by Serena Vale
“She’s my wife!” The words were tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them, but he couldn’t think of any other way to protect Alisa from him. Luca had seen firsthand what Vincenzo did to beautiful women. He used them all up until there was nothing left, and threw them away like they were nothing. He couldn’t’ let that happen to Alisa. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest as she turned to look at him, questions filling her gorgeous amber eyes.
He walked over to her, sliding an arm around her waist, and leaning close as if to kiss her. “Please, cara mia. Just play along.” He whispered the words against her velvet soft cheek, praying that she heard, and that she would heed his words. She had no idea the danger she was in. The danger they were both in. He turned back to Vincenzo with a grimace that he hoped the other man would take for a smile.
“You can see, I am not hiding. I am here with my wife, celebrating the holiday.”
“Wife, huh?” He hadn’t taken his eyes off of Alisa since she had entered the front room. He looked her up and down greasily. “Well, I guess I can’t blame you for hiding her away, eh, Luca?”
As surreptitiously as he could, he pushed Alisa behind him, trying to hide her with his body.
“Luca, what is going on?” She said softly enough that the other man couldn’t hear, and he sighed in relief that she wouldn’t blow their cover now.
“Thanks so much for stopping by, my friend, but I really think you should get going. We are on vacation after all.”
Vincenzo stared at him long and hard before turning his gaze back to Alisa with another smirking smile. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with, my dear? I could show you so many things.”
Alisa shook her head, her amber eyes wide, “No, I’m perfectly happy to stay here with my…husband.” Luca could have kissed her right then and there. She barely stumbled over the word. She even slid her arms around him, squeezing him tight enough that he could feel the trembling in them.
“Well, when you put it so nicely,” He walked towards the front door, throwing it open to reveal an entire convoy waiting outside. “Luca, I’m feeling generous. Maybe it’s the holiday spirit,” he shrugged with smile, and then his gaze turned sharper than a knife. “But I will see you soon. Quite soon. Ciao…my friend.”
With that he walked out of the door, leaving them alone once more. Alisa wasted no time in turning on him.
“What was that all about, Luca? And who the hell was that guy?” She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself, “he gave me the creeps.”
Luca collapsed, sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. What was he supposed to do now? Especially with Alisa involved.
She was immediately there, throwing her arms around him.
“Luca, what is it? That was weird, but…”
“You don’t understand, Alisa. Those men…” he trailed off, his thoughts a swirling mass of desperation. They needed a little more time for his plan to be ready. He thought he would be safe there for at least a little longer. Finally, he looked up at her, his dark eyes bleak. “Those men are not the type of people you lie to.”
It all came tumbling out then, about his history, his business, how the mafia had been nipping at his heels for years, how he had somehow managed to keep them at bay, remain respectable.
He even told her the part he dreaded most. About being tricked by a pretty face, and betrayed, how they had all of his secrets and records and were threatening to use them to ruin him, and his business, if he didn’t agree to do what they said.
He told her about the type of people they really were, and what they would do to him if he failed, and what they might do to her. Because she deserved to know the truth, even though her eyes became wider and wider as he continued.
“Wait a minute, back up for a second,” she paused him, “are you saying if we don’t get married, they’ll what, come after me?”
After a moment, Luca nodded, “They might.” He sighed again. “They will definitely come after me.”
“Oh my god, Luca. They’re monsters.”
“I know, cara mia. That’s why I have tried to avoid them.”
She just sat, staring blankly at him for a long moment.
“Okay.”
“Okay, what, bella?”
“Okay, let’s get married.” She swallowed hard, “If it means saving your life…”
A wave of warmth crashed over him and he couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward and kissing her lush mouth. She was the most amazing woman he had ever met. Hastily, he pulled back.
“It will be a marriage in name only, just until I figure all of this out, and then…” he paused, shrugging, for some reason unwilling to finish the sentence. “It will just be temporary. You can go on living your life in Philadelphia, and I will live mine here and Italy. You won’t even have to talk to me again after you leave.”
For some reason, the thought made him so sad, he had to stop again, staring into her beautiful eyes before he could continue.
“Are you sure, Alisa?”
She stared back at him, and he swore he could just drown in her eyes and die a happy man. Finally, she nodded, once, firmly before reaching out and taking his hand. With a humor that he sensed was forced, she shot him a small smile.
“Let’s go get hitched.”
“What is this ‘hitched’” Luca cocked his head to one side in confusion. She laughed again, and this time it was real. The sound had him smiling back at her despite the situation.
“Married, Luca,” she said softly. “Let’s go get married.”
Chapter 6
Alisa watched the seatbelt light turn off and gratefully undid her seatbelt and eased back in the chair. She stared out of the airplane window, thirty thousand feet in the air and looked down as the mountains faded to hills, and as they flew past small villages and towns and cities she swore she could hear her heart breaking all over again.
Grimy, she played with the sparkling diamond and emerald ring on her third finger. Her wedding ring. She shook her head, knowing she could have taken it off at any time, but it had come to feel…right.
The past two weeks went by faster than she ever could have imagined they would. After Luca had hustled the sleepy priest into the church they had said their vows and been married in less than an hour. It had all seemed like a dream, and in a sense, she supposed it was. She knew the marriage wasn’t real, even if everything else had been. And boy, had there been a lot of everything else, she thought with a wicked smile to herself.
Their affair had been hot and heavy, leaving her breathless and hating to have to leave after her time was done. Luca had begged her to stay, pleaded with her, but she had to go back to Philadelphia. Back to the real world, she thought morosely as they flew through a mass of clouds obscuring the view below. In the end, he had even agreed with her, saying it would be safer with her another continent away while he dealt with untangling the mess he had found himself in. and her too, she thought, looking at the ring again.
For some strange reason, she wasn’t afraid, even though she thought she probably should be, considering they had the Italian mafia after them. Luca had promised to keep her safe, and despite only knowing him a short time, she believed him. She trusted him.
Pulling a book out of her purse she flipped it open but ten minutes later was still staring blankly at the same page. Alisa wished suddenly, fiercely, that she had stayed. She looked out the window again, still not seeing anything. In a strange way, she felt like she had left a piece of herself behind at that villa. Like she was missing something. Incomplete now with Luca by her side. Making her laugh, making her see the small wonders of life that never seemed to see without him.
It hurt. It actually hurt. Alisa rubbed at the spot on her chest, just above her heart. Like a physical ache, she missed him. But it was more than that. Rationally, she knew it had only been two weeks. A drop in the ocean of her life. But still, it felt like it was more. More than just a casual affair while she was on vacation. Nothi
ng about Luca was casual.
She remembered their last conversation, and tears pricked painfully at her eyes at the memory.
Alisa had just finished packing, the last of her clothes and toiletries neatly folded or stored in organized, labeled bags. Luca had laughed at that. He had said it was just like her, to have everything in their perfect place.
“What, I should just throw everything together like you do?” She asked with a raised eyebrow, a small smile playing around the corners of her lips.
“Life is too short to waste time packing and putting things away.” He shrugged in that way that head become so achingly familiar. “It all just comes out again anyways. Besides,” He sidled up to her, pressing his front to her back and moving his hands in that way that always got her body going and mind distracted no matter what she was doing.
He had ended up distracting her even more and she had almost missed her flight. It had been awful, that last goodbye. He had poured his heart out to her, telling her that he cared about her, that he was falling in love with her. She had just shook her head, telling him that it was impossible. But a part of her had exploded with happiness to hear him say that because, as terrified as she was to admit it, especially to herself. She felt the same.
Now it was too late to tell him. He had left her his number and his address in Rome, but how could she call him, what would she even say? That she was afraid she had made the biggest mistake of her life?
Alisa tried to dose for the rest of the flight, but dreams of Luca kept swirling, dreams of him kissing her, touching her, or just holding her like he had, so sweetly, content just to be near one another. Loving her.
When they landed in Philadelphia, she disembarked quickly fighting back tears again, although she wasn’t sure why. She should be happy to get back to work, back to her normal life. But all she felt was miserable.
Four weeks later, she still felt miserable. Luca had invaded her thoughts, her emotions. Everything was haywire without him and she hated it. She hated it because she couldn’t have him in her life. Alisa had even picked up the phone to call him a few times at night when the thoughts of him would circle like buzzards, pecking at her, waiting for her resolve to weaken. Every time, she had put the phone down without dialing. Alisa just couldn’t bring herself to call him, it would just be too painful to hear his voice again.
But she still missed him desperately. She would never in her whole life imagine that spending two weeks with someone could change her that much, but it had. Her friends and coworkers had all noticed it. Even her boss had commented that she seemed more distracted.
Alisa bit her lip as she walked down the drug store aisle, her pulse pounding in her ears. She hadn’t been sleeping well since she got back, too hard to fall asleep without Luca laying down beside her, but the past week or so she had woken up to a feeling of nausea that would come in waves. At first, she had worried she had picked up a bug since she hadn’t been taking care of herself as well as she knew she should. But then it had clicked.
As she neared the shelf full of little pink boxes, a wave of panic hit and quickly she grabbed one, threw it in her basket, and headed to the checkout.
She made it back to her apartment in record time, and with her stomach in her throat walked straight to the bathroom with the bag, not even bothering to take off her coat. A few minutes later, she was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, staring numbly at the little plastic stick and the tine, bright blue symbol that meant only one thing. It was positive. And she was pregnant. Desperation sank into her, her heart dropping. What was she going to do? She was all alone, how could she possibly raise a baby?
But there was another part of her, a secret part of her that sang with joy at the thought of having Luca’s baby. She placed her hands over her stomach even though she knew it would be months yet before she would show.
Later that night, as Alisa lay in bed twisting and turning, tormented by all the thoughts warring in her cluttered mind, a realization occurred to her. Suddenly, she sat up, grabbing her phone from the nightstand beside her bed. She had to tell Luca. Not as a way to get him back into her life, but because he deserved to know. It was the right thing to do.
She dialed the number by heart, and a loud, piercing note echoed from the other line followed by a robotic voice telling her that the line had been disconnected. Disheartened, she put the phone back and laid down pulling the blanket up to her chin as she battled the tears that threatened. In all her twenty-six years, she had never felt so alone.
For two weeks she lived in a haze, going through her normal, day to day routine but never really feeling like she was a part of the moment. Like she was on the outside looking in. It was a normal Tuesday, just like the Tuesday before and the Tuesday before that, except of course, that nothing was normal now.
She finished lunch and was just heading back to her office when Lucy, the sweet secretary that had just started came rushing from the lobby.
“Alisa! There you are,” she paused, out of breath. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“I just got back from my lunch.”
“Well, there is someone here to see you. He is very insistent,” Lucy leaned forward conspiratorially, “and very, very hot.” She whispered the last, fanning her grinning face and Alisa turned, trying to keep hope from blossoming. It could be any number of people.
She walked down the short hallway, grateful that Lucy was staying behind so she could have some privacy. Her heart beat fast in her chest, making her feel like she was running and she looked down to realize that she was.
She rushed through the door and looked around, wishing despite herself. Her heart stopped completely when she saw him. He was standing there, facing away from her but even so, she recognized him. The man from the villa that dark night. Vincenzo.
Alisa turned to flee but realized there were two other men there that she hadn’t noticed before. Her mind scrambled for a way out.
“Uh, hi sir. How can I help you?” She asked as he turned, his eyes lighting up when he saw her, and she knew her bit to play dumb had failed. He had recognized her just as she had him.
“Let’s drop the act now, alright, Mrs. Accorsi?” His voice was just as slimy as she remembered, his hard gaze just as cold. “Tell me where your husband is.”
Alisa shook her head. “I…I don’t know. I swear.”
“And you expect me to believe you? Just tell me where he is, and we won’t have to do anything…unpleasant, capire?”
“I told you I don’t know where he is. What do you want with Luca anyways?”
The older man took three large steps towards her and suddenly she was out of breath as he stood just an inch away from her. Her whole body recoiled from his nearness.
“I don’t think you understand, Mrs. Accorsi…” He grinned evilly as he reached for her, she recoiled, but there was someone behind her, stopping her with something cold and metallic pressed into the small of her back.
“Now, Alisa, if you’ll just…”
“Get your hands off of her.” The words were low and harsh, and a wave of warmth swept over her at the sound of his voice. Vincenzo spun around.
“Ah, Mr. Accorsi. At last–.”
“Mr. Capaldi, place your hands in the air.” The official sounding voice cut off whatever it was that he was about to say. Vincenezo looked around wildly as the men he had thought were his hired thugs turned out to be undercover agents.
“Wait, I don’t understand.”
“You are under arrest, Mr. Capaldi, now, put your hands behind your back.” The officer quickly cuffed him, leading him out the waiting police car as he explained the mafia don’s rights. Alisa overheard the long list of crimes he was being arrested for and a flash of satisfaction crashed through her. He would be locked away for a long time.
She turned then, a familiar, desperately missed presence at her back. She could see his curly dark hair, longer than the last time she’d seen him. Her gaze swept over his broad shoulders, the sleek
line of his shoulders. He was so devastatingly familiar she ached with it, and yet, for the first time in two months she felt whole, like she was finally complete.
It took several tries for her to get the word out. “L…Luca?” Her voice was soft and at first she was afraid he didn’t’ hear her, but then he turned, and her heart started beating again. Her word started turning again. Her life made sense again. All because he was there.
“Alisa!” He barely got the word out before she was throwing herself into his arms, exactly where she needed to be. “Cara, I’m so glad you’re safe. I had no idea he would try something like this. He was supposed to come after me.”
“All part of your big plan?”
He just nodded at her, staring into her eyes as if he couldn’t find the words. She didn’t even notice the wetness on her cheeks.
“I tried to call. The line was disconnected.”
“I’m so sorry, Alisa. I should never have let you go.” He kissed her then, fire flooding through her before he pulled back and looked down at her, his hand smoothing her dark curls. “I realized it too late, cara mia. I love you. You stole my heart.”
“It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know, bella.” He kissed her once more, so sweetly, and so tenderly that she felt tears threaten, this time from happiness. “And yet, it does.” He kissed her again, wiping away the last two months of pain and loneliness, replacing it only with him. Luca. The man she loved, and who loved her.
She took a small step back, nerves once again filling her as she put a hand on her stomach before looking up at him. “Luca…” Alisa paused, hesitating for a moment before continuing. “There’s something I have to tell you…”
Epilogue
The following Christmas
“Alisa! Alisa, where are you, cara mia?” His voice echoed off of the villa’s stone and marble walls as he looked around for his missing wife. Where could she have gone? He had thought she was upstairs in the nursery but he had peeked in only to find their son, the beautiful Matteo, sleeping peacefully in his crib.
