by Hart, Rye
“I guess,” I said.
“I mean, he’s not tossing you in a basement somewhere, right?” she asked.
“No. He’s apparently taking us somewhere tropical for the holidays.”
“So, what you’re telling me is some hot, rich man wants to whisk you off to a tropical island or something for the holidays and you’re bitching about it?”
“Because we’re in trouble?” I asked.
“Semantics. Is he a good father?”
“What?”
“Does he treat Ana well?” she asked.
“He treats her… perfectly,” I said breathlessly.
I saw a grin cross Camillo’s cheeks as he walked in and picked my suitcase off the bed.
“Then go. Stay by his side. Let him protect you and keep you safe. See what happens. Girl, he’s a sexy billionaire who wants to take you away to paradise for a little while. Fucking go, you idiot.”
“Fine, fine. I hear you, okay?”
There was a pause as I walked into Ana’s room, picking up the last few things she would need and stuffing them into her diaper bag.
“I can hear you screaming in your head,” Crystal said.
“I’m nervous,” I said. “Crystal, we’re in trouble. Real trouble. There was a phone call and Camillo was so mad. He shattered his phone and threatened to do all these terrible things.”
“Was he violent toward you?” she asked.
“No, but he was just so… so angry. I’d never seen him that angry. That out of control.”
“Rose, listen to me. If you think for one second he’s gonna get violent with you, don’t go. Call the police. Run as fast as you can. Do you hear me?”
“I don’t believe that. I don’t believe he’ll hurt me or Ana. But his rage, Crystal...”
“Was turned onto someone else. Someone he viewed as a threat to his family. Do you feel safe with him?”
I realized I did. I did feel safe with Camillo. I knew he would never turn his anger on us or take it out on us in any form. I knew he would fight to defend us until his very last breath, just like I’d do for him.
Holy hell, I’d fight until my last breath for him.
“I do,” I said.
“Then go, Rose. Tell Cassie I’ve already purchased her flight to LaGuardia. It leaves in three hours.”
“I’ll let her know,” I said.
“And Rose?”
“Yes?”
“Call me the moment you guys are safe,” she said. “Don’t jeopardize anything. I’ll take care of Cassie. You just take care of your family.”
“I’ll come into the city soon so we can have a legitimate conversation about all this,” I said.
“Oh, trust me. You’ll give me an entire week of your time so we can unpack all this. But for now, enjoy what part of this you can.”
“I will. I promise.”
I hung up the phone with Crystal and looked at it in my hand. I could feel Camillo’s presence outside the door, his body fighting between curiosity and giving me my privacy. I tossed my cellphone into Ana’s bed, leaving it behind as I stepped out into the hallway. Camillo took her diaper bag from my hand.
“I’m glad you feel that way,” he said.
“Feel what way?” I asked.
“That you’re safe with me.”
The intensity behind his eyes was no longer stern, but filled with something else. Something I couldn’t quite identify.
Something that seemed familiar, but still different.
“I do,” I said, nodding.
“Come with me,” he said as he held out his hand. “It’s time to go.”
“Can I at least know where we’re going?” I asked as I took his hand.
“In time,” he said.
I was just going to have to get used to his cryptic ways. Especially if I wanted his protection.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR - CAMILLO
Getting all of us in the truck and to the tarmac took much longer than I would’ve liked. There was still the obstacle of properly storing Ana’s car seat as baggage, as well as trying to figure out a way to sit all of us in the seats of my truck. Cassie had already left the house, heading for the airport so she wouldn’t miss her flight to New York and part of me sighed with relief at the notion.
It was one less person I had to worry about and watch over on the island I was taking us to.
Ana was fussy the entire time we were waiting on my jet. She was wiggling around and trying to get out from my grasp. She wanted to run around and take everything in but I didn’t want to put her down. I bounced her in my arms while the boys sunk themselves into their portable gaming systems. All the while, Rose was mindlessly staring out her window.
We still had to refuel and maintenance had to double check a couple of things before we could head to Italy, which meant we had to wait another two hours before the jet could finally take off safely. Rose made the suggestion of flying out of an airport on a commercial flight so we could get into the air earlier but I discarded her suggestion. If I was going to have them on the run for their holiday season because of my misplaced feelings of safety, then they were at least going to be comfortable while it happened.
But Ana’s crying wouldn’t stop and I could tell it was worrying Rose.
“Let me see her,” she said.
“I’ve got this. You just sit back.”
“Camillo, let me—”
“Daddy,” Ana said.
My ears perked up the moment the word fell from Ana’s lips. Rose whipped her head over with wide eyes and even the boys looked up from their gaming systems to take in what had just happened.
“What was that, princess?” I asked.
“Daddy, look at the clouds.”
Ana was pointing out the window while her small little hands clung to me. Rose’s eyes were filling with tears while the boys had massive smiles on their faces. My heart soared with joy at the word that had just come from my daughter’s beautiful lips. I opened my window shade to show her everything outside while Rose kept her eyes trained on us.
But just as soon as the beautiful moment happened, it faded away as Ana’s sniffling and crying began once again.
“She’s tired,” Rose said.
“Then I’ve got the perfect remedy for that.”
I stood up and made my way to the back of the jet. I opened the door leading into the bedroom. Rose craned her neck back, taking in the sheer size of everything as I lay down on the bed. Ana wiggled underneath the covers and quickly moved toward me, her small body sinking into the crook of my arm while her head rested on my bicep.
Suddenly, I felt a presence at my back. I felt a warm pair of lips press a kiss to my neck before the figure rounded the bed and slid in. Rose’s eyes glistened with tears as she slid in next to our daughter, her arm wrapping around the small girl’s frame while Ana slipped off into her beautiful little slumber.
I lay there, my eyes studying how tired Rose looked, and held them both while they slowly drifted off to sleep.
I watched them, taking in the beauty of it all as their light snores slowly filled the room. Ana turned and gravitated toward her mother while my fingertips ran through Rose’s soft curls. I watched my beautiful songbird wrap her entire body around her daughter, protecting her even in sleep, and pride welled in my chest.
Not only was the mother of my child beautiful, innocent, and sweet; she was also devoted, protective, and fierce.
Suddenly, a sound pulled me from my reverie. There was a loud thump and the boys called out. Then, I heard the rush of footsteps falling quickly in the main part of the airplane. I jumped up and strode out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind me and closing off the bedroom in order to save Rose and Ana in their vulnerable states.
But the moment my eyes landed on Cassie, with her arms around both the boys, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’m sorry, but knowing my family’s in danger, I can’t just go to New York,” she said.
I saw Cassie through a differe
nt set of eyes in that moment and I nodded my head while the boys continued to hug her tightly.
“Very well,” I said. “Does Crystal know?”
“She’ll figure it out.”
“Make yourself comfortable,” I said. “Rose and Ana are sleeping, and we should be taking off any second.”
“Any chance I can know where we’re heading?” she asked.
“In time,” I said.
“You’re a pretty cryptic dude,” she said.
“I try my best.”
“What’ll happen when we land?” she asked as she sat down.
“There’s a helicopter that’ll take us to our final destination,” I said.
“Any chance there’ll be wine at this final destination?”
“As much as you want,” I said, grinning.
I picked up her suitcase and tossed it into the overhead compartment as she buckled herself in. The pilot came aboard and talked to me for a few seconds, letting me know the jet was ready for takeoff. I gave the go ahead and got the boys buckled in before I went into the room to keep an eye on Rose and Ana.
The ascent would jostle them quite a bit and I wanted to make sure they stayed asleep.
Once we reached cruising altitude, the stewardess came in and distributed a menu. Cassie was excited about the prospect of enjoying champagne on this plane ride, but I could tell the boys were confused by the menu. Almost everything was in Italian, so I knelt down and translated everything for them. They crinkled their noses at most of the food descriptions I was giving.
“I’ll have a glass of champagne and the linguini with clam sauce,” Cassie said.
“Wonderful choice. I’ll get it cooking. For you, Mr. Moretti?”
“Just some water and a small helping of carbonara, please,” I said. “Boys, how do you feel about cheese, crackers, grapes, and juice?”
“Is there apple juice?” Kevin asked.
“Yes, there is,” the stewardess said, smiling.
“Then that sounds awesome!” Kevin exclaimed.
“Junior?” I asked.
“Orange juice?” he asked.
“We’ve got that, too,” the stewardess said. “I’ll get to work on everything.”
I sat back in my seat, my eyes looking back toward the bedroom. If we were lucky, Ana would sleep most of the trip. By the time we landed in Italy, it would be around midday, which meant Ana would have to be up for another few hours before she went to bed. Plus, I knew Rose needed the sleep. As long as Ana didn’t budge, she wouldn’t either.
“Can we go snorkeling?” Kevin asked.
“And skydiving?” Junior asked.
“Oh, what about racecar driving?” Kevin asked.
“And horseback riding,” Junior said, smiling.
“Well, I’m not sure about the racecar driving and the skydiving,” I said, chuckling. “But there is a reef not too far off the island’s coast. We can definitely go swimming and snorkeling.”
“An island!” Kevin said. “Cool. I’ve never been on an island.”
“Me neither,” Junior said. “At least, not that I can remember. Wanna play Marco Polo?”
“We can’t play that game underwater,” Kevin said. “We’ll drown.”
“I mean, when we get to the beach,” Junior said.
“Only if Camillo plays,” Kevin said.
“Oh, I’ll definitely play,” I said, smiling.
“Good, because Rose and I are going to suntan while Ana plays in the sand,” Cassie said.
“Good,” I said. “I hope you can help her relax. I get the feeling she’s never taken a vacation.”
“Not since our parents died,” Kevin said.
I could see the shocked look roll over Cassie’s face. My eyes descended onto Kevin’s and I could see the way Junior was studying him. He’d found a kindred spirit. A kid close to his age who understood the pain of losing their family.
“My parents died, too,” Junior said.
Cassie panned her gaze over to me with a quizzical look.
“What happened to your family?” Kevin asked.
I felt my heart racing as Cassie turned her gaze back to the boys.
“I don’t really know. There was just… this guy who came in one night. My dad told me to go hide in the closet and not come out until my uncle came to get me. There was just a lot of screaming. That’s all I remember.”
I felt Cassie’s eyes slowly bore a hole into my temple as I held my breath.
“Mine died in a car accident,” Kevin said. “A drunk driver hit them.”
“I’m sorry,” Junior said.
“Me, too. For your parents.”
The boys scooted a little closer before they lost themselves in their games again. In that moment, I had more respect for the bond growing between the two of them. The hurt they’d experienced was something no child should ever have to know and, as I digested what Kevin had said and what Junior had openly admitted to, I felt my chest swell with anger and sorrow.
And that’s when I felt Cassie’s hand reach over and grasp my arm.
“I’m holding you personally responsible for their protection,” she said.
“They’ll be safe with me. I promise. Now you lay back and enjoy the glass of champagne coming for you. I’ve got the kids.”
The stewardess handed me my water before she handed the champagne to Cassie. I watched her drink it down, her lips never once leaving the glass, her eyes filled with worry. The stewardess took her glass from her to refill it while I sipped on my water, listening for my two girls in the bedroom while my jet soared us through the clouds.
They would be safe with me on the island I was taking them to.
They would be safe from the wrath I was about to rain down upon the Del Vecchio family.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE – ROSE
Ana and I slept the entire flight and when I woke up to Cassie sitting across from Camillo on the jet, I flipped out. I ran and embraced her, holding my cousin tightly while Ana ran into the arms of her father.
“What in the world are you doing here?” I asked.
“Girl, I’m not going to New York without you,” she said. “I can’t handle all of Crystal’s mess on my own, no matter how much tequila I drink.”
The two of us giggled while Camillo began unloading our things from the storage units above our heads.
It was pleasantly warm when we landed, easily in the high eighties. The sun was shining high in the sky, indicative of the fact that wherever we’d landed, it was still midday. I took Ana from Camillo’s arms so he could carry all the suitcases and, soon, he was tossing everyone’s things into a massive helicopter that was waiting for us.
“Wait, can Ana fly in one of these things?” I asked.
“Her car seat straps in the same way,” he said. “Come on.”
We all piled into the helicopter and I got Ana seated before I buckled myself in. The boys were ecstatic, pointing out the windows and making jokes as we slowly rose into the air. Camillo’s personal jet became a small little toy in the palm of Ana’s hand as we rose up into the air and, soon, we were up in the air high enough for me to take in the bulk of the land around us.
The helicopter flew us over the ocean until the city was nothing but a speck on the horizon. I looked over at Camillo and found him staring at me, his hand tickling Ana’s stomach while his eyes scanned my body. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for or what he might’ve been thinking, but I felt my skin prickling underneath his gaze while Cassie kept the boys entertained.
Suddenly, we began making a sharp descent. Ana giggled at the sensation as she put her hands over her ears and the boys were trying to make themselves yawn so their ears would pop. Cassie looked over at me with excited eyes, her happiness no longer containable as the helicopter descended onto an island.
An island that had nothing else on it except for a massive home, a smaller set of quarters off to the side, and what looked to be a fire pit.
It was literally a private Italia
n island.
I gawked even as the descent made me woozy.
His estate was enormous. The grass was green and the birds were chirping in the random clumps of trees that peppered the island. His massive mansion sat on one end of the island with the back porch dumping right out onto the beach. There was a smaller house situated on the western end of the island, about one hundred feet away from the main house. I saw people pouring out of its front door and heading to the house.
The helicopter landed on the southern tip of the island, the massive house covered up by the trees and island foliage as we all poured onto the beach. The boys were practically jumping out of their skin as I clung to Cassie’s hand and Camillo climbed out behind all of us, with Ana giggling in his arms. A couple of Jeeps pulled up, driven by men who were nicely clad in work suits and they both began loading up our stuff onto the vehicles before we all climbed on and headed toward the mansion on the hillside.
We were ushered into the building by a warm and welcoming man who sat us all down at a table. There was already a spread being set out for lunch while wonderful smells poured from the kitchen. The staffers who drove the Jeeps were hauling our luggage into various parts of the house and Camillo guided them with his smooth Italian tongue as decanters of wine and carafes full of water and juice descended onto the table.
“For lunch, we have a choice of fresh salmon or homemade, in-house pasta,” the chef said through his accent.
“Pasta!” the boys exclaimed.
“The salmon sounds fantastic,” Cassie said, smiling.
“I’ll have the salmon, too,” Camillo said. “Rose?”
I was so overwhelmed with all that was going on that I couldn’t even formulate the words for my damn lunch order.
“She’ll partake in the salmon as well, chef,” Camillo said.
We all dined and drank ourselves into oblivion while Ana stuffed her face with pasta. I moaned at how easily the white wine slipped down my throat, providing a smooth aftertaste to the lemon-peppered salmon that had been set in front of me. The vegetables had been steamed perfectly, the french fries had a wonderful crunch to them, and before I knew it, Ana was playing with her pasta instead of eating and the boys were finding it harder and harder to swallow the food they were stuffing down.
