‘Oh, Maximo.’ Clem’s tears were flowing now. Maximo’s own eyes were bright with tears, but he tried to smile. ‘You would have liked her. She was delicate, graceful, like you but she had a wonderful sense of humor.’
He stepped closer to her and tilted her face up to his. ‘I will always love Ophelie, Clementine, but my heart, now, mended and getting stronger, is yours. For all time. Never think I am too lost in my past that I cannot see our future.’
He kissed her softly, quickly but Clem’s heart nearly burst with love for this broken man. ‘For Ophelie,’ she said, ‘I will love you with everything I am.’
They held each other, breathing in the sultry air of Naples. From below the noise of the city rose up but seemed to dissipate quickly and the view over to Vesuvius was breathtaking. Clem smiled. ‘What is it?’
She looked up at him. ‘We met in Seattle, where the skyline too is dominated by a volcano.’
Maximo chuckled quietly. ‘So, we did.’
‘Maximo?’
The voice behind them startled them, and they both turned to see a beautiful woman, slightly older than Maximo staring at him. He gaped at her.
‘Perdita?’
Perdita walked into the room, staring in astonishment at her half-brother, at Clem. ‘Maximo…’
For a moment, they all froze, then Perdita burst into tears and threw herself at Maximo, who gathered her to him in a bear-hug. Clem stood back to let the siblings have their reunion, and Maximo smiled at her over Perdita’s dark head.
After his sister had calmed herself, he introduced her to Clem; the two women shaking hands.
‘I never thought I would see you again,’ Perdita said to her brother in broken English, ‘not after all this time.’
‘Why are you here, Dita?’ Maximo said, confused.
‘I come every week, to lay some flowers for Ophelie. I knew she would like that, and I thought, as you would not come here, I would be your proxy. Maximo…I never agreed with Papa about Ferdinand. I argued and argued, but they would not listen…in the end, I went to the polizia myself, but they were so entrenched with Papa’s influence, they would not listen. Why have you come now?’
‘Because I need to find Ferdinand. This was…a plan. A starting point.’
Perdita looked at her brother sympathetically. ‘Maximo…Ferdinand is in Naples.’
Maximo’s eyes widened, and he shared a glance with Clem. ‘What?’
Perdita sighed. ‘He came back incognito soon after you left. He knew the polizia would not bother him, that Papa was weak. I heard from Marco Politani that Ferdie was a drunk, and one night he got into a bar fight with some other men. Bragged about how he murdered a beautiful woman because he loved her too much.’
Clem cringed, but Maximo was on high alert now. He took his sister by the shoulders. ‘Dita…do you know where he is? Can you take me to him?’
‘Max…’
He interrupted her. ‘Perdita, please, I must see him.’
Perdita looked at Clem, who gave her a nod. I support Maximo, whatever he needs to do.
Perdita sighed. ‘Okay then but, please…prepare yourself.’
She would say no more, and they followed her out to her waiting taxi cab and got in.
Luca did not stay with them in Portland, choosing to go back to Seattle. Dante’s hideaway was on the coast, surrounded by thick pine forest and utterly secluded. The house itself was all white-washed walls and beach chic, and Emory loved it. ‘It’s so different from your mansion…the compound,’ she intoned in a deep voice and laughed. Dante joined him, shrugging wryly.
‘I guess I should stop calling it that, way too militaristic.’
‘That’s what I thought, those exact words. It’s way too grand to be a compound but this…’ She looked around sighing happily, and Dante watched.
‘This is more your style, right?’
She nodded and flopped down onto one of the large squashy white sofas and smiled up at him. ‘It is. Come here to me.’
She curled into him as he sat and he put his arm around her. ‘Now, if the rest of the world could go away…’
‘I know. But we have to face the facts, baby. Ray is dangerous. And as superhuman as you are, another attack…next time you may not be lucky. I won’t let that happen.’
Emory nodded, her head on his chest. ‘Luca’s going to the police now.’
‘And we are staying here until Ray is found.’ Dante nodded out of the window, ‘There’s an army out there. He won’t get near you.’
Emory said nothing. She was more worried about Ray getting to those she loved, but both Dante and Luca both told her they had made arrangements for protection for anyone Ray might come after. ‘We will get him,’ promised Luca before he left.
Luca…god. He was the sweetest man, and she felt wretched that he was hurting but she could not help her feelings. The man beside her…he was her world, and she would rather be dead than be without him. She hoped Luca would one day find that love.’
‘So,’ Jesse took her hand and put it between his. ‘Now you’re looking more like you and less like, y’know, Slowpoke Rodriguez,…oh come on.’ He added when she looked confused at the name. ‘Slowpoke Rodriguez? Speedy Gonzalez’s cousin?’
Bree looked blank. The ease with which they’d slipped back into their easy fun relationship was palpable. They often touched, hands brushing the others, fingers tangling now and then. Jesse would sweep the hair away from the back of her neck, brush his lips against her cheek lightly. A smile, a glance. Bree had felt warmth slowly seep back into her bones along with a strange new sensation. Happiness. She was shocked by how alien that emotion felt. They were sitting now at one of the little tables, the coffee house empty. Bree and Jesse spent so much time in here now that they often helped out behind the counter for Doogie, the genial owner who had a newborn at home.
Jesse sighed, grinning. ‘Okay, I’ll rephrase. Now you look like you had some sleep this century, maybe we should talk about what happens next?’
‘Next?’
Jesse got scarlet, and Bree suddenly caught on. ‘Dear God, Jesse Kline, please tell me you’re not proposing.’
‘Hell no,’ and then he realized he’d been too fervent when she dissolved into giggles, ‘Sorry, what I mean is, should we should think about…’
‘Hey, it’s my dad,’ Bree interrupted him, going to unlock the door. Jesse stood as Luca came into the room. Bree hugged him then studied her dad. ‘What is it?’
Luca sighed, exhausted from the drive from Portland. ‘Sit down, kids. I’m afraid I have bad news.’
Maximo followed his sister into the small cell of the Sacred Heart Sanctuary. Around them the bleep of machinery, the huff of breathing apparatus. Ferdinand Neri stared sightlessly out of the window, his head turned towards it, the breathing tube down his throat a permanent fixture.
Maximo stared at the man who used to be his brother.
‘Papa would not let him go peacefully,’ Perdita said in a calm voice. ‘He said he would have to pay his penance. In the end, Maximo, Papa wanted to make amends.’
Clem took Maximo’s hand. ‘What happened, Perdita?’
Perdita looked at Ferdinand. ‘He tried to kill himself. Said he could not live with what he had done. He threw himself from the roof of Certosa di San Martino but, as you see, he did not die. There is minimal brain function, he will never come out of it.’
‘Is he suffering?’ Clem had to ask because Maximo stood in stony silence.
Perdita shrugged. ‘Who can tell?’ She looked at Maximo. ‘So, you see, Maximo? He did pay his penance.’
Maximo didn’t look at either of them. He leaned over his half-brother’s prone body. ‘I would tell you to burn in hell, brother, but I see you are already there.’ He stood and nodded at Perdita. ‘Now Papa is gone…why are you still keeping him like this?’
Perdita smiled a little. ‘Because of this day. I hoped it would come, that I could give this to you.’
Maximo’s ten
se body relaxed a little. ‘Thank you, Perdita. You can let him go now.’
‘Really?’ Perdita asked the question, but Clem looked at him, the same query in his eyes. Maximo smiled down at them.
‘Really. It is done. It is over.’
That night, on the roof terrace of their hotel, Maximo Neri asked Clementine Saffran to be his wife and she answered with a simple ‘yes.'
They were married two days later.
Weeks passed. In Portland, Flynt, Zea and Teresa’s restaurant opened to great reviews and full bookings. Zea was training Teresa to be a chef, to be head chef when Zea was on maternity leave, and Teresa, excited about the challenge was proving to be a Grade A student. So, when Zea fell sick two months into her pregnancy, Teresa told Flynt not to worry, that she could cope. Zea thanked her friend. ‘Terry, I do not know how I existed before you.’
Teresa chuckled. ‘Smooth talker.’
‘Listen…is Mike coming to pick you up later?’
Teresa hesitated. ‘Mike’s on duty tonight so…’
Zea was alarmed. ‘Then take a cab…no, better still, Flynt will come and drive you home.’
‘There’s really no need,’ Teresa assured her butt Zea would not take no for an answer.
‘We don’t know where Jared is what he could do. It’ll be after midnight - Flynt’s coming.’
Flynt agreed, but he too was reticent. ‘I don’t like leaving you alone.’
‘It’s an hour, baby. The doors have deadbolts; the security in this place is state of the art. I’ll be fine.’
Now she was alone and lay in bed, unable to sleep, hearing every creak and groan of the apartment. She was antsy, and she didn’t know why. Something felt off; she felt…what was the word…watched. Observed. She drew the drapes, but still, there was a sense of a presence. The neighbors in the apartment block kept themselves to themselves, which she appreciated, but tonight she regretted not getting to know them. To have someone to call on, or to talk to, apart from the security guard in the foyer.
It’s pregnancy hormones, is all, she thought to herself, getting up and padding into the kitchen for something to eat. She caught sight of herself in the huge antique mirror in the hallway, and stood, stretching her nightgown over her bump, seeing how she was doing. She still didn’t look pregnant to most people but she herself could feel herself changing. ‘Fatty,’ she chuckled to herself now as she headed for the kitchen.
The hand that was clamped over her face made her start, then panic. Knowing instantly what was happening, she kicked and fought her way free of her attacker then scrambled away, her feet skidding on the cool tile floor. He was on her again almost immediately, his hands around her throat, squeezing, squeezing, until she saw black spots at the corner of her vision. No-one can help me, no-one can hear, she thought desperately…then her feel flailing, she kicked the mirror. God…anything…she managed to hook her foot around the bottom of it and pull with her remaining strength. The mirror toppled then smashed over both of them. Her attacker – Jared, it’s Jared, of course, it is – groaned and rolled away from her and then there was hammering on the door. ‘Mrs. Newlan! Mrs. Newlan!’
‘Help me…’ but her voice was scratchy, her throat raw.
Jared dived for her again, but she rolled away, grabbed a shard of the mirror in her hand and as he came back at her, she swiped at him.
The door was kicked in and shouting…Zea was fading fast, dizzy and in shock. She saw Jared’s figure dive for the window – how the hell did he get up there? – and disappear through it before she collapsed.
Kevin, the bodyguard, bent over the barely conscious woman. Suddenly she was confused. ‘The mirror fell…’ Her voice was so low he had to bend closer to hear her. ‘I…fell.’
The bodyguard was silent. He didn’t believe her story for a second. Firstly, because, she flushed pink and wouldn’t look him in the eye but mostly, because of the set of bruises on her neck – bruises, shaped and defined, bruises that were incontrovertibly made by another’s hands. He frowned, confused. She looked up at him finally, and he couldn’t miss the devastation in her eyes.
‘Mrs. Newlan, I…’
‘Please…don’t.’ She whispered. He sighed and hugged her close.
‘Okay, okay,’ he said softly. ‘Let’s get you to the emergency room.’
Slowly, he reached for her again, and this time, she let him pick her up. He carried her gently to the living room and laid her gently down on the couch. He kept an arm around her, as if afraid if he let her go she would crumple like a house of cards. He smoothed her hair away from her bloodied cheeks.
‘No, no,’ she protested and tried to pull away. She stood up, too fast. The movement made the blood rush from her head, and she passed out. Kevin caught her, fear and worry etching lines on his face. Her head wound was bleeding again. He lay her back on the couch and punched 911.
After putting in the emergency call, into the kitchen to find something and stopped. Blood, signs of a struggle. Anger welled up in him. He reached for his cell phone again, punched the numbers in. Flynt answered straight away.
‘I really think you need to… Mrs. Newlan…’ He paused, remembering her face when she had lied to him. He took a deep, and shaky, breath. ‘Zea’s had an accident. I’m taking her to the E.R.
‘Flynt…she’s pretty bad. Come as soon as you can.’
After spending the evening with a distraught Flynt at the hospital, Teresa was shattered. Not again, she thought. Not more violence. Teresa lay down on the couch and closed her eyes. Sleep evaded her, the pain in her chest overwhelming. Teresa rarely cried, rarely let her guard down but tonight, she let the tears come, sobbing quietly into the pillow until she was exhausted. She got up and, walking into her little galley kitchen, splashed water on her face. She glanced out of the window, over to the police station. She knew Mike was working tonight. Teresa grabbed her phone and tapped out a text. Seconds later her phone beeped. ‘Come on over.’ She smiled, pulled a sweater over her pajamas and scooted down the stairs. As she pushed open the door of the police station, she could feel the tears start again.
Inside, Mike took one look at her face and held out his arms.
Kizzie felt drained. Ever since the idea of the concert had come up, she had been having a nightmare. Bloody, violent, hideous nightmares. It didn’t help that Ethan was so enthusiastic about the idea. She hated herself, but at the moment, she was irritated with her lover. Oh, she adored him, but he needed to lay off on this particular subject.
She felt his kiss on the back of her neck. He’d stayed at her place last night, and now Jesse was on his way to meet him. The two men were going into the city for a big game.
‘Good morning, beautiful.’
‘Hey,’ she said, handing him a cup of coffee without looking at him.
‘Sup?’
She shook her head.
‘Come on, Kizz, out with it.’
She sighed. ‘Seriously, it’s nothing, babe.’
A knock on the back door. Ethan opened it, greeting Kizzie’s brother. ‘Hey, dude.’ Jesse’s arrival into the kitchen broke the tension. He clapped Ethan on the back, then kissed Kizzie’s cheek, snagging a coffee cup.
‘So. what’s the plan for today?’ Kizzie asked when they had sat down.
‘We’re meeting the headmaster of Auburn at noon,’ Jesse said
Ethan grinned. ‘He’ll let us know about the concert and what we need to do. Then me and Kline-meister out on the town for the big game.’
‘What?’ Kizzie interrupted. Ethan stopped, noticing the shocked look on her face. He frowned.
‘What?’
‘You’re talking to the head of Auburn? I haven’t even said I’ll do it yet; don’t you think this is something we should discuss?’
Ethan gave a short, incredulous laugh.
‘What’s to discuss? Whether we go ahead, we’ll need to sort the logistics?’
Kizzie stared at him and then looked at Jesse.
‘Jesse, woul
d you mind giving us a moment – I need to talk to Ethan privately.’ Her tone was hard.
‘Of course.’ Jesse slid from the room, only too eager to escape the tension. ‘I’ll be outside, bro.’
Ethan was looking at her, mouth agape.
‘What the hell?’ He began, but she held her hand up, halting him.
‘Yes, what the hell? We’re supposed to discuss these things, Ethan. We’re a partnership, aren’t we? And, God, I don’t know…’
‘Sweetie, I thought you wanted to do this? For Lexi? He stressed.
‘Don’t bring my sister into this. I still think we should discuss things. Damn it, Ethan, you can’t just arbitrarily make fundamental decisions about our lives!’
She broke off, her voice shaking. Jesse reached for her, but she pulled away.
‘No, no. I’m mad, Jesse, mad that…was it your idea?’
‘What? Kizzie, listen, I’m sorry but why is this such a big deal? Surely you want to do this?’
Kizzie was crying now. ‘Has it occurred to you I might not want to go to the place where my sister was murdered?!’
There was silence.
‘You know what, this is ridiculous.’ Ethan picked up his baseball cap, tugging it onto his head, his movements angry, frustrated. He pulled the kitchen door open. ‘I’ll see you later.’
He hesitated, but she was like stone. He gave a frustrated sigh and kissed her cheek, quick, cold.
‘Have a good day.’ And he was gone.
Kizzie stood, frozen, listening to the echo of the slammed door ringing through the empty house.
Fortunately – thankfully - Zea wasn’t as badly injured as they had thought, but the doctor still insisted she stay overnight. ‘You and the baby need to rest.’
Zea placed her hand over her belly. ‘Thank you, doctor.’
Flynt sat on the side of her bed, and when they were alone, he bent to kiss her. ‘Scared the crap out of me.’
Evergreen: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Page 30
