s transferred the bulk of his fortune and business interests into accounts under her name, though some are co-owned by that Russian asshole.”

  Damn. Thank God Carlo wasn’t around to witness the extent of his daughter’s betrayal. “Any suggestions?”

  “The way I see it, you have two choices. You can fight her for control, or you can walk away and start your own empire someplace else. I highly recommend somewhere without an extradition treaty. Either way, I’d stake you in a heartbeat.”

  “Thank you, but I’ve planned well for my future. I don’t think I have it in me to fight right now. Feel free to make a move on anything that’s left.”

  “Understood. If you change your mind, the offer stands. Oh, and your sweetheart, the fed? She’s been burned. If she still has a badge, it won’t be good much longer and her passport will be flagged as well. If you need help in that regard, you let Muriel know and she’ll take care of you.”

  “I appreciate the offer, but I know some people.”

  “I bet you do. You’re going to be just fine, but if you ever need anything, you let us know.”

  Cain was right. In time, she would be fine, but if she was going to run, there were people she’d have to leave behind. “There is one thing. Two loyal employees will need a safe place to land. I hate to ask for more of your generosity, but if there’s anything you can do—”

  “Send Muriel the details and consider it done. Loyalty should always be rewarded. Now, go and be safe. We’ll talk again when you’re ready to make a move.”

  Siobhan thanked her and clicked off the line. She sent a quick text to Muriel with Michael and Neal’s contact info, comforted to know they would be safe from any revenge Dominique might choose to exact. When she was done, she turned to Royal. Despite the news that the people she’d worked with for her entire adult life had just tossed her aside like garbage, Royal was as calm and steady and confident as the first day they’d met, and Siobhan couldn’t think of anyone she’d rather have by her side today or any day. She pulled Royal close and kissed her. Lightly, but with the promise of more to come. “Okay, sweetheart. What do we do now?”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Royal reached for the remote and pressed the button for the blinds. A whisper quiet whirring sounded, and bright sunshine filled the room. Beside her, Siobhan covered her face with a pillow.

  “It burns. It burns.”

  “It does not.” Royal took advantage of the fact Siobhan was holding the pillow with both hands to tickle her ribs which, in turn, started a faux wrestling match. Within moments, Siobhan was straddling her waist. She stretched her naked body over Royal’s and pinned her wrists above her head.

  “What did I tell you about tickling?”

  Royal laughed. “All I know is I’m pretty happy with how this bout ended.”

  She leaned up and took Siobhan’s breast in her mouth, tracing circles around her nipple with her tongue. Siobhan moaned against the touch, and within moments, she was rocking in place, her clit hard and wet against Royal’s skin. Royal placed a hand on either side of Siobhan’s waist and continued licking and teasing and sucking her breasts. Within moments, Siobhan stiffened in her arms and cried out before collapsing at her side. She curled around her, huddled close, and whispered in her ear, “How do you do that? Every. Single. Time.”

  “What?”

  “Have an orgasm within thirty seconds of waking up.”

  A slow smile spread across Siobhan’s face. “Uh, I had a little help.” She turned so they were facing and traced a finger down Royal’s chest. “Let’s see if we can set a new record, but this time it’s your turn.”

  A knock on the door startled them both. Siobhan placed a finger over Royal’s lips. “Housekeeping. If we’re very quiet, maybe they’ll go away.”

  “Are you two awake yet? The boat leaves in thirty minutes. I broug
ht coffee.”

  Royal groaned at the sound of Ryan’s voice. “The reef tour. I totally forgot.”

  Siobhan sat up. “I’d say let’s skip, but he’s been looking forward to it, and we kind of owe him.”

  “Because he hacked into Dominique’s accounts and transferred all the money to us? Trust me, his cut was more than enough to make up for many, many missed reef tours.”

  Siobhan swung her legs over the side of the bed and pulled Royal with her. “Be nice. He’s the only family we have. Besides, he brought coffee.” She tossed a shirt at Royal. “Put this on. I’ll get the door.”

  Royal pulled on the shirt, fished around in the bed until she found a pair of boxers, and then joined Siobhan and Ryan in the kitchen of their bungalow. The ocean view from this room was as spectacular as the bedroom.

  “Here’s your coffee.” Siobhan handed her a mug and pointed out the window. “Are you ever going to get tired of the view?”

  “I don’t think so. I’d sleep with the blinds up if you’d let me.”

  “You two should buy a place here,” Ryan chimed in. “Seriously. You can afford it, and at some point it’s going to get old living in a hotel. Even one as nice as this.”

  Royal looked at Siobhan to gauge her interest. They’d chosen Maldives as their first stop on the run from the feds tour because it fit two major criteria—no extradition treaty with the US and the spectacular beaches she craved—but when it came to settling down together, they hadn’t discussed doing it at all, let alone where they’d end up. She assumed they’d get to that at some point, but up until now she’d been content to enjoy the simplicity of sea, sand, and solitude with Siobhan at her side.

  The rest of the day, Ryan’s words echoed in her head. There was nothing wrong with living in a hotel, but she’d been feeling restless lately. She’d thought it was residual apprehension about Dominique who, according to Cain Casey, had vanished after her funds had disappeared, likely on the run from her business partner, Petrov. But it had been several weeks and she hadn’t surfaced, and Royal doubted she would think to look for them here if she was inclined to look for them at all. After a day of mulling it over, she came to the realization it wasn’t the fact they were living in a hotel that bothered her, it was that she wasn’t entirely sure what the future held, and for the first time in her life, she wanted that kind of clarity. She kept thinking it would come up naturally, but it was easy not to think about the future when they were living their present in paradise.

  Later that evening, she asked Siobhan to join her for a walk on the beach. They walked about a quarter mile before she summoned the courage to broach the subject in a roundabout fashion. “I’ve been thinking about what Ryan said this morning. Would you rather live in a house than a hotel room?”

  Siobhan wrapped her arms around Royal’s waist. “All I want is to be where you are. The rest is only window dressing.” She frowned. “Is everything okay?”

  Royal smiled. “Of course.” She gestured to the ocean. “How could it not be? It’s just…”

  “You want more.”

  “Do you?”

  Siobhan sighed. “Yes, but sometimes I feel like I’m tempting fate. Happily ever afters don’t run in my family.”

  “Yeah, mine either.”

  “But happy for now doesn’t feel like it’s enough.” Siobhan tugged her closer. “Not with you. Not for us.”

  Royal cleared her throat and took the plunge. “Look, I know we have money and security and we’re in this gorgeous paradise, but I want the whole package. I want to go to bed with you every night and wake up with you every morning. I want to make a family of our own, and I promise I’ll be a better parent than mine were, and I swear I’ll love you every day for the rest of my life, and you can stop me now if this isn’t what you want because I’ve been holding this inside since the moment we stepped off that plane, probably longer, and—”

  “Me too.”

  Royal cocked her head. “Sorry, I was on a roll and I’m not sure I heard that.”

  “I want all of those things. With you. Forever you. I love you, Royal Scott. Let’s make a life together.”

  Royal took both Siobhan’s hands in her own. “Yes. A hundred percent. Yes.”

  About the Author

  Carsen Taite’s goal as an author is to spin tales with plot lines as interesting as the cases she encountered in her career as a criminal defense lawyer. She is the award-winning author of over twenty novels of romance and romantic intrigue, including the Luca Bennett Bounty Hunter series, the Lone Star Law series, the Legal Affairs romances, and the upcoming Courting Danger series.

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