by Casey Hagen
“What if that’s not what Luciano wants?”
“I’ll make him see!” she cried, becoming frantic. “Everything I’ve done, all of the risks I’ve taken, they’ve all been for him. If Sergio had claimed him as he promised he would, I never would have had to do any of this.” She turned her back to him.
“Risks, like sabotaging cars?”
Camille whirled on him. “There’s no way Valentina would step aside. Her father groomed her for this. Getting rid of her was the only way. I tried to tell George, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He thought he convinced me to do it the right way. To contest the will.”
“So where is George now?”
“Vacation,” she said.
Her mouth tilted up at the corner, and Jeremy knew, in that one look, that George had likely met his demise. How the hell could a woman so calculating, so evil, manage all these years to fool everyone around her? How did she convince everyone around her that she loved them all like family?
Officers Davis and Clark stepped out of the pantry, their guns aimed at Camille.
“You son of a bitch!” she seethed.
“Yeah, well, you’re not the first one to think so. You won’t be the last, either,” he said as he walked out the door.
Day in and day out, for years, she had done this for the love of her son. A son who, it became increasingly clear, knew nothing about what his mother was up to.
He grabbed the most recent car he had cleared, the 1947 Bentley Mark VI, and as he rolled down the driveway, he called Dante.
“Hello, Jeremy?”
“Yeah, how is she?”
“She’s holding up. They’re doing x-rays and a CT scan.”
“Good. Listen, call Luciano. He’s clear.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah, it was his mother. The police have her. I imagine next they’ll try to locate George’s body.”
“No…” Dante whispered.
“Looks like. I’ll explain when I get there. What hospital did they take her to?”
Dante gave him all the information. Jeremy hit the gas and headed for the Dame.
Valentina’s head pounded, so much worse than the last time. Her body felt like it had been pinned to the bed with lead.
The scent of antiseptic made her nauseated. The only thing worse, the scent in a dentist’s office. Ack!
But the word on the street was that she would live. No internal bleeding and no broken bones.
She heard the door and opened her eyes. Bright lights shot painful bursts straight into her skull.
Because, yeah, she had a concussion.
“The lights. For the love of God, dim the lights.”
When she sensed that the lights had dimmed, she opened her eyes again, and there Jeremy stood right next to her bed.
The look on his face. She hadn’t seen that look before. Tension radiated from him. The tight lock of his jaw turned him from that fun-loving guy to a formidable force.
“What’s happened?”
He met her eyes. “We know who it was.”
She flinched. She wished he didn’t have to tell her. Her family would change today, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for what—or who—she was about to lose.
“It’s like ripping off a Band-Aid. Just tell me.”
“It was Camille.”
Her heart seized in her chest. She had prepared for it to be Luciano. She’d hated the thought, but she’d figure it out.
But Camille? Camille was the closest thing she had to a mother. She did her hair, dressed her up, took her to dance classes, and went to every school function.
She had confided her deepest secrets to her as she’d grown up. Her crushes, her first kiss, her first boyfriend, her first date, and her first time.
Camille taught her how to be a woman, how to care for her family, and how to care for herself.
Hot tears ran down her cheeks. Her throat thick, she nodded.
Jeremy dragged a chair over, sat next to her, and took her hand. “There’s more.”
She met his gaze but didn’t speak.
“Luciano is your brother.”
Her ears started ringing. She had a brother. Luciano— “Was he part of this?”
“No. You don’t lose him, too.”
She nodded and tried to process it all. All those years, Luciano should have been part of the inheritance. The estate was his, too. She would fix that, as soon as she got out of here.
“Does he know what happened?”
“No, the police are on their way to him now. They’ll probably have some questions for him, and then I’m sure he’ll come straight to you.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
He cleared his throat. “They’re, uh, they’re looking for George. Camille might have sabotaged his car, too. He may not just be off fishing.”
She looked up at the ugly fluorescent lights in the drop-tile ceiling. “I should have seen this. I don’t know how I missed it.”
He smoothed the hair away from her face. “No, she was good. This isn’t your fault. Don’t go feeling sorry for yourself, because Luciano is going to need you through this.”
She cupped his jaw and smoothed a thumb over his chin. He was giving her advice now on how to handle the situation later. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”
He took her hand from his chin and sandwiched it between his own. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t fit into your world. You don’t have to worry about anyone hurting you anymore. You can go on and do all of the things you’ve wanted to do. There’s nothing holding you back. I’m not holding you back.”
“You’re scared.”
He looked away. “We both know that, at some point, you would have to explain why you’re passing time with the mechanic. If we put the brakes on this now…look, it’s just better if we do this now.” He stood, the shriek of the chair scraping making him flinch. “I’m going home. I’m going to start on your cars. Once I get the cars assessed, the parts ordered, and have an estimate of what to expect, I’ll be back to go over the rest of your collection. By then, you’ll have moved on.”
He dropped her keys onto the bedside table and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Goodbye, Valentina.”
She stayed silent. He wanted to walk away? Fine, but she didn’t want this, and there was no way she was going to give him the closure of a goodbye.
He walked out the door without looking back. More tears came, so many that her vision blurred, and she struggled to breathe.
Just that morning they’d bantered. Just last night, she had been in his arms. Now, just like that, he walked away as if nothing had happened between them.
Dante came in then and wrapped his arms around her, which hurt like a son of a bitch. She welcomed the pain because it reminded her that, despite Camille’s best efforts at her body and Jeremy’s at her heart, she was still here, breathing and feeling.
CHAPTER TEN
Missed Opportunities
JEREMY BASHED HIS HEAD ON the hood of the Gullwing. He grabbed the back of his head. “Son of a bitch!”
“That’s the fourth time, boss,” Kirk said from the next bay where he was taking apart Valentina’s Camaro.
“Look at that, Kirk can count,” Jeremy muttered.
“You want to talk about it?” Kirk said.
Jeremy gave him a look. “You wanna be girlfriends now?”
“Ease up, boss. Just thought you might want to get it off your chest.”
“There’s nothing on my chest.”
“No, of course not. Most mechanics try to give themselves concussions on a daily basis. Perfectly normal.”
Jeremy knew he was being a shit. He’d been a shit for the past two weeks. He’d have all the information he needed to turn over to Valentina by tomorrow, so he had no more reason to avoid her.
At least no reason he’d admit to.
He had gone and done the monumentally stupid, and in a handful of days, he’d fallen for a woma
He’d walked away early on, and still, he feared he might have officially become his father.
He thought the attraction would fade, but every day his mood continued to sour. He’d taken to drinking himself into oblivion each night so he didn’t dream about her.
About them.
He’d been increasingly agitated in the shop, so much so that his guys avoided him and gave him wary glances.
He needed to get out of this funk. Maybe he’d go out with a few of the guys. Find a woman to distract himself with.
He glanced up to his crew. Five sets of eyes snapped back to what they were doing and away from him.
Or not.
Every last one of them probably wished he’d go back to spending most of his time in his office.
The door to the shop opened, and Jack strode in. “Hey. You didn’t call me back.”
“Shit, sorry… I got distracted.”
“That’s all you’ve been lately. Come on, let’s grab a beer at the house.”
“I’m in the middle of putting together this estimate…”
“The estimate can wait. This can’t.”
He turned to his guys again, all watching them with a smirk. “Don’t you guys have work to do?”
“Yes, sir,” the bastards said in unison.
They were enjoying this.
He followed his sister to the house. While he took off his boots, she went to the kitchen to grab a couple beers.
She came out with two bottles. “You’ve been doing some serious drinking.”
He’d forgotten to put away last night’s beer bottles. Shit. “Maybe a bit.”
“Okay, enough of this. What the hell is going on with you?”
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
She put a hand on her cocked hip. “You’re full of shit. Have you talked to Valentina at all since you’ve been back?”
“No… that’s over.”
“Ahh,” she said, shaking her head. “So, that’s what this is.”
He scratched his chin. “This is nothing.”
“This is you spiraling out of control over a woman. Hell, you don’t even do spiraling right. I guess I should be grateful that you don’t go completely off the wall.”
He shook his head. “I’m not spiraling.”
She raised that eyebrow of hers. “Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?”
He’d never managed to slide bullshit past Jack; why he thought he could manage it now, when he couldn’t even work on a car without giving himself a head injury, he didn’t know. He took a sip of his beer and sighed.
He was just so damn tired.
Tired of missing Valentina.
Tired of wondering if she was okay. Dante said she was, but…
Tired of trying to forget her.
Tired of anticipating having to go back and wondering how he could stand to be in the same room with her and not touch her.
“If I let it happen, she’ll eventually leave me,” he said quietly.
Jack lowered her beer. “Not every woman is our mother.”
He spread his arms. “Jack, look at me. I may work on rare cars, but I’m still just a mechanic. She travels the world and is worth billions. She goes to fundraisers, wears evening gowns, drinks champagne, and eats caviar.”
“How do you know? You were at her house for all of four days.”
Why couldn’t his sister just let him wallow? “She was supposed to have a fundraiser the night of her last accident.”
“And? You ever see her with champagne?”
Again, only four days. “Coffee and water mostly.”
“Caviar?”
He rubbed at the back of his neck. “Uh, I only saw her eating a couple of times. One of those times she cooked.”
“What the hell are you basing all of this on, then? This isn’t like you.”
“I don’t know. Look, I know that Dad wasn’t enough for Mom, and there are so many differences between Valentina and me that, one day, she’ll realize I’m not enough.”
Jack walked over and dropped down next to him. “I wasn’t going to tell you this, but I think, in light of recent events, you need to hear it. When we were in high school, I found Dad going through a shoebox of photos of Mom. He—” Jack swallowed hard. “He was crying.”
“I don’t know if I want to hear this.”
“Too bad. You’re going to listen,” she said, pointing a finger at him. “I asked him what was wrong. He told me it was his fault that we didn’t have a mother. Mom had told him that she didn’t want kids, and he had pressured her. After a year, she finally gave in.”
Jeremy’s stomach hollowed out.
“Mom must have known, for whatever reason, that she was a bad bet as a parent. She tried to tell him, only he didn’t listen. What did Valentina tell you?”
His mother had known she wasn’t up to being a parent. She’d always known. Shit. “Valentina told me my argument was horseshit, that she doesn’t conform, and I should know that by now.”
“Yeah, I like her. You should listen to her. She sounds smart like me.”
He laughed. Christ, it felt good to let go and laugh. “She might be just a bit like you.”
“Bro, that’s messed up. You’ve got a sister boner. You really should see a therapist for that.”
He laughed a full belly laugh until tears came to his eyes. He hadn’t realized how much he’d needed to talk to her about this shit. He’d let it churn in his gut for two weeks. She comes in and, in under ten minutes, puts it all in perspective.
He would have sought advice from his dad, but because of the Alzheimer’s, he couldn’t. He should have confided in his sister. They had an agreement. They promised to stick together, no matter what. He’d screwed up. Little by little, he’d noticed just how much he’d retreated into isolation, from his family, friends, hell, from Tallulah Cove.
“I’m sorry, Jack. I should have gone to you with this.”
“Yeah, well, don’t let it happen again.” She put her hand on his head and gave him a shove. “One more thing: did you worry about this with Lathan and me?”
Jeremy sighed. “No. It was pretty obvious that, no matter how you guys came about, you were it for each other.”
Jack smiled. “Yeah, I’ve got to tell you, Valentina doesn’t have the greatest poker face. You’re it for her, too. You keep acting like she’s some exotic, unattainable creature, but you’ve got her. When she first saw me and didn’t know I was your sister, she was ready to tangle.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah, and by walking away, I think the next person she’s going to tangle with is you.” Jack laughed and stood. “Don’t be an idiot. Talk to her. Give it a shot. You’re already so wrapped up in her you’re a mess. You’ve got nothing else to lose.”
“I’m that pathetic, huh?”
“A little bit, but I have faith in you. I may be the smart one, but you’re not far behind.”
He wished he had the faith in himself that she had in him to not screw this up.
Valentina started her day with a soak in the tub. She didn’t indulge often, but after her last accident and the body aches that came with it, she treated herself to the time.
It had only been in the last two days that life started to resemble something normal. The cops had finally finished going over her property. They’d asked her everything they needed to ask her.
They’d drilled Luciano harder, but he’d made it through. She insisted he move into the house, but he balked. He insisted he needed a break. He needed to get away for a few days. He promised her he’d call.
And what did she need?
She needed Jeremy.
Today, they were going to have a showdown.
She picked a Roland Mouret galaxy dress, in ivory. The pencil skirt reaching just past the knee and capped-sleeve fitted top was both modest and sexy and absolutely perfect for the Dame.
She did her makeup, kept it light, and flat-ironed her hair until it was sleek and straight. She checked herself in the mirror and took a deep breath.
She could do this.
God, she prayed he didn’t reject her. She didn’t think her heart could take it.
“You look stunning, Val,” Dante said.
“Thanks,” she said on an exhale.
“I’m shocked. You actually look nervous.”
“Yes, well, I’m not used to being rejected… and he’s already done it twice.”
“Not used to being rejected? You’ve just never cared. Jeremy is important.”
She met Dante’s eyes in the mirror. “He’s everything. Other men…” She shook her head. “I don’t care about other men. They just aren’t…”
“They aren’t him,” Dante said. “I get it.”
“He’s the only one who’s making an issue of our differences. I’m not sure how to make him see that it doesn’t matter.”
Dante wrapped an arm around her. “Maybe he’s had a change of heart.”
“If he had, he’d be here.”
Dante sighed. “True.”
She smoothed a hand over her skirt. “It’s now or never.”
“Why don’t I drive you?”
She gave him a hug. “I would appreciate that.”
She watched out the window the entire ride but saw nothing. She knew they had rolled into a smaller, middle-class city, but everything passed in a blur as she tried to imagine her first moment seeing Jeremy, going over and over it in her head.
She kept hearing his words about how she would eventually see that he didn’t fit into her world and would want out. The more she played it in her head, the more the words pissed her off.
Jeremy did a lot of damn talking. Well, he was going to listen this time.
“We’re here,” Dante said.
A huge blue shop with six white bay doors sat off to the left, closer to the road. With it being a Monday, he was probably in there as opposed to the ranch-style house tucked back at the end of the long drive.
“Wait for me,” she said.
“Hey, I want to watch.”
“Fine, but not a peep.” She climbed out of the car and headed for the door without even waiting for Dante to follow.
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