No. Rafael didn’t strike her as the murderous type. Passionate, yes, and hard in a ruthless, street-wise kind of way, but murder...? She didn’t think so. Anna continued down the endless steps, her rhythmic footsteps therapeutically helped detangle her thoughts.
So he’d grown up on the streets. That was a surprise. He must have had a rough childhood. Perhaps that’s where his distrusting nature had stemmed from? Maybe he’d been forced to defend himself from an early age. Anna sympathised. She knew all about that. She hadn’t had to defend herself with her fists, but she’d used her intelligence and sheer hard work to get where she was today. Maybe her and Rafael were more alike than she’d thought.
Except her father hadn’t come to her rescue, like he had to Rafael’s. In some ways it was ironic that Giovanni had died leaving her all this money. Perhaps she was going to get her Fairy God-Father after all.
Finally Anna reached the last step. It was a long way down and she was covered in sweat and gasping for a cool drink. She slipped into a nearby cafe and ordered a bottle of still water, enjoying the blissful coolness. Anna looked around for a chair. Unfortunately many wilted beach-goers had the same idea. There were no free tables.
“Excusi, Signorina,” came a voice from behind. Anna swung round. “Would you like to join me?” A short, stocky man of about forty-five was sitting in nothing but swimming trunks, sipping an espresso. He had masses of dark hair spread across his chest, shoulders and upper arms. Amidst all this hair nestled a thick, gold chain.
It was on the tip of Anna’s lips to decline, but on closer inspection, saw only genuine kindness in the crooked smile and dark, sparkling eyes. “Er...okay, thanks.” Anna sunk into the chair gratefully.
“You are from England, yes?” asked the man.
Anna nodded.
“I am Leonardo. I live in Capri. I have a boat service. If you like I can show you around the island?”
“Oh, well, actually I was heading for the beach,” smiled Anna. “But thank you all the same.”
“No, no,” insisted the man, “The only way to appreciate the beauty of Capri is by boat. I am taking a few tourists in half an hour to the Blue Grotto. You should join us.”
“That’s very kind of you,” said Anna, wondering if perhaps she should take a boat trip after all. Rafael had mentioned the Blue Grotto last night and she did want to see it. It was a scorching hot day to bake in the sun and she’d be quite safe with other tourists on board. “Okay, perhaps I’ll take you up on your offer.”
“Excellent!” Leonardo clapped his hands. “I will be honoured to have such a beautiful lady on board.”
Leonardo turned out to be most informative and Anna spent the next half hour learning all about the island and its colourful history.
Leonardo’s boat was moored in the Marina Grande, next to a long jetty. Two couples and an elderly man were waiting besides the mooring. The one couple were obviously very well off, judging by the diamonds dripping from the woman’s ears and wrists. The other couple were holding hands.
Newlyweds, thought Anna, wistfully. She studied the man. He was clearly besotted with his new wife. He looked kind and dependable. Lucky girl, mused Anna. She was keen to start on that journey, too. But until she found a suitable mate, her family plans would have to wait.
They clambered aboard and cast off. Soon they were skimming over the clear blue water, the wind in their faces. Anna laughed with delight. It was all so incredibly beautiful. They sailed around the island admiring the scenery and the impossibly blue water. An hour into the trip they anchored near the Blue Grotto. The entrance to the marine cave was partially submerged and far too small for the boat to enter.
“You must all swim inside the Grotta Azzurra,” Leonardo told them. “It is the best way to see the spectacle.”
“What’s so special about it?” asked the elderly gent.
Leonardo explained. “The sunlight passes through the underwater entrance and illuminates the cavern. It glows with a magical blue light. Magnifico!” He clapped his hands together to emphasise his point. “There are many grotto’s on the island,” he told them, “but this one is the most well known. You must see it!”
“Will you show us?” asked Anna, who was keen to see it, but didn’t want to go in alone.
“Of course. Follow me!” And with that Leonardo dived overboard and swam towards the entrance with strong strokes.
“I guess that’s our cue,” laughed the posh lady’s husband and he took off his shirt and followed suit. Anna slipped out of her dress and dived in, in her bikini. The lovers elected to stay on board, holding hands and dangling their feet off the back of the boat clearly more interested in each other than the sights.
Soon the three of them ducked through the entrance and emerged inside the blue grotto. It was as magnificent as Leonardo had promised. An incandescent blue glow illuminated the cave, making the water appear luminous. Anna clambered onto a rock for a better view. The rich husband did the same, sitting a bit too close to Anna for her liking.
Just then, much to Anna’s amazement, Leonardo broke into song. His deep tenor echoed powerfully off the cavern walls.
“The acoustics are incredible,” remarked Anna clapping. The sound seemed to reverberate around them, on and on until it faded into the gentle lapping of the water against the bordering rocks.
Ten minutes later several more swimmers had entered the grotto so Leonardo suggested they head back to the boat. Once outside, Anna noticed that two more boats had anchored outside the cavern. One was a large luxury yacht. They had to swim past it to reach Leonardo’s vessel.
Anna was breast-stroking past when she saw a toddler appear on the deck of the luxury yacht. The sun danced off her lovely golden curls. She was holding tightly onto a little bear. Anna watched in horror as the toddler veered ever closer to the edge of the yacht.
“Don’t!” she yelled, but the little girl didn’t hear her. There appeared to be no one else on deck. Where the hell were the parents?
“Watch out!” tried Anna again, but to no avail. Then to her horror, the toddler tripped and fell straight overboard.
“Leonardo, help!” cried Anna, swimming frantically towards the spot where the toddler had gone in. She dived and luckily the water was so clear, she managed to find the little girl straight away. Grabbing an arm she tried to pull her towards the surface. Then a pair of male arms joined her. Together they got the girl to the surface.
“Here, pull her onto the deck,” gasped Anna, treading water. Leonardo did as requested and then Anna clamoured up the ladder of the luxurious vessel, and bent down over the little girl.
At that moment a woman appeared from below, having just realised the little girl was missing. “Serena? Where are you Serena? Hey, who are you?”
Then she spotted the child lying inert on the deck. “What happened,” she gasped, running towards the little girl.
“She fell overboard,” hissed Anna, repositioning the girls head to clear her airway. Then she began mouth to mouth resuscitation.
“Come on,” begged Anna, pumping the little chest. Eventually the girl’s eye lids fluttered and she began to wretch. Anna turned her onto her side and let her vomit until her stomach was empty. The child gasped and inhaled, then began to cry.
“She’s okay,” whispered Anna taking the girl’s pulse. It was getting steadier by the second. Anna was filled with relief. “She’s going to be okay.”
“Oh, thank God,” cried the woman who had been joined by her husband. They were both very pale.
“I can’t begin to thank you enough,” said the man. “I don’t know what happened. One minute she was there and the next she was gone.”
“You really ought to keep a closer eye on her, especially on a boat,” pointed out Anna. She was secretly fuming that the parents could be so stupid as to let the little girl wonder out onto the deck alone.
“You are right, of course,” admitted the man. “It was very foolish of us and very nearly catastrophic, i
f not for you.” He looked at Anna with respect. “Your fast thinking saved our little girl.”
Anna bit her lip. “It was nothing, really.”
“Please, won’t you join us for dinner tomorrow night? It is the least we can do to say thank you.” The man glanced appreciatively at her breasts.
“I’m a nurse so I’m trained in first aid. I don’t need dinner.” Anna crossed her hands over her chest.
“Oh, please,” cried the woman, cradling her child’s head in her lap. She hadn’t noticed her husband’s blatant staring. “It would be an honour to have you over for dinner. After all, you saved our Serena’s life.”
“If you insist,” smiled Anna giving in. The wife seemed nice enough.
“Wonderful.” Serina’s mother clapped her hands with joy. “My goodness, where are my manners. We haven’t even introduced ourselves. My name is Tanya and this is my husband, Adriano Mancini.”
Adriano took Anna’s hand and pumped it enthusiastically. He was still struggling to keep his eyes above her neckline.
“Pleased to meet you,” said Anna. “This is Leonardo.” The boat operator stepped forward and shook hands with the couple.
“Can we give you a lift back to the marina?” enquired Adriano. “We’d better get Serena to the clinic right away.”
Serena was still sobbing quietly in her mother’s arms. “She should be fine now, so I wouldn’t worry too much,” said Anna quietly to Tanya, who was anxiously stroking the child’s head. “But yes, it’s a good idea to get her checked out.”
“No thank you,” said Leonardo. “That is my boat.” He pointed to where the others were waiting anxiously. “I’d better get them back to the marina.”
After more thank-you’s and hastily made arrangements for the following night, Anna said good bye to the Mancinis.
CHAPTER FIVE
Rafael spent a horrible day scrutinising abandoned warehouses, old schools and derelict buildings in hope of finding a shelter for Streetwise. Nothing seemed suitable. In desperation he rang the Mayor again and had it out with him, which didn’t do him any good. It seemed his hands were well and truly tied... to bloody Mancini.
He called Rico. The private detective hadn’t checked out Anna’s story yet. Not that it really mattered now that they’d decided to do the DNA test. The thought of seeing Anna again made his pulse quicken. He couldn’t forget about that kiss.
Walking to his Vespa, parked behind the yacht club, Rafael thought he was imagining things when he spotted a bedraggled Anna, in nothing but a bikini, trudging up the hill. After a double-take he realised she was chatting away to an Italian man he’d never seen before.
“Anna?” he asked incredulously, approaching them from behind. Anna swung round.
“Oh, Rafael. It’s you.”
At the scowl on Rafael’s face she added, “Meet Leonardo. He took me for a lovely ride on his boat this afternoon. We went to see the Blue Grotto. You were right, it’s awesome.”
Rafael gave Leonardo long, hard look then turned back to Anna. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going to the beach.”
“Oh, I was but it was so hot I decided to take a boat trip instead. Then the drama with the Mancini’s happened and things got totally out of hand.”
Rafael stared at her. “Did you say Mancini?”
“Yes, Tanya and Adriano. At first I thought they were really silly leaving their daughter like that to wonder around on deck, but they actually turned out to be really sweet. Didn’t they?” she turned to Leonardo who was looking at Rafael with undisguised envy.
“Si, Anna. Luckily you were there at the right time.”
“Adriano Mancini? The industrialist?” Rafael couldn’t believe his ears.
“I have no idea who he is,” remarked Anna, shrugging. “He must be quite well-off though judging by the size of that yacht.” She glanced at Leonardo who nodded in agreement.
“Oh, we need to talk.” Rafael gripped her arm and propelled her up the hill. Leonardo looked set to intervene.
“It’s okay, Leonardo,” called Anna giving the disappointed man a brief wave over her shoulder. “Thanks again for the ride.” Then she turned to Rafael. “Will you stop pulling me? I’m quite capable of walking by myself. I may be wet and tired, but I’m not incapacitated.”
“Sorry,” Rafael stopped at a bench shaded by a large lemon tree and gestured for Anna to sit down. He tried not to look at her gorgeously rounded breasts barely covered by her bikini top. “I really need to talk to you.”
Anna sat. “Okay, what’s got your knickers in such a twist?”
“Please. Tell me exactly what happened today. I want to know every detail.”
“Why?” Anna looked at him confused. “What’s it got to do with you?”
“Please, just trust me. I really need to know what happened. It’s important. I have an interest in Mancini.”
Anna sighed. “Okay. Leonardo took us to see the Blue Grotto and we were swimming back to the boat when a toddler fell overboard from this luxury yacht anchored beside us.”
“Mancini’s child?”
“Yes.” Anna nodded. “Serena, I think her name was. Anyway, we managed to lift her out of the water and resuscitate her.”
“You did that?”
“Yes, I administered CPR on deck. Luckily she was fine, just in a bit of shock. The parents were ever so grateful, as you can imagine. They’ve even invited me for supper tomorrow night in Naples, although I’m not sure I’m going to go yet.”
Rafael threw back his head and laughed, earning him a stern look. “It’s not a laughing matter. The child could have drowned.”
“You are unbelievable, you know that?” Rafael could have kissed her, he was so happy. On second thought, that probably wasn’t such a bright idea. Last time he’d kissed her he hadn’t been able to stop - and she’d been wearing far more clothing then, than she was now. His eyes roamed over her skimpy bikini, still damp from her swim. He ached to peel it off her. Her endless legs stretched out in front of her. A disturbing image of them wrapped around his waist entered his mind and he shook his head to dispel it. Not appropriate. Now was the time to focus on Mancini, not his prospective half-sister.
“It was nothing. I get regular CPR training at the hospital where I work. It was sheer luck that I was there at the right time.”
“Luckier than you know...” mused Rafael, thoughtfully. He noticed she had sand between her toes. “Anna, you may have just given me the solution to my problem.”
“Really?” Anna looked at him with wide eyes. “What problem?”
“I’ll explain it to you over dinner.” Then, as an afterthought, “You are free tonight, aren’t you?”
Anna sighed. She was exhausted. After the emotional turmoil of the morning, and the drama of the last few hours she wasn’t sure she was going to stay awake the next hour, let alone dinner. She looked at Rafael’s eager face, his expression unusually animated and his lean body primed with energy, like a tiger, ready to pounce. He was hyped, excited. His entire body radiated with energy. Unlike hers.
She would be no match for him tonight. After their last evening together, Anna wanted to be at her most vigilant when she saw him again. No matter what, she had to fend off his advances. He wasn’t the type of man she wanted to get involved with. She had other plans in that department and he wasn’t part of them. The problem was she was attracted to him – undeniably and irritatingly attracted. The way she’d totally lost control when he’d kissed her was proof enough. He was dangerous and in this state she’d be a pushover. That’s if she could stay awake long enough to be pushed over.
“I’m sorry Rafael,” she said, her eyelids heavy. “I don’t think I’m up to it tonight. It’s been quite a day and I’m one tired lady.”
“I understand.” The dejected look on his face almost made her reconsider. Almost, but not quite.
Rafael was silent for a minute and Anna could almost see the cogs going round in his brain. “Look, Anna,” he b
egan hesitantly.
Anna raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“There’s something I need to tell you, show you even. And I have to do it before you see Mancini tomorrow night.”
Anna frowned. “Whatever do you mean?”
“It’s complicated, that’s why I wanted to explain it to you tonight. But I can see you’re tired, so it will have to wait until tomorrow. But can I ask you a favour?”
“Possibly,” said Anna hesitantly. She wasn’t sure what all this was about. Rafael looked at her strangely, almost pleadingly which was very unlike him. Whatever he wanted from her, he must want it badly.
“Would you accompany me to Napoli tomorrow?” At her surprised look he continued, “You have to go there anyway, to meet Mancini. There is something I want to show you first, something important.”
Anna took a deep breath. “Rafael, this is all very confusing. I don’t know why...”
“Please, Anna. Believe me when I say it’s important.”
Anna stared at him. He seemed sincere, although this was all very mysterious. Whatever could he want to show her, in Naples?
Finally, she conceded. She was heading that way anyway so humouring him wouldn’t be too much of an imposition. “Okay, fine. I’ll come with you to Naples. I’ll have to tell Mancini though, because he was going to send a car to the harbour to meet me.”
“I’ll have Christina take care of it,” Rafael assured her.
Anna nodded, barely managing to suppress a yawn. “Thank you.”
“Can I give you a lift to your hotel?” asked Rafael, as if sensing her weariness.
“Yes, please.”
Rafael led her back to his Vespa and beckoned for her to climb on.
“Don’t I need a helmet?” she asked tentatively.
“Probably, but I don’t have a spare. Here, use mine.” He handed her his helmet and climbed on, turning to see if she was following. Sitting astride the minty green Vespa in jeans and a t-shirt, with hair that was too long and stubble that needed trimming, Rafael looked every inch the sexy, quintessential Italian.
The Italian Inheritance Page 7
