by Ana E Ross
Sensing that his presence might be the cause of her inability to face both her fears and her feelings for and about him—feelings he saw in her incredibly beautiful emerald eyes each time she looked at him—he’d suggested that she meditate alone today. He hoped she’d return, ready to confide in him so that they could transition into the next phase of their relationship.
Adam’s lips tingled in anticipation of kissing Tashi for the first time, of experiencing the thrill of their passions blending, of the light of their love curling around each other, becoming one. It would be her first kiss and he planned to make it one she would never forget. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply as he recalled the feel of her small warm hands wrapped around him, the tentative, curious manner in which she stroked him, the look of surprise and wonder on her face at realizing the effect her caresses were having on him.
“Do I need to hop the jet to Granite Falls, Adamo? I can be there tomorrow morning. Your mother and I are about to leave for dinner, but I’m sure she’d rather visit with you.”
Adam came to a sudden halt and back to reality at his father’s threats. “No, Dad. That won’t be necessary. I will return to the office on Monday. By the end of next week, I will make up all the canceled and postponed meetings. Andreas International will be rolling again. There is no need for you to come to Granite Falls. No need at all.”
“It sounds as if you have something to hide, son.”
“I don’t, Dad,” he responded emphatically. The last thing he wanted was his father pressuring Tashi like he’d done with Claire and Denise. His father had pressured him into proposing to Claire. Denise had had the good sense to run before he’d made a fool of himself again. He was certain now that it was his father’s domineering attitude that had scared them both—well that and Claire’s claim that he’d never told her he loved her. He was certain he had, at least once, at some point.
After Denise, even though he knew his relationships were temporary, Adam had kept his women away from his father—except Sadie, whom he’d taken to Positano for Christmas last year. Yep, Sadie who was past the age of childbearing was safe from Alessandro’s pressures. It was the first time Adam had enjoyed the experience of taking a woman home to meet his father.
“Are you sure?” his father asked, breaking into Adam’s thoughts again. “You don’t sound too convincing, or perhaps you’re trying too hard to convince me that you have nothing to hide.”
Damn it. Adam had forgotten how intuitive his father was when it came to his only son. His mother had told him that his father had been in love with him from the moment she’d told him of her pregnancy. When he was younger, Adam had watched videos of his father dancing to music in the middle of the night as he cradled his crying infant son in his arms. Sometimes his mother, awakened by the music, and his crying, would join them in the nursery, and his father would lace one arm around his wife and the other around his son as they danced together into the wee hours of the morning.
All that love and devotion had created a deep bond between them, so deep that as a child, Adam had had difficulty lying to his parents. Sometimes he felt as if they knew his thoughts even before he did. “You’ll just get in my way,” he said to his father. “When you’re here, you question everything I do. You make me anxious. You and I know that I do my best work when I’m left alone. The numbers attest to that fact.”
“Va bene, allora,” his father stated in a somewhat conciliatory tone. “If you’re not back in the office at Hotel Andreas on Monday, I will be in Granite Falls on Tuesday, Adamo.”
“Sì, papà. If that’s all—”
“Un minuto. Your mother wishes to speak with you about something. Ti amo, mio figlio.”
A smile curved Adam’s lips. “Ti amo, troppo, papà.”
As he waited for his mother to come online, Adam gazed out at the distant outlines of the skyscrapers in downtown Granite Falls—Hotel Andreas, Fountain Enterprises and Towers, and Andretti Industries—dwarfing all other buildings. It was a town his ancestors, along with the Andrettis, the LaCrosses, the Forsythes, and more recently, the Fontaines, had shaped into the prosperous little mecca it was today.
As a child Adam had spent many summers in Como, his mother’s native town, and on the Amalfi Coast in the town of Positano from where his great-great-grandfather, Vincenzo Andreas, had boarded a ship for America during the mid-nineteenth century. Although he enjoyed visiting his ancestral homes and learning about his family roots, Adam was always happy to return to Granite Falls, the place where he was born and raised.
Granite Falls was the only place on earth where he wanted his children to call home. He wanted it to be the place that Tashi could call home, too, but his patience and his hopes were waning with each day she kept her past a secret. He’d been in proximity with her for the past two weeks, but now that he had to return to the world beyond Andreas Estates, Adam’s fears that she would slip away while his back was turned mounted by the second.
I have to go. Adam closed his eyes. Tashi had been repeating those words since the first day he met her. He’d promised himself that he’d wait for her to open up to him, but he had to come to terms with the fact that she might never share her secrets with him—whether from fear or shame, he didn’t know—but what he did know was that with each passing day he sensed her growing anxiety as she fought with the decision of whether to stay or leave.
She was stronger now, both physically and emotionally, and logically she would think that she could survive on her own. That scared Adam. Although a part of him was happy she’d recovered and was glowing with self-confidence, the other part wanted her to remain dependent on him.
Since he was returning to work next week, he hoped Tashi would confide in him once she returned from the garden. And if she didn’t, he was prepared to go out and find the answers himself. He had no idea where to begin since she’d been careful not to drop any hints as to where she’d come from, but the Andreas family had its own band of polizia segreta who were as inconspicuous as ghosts. It was time he called upon them.
He hadn’t yet told Tashi that he’d recovered her money and her cell phone. Granite Falls’ Chief of Police, Chief Jordan, had brought them to the mansion in the dead of night just hours after she’d discovered them stolen. Since he had no idea how much money had been stolen, he didn’t know how much had been recovered.
Adam shook his head, still unable to believe the amount of cash Tashi had had in her possession. Where had she gotten that kind of money? Had she stolen it from the people who were looking for her? Was she an accomplice, a member of a nefarious criminal gang? And how in heaven’s name did a young girl with her kind of upbringing get mixed up with villains?
He had no answers, but deep down Adam knew that Tashi would not have voluntarily associated herself with criminals. It was easy for a naïve girl to be tricked by the masterminds of the criminal world. What had been their plans for her?
He should do the right thing and give her back her money and her phone, but knowing she’d bolt the moment she regained financial independence, he’d opted to do the wrong thing. The thought of Tashi on her own, out there in the world with no one to protect her from the vultures who were hunting her, sent icy fear twisting around Adam’s heart.
“Adamo.”
“Adam.”
Adam whipped around as he heard two versions of his name being called simultaneously by two different women.
“Tashi.” Her name spilled out before he could stop it. He hurried over to where she stood at the door in a pair of white shorts and a yellow blouse.
“Adamo, what’s going on?” his mother asked through the phone line.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were busy,” Tashi said.
“It’s just my parents.”
“Adamo, are you entertaining? Is that a woman’s voice I hear? Is there a woman at the house with you?”
Now how should he respond to that question? If he said, “No”, Tashi might think she was not important enough to
be introduced to his parents. And if he said, “Yes”, his mother would insist on hearing more about her. He wasn’t ready to share Tashi with his parents, simply because he didn’t know what to tell them about her.
“Adamo. Is there a woman there with you?” his mother asked again.
“I—I should go,” Tashi whispered, backing up.
“No. You’re not going anywhere.” He caught her hand, and tugging her along with him, he marched her over to his desk and sat her down in one of the chairs in front of it. “Yes, Mom,” he stated, dropping his weight into the chair next to Tashi. “There’s a woman here with me.” He placed his hand over Tashi’s that were clasped tightly together on her lap. “She’s the reason I haven’t been to the office in two weeks.”
“Oh darling, this is so exciting,” his mother screamed, clapping her hands. “Put her on satellite. I want to see her. Alessandro! Alessandro, come quickly. Our son is dating again.”
“Is that true, Adamo?” his father’s voice boomed over the wire. “How serious are you about this woman?”
Yep, get straight to the point.
“Quite serious, I’d say,” his mother remarked, thankfully in Italian, which was customary when they were excited about something. “She’s obviously important enough for him to put aside business for two weeks. Could she be the one Adam? Is she your Anam Cara? The last time we visited, you promised the next woman you presented to us would be the one.”
Yes, he’d said that, but it was only to get his father off his case about Sadie’s incapability to produce an heir, and he hadn’t really presented Tashi to them. It was just a coincidence that she’d walked into his office during their chat.
There are no coincidences in life...
“I’d like to see her. I’d like to see the woman who’ll be bearing my grandchildren,” his father stated, more command than sentiment in his tone.
“Mamma, Papà, per favore, voi stessi contengono. Non voglio che lei spaventata.” As he warned his parents to contain themselves and not to scare Tashi, Adam sent up a silent prayer that she didn’t understand a word of the conversation, which was evident in her next question.
“What are they saying?”
“Mom, Dad, give me a second.” He reached across his desk and pushed a button on the phone. “They’re Italians,” he said in response to Tashi’s question. “They get excited about everything, especially any woman I date. Ever since I was of marriageable age—twenty-one to my father—he’s been harassing me about carrying on the Andreas bloodline.”
“But we’re not dating.”
Aren’t we? “I told them that the next woman I presented to them would be—” He cleared his throat. “Would be the one.”
“The one what?” Her face contorted in confusion.
“The one I’d marry.”
She dropped her gaze and color stole into her cheeks. “But you didn’t present me to them. I just happened to walk in on your conversation. I’m not the one, Adam,” she said, raising her head to stare at him.
You are. “They don’t know that. All they know is that for the past two weeks I’ve neglected my duties as CEO of Andreas International to be with you. For them, that is serious business, and the fact that you’ve been living here with me on the family estate—”
“But I’m only here with you because I was sick the first time, and then because my money was stolen and I had nowhere else to go.”
“Is that what you want me to tell them?” he asked, guardedly.
She broke her gaze and glanced around the office. “No. I guess not.”
“Okay, then we’ll pretend we’re dating, that you’re “the one” just to appease them and hide the truth.” Whatever that was, he thought to himself. “They want to chat via satellite, though. Are you comfortable with that?” He wasn’t, but it was her call.
She seemed thoughtful for a minute, then said, “Yes. I’m okay with it. It would be nice to meet them even though it’s only through satellite.”
She’d clammed up every time he’d questioned her about her background, but today she seemed relaxed about being interrogated by a couple of total strangers. Was he too close for her comfort, or did she receive some enlightenment about her situation while meditating alone? He hoped for the latter. “My father will grill you for information about your background, but feel free not to answer any of his questions. Don’t let him bully you. Okay?”
She squared her shoulders as if she were preparing to do battle and braced herself with a smile. “I’ll be fine.”
Still not convinced that it was a good idea, Adam picked up the remote from his desk and walked Tashi over to the other side of the office. He seated her beside him on the black leather sofa facing a wall, and then pushed a button on the remote.
His parents were already seated, arm in arm, on a red loveseat, big grins on their faces as they looked out from the huge monitor mounted on the wall. Adam looped an arm across Tashi’s shoulders as he felt her shiver beside him. “Mom, Dad, this is Tashi Holland. Tashi, my parents, Alessandro and Arabella Andreas.”
“Hello, Tashi,” his parents said in unison, waiving all formalities.
“Hello,” Tashi responded, smiling into the monitor. “It’s nice meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Andreas.”
“The pleasure is ours, my dear,” his mother said. “And please call us Alessandro and Arabella. Adam, she’s such a lovely delicate creature,” she remarked in the next breath. “How did you meet?”
“Was it a formal introduction by a friend or business associate?” his father asked, his blue eyes assessing Tashi from thousands of miles away.
“We bumped into each other at Mountainview Café a couple weeks ago,” Adam replied.
“Oh, tell us more,” his mother said, pushing her brown hair—sprinkled with slivers of silver—away from her oval-shaped face. “It’s always so exciting to hear how lovers meet.” She leaned into her husband who tightened his arm around her and kissed the top of her head.
“Oh, we’re not—”
“Are you a native of Granite Falls, Tashi?” Tashi’s denial of their being lovers was cut short by his father. “I’ve lived there most of my life and I don’t think I know of any Hollands in the area.”
Adam held his breath, but he could feel Tashi breathing deeply and calmly next to him. She was tapping into the power of control he’d taught her.
“No, Mr. An—” She paused and swallowed. “No, Alessandro. I’m not from here. I’m from Ohio.”
Blood pounded against Adam’s temples. She’d just told his father where she was from within two minutes after meeting them, via satellite, when she’d spent two weeks with Adam in total silence and secrecy.
“Where in Ohio?” His father continued his interrogation.
“I was born in Cleveland. My mother died when I was four. She left me in the care of my uncle. He moved us to Sebring after she died.”
Adam tilted his head and gave her an incredulous glance as she divulged the facts methodically and objectively as if she were talking about someone else.
“I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your mother when you were so young, practically still a baby,” his mother remarked in a sympathetic tone. “But it seems as if your uncle did quite an excellent job raising you. You’re so poised and elegant. He must be very proud of you.”
Adam watched a blush flitter across Tashi’s cheeks as she said, “Thank you, Arabella. I think he was, up until he died two years ago.”
“Tu cara bambina,” his mother murmured, crossing her arms over her heart.
“Where was your father?” Alessandro enquired, pushing forward in his seat. “Why wasn’t he taking care of you? Did he pass away also, or was he just an absentee father?”
“Dad!” Adam said through clenched teeth as he watched Tashi stiffen as if someone had dealt her a sharp blow.
He glared at his father, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Both Claire and Denise had been emotionally damaged from their abusive relationships, but th
at didn’t matter to his father. They were both from affluent families in the community—good stock for breeding Andreas babies—Alessandro’s top priority for marriage. Sometimes Adam wondered if he’d forgotten how he and his mother had met.
“You don’t have to answer,” he whispered in Tashi’s ear.
“Perché lei non dovrebbe rispondere? Lei ha qualcosa da nascondere, Adamo?”
Adam closed his eyes as his father asked if Tashi had something to hide. “I knew this chat was a bad idea. This is the reason I—”
“I don’t know who my father is, Mr. Andreas—” Tashi’s tear-smothered voice cut him off in midsentence. “My mother was never married, and she died before I was old enough to ask. My uncle didn’t know his identity either. He said my mother never told him. I don’t know if he’s dead or alive, or anything. I don’t know. I’m sorry.” Tears brimmed her eyes. Her lips trembled, and her hands, clenched tightly on her lap, were shaking uncontrollably.
“Abbastanza! Mamma, papà, non si sa di Tashi è qui, o nelle Granite Falls. Apprezzerei il vostro silenzio. Per favore.” Adam pressed Tashi closer to his side as he requested that his parents keep her presence in his home, and in Granite Falls to themselves.
The muscles in his father’s jaws tightened. “Terrò silenziosa per ora, ma—
“Grazie. Addio.” He pushed the end button on the remote, then gathered Tashi into his arms, pressing her tear-soaked face into his chest. “Tashi. I’m sorry. They’re very family-oriented. They want to make sure I’m making the right decision, especially after—” He sighed. “I should not have subjected you to their badgering. Perdonami, cara.”
“I killed a man. I shot him in the back of his head two times. I just shot him in cold blood. He had a family—little kids. I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to. He was wearing earphones and listening to his iPod when I shot him. I just shot him and pushed him out of the car.”
