VITTORIO'S RUNAWAY BRIDE

by Kimberley Reeves

  Luca drew in a deep breath before relaying the worst of it. “The investigator alerted us first, and Grady confirmed it after reviewing security tapes on the days Shelby went to the Penthouse. Alicia has been following Shelby, and not just when she leaves the house to come here, but to other places as well.”

  “What other places?”

  “Any place, every place your wife goes.” Dante watched as a storm began to brew behind his brother’s eyes but did nothing to try and calm him. “You are angry, and rightly so. If Shelby was my wife, I would be furious if I knew someone was following her around. Maybe it is all harmless and Alicia will grow tired of this game, but approaching Shelby with a mouthful of lies is not the only thing that could lead to trouble.”

  “Madre di Dio,” Logan ground out, “what could possibly be worse than that?”

  “The private investigator we hired,” Dante explained. “It is a double edged sword, Logan. If Alicia discovers he is in the employ of Vittorio Enterprises, she may want to extract revenge, or her warped mind may construe it as a sign you desire her and want to know if she has taken another lover. But if Shelby finds out and we have not let her know the reasons for having Alicia followed, she may wonder if you are simply trying to make sure your lover and your wife do not cross paths.”

  “Then I will tell her,” Logan said grimly. “But first, I shall have a nice long talk with Alicia Delatorre about the consequences of her actions if she does not leave Shelby alone. You said Grady provided you with security disks, does that mean he as seen Alicia here at Vittorio Enterprises?”

  Luca nodded. “She follows Shelby here but since she cannot get into the private section of the underground garage, she parks outside. Most days, she sits in her car for awhile then leaves and returns just before five o’clock when you and Shelby usually leave. But sometimes, she comes inside the building and just stands there staring at the portrait of you that hangs in the lobby. Occasionally, Alicia wanders through the building and has even been up to the Executive floor, though she has made no attempt to see you.”

  Some of the color leached from Logan’s face. “Do you think she is trying to find a way to slip past security so she can obtain access to the Penthouse?”

  “We think so,” Dante replied, “but we have no proof. Technically, she has done nothing wrong. And since her husband does business with Vittorio Enterprises she has an excuse for being here, feeble as it may be.”

  Logan was thoughtful for a moment. “I value Richard’s business, but not at the expense of my marriage or Shelby’s peace of mind. I will arrange to meet with Alicia and let her know we are aware of what she is doing and warn her that if it does not stop I will be forced to inform Richard. Then I will tell Shelby what has been going on.”

  “Maybe it would be wiser to tell her before you confront Alicia,” Dante suggested.

  “Yes, I suppose it would,” Logan agreed, “but that would mean putting it off for another day because Shelby has a doctor’s appointment this morning so she will not be coming to the Penthouse today.”

  “So you delay it one day,” Dante said, “what possible difference could that make?”

  Logan’s expression hardened. “Perhaps none, but I am not willing to take the chance this mad woman will do something to hurt Shelby. She has already demonstrated her thinking is irrational, and her obsession with me when I have given her no cause is certainly not normal. No, the sooner I put an end to this, the better.”

  “Meeting with Alicia is a bad idea,” Luca said with worried frown. “Call her instead so there is no possibility she will make a scene.”

  “If I call, what is to keep her from hanging up before I have finished what I have to say? Besides, I want her to see my face when I speak to her so she will know just how serious I am. But you are right about avoiding a scene, which eliminates meeting anywhere public or even here at my office.”

  Dante leaned forward, looking even more concerned than Luca. “Tell me you are not planning to meet this woman in her own home.”

  “And make it easier for her to claim we are having an affair?” Logan shuddered at what would happen if Shelby found out he’d gone to Alicia’s house while Richard was out of the country. “Not a chance in hell. I think it would be best if we met in the Penthouse. That way, no one will overhear if she decides to get too vocal.”

  Dante shook his head. “And if she does more than angry and rants and raves? What if she has a crying fit, women tend to do that when their heart is involved.”

  Logan’s laugh was bitter. “Alicia Delatorre has no heart. Any tears she sheds would be purely for show.”

  “Still, whether it is an act or not, it would not look good if someone saw her leaving here in tears.”

  “I will not put this off,” Logan ground out.

  “I am not suggesting that you do,” Dante replied. “What I am asking is that you allow Luca or me to escort her out the back way once she leaves the Penthouse.”

  “That seems a little…extreme.” Logan raked his fingers through his hair irritably. “I do not want to make her so angry she retaliates, but what else can I do? Per l’amor del Dio, do I not have enough to deal with? Very well, one of you can wait by the elevator and escort her out.”

  “You will have to meet with her before two-thirty,” Luca reminded him. “It is imperative that we all attend the Lombardi conference, but you can count on both of us to be at your disposal prior to that.”

  Logan waited until they’d gone before placing the call to Alicia Delatorre. He should have been relieved when she so readily agreed to meet later that morning, but it only served to put him more on edge than before. He was a shrewd businessman and knew the time to be wary wasn’t when things were going according to plan but rather when it seemed too easy and was moving along without a single hitch.

  Something in his gut was telling him to go as his brothers urged and let Shelby know he was meeting with Alicia beforehand. He glanced at the clock and realized she was probably still at the doctor’s office and would have turned off her cell phone while she was inside. A meeting with his management team would be starting in fifteen minutes and was scheduled to run for an hour, which meant she’d be on her way home by the time he got out.

  Given the limited option, Logan made the best decision he could. He could only pray it was the right one.

  ****

  Shelby drew in a couple of deep breaths as she pulled into the private parking garage and eased into the spot next to Logan’s car. She’d had to fight the urge to head straight for Vittorio Enterprises once she left the doctor’s office because she wanted everything to be perfect when she told Logan. One look at her face and it wouldn’t have taken him two seconds to figure out why she’d made the impromptu visit.

  To give herself time to get her emotions under control, she’d taken a couple of detours and purchased a few things, including the clingy blue number she was wearing right now. Once her tummy started bulging she wouldn’t be able to wear dresses like this and she wanted to give her husband something to remember in the months that followed when her figure was obscured by her expanding waistline.

  She plucked the small gift box from the seat beside her and couldn’t help sneaking just one more peek before she presented it to Logan. Two miniature white booties lay on a bed of blue and pink pinstriped tissue, no doubt the first of many articles of clothing she’d buy for their baby, but this one would be the most significant purchase. She’d considered all the things she could say to Logan, which words would be the right ones, and had finally chosen the tiny knitted booties to do all the talking for her. He’d open the box and know immediately what it meant; no words could ever say it better.

  After he left to go back to work, she’d call Alba and have her start preparing a special meal, though Shelby intended to begin their night of celebration long before dinner time. She thought it was only appropriate to have a repeat performance of the events that had led up to the conception of their baby, with a few minor changes
to spice it up a bit, of course. She was still smiling when she stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the Executive Suites then slipped the gift box into her purse.

  She’d planned on calling him from the Penthouse to let him know she was there and to ask if he could spare a few minutes, but it seemed silly when she could just stop by his office. If he was available, she’d go in personally and entice him to joining her as soon as he could. And if he wasn’t available, she’d have his assistant, Margaret, let him know that she’d be waiting for him. As it turned out, Logan had been called away unexpectedly but wasn’t expected to be gone long.

  Oh well, she thought as she made her way towards the elevator to the Penthouse, it would just give her that much more time to calm herself so she didn’t give it away the second he walked through the door. Shelby was humming a happy little tune as she approached the elevator, exchanging it for a broad smile when she saw Dante standing like the Queen’s guard just a few feet away from the doors. His rigid composure morphed into genuine surprise when he saw her; a bit curious since he knew she’d been spending a lot of time there.

  “Shelby, what are you doing here?”

  “Don’t worry, I have permission from the boss,” she teased.

  Dante glanced at the elevator then back at her. “No, what I…uh…what I meant was that Logan said you would not be here today.”

  “I’m surprising him. So what are you doing loitering around the halls, or has Grady commissioned you play security guard?”

  “Just…temporarily. You know, Logan should be back in his office in about twenty minutes. You could wait for him there if you’d like.”

  Shelby laughed. “Now why would I wait in his office when I have luxury suites just an elevator ride away?” She started to move around him but Dante shifted just enough to block her way.

  “Shelby listen,” he said solemnly, “I really think it would be best if you waited in his office.”

  Something twisted in her stomach; intuition, suspicion, whatever it was, she didn’t like it much. “What’s going on, Dante? Why are you trying to keep me from going up to the Penthouse?”

  “Logan can explain when he sees you. If you would just wait…”

  Shelby’s voice came out as little more than a whisper. “He’s up there, isn’t he?”

  Dante grimaced. “Yes, but…”

  “He’s not alone.”

  It wasn’t a question but Dante responded as if it was. “No, he is not alone but I swear to you it is not what it looks like.”

  “Not what it…” Shelby’s stomach lurched. “It’s her, isn’t it?” Anger overrode all other emotions when he only stared at her. “Don’t you dare lie to me, Dante Vittorio! Logan is up there with Alicia Delatorre, isn’t he?”

  Her world came crashing down around her shoulders when Dante answered, “Yes.”

  ****

  Logan was careful to keep his eyes leveled on Alicia’s face instead of migrating south where she obviously wanted to divert his attention. He hadn’t been surprised when he’d opened the door to find her wearing a dress that showed more of her breasts than it hid, or that it skimmed over her hips like a second skin. He hadn’t even been surprised when she’d draped her arms around his neck the moment the door was closed and tried to kiss him.

  What had thrown him a little was that she’d openly admitted to everything he accused her of. Once he managed to disentangle himself from her arms and avoid the kiss she was so intent on giving him, he’d hustled her into the living room and ordered her to sit down.

  Alicia perched on the edge of the sofa and crossed her legs. “I knew if I stayed away you’d realize how much you wanted me,” she said with a sexy drawl.

  “That is not why I asked you here,” he shot back with barely contained anger.

  “Really,” she arched an elegant brow, “then why invite me to your private suites in the middle of the day? You want me, Logan, you’re just afraid to indulge in an affair because you don’t want to jeopardize your marriage.”

  “You are right, I do not want to jeopardize my marriage, but that is not the reason…”

  “Oh, you don’t have to explain. I know how much everyone adores that mousy wife of yours so I don’t blame you for wanting to keep up the illusion you’re both madly in love with each other. Although,” she said with a disdainful laugh, “I’m sure it’s not an act on her part. Anyone with two eyes can see she thinks the sun rises and sets at your command.”

  Logan’s jaw flexed. “It is no illusion, I do love my wife, and I have no intention of letting you or anyone else interfere with our relationship. Apparently, you have forgotten our discussion in my office. I do not now, or ever will, want to have an affair with you.”

  Alicia stood up and crossed the room, planting herself in front of him. “So this is it then? This is how you want it?”

  “Yes,” he said firmly, “this is how I want it.”

  “Well,” she sighed as she curled her fingers around his neck and pressed herself closer, “I’ll take what I can get. If all you want is a onetime roll in the sack then I’ll just have to see to it that I leave a memorable impression.”

  A low growl rumbled deep in his chest. “That is not…”

  Both of their heads whipped around when Shelby stormed into the room. Hopping mad and looking as if she was out for blood, she skewered Logan with her eyes and then Alicia. She’d slipped through the doorway just a few minutes before and only caught the tail end of their conversation, but it was enough to tell her what she needed to know.

  Chapter 11

  “Mrs. Delatorre,” Shelby said icily, “I’ll thank you to get your hands off my husband.”

  “Shelby, this is not…” Logan started, but she stopped him with a glacial stare.

  “As for you, Logan Vittorio, what the hell were you thinking when you invited this barracuda up here?”

  “How dare you,” Alicia ground out.

  “Me? How dare you,” Shelby hissed. She stomped across the room and yanked Alicia’s arm from around Logan’s neck. “How dare you try to seduce my husband when he’s made it perfectly clear he has no interest in you whatsoever.”

  With her spiky heels on, Alicia was a good six inches taller than Shelby but it didn’t keep her from slapping her palms against the woman’s shoulders and giving her a good, hard shove. Alicia stumbled back a few steps, her eyes widening with surprise. Shelby was in a full blown rage now and didn’t hesitate to close the distance between them and plant herself in front of Alicia. Her eyes were flashing dangerously as she jabbed one manicured finger at the woman’s chest.

  “How mousy do you think I am now, Mrs. Delatorre?”

  Logan just stood there with his arms at his sides, completely dumbfounded as his sweet, docile wife lit into Alicia with a string of expletives that shocked him even more than they shocked Alicia. He supposed he should be doing something to stop the altercation, especially since Shelby looked as if she was going to launch herself at Alicia any second now, but the truth was he couldn’t help the rush of sheer happiness that raced through him as Shelby continue her tirade. She was fighting for him, for them, how could he be anything but elated by that knowledge?

  Even when Dante came hustling into room with Luca right on his heels, Logan merely arched a brow at them and let Shelby do her damage. Neither of the women seemed aware of the fact they had an audience but he doubted it would have made much difference. Alicia had finally gotten her dander up and was snapping back but her biting remarks weren’t fazing Shelby one bit.

  “Madre di Dio,” Dante muttered, “I expected to find your wife in tears, not…” he shrugged, looking every bit as perplexed as Logan was by Shelby’s uncharacteristic behavior.

  “I did not think she even knew how to raise her voice,” Luca said with a hint of awe.