by Angie Derek
"I need to speak with Jio. I'll be as quick as I can. Just settle in, unpack, and when I get back I'll show you around the estate so you can get the lay of the land."
Lessa shifted uncomfortably. She wanted to tell him not to leave her, but held back. It wasn't like her to be dependent on another person.
Marc watched her carefully. "Okay?"
"All right," she said with a false smile.
He hesitated a moment before leaving the room. Lessa trailed after him into the sitting room and stared at the shut door. She wasn't sure how long she stood and stared before she started pacing uneasily.
Sighing, she dropped onto the voluptuous couch and sank in about half a foot. Staring up at the ceiling, she wondered if he really intended to stay in the room and for how long. How long did she intend to stay and try to get to know the family who wasn't happy to see her?
Lessa hadn't expected a warm family reunion, but she also hadn't expected outright hostility. She should have. What grieving wife would welcome her deceased husband's bastard child? It had probably been a mistake to come all this way without rationally thinking it through. Running away from a stalker wasn't the best reason to visit long-lost family. Just because she secretly longed for a large family didn't mean they would welcome her into it. They already had their family unit. She didn't understand why her father had wanted her to come.
The envelope stared silently at her from the large coffee table in front of her. She narrowed her eyes and, biting her lip, shifted forward to look at the label a little more closely. A loud and sudden knock at the door made her jump up in surprise.
"Alessandra!" Nina called through the door as she knocked again. "May I come in?"
Lessa hurried over then slowly, hesitantly, opened the door unsure of what to expect. Nina smiled with ease as she juggled an angelic toddler in her arms. The little girl with dark, curly hair smiled as she squirmed in Nina's arms.
"I just wanted to see if you needed help unpacking and settling in." Nina held out her other hand. "I'm Nina, Jio's wife."
She shook her hand in relief, touched at the absence of outright hostility. "Come in." Lessa stepped back so she could. "Please, call me Lessa."
Nina nodded and put down the squirming toddler who immediately began to explore the room. "That's Suzannah. She's our youngest."
"She's adorable," Lessa said truthfully.
"I think so," Nina said, glowing with pride. "Marc got you the good room."
Lessa looked blankly around the sitting room, not exactly sure what Nina meant. The room was beautiful, but everything in the house she'd seen was just as gorgeous and impeccable.
"This room is reserved for only the most important guests," Nina said. "And you are a special guest."
"Thank you." Lessa hoped Nina meant it as a compliment. "Though I doubt anyone else feels that way."
Nina shrugged. "They're always leery of outsiders. You've reassured Jio."
"How?"
"By agreeing to the test. Jio was close to his father and will honor his request to welcome you. He just has a lot going on right now."
"I probably should have waited to come. I hadn't realized . . ."
"You came at the right time. Jiovanni wanted you here." Nina patted Lessa's shoulder gently. "Can I help you unpack?"
"It's nice of you to offer," she said unsure of what to make of it.
"Really, it's no problem," Nina insisted.
"All right." Leading the way into the bedroom, Lessa reminded herself it wasn't like she had anything to hide. If Nina wanted to go through her things . . . and she really shouldn't be thinking such unkind thoughts of someone who appeared to have no ulterior motives.
"I help," Suzannah cried as she ran in behind them. She tugged on the straps to Lessa's duffle bag.
Lessa smothered a laugh, not wanting to hurt Suzannah's feelings as she continued to pull in vain.
"Could you help me lift it onto the bed?" Lessa asked her.
Suzannah stuck her thumb in her mouth as she considered Lessa's request. She nodded slowly, and Lessa lifted one strap while Suzannah tugged on the other one.
Careful not to trip over the toddler, Lessa set the bag on the bed. "Thank you, Suzannah."
Suzannah beamed and ran into the bathroom to explore. The sound of cabinet doors banging open and shut drifted out the open door.
"How long are you staying?" Nina looked at the single bag.
"I packed for about a week."
Normally Lessa would have dumped her duffle bag out on the bed, but faced with such elegant furniture, she was uncertain how the other-half unpacked. She pulled out her small bathroom bag, and Nina whisked it from her hands.
A second knock sounded on the outside door.
"Sounds like Marc and Jio finished up quickly." Nina headed into the bathroom.
Relieved, Lessa hurried to the outside door to let Marc back in. Except it wasn't Marc. Edoardo, her younger half-brother, slouched in the doorway.
"Hey," Edoardo said, "Sis."
"Come in," Lessa said, uncertain of his stance and tone.
Edoardo sauntered in and paused as Nina moved to stand in the connecting doorway. After a moment, he nodded.
"Hey, Nina," he said, his voice warming slightly.
Nina smiled at him in approval, then called, "Suzannah!" When the toddler came running, she scooped her into her arms. "Let's go see what your brother and sister are doing."
Suzannah squealed and clapped her hands. Lessa wanted to object and Nina patted her on the arm in encouragement before hustling out of the room, Suzannah waving gaily over her shoulder.
"I guess that's our cue to have a warm family moment," Edoardo said with a smile.
Lessa shifted uneasily. He wasn't outwardly hostile as Tony had been, but he also wasn't warm and inviting like Nina. She hated being this unsure about how to act. Maybe there was a book she should read on long-lost family reunions that would have all the protocols and rules for this type of thing.
"According to Marc you're as surprised about the news as we are." Edoardo walked over to the window. "You know, I'm really not surprised you're his daughter. It would have been a surprise if he didn't have a brood of illegitimate brats, with all the running around he did."
Her back straightened at the backhanded insult. So, maybe he wasn't outwardly as hostile as Tony, but his sarcasm thinly veiled his disdain. Open hostility was at least honest.
"What is a surprise is him inviting you here, now, and wanting you to remain here." Edoardo turned to face her
"I'm not moving here. He asked me to come for a visit. That's all."
He cocked his head, considering. "You honestly believe that? Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but there is no halfway. You're either a Tazio, with everything it entails, or you're not."
"Everything it entails?"
"There couldn't possibly be a worst time to bring her into the family," Jio Tazio said.
"I know." Marc lounged in the chair across from the desk, moving his gaze from the now blank TV to where Jio sat behind the desk.
They were alone. Ryan had gone into another room with Clarissa to explain the trust to her, and Tony was with Lucia sitting vigil over Jiovanni. He had no idea where Edoardo had slunk off to.
"It's not like it's ever normal here," Jio said in frustration. "I don't have time to deal with this. Between the internal and external challenges, finding his murderer, and my mother."
"I know."
"If you know so much, why the hell did you bring her here?" Jio snapped.
"Your father told me to."
"When do you stop working for him and start working for me? You wouldn't have any other assignments from dear old Dad, would you?"
Holding his tongue, Marc breathed deeply and waited for control. His loyalty hadn't been questioned in over ten years. "Do you want the letter he left me?"
Jio stared him down for a moment then shook his head. "What else is he having you do?"
"Keep an eye on her and o
ut of trouble." He reminded himself Jio was under tremendous pressure.
"I need you focused on getting his killer."
"I agree." He'd rather be out looking for Jiovani's killer right now than sitting in here having Jio question him.
"So, how are you going to manage it?"
"I've put her in the Blue Room. I'll stay in the sitting room to keep out anyone who might think a nasty prank is in order."
Jio sat back and rubbed his eyes. "Shit, I hadn't considered that."
Marc shrugged. Jio should have, he thought, but he held the comment in. "When I'm here, I'll show her around. I'm going to encourage her to stay on the estate. I'll assign one of my men to shadow her when I'm not here."
"I'll get Nina to keep an eye on her and show her the ropes."
"That would probably make her more comfortable. How much do you want her to know?"
"How much does she know?"
"Nothing. I told her Jiovanni was a wealthy man with powerful enemies." The less she knew the better was his way of thinking. "Erin, her mother, tried to warn her, but it appears she lied about who Alessandra's father was, so she didn't listen to her."
"Shit, I wonder if Dad left something for her mother."
"He did. He had me deliver a letter to her. I don't know if she's read it yet."
"He didn't invite her here, too?" Jio asked in horror.
"I don't believe so." He could well imagine the trouble that would cause. Jio might be able to usurp his mother when it came to his half-sister because of the blood tie, but there was absolutely no way he'd win the battle if it was Jiovanni's former mistress coming into the house.
"We can only hope." Jio pushed some papers around. "This is a mess." He drummed his fingers on the desk as he changed gears. "Did Ryan tell you someone broke into his office before you left to pick up my long-lost sister?"
He shook his head. "When? What were they after?" Generally speaking, there wasn't a lot anyone would want in an attorney's office except for information.
"Whoever it was attempted to break into the safe but was unsuccessful. He or she did go through the instructions and letters my father left. Ryan had locked them in his desk. Careless on his part. He wanted to know if I'd become impatient and wanted to get an early look."
"Did you?" He frowned, surprised by the idea. Jio was a little too straight-laced for that.
"No, but it brings up the interesting question of who would have wanted to see the information two days before it was going to be read."
"When was the break-in?"
"Two nights ago. After Father's murder. Ryan went through everything the night before. Then he went back to his office in the morning to get what you needed for your assignment. He found the drawer's lock broken and the papers out of order."
Marc leaned forward, considering who'd have cared enough to bother looking for information which would be pretty obvious to anyone else. "The Feds, or one of the other families?"
"Possibly, or someone on the inside. Edoardo, Clarissa, Tony, or even Mama. Or perhaps a lieutenant who's wondering what his position will be now."
Looked like Jio wasn't going to drop his distrust easily. "I didn't break into Ryan's office." It galled Marc to have to say it, but he kept his resentment out of his voice.
Jio nodded, again tapping his fingers on the desk. Marc wasn't fooled into thinking he suddenly trusted him.
"Tony's going to be a problem," Jio stated.
"He always is."
"I don't have time to deal with his father issues. He disappeared while you were gone. Most likely plotting something. I need to get him out of my way until things calm down."
"He's messing around in the investigation. I'm having Silvio back him up."
Jio pinched the bridge of his nose between a thumb and forefinger. "I need to send him where he can't cause any problems but won't realize he's being sent off. Have you talked to Silvio yet?"
"After I talk to you."
"You need to get this resolved, Marc. The longer my father's killer is loose, the more it weakens the family."
Marc straightened at the stress in Jio's voice. "Who's challenging?"
"Who isn't? All trade has stopped, and several meetings have been requested by the other families."
"That's routine."
"The meetings, yes, the trade, no. They're testing me."
"What type of message do you want to send?"
Jio smiled slightly. "The only one I can. And the only way to do that is to take care of whoever iced my dad. We can't afford a war."
"The other families won't want one, either," Marc reminded him. "The cost isn't worth the prize."
"If they think the opponent is weak enough, they might risk it."
Marc slumped back. He really shouldn't be surprised. Jio was young for a family leader. In another ten years, he probably wouldn't have been faced with as many challenges.
"What do you need from me?" he asked. Jio raised an eyebrow. "Besides that."
"Keep your ear to the ground on internal rumblings. I won't hear if there's something going on until it's too late."
"I already have Silvio on that."
"Good. There has to be something on the streets. You can't kill the head of one of the most powerful families on the West Coast and not have someone know something."
"Why was Jiovanni by himself?" Marc voiced the question which had bothered him since he first learned of Jiovanni's death. As the head of the Tazio family and a target, Jiovanni never went anywhere without his driver and guard. Yet, he'd been alone. No one had seen him leave the estate. Marc had questioned both the driver and the guard before he'd gotten hauled into Ryan's office and assigned the "Lessa Errand." They'd known nothing.
"I ask myself the same question every hour," Jio said.
"What of his guard and driver?" They were good men, or at least had been until this snafu.
Jio shook his head. "I haven't decided. They haven't tried to run. What do you think?"
"Messages have to be sent, but with everything going on, I'd hate to eliminate any men loyal to you. I believe they're loyal."
"If they're telling the truth. Make a list. I need to know who we can trust without question. Until we find out who did this, and why, any of the family could be in danger. We need to know their guards will protect them at all costs."
"Is everyone staying on campus?" Marc asked.
"At least until the burial. After that, regular life will begin to return. Nina and the children aren't to leave without my express permission. They know this. Make sure whoever you okay to guard them knows."
Marc nodded. He'd have done the same to protect his family. "Remind me. What time's the funeral tomorrow?"
"Father Raphael will do the mass at ten in the morning. We'll have the burial directly after. Make sure we have enough guards in the background. Mother wants to have a wake after the burial."
"People haven't been coming for the Vigil?"
"She's only allowed close friends to pay their respects. Our compromise was a wake here at the house. Oh, shit, where the hell are we gonna put Alessandra?"
"I'll stay with her."
"Well, that goes without saying. Mother will have a fit if we have her sit in the front pew with us." Jio hammered his fist on his desk with a thud. "I do not need this. Do you think she'll be upset if we don't have her sit with us?"
Marc stared at Jio's fist, surprised by his concern at hurting his unknown half-sister's feelings. "I don't know. I can explain it to her. It would be better for her to keep a low profile anyway."
Jio sat back up and ran his hand over his face before resuming his normal poker face. "How is she taking all of this?"
"To be honest, I think she's still in a state of shock and trying to process everything."
Jio considered for a moment. "Tell her what you think she needs to know."
"I don't want to be the judge—"
"I trust your judgment. Let her know enough so she understands our rules—so she stays s
afe and doesn't do something stupid without realizing it. She can't know nothin'. That's just as dangerous as her knowing too much."
CHAPTER FOUR
"Bored?"
Lessa nearly fell off the window seat when she spun around at the unexpected voice. She hadn't heard Marc enter her room. He leaned against the doorframe, an eyebrow raised in question. She'd been watching the sky's show of oranges and pinks fade into grey over the vast vineyard surrounding the house while she considered whether she was ready to call her mother.
Marc stepped into the room. "Did you eat?"
Placing her feet on solid ground, she rose with a nod. The tray Virginia brought up about an hour before was still on the small table by the couch. She hadn't really done the meal justice, but she had eaten as much as she could.
He followed her gaze to the tray, a small frown appearing. "Come on, I'll show you the lay of the land."
He gestured for her to go out the door before him. The hallway was quiet, and Lessa wondered briefly if anyone else was staying on the floor. Marc watched her turn in a circle noting the other doors along the hall. The stairwell was smack dab in the middle of the wide corridor.
"So, am I all alone up here?"
"I'm with you." He smiled, his hand brushing her waist to direct her toward the stairs. "My room's next door."
"Oh." She looked at the door as they passed. "I thought . . ."
"I'm sleeping on your sofa," he said, tone reassuring. "My stuff's in the other room."
"Do you live here?" She wondered just how much his life was wrapped around her family.
"No, but emergencies crop up here and there requiring me to be on premises. There might be other guests coming in tonight or tomorrow. I've asked Virginia to put them in the rooms on the other side of the stairs."
They reached the mentioned stairs, and he gestured to the doors down the other side of the hallway.
"Any particular reason?" Lessa tried to keep her uneasiness out of her voice.
