Shadow Flight

by Christine Feehan

  Taviano leaned down to press his lips close to her ear, but when he spoke even in that low tone, it was loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. “You wouldn’t, amore mio. You would trust your marito, and your famiglia, to get them back. You will do what you are told and remain safe. We know how to handle these situations, and you have to have faith that we would get Lucia and Amo back unharmed.”

  She wanted to say she would do that. She really did, but she wasn’t going to lie to Taviano. She’d promised herself—and him—that there would not be lies between them. “I swear I would try, Taviano, but they’re . . . sacred.” She couldn’t come up with any other word. “I would try.” That was all she could give him.

  Stefano nodded his head. “I understand, cara. If someone took Francesca, I would feel the same. Trust us. Fight the inclination to give in, should that happen. The likelihood is slim, unless Lucia or Amo leave the safety of where we placed them. Valdez can’t get to them where they are.”

  She was not going to go visit them, not until this was over, when she had intended to do just that. Now she knew Stefano had placed her foster parents somewhere very safe, and she wasn’t about to jeopardize them by leaving a trail to them for selfish reasons. “What are you going to do? You said that some of the Demons were heading this way from Detroit.”

  Stefano nodded. “We intend to intercept this evening. The moment word gets to us that they stopped to eat, we’ll visit them. We don’t want them to get to our territory. I believe Valdez has several such branches of his army heading our way from various directions. We’ve got eyes on them. He’s directing them. He’d like them to get here before his arrival.”

  She had heard that Benito used that tactic often, whenever he was going to take over a new territory. He would send out several branches of his army. They would pick off their rivals and then surround the territory before going in and wiping them out. It was always a bloody massacre. The idea that Benito Valdez was deploying his armies on Ferraro territory and the civilians who were just going about their lives was terrifying to her.

  “He takes over that way,” she informed them.

  Taviano must have felt the quake in her mind, because it wasn’t in her voice. She was proud of that. He used his thumb to stroke the inside of her thigh, once again distracting her beyond all reason. She was certain he meant to soothe her, but her body was already on fire. She felt torn apart, mind and body going in two different directions.

  “He will end up with a bit of a shock when his army doesn’t arrive,” Stefano said. “Mariko and Ricco are going to intercept the ones coming from St. Louis. There’s a contingency coming from Oklahoma City. Vittorio, Emme and Elie will take them. There’s one coming in from Camden, New Jersey. Salvatore, Geno, Lucca, you’re on them. Our cousins in Los Angeles are already tracking the very large group making their way from California to Chicago. Giovanni will head that way to help. They’re going to take them when we give the go-ahead. We want them out of action permanently, but we don’t want any witnesses or any way for Valdez to trace their deaths to us. Just like they found the Gomez brothers, these men will die with broken necks and no way to trace how or who. Watch for cameras. Always disrupt cameras. Be on guard for that.”

  “You didn’t include us,” Nicoletta objected.

  “Valdez has people here in Chicago. He hasn’t built his territory up here as large as he’d like, but he’s called on them to step up,” Stefano said. “We’re going to visit them before they decide to show Valdez they don’t have to wait for the others. Sasha has been keeping an eye on them, and there’s already rumblings about a snatch and grab to incur Valdez’s favor.”

  For some reason it surprised her that Stefano said Sasha was keeping an eye on them, but she realized he meant ears. Sasha had learned to be very good with electronic equipment. She was working with Rigina and Rosina Greco, investigators for the Ferraro family. They were cousins, relatives, like everyone who worked for them. Sasha was learning from the best. Nicoletta was fascinated by all the different jobs and the way things worked. She hadn’t realized what they were doing until Taviano had actually filled her in on what the investigations entailed. She thought they were private investigators and worked on divorces with slimy cheaters.

  “We will be taking the fight to them,” Stefano decreed. He glanced at his watch. “We’ll meet around two in the morning. Streetlights give off plenty of shadows. I’ve scouted the streets where they live and hang out. We’ll have easy access. They have one place they gather in, so if they’re there, all in one place, it will be easier.”

  “Or more difficult,” Giovanni said. “Someone is bound to notice when brothers start dropping dead on the floor.”

  Stefano shrugged. “Creating a little fear is good for their souls.”

  “You should hang back, Stefano, watch over our territory,” Ricco said. “Taviano and Nicoletta can handle the Demons here. There’s, like, what? Thirty total? Giovanni? What did you get? I doubt there’s more than that.”

  Giovanni nodded. “Yeah. If that. Taviano can do that in his sleep. Or I can stay here and help him out. LA has seven riders including Velia, and she’s every bit as lethal as her brothers. They don’t need me.”

  Stefano looked around the room suspiciously. “What’s going on here? Nicoletta can move in the shadows, but she can’t help Taviano. She hasn’t been given the necessary training yet. Giovanni, the LA chapter is enormous. The largest Valdez has moving our way. You know that. You said it yourself that it was going to take all the cousins to take them out, and then some. Why are all of you trying to keep me out of the shadows?”

  His inquiry was met with silence. Nicoletta couldn’t tell by the expressionless masks the others wore if there was a conspiracy to keep Stefano out of the fighting. It didn’t make sense, when he was reputed to be so fast. She’d seen him a few times in action, and he’d worked with her several times. He was like greased lightning.

  Ricco gave a small shrug. “You’re the head of the family. We like to keep it that way. And someone needs to stay back just in case there’s a fuckup and Valdez has an army that slips through. Who do we have on Francesca and Crispino, Sasha, Grace?”

  “We have the best bodyguards in the world,” Stefano said. “We’re all going to be in the shadows. They’ll be guarding the women. I think we’re done here. Are there any questions?”

  No one had any. When Stefano decreed something, it was rarely questioned. They had their assignments, and they were going to move on them fast. This time there would be no private jets and no parties. No alibis and paparazzi. They would ride the shadows to their destination from their homes, so it would appear as if they had gone inside and were in for the night. There would be no way to trace them to the “kill zone.” Valdez wouldn’t have a clue what had happened to his men, and neither would the cops, who would try to piece together the puzzle of who was killing off the Demons by breaking their necks one by one.

  Nicoletta stayed in her chair in front of the fireplace while Taviano walked the others out. It was late afternoon, but the sun was still high in the sky and pouring beams down on the shrubbery. Through the panels of glass, she could see flowers lifting petals toward the rays. It was a beautiful sight. She looked around her. Everything in Taviano’s house was beautiful. His home was peaceful. A work of art.

  She could see why he had chosen the location, away from the city. There were no sounds of traffic. No noises other than the soothing symphony of nature. His home was hidden away from the world. Tucked up into the hillside, it was nearly impossible to spot until one was right up on it. The house felt cool, as if the hill and the woods protected it from the sun. The fireplace gave the illusion of heat even though there were no flames at the moment. The sunshine made her feel warm enough.

  Taviano returned to her, a big man. Gorgeous. She would never tire of looking at him. She couldn’t believe he was hers. That he really had fallen in
love with her, but it was there in his eyes. She could get lost there.

  “You told me you loved me.”

  “I do love you. The wonder is that you didn’t know.”

  She thought the wonder was that he loved her. She wasn’t yet that cool, confident woman that she was determined to become. “I’m not always going to be fragile.”

  Was that the reason? He was a Ferraro, and the men in that family were naturally dominant. They protected their women. She wasn’t ever going to be a Francesca, or a Grace. She couldn’t be sweet like Mariko, no matter how hard she tried. Sasha was the most like her, but even Sasha . . .

  Nicoletta sighed. “I need to be strong, Taviano. So strong.”

  “You already are much stronger than you think, Nicoletta, but I understand what you mean. We have the training room, the gym and the meditation room. I’ll do everything I can to give you whatever it is you need to build your confidence in your skills until you believe in yourself.”

  That hit her like an arrow straight to her heart, and she pressed her hand hard over her chest because she ached. He was wonderful. He had always given her everything. No matter what she did to push him away. Because she’d been so scared, because she’d thought she was so ugly and so covered in the layers of filth her step-uncles and Benito had visited on her, she hadn’t wanted Taviano anywhere near her. Her golden man.

  “Stefano is going with us to evaluate me, isn’t he?”

  “Yes.”

  His tone was mild. He didn’t hesitate or attempt in any way to lie to her. She loved him all the more for that.

  “I’m going to get sick the way I did before.”

  Taviano shrugged. “That doesn’t matter. You handled it. He’ll see that you handled being in the shadows and moving from one to the next. You’ll be fine if you remember everything we’ve talked about, especially the breathing. You have to stay on top of that.”

  He was so matter of fact it was impossible to have a panic attack. It was impossible to think Stefano would decree she wasn’t good enough to keep training. He hadn’t sidelined her. He was allowing her to go along. In a way, she was grateful. The Demons chapter in Chicago had to be somewhat significant. She didn’t want Taviano to face them alone and she didn’t know how to make the Ferraro signature kill they all would be using. Having Stefano along ensured Taviano’s safety. Above all else, she wanted that.

  Heart pounding, she moistened her bottom lip. She wanted to be daring with him. She wanted to give him something huge. He deserved a brave, courageous partner. He deserved so much more than she was at that moment, but she was determined to grow and keep growing. She reached out to him, and he immediately wrapped his larger fingers around her hand. He made her feel delicate when she never had before.

  He gently tugged until she was out of the chair and standing close to him, the tips of her breasts brushing his chest. Just that slight contact sent those little lightning strikes forking through her body in every direction. Where did women get confidence? Where did they learn to be sexy? She wanted that not just for herself but for Taviano. She wanted it with every breath she drew, but she couldn’t quite gain the courage to lift her gaze to his.

  He cupped her chin with exquisite gentleness, his thumb brushing along her lower lip. “I dream about biting this lip.” He bent his head and brushed a kiss along her mouth. A brief, barely there contact, gone far too soon. “And then kissing away the sting.”

  She wanted to have the courage to challenge him to do it. More, she wanted to go up on her toes and bite his lower lip and kiss away the sting. She nearly did it. She actually rose on her toes, leaning into him so her breasts pushed against his chest, melting into him, her nipples two hard, aching buds. If the sensation hadn’t been so acute, she might have succeeded, but she got stuck right there, her breath caught in her lungs, her pulse pounding between her legs.

  Taviano took her mouth, somewhere between gentle and passionate. She wanted passionate and she went for it, kissing him back, her tongue shyly exploring, teasing his, dueling for a moment and then following his lead. She didn’t know much about kissing—there were never kisses involved before, there was never anything to ensure she felt pleasure—so every sensation was new and shocking to her. She savored every single one.

  Flames seemed to course through her blood, spreading through her body like a wildfire out of control. “I believe you promised me something.” She whispered it, because she could barely say the words, but she wanted to experience everything he’d declared he’d do to her. She wanted it for both of them, but mostly to prove to herself that she could be a woman to her man. She could share passion with him. She could eventually make love with him. The horror of her past didn’t have to destroy her future with the man she loved.

  He kissed his way over her chin and down her throat. “I did? What did I promise you, amore mio? I always keep my promises.”

  Heart pounding, her fists clenched in his shirt, she closed her eyes, her head tilted back so he could kiss wherever he wanted. Little electrical sparks seemed to be dancing over her skin. She wanted more. She didn’t know anything could make her feel so alive and so feminine. His mouth on her throat, moving down to the curve of her breasts, made her feel as if she were a goddess and he was worshiping her.

  “What did I promise?” he prompted again.

  His chin nudged her top down, the bristles on his jaw scraping sensually over her sensitive skin, sending urgent demands thrumming through her body, straight to her sex. She felt the clench of need, a wave of desire dampening her panties and pounding through her clit.

  “You said you would devour me.” She managed the whisper on a gasp as he suckled right through her bra. She couldn’t help cradling his head to her, his dark hair falling over her arm as she held him to her breast. She wanted more. She needed more. Her entire body was one living flame. “Taviano.” She heard the raw ache in her voice.

  That scared her. She was all but seducing him. She was seducing him, begging him to take things further, and yet she didn’t know if she could really do anything with him. What if she couldn’t? What if she panicked?

  Before she could pull back, Taviano was already kissing his way up her throat to her chin, and then he took her mouth. When he was kissing her, there was no way to think. It was impossible to do anything but wrap her arms around his neck and give herself to him. She was lost there, kissing him back, giving him everything she was. Every kiss seemed better, hotter than the one before, so perfect.

  Taviano shifted her enough to slide one arm under her bottom and he lifted her, his mouth still commanding hers. He carried her so easily through the house, kissing her as they went, making her feel as light as air. She felt as if she floated through the house, his arms around her, his kisses transporting her to a world of pure sensuality—one she wanted to know intimately. One she wanted to live in with Taviano.

  He had to hold her up when he put her feet on the floor. She clung to him, her legs feeling as if they were shaky. When she looked up at his face, the light coming through the windows shone on him and he looked like a fallen angel. His dark hair spilled across his forehead in sharp contrast to the deep blue of his eyes.

  The dark intensity of his focused look when it settled on her upturned face shook her. He looked like sensuality personified. Every line in his face was carved deep with a sensual lust that bonded with the dark blue of his eyes, sending her heart racing. Her body went into some kind of weird meltdown. A thousand butterflies took wing in her stomach as it did a crazy slow roll. He could make her nipples peak with that dark intensity every time.

  “I don’t know what to do, Taviano.” She only knew that she had to do something. He had to do something. Her body was so hot and uncomfortable, every cell inflamed—for him. “What if I can’t do this? What if I ruin everything?”

  Taviano pointed to the bed. “Just kneel up on the bed, piccola. I love the way the
light hits you. You look so beautiful. Face the window and look out. The wind is picking up. It always does this time of day.” He gestured toward the bed. “You can’t ruin anything, Nicoletta, because there is no wrong or right in our bedroom. There is only the two of us and what we decide to do together.”

  Dio, this man. Her man. She loved him more than life itself. She could do anything for him. She let him distract her. Let him help her over the first of the hurdles, because she was determined to give them both this time together.

  Light streaked through the glass, hitting the bed from all the rows of windows and sliders, lighting up the duvet so that it shone like a watery image, almost as if it were a lily pad floating. Nicoletta hadn’t noticed that the night before or in the morning when she’d awakened. She slid her palm over it in wonder. The texture of the duvet was soft like velvet, yet cooler. The swirling greens and blues with the sun playing over them really did appear to move like water. Everything in the house, even the linens, was art. She knelt up onto the bed, hiking up the skirt so her bare legs would feel the soft coolness of the fiber.

  “Let me see your skin in the sun, tesoro.”

  His voice had dropped an octave, sounding like seduction itself. Now his voice brushed over her skin like velvet. She didn’t need to feel the texture of the duvet when his tone could give her that sensual feeling.

  “Do you feel the sun on you right through the glass? Just slip off your top and bra. Your skin is so beautiful. I’m not going to do anything but look at you. If you want, I’ll go sit over there in the chair so you can feel safe.”

  He didn’t wait for her to have to make the decision, he simply did so, removing his jacket and hanging it on the back of a chair before slipping into one of the two deep-backed comfortable chairs placed close together for morning coffee just inside, close to the slider leading to the terrace.