The Inheritance (The Donatelli Series)

by SUE FINEMAN

  She smiled. “We’ll take care of that one tonight.”

  “I can hardly wait,” he said, and the sound of his voice crept into her body and lifted her spirit. “I missed you, Maria.”

  “I missed you, too. We all did.”

  “I didn’t have time to buy presents for the kids this time.”

  “You don’t have to buy them presents every time you go somewhere.”

  “I want them to like me.”

  “They do like you, Blade. Robbie said if we wanted to get married, it was all right with him.”

  Blade chuckled, a deep, husky sound. “Yeah, he told me the same thing, and I got Daisy’s okay this morning, when she licked my ear. Uh… you want to come in here and lick the other one?”

  She’d love to, but not with the kids waiting. “Maybe later. I’ll see you downstairs in the sun room.” She laid his clean clothes on the bed and walked downstairs.

  He surprised her when he called and said he was on his way home. She knew he’d intended to stay longer. Had he accomplished everything sooner than expected, or had his abrupt change of plans meant something had happened? If he hadn’t been so tired last night, she would have asked him then.

  <>

  At breakfast, Jimmy asked Blade if he’d seen any big ships in New York.

  “No, I didn’t have time to look at the ships. We’ll do that in June, okay?”

  Jimmy grinned and Blade peered at his mouth. “Did you lose a tooth?”

  “Yeah. I saved it. See?” He pulled a tooth from his pocket.

  Blade took it and raised his eyebrows. Maria said, “He wanted to show it to you before he put it under his pillow and the tooth fairy took it away.”

  He cocked his head. “What does the tooth fairy do with all those teeth? Does she build a new kid or something?”

  Jimmy giggled. “She uses them to build a castle.”

  Blade shoveled in another bite of buckwheat pancakes. When he swallowed, he asked, “So, what does this tooth fairy pay for teeth? What’s the going rate?”

  “A dollar,” said Jimmy.

  “A whole dollar for one little tooth? This must be some castle she’s building.”

  The kids finished eating and went outside to play. Blade pushed his plate back. “I suppose they still believe in Santa Claus, too.”

  “And the Easter bunny,” said Maria. “I think Andy is getting suspicious, but he’s afraid to say anything because he wants the goodies.”

  He’d missed all that when he was a kid. He got presents for his birthdays and Christmas, but there was never any joy in the holidays, never any pretending or anticipation of a fictitious creature bringing him something because he was a ‘good boy.’ According to Sunny, he’d never been a ‘good boy.’ At her house, holidays were the same as other days. She took whatever drugs she was on at the time, she drank, and to stave off the unhappiness, Blade drank, too.

  He’d been tempted to order a drink on the plane last night, but he’d fought the temptation. He’d gone for years without craving a drink, and Sunny’s appearance in his life changed that. Seeing her brought back a lot of memories he thought he’d purged himself of years ago.

  “Don’t let her do that to you, Blade.” Maria’s soft voice brought him back to the present. “Don’t let her undo all the good in you.”

  He put his hand over hers. “I won’t.”

  “What happened in New York? What haven’t you told me?”

  “I told you Jacobs turned over the estate. I didn’t tell you he killed himself the next day.”

  “Oh, no,” she said on a groan. “Why?”

  “He left me a note that said, ‘I underestimated you. The company is yours.’ I don’t know if he had Sunny killed or not. At this point, I don’t know what’s going on, except it has something to do with the company. Someone wants it in the worst way.”

  “Bad enough to kill for it?”

  “Maybe. I need to make some phone calls this morning. I could be stirring up something sinister, but I can’t stop until I know the truth. I need to know who’s behind Sunny’s death and who pushed Jacobs so hard he couldn’t find a way out.”

  “Anything I can do to help?”

  “Yeah. You can read something for me and tell me what you think.”

  After checking on the kids, Maria walked upstairs with Blade, and he handed her a packet of letters. While he made phone calls, she read the letters. They were all quite similar, all written with the same pen, and all postmarked Paris, France, yet they were supposed to have been written in Africa. Surely mail from Angola didn’t have to go through Paris.

  After she’d read through half the letters, Maria realized Blade had finished his phone call. He motioned to the letters. “What do you think so far?”

  “First, they don’t sound like they were written by a priest. Second, they were all written with the same pen, probably at the same time. And third, what packages?”

  “The ones with the diamonds.” Blade pulled several small sculptures from a valise and handed them to her. They were hand carved from dark wood. Traces of wax on the bottom meant the hollow insides had probably been sealed at one time.

  “Is this how he smuggled the diamonds out of Africa?”

  “Maybe,” Blade said. “If that’s where they came from.”

  “He lied to his parents to get diamonds fenced?”

  He shrugged. “That’s what it looks like, but I don’t know. Maybe the only way he could be sure the stuff would get out of Angola was to have someone take it to France. They had a war going on there at the time.”

  He sat beside her on the bed. “I’m not even sure that mission ever existed. I called the private investigator in New York and asked him to check it out. If there really is a Sister Bernadette, and if she’s still alive, I want to talk with her.”

  Maria put the letters aside. “What if your uncle is still alive?”

  “You mean do I give the company stock to him? No. My grandfather left it to me, not to Michael. Dead or alive, he can’t have it without a court battle, and if he used his parents to fence stolen diamonds, he wouldn’t want to risk someone digging into the past and finding out his dirty little secrets.” He pointed to the letters. “Read the last one.”

  She quickly scanned the letter. Michael thanked his father for helping and said he understood why he couldn’t send any more money. “He was saying goodbye. He had no need for his parents if they wouldn’t send him money, so he said goodbye.”

  Blade stood and paced across the room and back. “I thought when I read the Internet reports that he was a real priest, and when I saw the big cross on the wall above his bed, that reinforced the image.”

  “The man who wrote these letters wasn’t a priest, Blade, and if his parents were Catholic, they would have known that.”

  “My grandfather’s funeral was held in a Presbyterian church,” said Blade. “I didn’t put it together until after I found these letters in the safe, and even then it didn’t come together until I read the letters again on the plane last night. The whole thing was a scam. I don’t know how many diamonds Edward sold, but I suspect it was a bunch. That could be the reason the old man didn’t keep the majority of the stock in the company. He must have sold some to send money to Michael.”

  He sat beside her and took the letters from her hands. “I called his accountant and asked him to check the records back in the seventies. I want to know how much money Edward wired to the bank in France.”

  “Why? What would it prove now?”

  “I think it’s tied in with Jacobs’ suicide and with the attempted takeover of the company. I don’t know how yet, but I think it’s connected in some way.”

  You think he’s still alive?

  I don’t know. “If Michael was in touch with my father, he knew about Sunny, and that means he knew about me. But he didn’t tell my grandparents about me. Nobody told my grandparents about me until just before John died. By that time I’d run away from home.”

  He s
tood and paced while he talked. “If Michael is still alive, he might have been involved in Sunny’s death and indirectly responsible for Jacobs’ suicide. Or someone else could have been working with Jacobs.”

  Maria knew Blade had gone to New York to clear things up, but he’d brought back more questions than answers. “What you’re saying is that it’s not safe to go home.”

  “Not yet, honey. Not yet. And if I don’t get this straightened out by June, I’m not taking you and the kids anywhere.”

  <>

  Sophia packed her things and went to check on Molly, who was talking on the phone to her friend again. They both liked the same boy, and Sophia had tried to explain to both girls that their friendship would outlast any relationship that either of them would have with a boy. But the boy thought it was cool that Molly was staying in Cara’s house, and that caused problems between the two girls.

  It was time to go home, time for Maria and the boys to come home. Blade’s stepmother was dead and her killer sat behind bars. What else could happen? If Blade had other enemies, he could lure them away from Gig Harbor. She didn’t want him around anyway. That man had brought them nothing but trouble.

  Molly ran into the room. “Grandma, can I stay here this weekend?”

  “No, honey. Not this time.”

  “Pleeease? I won’t have to miss any school that way.”

  “You won’t anyway. We’re not leaving until after school tomorrow, and we’ll be back Sunday afternoon.”

  Molly returned to her room scowling. That child was a handful and it could only get worse. She was fourteen going on twenty, and Sophia knew the reason she wanted to stay. The Spring Dance was being held Saturday night, on Cara’s birthday, and Molly wanted to go. If Maria was here, she could handle this, but Maria was in California. Splitting up the family like this was crazy. A fourteen-year-old girl needed guidance and supervision.

  Molly needed her mother.

  <>

  “If it’s not safe to go back home, we’ll stay right here,” said Maria. “I’m so glad you’re back, Blade.”

  His blue eyes smiled before his mouth did. I want you, Maria.

  Tonight, after the kids go to bed.

  All three boys burst into the room and Daisy jumped on the bed. Maria had given up trying to keep her off the furniture. She followed the kids everywhere, slept on their beds, sat on any lap available, and since she was part poodle, she didn’t shed.

  “Are you gonna train Daisy now?” asked Andy.

  “Not right this minute,” Blade replied. “We’ll start later today, okay? I have to make some phone calls and look up some stuff on the Internet. It’s business.”

  The two little boys ran downstairs with Daisy, but Robbie hung back. “Mom, did you tell Blade?”

  She swallowed hard, never suspecting that Robbie would want to share his secret with Blade. It made sense, she supposed, but she didn’t know how he’d take it.

  “Tell me what?” asked Blade.

  “It’s okay, Robbie. You can tell him if you want. It’s your secret, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to tell Andy and Jimmy just yet.”

  “Okay.” Robbie turned to Blade. “I have a different father. He’s a college professor and he’s really smart.”

  Blade stared at Maria. This is what you couldn’t tell me?

  Yes.

  Will you cheat on me, too?

  No, never.

  “Is this professor anyone I know?” Blade asked Robbie.

  The kid shrugged. “I don’t know. He doesn’t know about me. What’s his name, Mom?”

  “Roberto Galterio. He was a professor at the University of Washington. I don’t know if he’s still there or not.”

  Blade motioned with his head. “Why don’t we look him up on the Internet, Robbie?”

  “We don’t have a computer.”

  “I brought mine.” He pulled his laptop out of the desk drawer and opened it. “Give me a minute to log on.”

  Maria stood by while Blade logged on and looked up the name in the phone directories. Blade shook his head. “Sorry, Robbie. There’s no listing for Roberto Galterio.”

  “That’s okay. I don’t know what I’d say to him anyway.”

  Robbie left the room and Blade, still staring at his computer screen said, “This is what you couldn’t talk about before I left?”

  “Yes. If Fred hadn’t gotten those blood tests on the boys, I would have waited to tell Robbie until he was older.”

  Blade turned to face her. “What about me? Would you have told me?”

  I don’t know.

  I don’t like secrets, especially from my wife.

  Do you intend to stay married to me?

  “That’s up to you, Maria.”

  “No, it’s up to you. If you intend to make it permanent, there won’t ever be any secrets and I promise never to cheat on you. Right now, I don’t know what to expect from you.”

  “Do you want me to stay?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, “but I won’t force you to stay.”

  Blade pulled her in for a hug. “You don’t have to force me to do anything, honey. Do you want to tell the kids about us?”

  “Not yet, Blade. Not until this trouble with the company is over and we can go home together.”

  He held her for several minutes, and it felt so good to have his strong arms around her. She wanted to tell him she loved him, because she did, but that would just put more pressure on him. She wanted him to stay, but she loved him enough to let him go if he wanted his freedom.

  She hoped he’d want to stay.

  “Hey, what’s that for?”

  “Sorry.” She’d been holding him tightly. Letting go, she stepped back.

  “I’m not complaining, honey.” He reached up and brushed her hair back. “We’ll have a long talk about the future when this trouble is over. I want this marriage to work as much as you do, but if staying means putting you and the kids in danger, I may have to leave for awhile.”

  Her throat tightened at the thought of losing him.

  Blade changed the subject. “I hear there’s a swimming pool around here somewhere. Why don’t we try it out before lunch?”

  “Why don’t we wait until after the kids go to sleep tonight? It’s secluded, and Catherine said it’s a good spot for a private skinny dip.”

  He laughed. “Maria, I love the way your mind works.”

  His lips touched hers and she loved him so much her heart overflowed.

  Maybe someday he’d love her, too.

  <>

  After the kids had gone to bed, Blade and Maria undressed and put on their robes. They checked the boys one more time to make sure they were asleep and then walked down the back stairs to the gym and outside to the pool. The setting a few steps from the house was surrounded by lush ferns and rocks. A little waterfall flowing over the rocks at one end kept the water circulating. Soft green lights beneath the surface of the water and the gentle spray of the waterfall made it feel like they were alone in their own private pond in the forest.

  Blade had tucked a condom in the pocket of his robe, but he didn’t want to use it. He wanted to throw the damn things away and make a baby, something to bind him and Maria together for the rest of their lives.

  Before they removed their robes, Blade scouted the area to make sure they were alone, and then he dropped his robe on a chair beside the pool and jumped in. “This is great, Maria. C’mon, honey. Your turn.”

  She glanced around and pushed the robe off her shoulders. Standing in the soft glow of green light from the pool, with the rocks and ferns around her, Maria looked like Mother Nature herself. Other than the stretch marks on her tummy and breasts, badges of motherhood, you’d never know that she’d given birth to four children. She looked magnificent.

  “Will you stop that?”

  He laughed. Sometimes he forgot she could hear his thoughts.

  Instead of jumping in, she walked down the steps at the end opposite the waterfall, getting h
er luscious body wet a few inches at a time. He met her at the bottom with a kiss that left him long and full and hard as a rock. She wrapped her fingers around him. “Oh, Blade, is that all for me?” she teased.

  “Nobody else makes me this hard, honey. No one but you.”

  “Can you wait, or do you want to—”

  He silenced her with a kiss, pushed her against the ladder, and shoved inside her. They’d do it slow next time. This time, he couldn’t wait.

  She wrapped her legs around him and they came together in an explosion so powerful it left them both stunned. He held her close, running his hands over her wet, silky body, stroking and claiming every inch of her for himself. He’d never felt this close to another human being, and it wasn’t just their bodies that were joined. Their thoughts and their hearts were intertwined.

  Why would a man cheat on a woman like Maria? Didn’t Fred know what he had? No, probably not. Some men could never be satisfied with one woman.

  And he couldn’t imagine ever wanting to be with anyone else.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Maria and Blade made love again after their swim, and they spent the night snuggling in her bed. Just before dawn, she woke Blade and sent him to his own room. If they’d tell the kids they were married, it wouldn’t be necessary, but she didn’t want anyone else to know until she was sure he intended to stay with her. She’d uprooted her kids in one divorce, and she didn’t want to drag them through another.

  Mom knew only because it was impossible to hide anything from her. And Mom didn’t approve. She didn’t know how the rest of the family would take the news, especially Molly, and she wasn’t ready to find out.

  The staff hustled around that day, preparing for the annual birthday barbecue Cara held mostly for the staff and their families. Most of the Donatelli family came, and a few friends. It gave Nick and Cara a chance to get to know the members of her staff on a personal level, meet their spouses and kids, and have fun. Cara was one of the nicest women Maria had ever met, and she was perfect for Nick. They were so much it love it hurt to look at them sometimes. She’d never had that kind of love with Fred, even in the beginning.

  Blade took charge of the boys that day. They played catch, mostly keep-the-ball-away-from-Daisy, and they laughed a lot. One time Blade missed an easy catch and Andy tackled him. Jimmy and Robbie piled on, Daisy pushed her way into the middle, and they were all screaming with laughter.