by M. D. Melai
“This is James,” Nikolas replied. “My father’s right hand man.”
A devious smile lifted up both of their faces, and I wanted to run for my life. But I knew I was safe here, and they did too.
“So, where are your lover boys tonight? And don’t try and make up a story about them being close by, because I know they aren’t. They haven’t shown themselves since you stepped into the building. And I know for sure they wouldn’t let any man in this room near you, whether they kept their distance or not.”
“They aren’t here.” My voice was steady, but my heart felt like it was about to beat out of my chest.
“I'm surprised at that. I can see Elle and you are getting along quite nicely. I can only assume she’s not impersonating you anymore?”
“Nope,” I said about the time Erik came back with our drinks.
“These guys bothering you?” he asked, looking back and forth to Nikolas and his friend.
“No, they were just leaving actually,” I said, smiling at Erik as I grabbed the waters and started to walk away from him.
I didn’t make it more than two steps when Nikolas’s hand grabbed my arm and spun me around. “I wasn’t finished talking to you,” he said as his grip tightened on my arm.
“You’re hurting me!” I hissed at him. He didn’t let go, nor loosen his grip.
“My father wants to meet with you at your earliest convenience.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m busy in the near future. Tell my grandfather that I don’t have time to listen to what he has to say.”
The shocked look that shot across Nikolas’s face was priceless.
“When did you find out?”
“Last week,” I snarled at him. “Not that it’s any of your business. Now if you will excuse me, I have to get back to my friends, so please, let go of me.”
About that time, Lorenzo and Paolo walked up with their arms folded over their chest. I didn’t even care how or why they had finally showed up. All I wanted was Nikolas and his friend out of here.
“You can leave quickly and quietly, or we can throw you out on your ass,” Lorenzo said with a stern voice.
Nikolas barely looked up at him before he shoved a piece of paper in my hand. “You seriously need to think about it,” he said, before letting go of my arm and putting his hands up. “No foul here tonight, boys.” He smiled, before heading towards the front door.
Lorenzo and Paolo nodded their heads at me without a word and turned and headed back to wherever they had come from.
The intense pain on my arm caused me to drop one of the water bottles, which rolled under the bar.
“Thank you,” I said as I approached Erik again.
“For what?”
“I know you called those two over, and I appreciate it.”
No matter how I felt about certain things in my life right now, I was glad Lorenzo and Paolo were here. They had kept their distance since Violet and I had arrived home. I was sure Emilio had called them to let them know I was back in town, and by the way they acted, they were instructed to not hover. Knowing those two, though, they probably had been close by this entire week, and I just hadn’t realized it. For the moment, I was okay with that.
“You’re welcome,” he said with a smile.
“Can I get another water?” I asked. “I dropped one.”
“Sure, I’ll be right back.”
I hadn’t realized I was shaking until that moment. My heart was racing, and the place where Nikolas had grabbed my arm was throbbing in pain.
“Erik,” I called after him.
“Yes,” he said, turning toward me.
“I changed my mind. I think we’re going to need something a little stronger.
Chapter 5
My head was pounding as I slowly opened my eyes to blinding light, before closing them instantly. I opened and closed them again a few times before they finally adjusted. Rubbing the temples of my forehead, I sat up and took in a deep breath.
As I looked around, I noticed I had only made it as far as the couch last night. Violet was sound asleep on the other couch, and Elle was face down on the lounge chair. I tried to think about how we even got home last night, but my memory failed me.
How did we get home?
I thought back to the last thing I could remember. All three of us were at the club and having a great time until I was greeted by Nikolas. He had mentioned that his father wanted to meet with me, and then inadvertently, he was thrown out of the club.
Why did Heinrich want to see me? I guess he was tired of attacking my family, so now Nikolas was his messenger boy? It didn’t make sense to me.
I laid back down on the couch and put a pillow over my face. Thinking about it only made my headache worse. My stomach lurched a few times, before I heard a sound escape from Violet. I pulled the pillow off my head and glanced over in her direction. She started to turn, and before I could say anything, she rolled off the couch. Elle immediately woke up as Violet screamed out.
“What the…?” Violet exclaimed.
“Inside voices,” Elle groaned, cutting Violet off. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she went to sit up.
Violet stood up from the ground and swayed a few times, before taking a seat back on the couch she had been laying on. I slowly got up, walked over, and sat down next to her.
“You rolled off the couch,” I said, before falling back into the cushions.
“Lovely,” she whispered, closing her eyes and doing the same.
“What happened last night? How did we get home?” I asked.
“All I remember is walking out to the car and getting in. As to how we got here, I have no clue,” Violet responded.
“Lorenzo and Paolo brought us home,” Elle replied.
I finally let out the breath I had been holding. I was so thankful that the guys had brought us home. The thought of one of us drinking and driving terrified me.
Before I could respond, I heard a car door slam outside, and then voices as they approached the front of the house. That could only mean one thing—the guys were home.
“Great!” Violet said, before covering her face up with a pillow. “I don’t want Dante to see me like this!”
“Shh,” Elle hissed. “I said inside voices!”
About that time the front door shut and Dante, Emilio, and Lucas came walking into the living room.
“Sorry, I didn’t know we were being so loud,” Dante said smiling.
All three of us girls groaned as we shied away from their view.
“Looks like you guys had a good night last night,” Dante chuckled. “ARE YOU THREE FEELING OKAY?”
“I DON’T THINK THEY CAN HEAR YOU!” Lucas added.
“YEAH, MAYBE I SHOULD SAY IT A LITTLE LOUDER!” Dante yelled even louder.
“If you say one more word, then I swear I will make you all mute,” I challenged as I reached my hand up and gestured for them to stop talking.
Lucas and Dante laughed, before Dante came to sit next to Violet. He reached down and picked the pillow up off her face and lovingly stared at her.
“Coffee and aspirin?” he asked.
Violet nodded, and Dante gave her a light kiss, before making his way to the kitchen.
“Lily and I could use some too,” Elle called after him.
Lucas chuckled as he bent down and kissed my forehead.
“I’ll get you some too,” he whispered in my ear as he headed towards the kitchen to help Dante out.
I hadn’t heard a word from Emilio since he had walked into the house, nor had I looked in his direction. When I finally did glance his way, I was prepared to see disappointment or an angered expression, but there was nothing. His eyes, though—they were filled with worry, and it rocked me to my core. I wondered how much he actually knew about last night. Knowing Lorenzo and Paolo, he probably knew everything.
Emilio held my gaze until I broke it. I felt so ashamed of myself for yelling at him over something that was out of his control. I needed to
apologize to him, and as soon as we both had a moment alone, I would.
He slowly made his way over to me, hesitating for just a second. Then he placed his hand affectionately on my shoulder, before softly and carefully letting it in run down the length of my arm—the arm Nikolas had held captive last night.
I flinched as Emilio’s fingers touched the exact spot that Nikolas had grabbed. It was still tender, and judging from my reaction and the pain, I knew it was bruised.
My eyes flew to Emilio’s hand and then up to his eyes. He immediately registered something was wrong with my arm. Anger flashed across his face for a fraction of a second before his expression softened. He held my gaze for a moment, before he bent over, kissed my cheek, and walked away.
I finally released the breath I had been holding as I watched him walk into the kitchen and sit down at the breakfast bar.
“Can we say intense?” I heard Elle ask, but I was already gone—my mind moving a million miles an hour.
***
After the guys had made us breakfast and we ate, Lucas took Elle home for the day. Soon after they left, Violet and I took showers, and made our way down to the home office—we needed to get some work done.
Violet had busied herself with making sure all of our current projects were doing well, and I was trying to start work on two new projects. The only thing holding me back was the fact that I couldn’t concentrate on anything other than what happened this morning.
Breakfast had been uncomfortable with Emilio and Lucas sitting across from each other. Their actions were bipolar—one minute they were cold, and the next polite. Needless to say, when Elle said she was ready to go back to her apartment now that “we no longer needed her amazing self-there,” I was relieved. And even more so when Lucas volunteered to take her since he was headed back into the city. They left a half hour later, and on their way out I received a “see you Monday” from Elle, and a kiss on the cheek from Lucas.
“Earth to Lily,” Violet said as she waved her hands in front of my face.
“I'm sorry,” I said as I pushed a few pieces of paper around, trying to act like I hadn’t just been caught daydreaming—again.
“I called your name three times,” she said as she stood there with one hand on her hip.
“I was just…”
“Not working,” Violet said, cutting me off.
“I was going to say thinking,” I said matter of fact. It wasn’t a total lie—I just wasn’t thinking about work.
“How are Benito’s two projects coming along?” she asked, changing the subject, knowing good and well I hadn’t been working on them.
Benito.
Now that was an entirely different problem. I hadn’t spoken to him, nor my mother, since I had left Toronto to return back home. I was still trying to adjust as best as I could to my new situation with them. Dante had mentioned at breakfast that Benito wanted to get together to talk as soon as possible. I just said that I would think about it. And I would, but first…
“Liliana Evelina Dapprima!” Violet’s voice rang out. “I’m not going to waste my entire Saturday working and getting caught up if you’re not going to help me!”
“Again, I’m sorry. I’m all yours for the rest of the afternoon. I promise,” I said as I put a cross over my heart.
And I was.
Benito’s two projects were complete opposites of each other—one a coffee house, and the other an entire apartment building renovation.
“Are we going to have any help on the apartment building?” Violet asked.
“No, not this time. His notes say he just wants it to be us—lobby, every apartment, and anything and everything in between. He has given us full reign.”
“How long do we have to do it in? That will take us months, maybe even a year depending on what shape it’s in. Are we going to have some of Benito’s construction crews? I mean I know they are more exterior than interior, but the crews we normally use won’t be enough.”
“Benito said eight months, but if we needed more time, then not to sweat it. As for the extra construction crews, I’ll ask. I don’t think it will be a problem, though. Both Giorgio and Giovanni can help run them.”
“Wow,” was all Violet said.
I knew exactly how she felt. My father always gave us a strict deadline, and he never allowed any help from the family construction business. It was so frustrating, but Violet and I had always found the time and the right crews to finish anything and everything my father threw our way. Those situations pushed us to be better, faster, and more efficient—I never should have complained.
Having Benito in charge of the family now was going to be different. I was learning quickly he was nothing like my father in the way he handle his businesses—more laid back, less strict. Either that, or he was trying to get on my good side—I suspected the latter, since I’ve always known him to act more like my father business-wise.
By the time the evening rolled around, Violet and I had planned out everything, and our drawing boards were plastered with ideas.
“Hey,” Dante said as he stuck his head into our office. “I'm ready to go whenever you are.”
“Okay,” Violet said, looking up at him. “I just need to change. Can you give me a minute?”
“Sure,” he said, giving her a wink, before leaving again.
“We good?” she asked, turning back towards me. A huge smile spread across her face.
“We’re good,” I laughed. “Now go have fun on your date.”
I didn’t have to tell her twice. She jumped up off her chair and hurried out the door, not once looking back.
Less than five minutes later she called out that they were leaving and would see me tomorrow.
I stayed in the office for a while cleaning up. I knew Emilio was home, and I knew we needed to talk, but for now, I was okay avoiding him.
After cleaning up, I pulled out the “wedding binder” for a while. Midway through flipping through the book, an idea occurred to me, and I quickly shot Elle a text to see if she would help. Her response was immediate, and said that she would see me tomorrow morning bright and early to get started.
By the time I had jotted down a few ideas and made a few more notes, I figured it was time to emerge from my office and face Emilio. I needed food and more Advil for my arm, and after talking to Emilio, I was sure I would need a relaxing bath as well.
The house was quiet when I stepped out of the office and closed the door behind me.
“Emilio?” I called out.
Nothing.
I walked over to the staircase and called his name out again.
No reply.
I guess he had left the house earlier and Dante forgot to tell me before he and Violet left. I wasn’t going to worry about it. A house all to myself sounded amazing.
After I ate leftovers for dinner and took some more medicine for my arm, I made my way up to my room to take a hot bath. I wanted to clear my mind, but no such luck.
Heinrich. What does he want from me? Am I really going to meet him?
The question should have been: When was I going to meet him? I wanted to look the man who killed my father and friend in the face. I didn’t quite know what I was going to say to him, but I knew I had to see him. I would regret it if I didn’t. To say I wasn’t terrified to come face-to-face with him would be a lie, but I needed to do it. My father hadn’t been gone that long and the wounds from his loss had yet to heal. I doubted they ever fully would.
I knew enough about Viktor Heinrich to know I would definitely have to take reinforcements with me. My brothers, Emilio, and Lucas were all out of the question. They would talk me out of it and tell me it wasn’t safe. Lorenzo and Paolo, though—they owed me. Maybe I could talk them into helping me? I hoped so, because honestly I didn’t have anyone else to turn to. It was those two or nobody, and I wouldn’t go at it alone. I wasn’t that insane.
I needed to make a plan so when I pleaded my case to Lorenzo and Paolo I had everything in order. No
clear plan equaled no help from them.
I was more stressed when I finally got out of the bath than when I got in. My mind was so preoccupied I almost didn’t hear the door shut downstairs.
Quickly throwing on a pair of shorts and a tank top I made my way downstairs.
“Hello,” I called out as I reached the first floor. The kitchen light was on, and as I got closer, I noticed the faucet was running.
As I turned the corner, Emilio was standing with his back towards me, washing his arms.
“Hey,” I said, causing him to jump.
“You scared me,” Emilio said, not even looking over his shoulder.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I said hello as I was coming down the stairs.”
“I guess I didn’t hear you,” he said as he turned off the water and started to dry his hands and arms. He still hadn’t turned around to look and me, and his body language was tense.
“Everything okay?” I finally asked.
“Yes,” was all he said, before he moved towards the refrigerator, still keeping his back to me.
By this time, I was starting to get frustrated. I knew I hadn’t been very nice to Emilio the last time we were alone, but I was trying to have a conversation with him, and he was completely blowing me off.
“Emilio, will you please turn around and look at me?” I asked as he grabbed something out of the freezer and set it on the counter, still not turning towards me. He was being hesitant—I could tell by his body language. “Emilio, is everything okay?”
I watched as his shoulders lifted and fell as he inhaled a deep breath and let it out.
“You’re scaring me,” I said, taking a step towards him and placing my hand on his shoulder. “Will you please just look at me?”
With one more sigh and a small shake of his head, Emilio slowly turned around. I was mortified at the sight that stared back at me. Both his eyes and cheeks were swollen and starting to bruise. His bottom lip was busted, and he had several scratches on his face. I scanned down his body and noticed blood splatter on his light blue shirt, and he had gashes on his knuckles.
