The Sting of Love: USA Today Bestselling Author

by Gray, Khardine

  “There was just some stuff he was worried about in regard to his job.” There that’s a start. “It can be dangerous and he didn’t … want me to get hurt.”

  That’s the essence of his reasoning in a nutshell and since I got a front seat ticket to what his world can be like I should agree that he’s right.

  “What kind of job does he do?” she asks.

  I landed myself in that one, but I kind of had an answer prepped. “He works for someone important. Very rich. He runs his business for him and it can be dangerous.”

  Lurlene stares at me and I almost think she might know what I mean without saying.

  “So… he’s worried his job is dangerous?” She looks me over carefully.

  “Yeah.”

  “There’s a lot of men here like that…” she states and continues to give me that cautious stare. “Willow, I can see that maybe there are some elements to this you don’t really want to tell me, and I’m old enough to know when certain things can’t be spoken about. I think I also know you well enough to know that you’d be more open with me if you could.”

  Thank God for that. “Yeah, it’s a situation like that.”

  “Tell me this… is he a good person? Answer me honestly and truthfully. Because if there’s any doubt in your mind about that then my advice is to leave well enough alone. Sometimes men with dangerous jobs are dangerous and evil. I would be insane to encourage you to be with someone like that. So please push aside your feelings and think about the question. Is Donny a good person?”

  Donny is in the mafia, does that make him bad?

  The whole upheaval happened because he tried to do the right thing. He tried to stop something evil. When he told me about the human trafficking I nearly fainted because I couldn’t believe I was with someone who knew such a thing was going on.

  He went through hell for trying to do something good. Then there was me. The man locked me away to keep me safe, trusting only his father with my location. Donny didn’t just tell me he loved me, he showed me.

  “He’s a good person Lurlene. I’ve seen his heart,” I answer and she looks visibly relieved. “He’s a good person. Something happened and he tried to do the right thing that some people didn’t like. It caused a big stir and highlighted the fact that what he does could be dangerous enough that I could get hurt.”

  The ease of tension in her face shows I’ve explained enough for her to understand.

  She comes over and sits next to me. “Willow. I don’t talk about this much, if at all… but my Eddie did a dangerous job too.”

  Eddie was a close protection security guard so I can just imagine his work would have been dangerous. It was what killed him.

  “I know. I think his was perhaps a little different.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. Sometimes he worked for men that weren’t always classed as law abiding citizens,” she says.

  I narrow my eyes and my interest piques. “What do you mean?”

  “Sometimes he did work for men outside the law. Men who might run certain operations for others. He would always assess to see who he was working for, but that wasn’t always a given. Or, something he could always trust. Many of the people he worked for had enemies.” The second she says that I straighten up. “Some would kill for fun, kill you for the slightest thing if you looked at them the wrong way. We had several situations where my life was put in danger. There were so many before we got married that your grandparents forbid me to marry him. They thought he was bad too, a troublemaker who would eventually get me killed.”

  My eyes go wide. “I didn’t know that.”

  She nods and smiles. “I upset a lot of people when we got married, but I knew he was mine no matter what.”

  “Lurlene, what kind of people did he do work for?”

  She gives me a kind smile. “I think it could be the same sort of people your guy might work for. The kind we can’t really talk about.”

  Her gaze clings to mine and she nods as realization fills me. “Oh… my.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Weren’t you scared something would happen to you?”

  When Lurlene nods her confirmation my heart squeezes. “I was. And sometimes you can sense when something’s not right. That last job of his was something like that. I had a bad feeling about it and I even asked him to skip it. He didn’t listen. It turned out I was right, and he trusted the wrong people, sugar.”

  “I’m so sorry.” I bring my hands up to my cheeks.

  “Thank you. It’s taken me awhile, and two more marriages but I think that maybe I might have found another keeper.” Her face brightens and the sadness leaves her eyes. “Eddie really loved me Willow. I mean truly, and he didn’t want me in danger. You can’t help who you love. I think love like that is rare that you just have to seize it and take it when it comes to you.”

  “That sounds nice. Beautiful. Donny and I haven’t known each other long at all and I feel like a crazy person for even having this conversation with you.”

  She shakes her head at me. “Time is irrelevant. It doesn’t matter. What I’m talking about happens at hello. You know from the first time you see him, before he even speaks to you how you feel. That is what I’m talking about. Time just solidifies it. That’s all it does. Nothing more.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. So, with that said, sometimes you have to follow your heart and not allow obstacles to get in the way. You ask yourself, is this man right for me? You ask yourself how you feel about him and if you could feel that way about anybody else. If you can answer those questions and you know your man is right for you then he’s yours. It doesn’t matter about anything else and you just find a way to deal with the danger, together.”

  Her words grip me, cutting me deep because I know I won’t have what I had with Donny with anybody else. And … as for him being right for me… I thought he was. I felt he was.

  “The problem isn’t me...” I tell her.

  “Sugar, no guy who truly loves you is going to want to put you in danger. That’s what he’s thinking and I get it. I don’t want that for you either, but I think living that way is robbing yourself of true love and allowing fear to rule you. So this part’s on you. The ball is actually in your court to see what happens if you try to fight for what you want.”

  I pull in a deep sigh and think about what I want. I want him.

  “I’ve never felt this way about anyone, Lurlene,” I say. “I’ve never had a man look at me like I was everything and enough for him.”

  “Then that’s something worth fighting for, sugar. I say he’s just scared and the fact that he’d rather be without you and keep you safe than be with you and put you in danger says a lot to me.” She offers me a soft smile and I nod.

  “I would rather be with him. I don’t think I can meet somebody like him and just un-love them.”

  “Then you shouldn’t be sitting here Willow. You shouldn’t be.” She nods with a reassuring smile.

  I smile and think about it. “Okay…” I stand feeling invigorated.

  Glancing at the clock I see it’s nine. I’ll try his place first and then maybe the club.

  “Good luck,” Lurlene says and blows me a kiss. I hug her, grateful for the advice.

  I borrow her car and head to Donny’s. There’s a light on inside so I hope he’s there.

  When I step on to the porch the strong smell of tobacco engulfs me and I turn to see a dark haired Italian man standing by the corner with a cigar in one hand and a gun in the other.

  I freeze when he smiles and points the gun at me. In the amber glow of the porchlights his face lights up at the sight of me.

  His overbite makes him look like a dog and the way that he looks me over tells me he’s not a good person. Not in the least.

  “Well look at this,” he says with a thick accent. “This definitely is my lucky night.”

  “What do you want?” I ask, my voice shaking.

  “You. I’m going to have you and use you to get what
I want.” He chuckles.

  “Who the hell are you?”

  “The name’s Mario.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Donny

  I lean back in my chair against the leather allowing my head to sink into it as Pa walks in the office.

  He looks around and gives his nod of approval. It’s just occurred to me that this is the first he’s been here since I’ve been in Sicily and probably the first he’s been here in a very long time. When last he came, Pablo would have sat in this chair, and he was in charge. Now it’s me.

  His gaze falls on me and he gives another nod of approval and pride fills his eyes.

  I stand to greet him and he gives me a pat on my shoulder.

  “Buonasera, my son. This is perfect. This is definitely what I saw in the cards for you,” he says and smiles wide.

  I chuckle. “I’m glad.”

  “You make me proud boy. I remember when I served Raphael Rossi and I worked hard but never imagined we’d ever climbed so high up the ladder. My father pushed me too the same way I push you to work hard and show your trust and loyalty. My thanks to Claudius for choosing you for this opportunity.”

  “Thank you father.”

  It’s official. I’m in charge now, even with the Mario situation. Alex gave the word and what followed was Claudius’ seal of approval.

  The set up will be like in Chicago and I have to get my own men here. The first thing I did was call my father and ask him to act as my consigliore. My most trusted advisor. Since Lois and Saul have always followed me they’ve agreed to split their time between Chicago and Sicily.

  I’m in charge now. That means I have to continue in my pursuit to sort out the messy situation and establish who else might be screwing with us.

  I’m proud of myself too for what I’ve achieved. This was what I worked for. Recognition of my strengths and abilities. I achieved the goal and I should at least have a glass of wine to celebrate but I can’t. I’m thinking of the girl I want and shouldn’t have.

  “I’m proud of you and happy to serve in any way possible,” Pa says.

  “And you thought you’d start tonight?” I quirk a brow and stare on at him.

  He gives me a wide toothy grin and his gaze falls on the painting Willow did.

  He stares at it for a few seconds and returns his gaze to me. “Beautiful, no?”

  “Si padre. Yes. It’s as beautiful as the creator.”

  “I agree. My visit tonight at this hour is to check on you. I know we spoke on the phone earlier but sometimes I just want to check on my son in person to see how he’s doing, especially when I sense that he’s conflicted.”

  “I’m fine,” I answer, brushing off his concerns.

  “Ah ugh… you are not fine so do not tell me such things.”

  “Okay Pa, what do you think is wrong with me?”

  “You know as well as I do what is wrong. Donatello, how can you love a woman like that and let her go? You just let her go and that’s it?”

  He hasn’t spoken to me about Willow yet so this conversation doesn’t surprise me. What does surprise me is his insistence despite all that’s happened.

  “Pa… you know I did the right thing. You know I did. I screwed up, fucked up big time by getting involved in the middle of trouble and then putting her life in danger.”

  “We’ve had this conversation before son. What I want you to do is really think about what you’re doing. She… she saw the darkness of our world and didn’t run from it. She felt strongly enough for you to look past it. We can’t change who we are, and when we try to change what we are, who we are will always resurface. The only thing you can do is be true to yourself. That means not missing out when opportunities present themselves. Not missing out on a chance at love.”

  “I hear you and I get it. Pa,” I stop myself. I don’t know how he can speak like this after what happened to my mother. “You can tell me all of this after what happened to Ma? You never remarried and it’s been years. It’s been over twenty years. You remained single and never got close to any woman who tried to get close to you.”

  “I won’t dispute that Donny. I don’t. That was my personal choice because your mother was the love of my life. I know I could try to be close to another, but for me it’s always been her, and it always will be.”

  I’m touched to hear that. I’ve always been fascinated with the way my parents loved each other. Always and even now. It’s touching to hear him talk about my mother as the love of his life.

  “I love that you loved her so much, but do you ever blame our way of life for taking her from you?” That’s a question I’ve wanted to ask him for a long time.

  His eyes become glassy. “Every damn day. Not a day goes by when I don’t blame myself for what happened. But we both chose each other. I would have never been with anybody else and she was adamant that she had to be with me. I loved her Donny and she was mine. Guilt will always be in my soul, but I don’t regret loving her and being with her. I never regret the life we had and the beautiful, beautiful memories and children we shared. Loving her was worth all that came to us. That is what I want for you. If you live like this you allow real love to pass you by and you will be alone and unhappy for the rest of your life. I can tell you now that you will never forget Willow.”

  His words burn straight through me and I almost despise them. “How can you say that to me?”

  “Because, I know you. I know you more than you know yourself sometimes. Food for thought.” He says and tips his head. The smile returns to his face. “I won’t keep you. Try to get some rest. Been a long week…. I guess I’ll see tomorrow at some point.”

  “Yeah…see you tomorrow.”

  I watch him go and I think of his words. It’s been three days since I last saw Willow and she still feels like mine.

  What should I do? Pa is right, I won’t forget her. I won’t.

  The phone on the desk rings snapping my attention to it. The damn thing never rings. Not while I’ve been here. The little staff that remain here know to call me on my cellphone. I answer it and tense when I hear a deep chuckle on the other end of the line.

  “Who is this?” I ask.

  “Hello boss. You prick, I do believe you were looking for me,” it’s Mario.

  The hair on the back of my neck stands to attention and I growl. “You motherfucker. Where the hell are you? I want your head.”

  “I’m closer than you think prick. So much closer and you wouldn’t believe what fell into my hands as leverage. There I was thinking I had to break into your house to snoop around, but along came a beautiful kitty. Searching for you she was. Pretty raven haired girl with the big tits. Beautiful and slender like the willow tree. I see why you like her. I might have her all to myself and have a taste.”

  Shock blasts through me and I throw a fist into the desk knocking the stack of paperwork to the ground.

  No… this can’t be happening.

  No.

  He doesn’t have Willow. He can’t. It can’t be true. Not after everything I went through to keep her safe.

  He can’t have her.

  Not Willow.

  When I recall how he grabbed that woman the other week and shot her I know he won’t hesitate to kill Willow. He’ll kill her to get to me.

  “You fucker. Let her go!” I shout.

  “Funny thing is this… I’m not doing shit, or thinking of doing shit until I have what I want. I want the memory stick with the intel. What you downloaded from my computer. I want it.”

  “How the fuck do you know about that?” I don’t see how. Everyone in the room that day were people I could trust.

  “Xiou has a hacker. I know you wiped the files, but before you did that you saved them first on an external drive. I know and I want my private property back.”

  “Afraid I’ll ruin you?” I challenge knowing that has to be his main worry.

  There’s so much I can, and will, do with that list. When the people on the file find out they’
ve been screwed all six ways to Sunday, and it’s Mario’s fault, they’ll skin him alive and make sure he suffers a slow painful death.

  “Don’t test me Donny. Don’t do it. I’ll snap your girlfriend’s pretty little neck and drop her at the bottom of the sea. I’ll do it. I mean it. I’m a man of my word.”

  “I will kill you, you dumb fuck.”

  “Your words are just empty threats. Xiou will be waiting for you at the edge of the cliff in fifteen minutes. Come if you want her to live. Bring the memory stick and come alone, no funny business or she gets it. You understand me?”

  I seethe, gritting my teeth. “I got it.”

  He hangs up ending the call. I pick up a paperweight and lunge it into the wall smashing it.

  Mario and Xiou have Willow. They have her.

  I don’t make deals like this and these types of deals are the kind that could get me killed if Claudius ever found out. It’s a deal with the devil, assuming there is a deal. He never mentioned anything about giving Willow back to me. For all I know…she could be dead already.

  No… fuck. I need to get a grip. I need to get my act together and get a fucking grip.

  I have the memory stick in the safe over in the corner by the standing lamp. With a heavy sigh I march over to and get it. I don’t know how this is going to play out but I can’t allow him to hurt her. I can’t do it.

  I love her.

  That’s the answer to everything.

  I love her.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Donny

  I make haste and rush out to the cliff. It’s a half a mile out from the club.

  There were people all over the beach but people know to steer clear of the cliff when night comes. It’s dangerous enough as it is during the day. There are lamp posts but that’s all. The beauty is the structure and the danger that comes with it.

  By the time I get half way up the path I see a dark figure ahead of me. A tall slender man with long black hair flowing in the wind.