Shadow Keeper

by Christine Feehan

  "You little whore." Eloisa actually curled her fingers into two tight fists and stepped toward Sasha aggressively.

  Giovanni stepped with her, keeping his body between Eloisa and Sasha. "Eloisa, as usual, you have no idea what's going on. Just stop."

  "Eloisa." Stefano's tone held a wealth of warning.

  Giovanni knew all along Sasha wasn't the kind of woman to hide behind her man; still, he wasn't prepared for her to step around him to face his mother. Eloisa tore other women to shreds, especially if she thought she was protecting the family name. The minute Sasha was nearly toe to toe with Eloisa, his mother attacked.

  "I know all about you and that brother of yours, kept locked up because he's totally gone, out of his mind. If you think I want someone like you--"

  "Don't you dare talk about my brother," Sasha hissed, her step toward Eloisa every bit as aggressive as his mother's had been. "You don't know the first thing about him. If you had one shred of decency, one tiny bit of patience, you'd know he was in an accident and suffered a brain injury. If you did know that, it just goes to show you don't have one ounce of compassion in you and you aren't worth very much. If you all will excuse me, I have to get to work. This horrible bitch has ruined my appetite."

  For once, Eloisa looked stunned. She stood there, her mouth open and her eyes wide with shock that another woman had stood up to her. Sasha went on around her and stalked toward the elevator doors. Giovanni wanted to shove his mother out a window. Instead, he followed his woman. Her shoulders were set and her head high. Color flagged her cheeks. Dio, even that made him hard--and so fucking proud he wanted to kiss her--the way she stood up to Eloisa.

  "Do you deny trying to trap my son into marriage?" Eloisa demanded.

  "Absolutely I deny it." Sasha kept walking.

  "If anyone is trying to trap anyone, Eloisa, I'm doing my best to make certain she marries me," Giovanni snapped as he put his arm around Sasha.

  "That was so unkind," Francesca reprimanded, sending her mother-in-law a frown of condemnation.

  "You can leave now," Stefano said, indicating the elevator.

  "Wait." Eloisa sounded conciliatory, not commanding.

  Sasha stopped and slowly turned around. Giovanni turned with her, but he dropped his arm and stepped back. She wanted to deal with his mother on her own, and she deserved to do so. As long as she was holding her own, he wasn't about to interfere.

  "I'm sorry about your brother. You're right. I should have learned more before I came here. The investigators showed me the pictures and told me you had a brother in a hospital and I didn't look any further."

  She glanced at Francesca. "You'd do to learn a little from this one. She stands up for herself and her family. Still, I can't have a woman who exposes her body to the world as one of our family. Giovanni, you know the rules. Your duty is to follow them."

  "Well, fuck duty," Giovanni snarled.

  "You can get angry all you want, but I'm not having this exhibitionist in our family. It's bad enough that your brother chose ..."

  Stefano let his breath out in a long, slow hiss. "Did you come here just to piss me off? Because you don't want to do that, not now. I'm already there. State why you're here without shrieking at everyone and hope I don't throw you out."

  "I'm your mother whether you like it or not, Stefano, and you can show a little respect."

  Stefano's eyebrow shot up. "The problem you're running into, Eloisa, is that in order for me to respect you, I have to have a reason, and coming into my home, harassing my wife and screaming at Giovanni's woman before you even know the facts is not the way to get it."

  Eloisa slapped her hand over the tabloid. "I think I know the facts, Stefano, they're here in black and white for the world to see. Giovanni's engagement to this woman is a complete farce."

  "What engagement?" Sasha asked. "What pictures? Show me."

  Giovanni glared at his mother as she held out the tabloid.

  "Don't try to pretend that isn't you because it clearly is," Eloisa snapped. "You're on rather prominent display." There was sarcasm in her voice.

  Stefano handed his paper to Francesca, who stood with him. There was a long silence as the two women stared at the damning photographs, tension stretching out until Giovanni wanted to break it. He didn't, he just kept his gaze fixed on Sasha's face. No one else's reaction mattered. No one else mattered.

  "Well." Eloisa broke the silence. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

  Sasha glanced up. "I don't owe you an explanation. Not one word." Her gaze switched to Giovanni. "I'm sorry, honey, I know this is going to be terrible for you." Her finger moved over the lurid headline declaring playboy jet-setter Giovanni Ferraro was engaged to a party girl waitress. "You wouldn't be in this position if you hadn't tried to help me." She tossed the tabloid away from her as if it were a snake. "I really do have to get to work. If you all will excuse me ..."

  "Baby, you know you can't go to work. You have a very dangerous stalker after you. He put a bomb in our car last night, or don't you remember?"

  "What is going on?" Eloisa demanded. "A bomb? Dio, Giovanni, you've gotten yourself into more trouble than your brothers ever thought of and they were bad enough."

  Everyone ignored her.

  "Someone at Aaron's table snapped that picture," Giovanni stated.

  "A series of pictures. Of course, the article left off the part where you were attacked and your clothing ripped," Stefano said. "I reviewed the security tapes."

  "Do you think Aaron did it? Or his friend James? Tom Mariland was there as well," Sasha said. "Aaron sent me flowers, and James had a box of chocolates delivered. Tom came to the deli and apologized in person. But ..." She trailed off, frowning.

  "We'll find out," Stefano said. "We've got ears and eyes on the tabloids. They sold the pictures anonymously, but there's always a money trail."

  Sasha shook her head. "I never thought about what you all go through on a daily basis. My life is much simpler." She made a small move as if she might separate herself from Giovanni.

  He didn't like that she had referred to her life as being simpler. She was in his life now, which meant their life was hers. He slipped one hand around her upper arm very lightly. He didn't want her to notice, but he wasn't letting her leave the building. She couldn't possibly conceive of the firestorm waiting for her outside the hotel. Their engagement had been announced, and the paparazzi would be out in droves. No one and no amount of money was going to stop them from trying to get her picture. She might think it was fake, but he was going to do his best to make their engagement real.

  "We need to double the guard at the Center to keep her brother safe. In fact," Giovanni said, "we'll have to make certain only those we trust are looking after him."

  Sasha stiffened. "What do you mean by that?"

  "The tabloids will want his photograph and any information they can get on him. They'll bribe the staff to cooperate. The woman who gave the interview was named Harriet. She's Goodman's trusted secretary. She was the one who announced our engagement. In order to speak for you and Sandlin's care, I had to be a family member."

  Sasha put the heel of her hand to her forehead. "Giovanni, I'm really, really sorry. I seem to always be apologizing to you. You're so deep in my mess, I'm not certain how to get you out of it."

  "Giovanni will have to go to Europe. We'll send you to Sicily ..." Eloisa began.

  "Baby." Giovanni ignored his mother. "I told you I was in love with you. As far as I'm concerned, the engagement stands. I hope we're past that."

  He waited a heartbeat. Two. She didn't pull away, nor did she respond, but he took her silence as a response. He wasn't going to allow her to pull away from him, not with his heart pounding, roaring in his ears, and desperate chaos threatening his mind.

  He took a chance that she wouldn't argue in front of his mother. "I'm grateful we are. It gives us the opportunity to focus on what's important here, which is the safety of your brother as well as your own."

>   "I can take care of myself. You don't have to worry about me," Sasha assured.

  "I know you can. You're strong, Sasha, but the paparazzi are relentless. Let me protect you just a little. Give this to me. I need you to trust me. Trust my family. We've been doing this a very long time."

  Sasha's sapphire eyes searched his face for what seemed an eternity to him. He felt the tension fade from her body before she nodded. "That makes sense. Thanks, Giovanni. I'm not exactly certain how to handle a picture like that on every counter of every grocery store in America. It's the first time I'm grateful my parents aren't around to see it. Or maybe not. I'd rather have them and be embarrassed than not have them."

  She moved into Giovanni and he put his arm around her. "I know you have to be hungry. Come have some breakfast."

  "I really do need to make certain Pietro can find a substitute today."

  Giovanni shared a look with Stefano. Stefano had already made the call, waking Pietro as soon as the tabloid was delivered to the penthouse by one of the bodyguards. No way could Sasha go to work at the deli. The family had already been through that nightmare with Francesca and they didn't want Sasha to have to go through it as well.

  "And I have to go to work tonight at the club."

  "She still works at the club?" Eloisa's voice nearly squeaked with outrage. "Seriously, Giovanni? A waitress? Can you set your standards any lower? At the very least, she should have been fired."

  He all but pushed Sasha into Stefano as he whipped around to face his mother. "That's it. I've had it with you. You barged in here and as usual are spewing crap you don't know a damn thing about just to stir up trouble. You aren't breaking us up. I'm in love with her. I'll always be in love with her. She isn't beneath us, if anything she's way too good for me."

  "Really? You don't think she's after your money?" Eloisa turned to Sasha. "I'll give you five million dollars right now, under the table, tax free, to walk out of our lives."

  Francesca gasped. "Eloisa, stop. I mean it. You've done nothing but insult Sasha since you walked into my home. It's one thing for you to insult me, but not a guest in my home. I understand you love your children and are trying in your own very abrasive and rude way to protect them, but you're going too far and I'd like you to leave my home."

  Eloisa glared at her. "The little mouse thinks she can throw me out of my son's home. This hotel, this penthouse, it belongs to Stefano and my sons and Emme, not you. Never you." Her furious gaze slashed at Sasha. "Well? I mean what I say. My word is good. Will you accept the money?"

  Stefano put his hand on his mother's arm while Sasha simply stared at her. Eloisa shook him off. "Ten million then. Ten million right now to leave my son alone."

  Sasha sighed. "You won't be able to understand this because clearly you were raised to believe money is some kind of measure of worth. I wasn't. I might need it in order to give my brother the best care possible, but I'm willing to work for it."

  "Would you stoop so low as to prostitute yourself for money?" Eloisa sneered.

  "For my family? My brother? In order for him to have the chance to live better, regain his abilities? Give him the best care?" Sasha leaned forward and stared Eloisa straight in the eye. "Damn straight I would. Fortunately, I have a job that allows me to make a good deal and I don't need to prostitute myself or take money from someone like you. I have no problems with working for what Sandlin and I need."

  "Stefano, I would like you to remove your mother from our home," Francesca said.

  "You're done," Stefano said immediately, when his mother opened her mouth. "You've insulted Giovanni's fiancee and my wife for the last time in our home. This is Francesca's home. If you're too blind to see that, it's on you, not us." As he spoke, he walked his mother toward the elevators. "Francesca was nothing but nice to you, Eloisa. She tried hard to get us to accept you into our lives, but this is the last straw. You should have known better than to insult her in front of me. She might keep your poisonous barbs to herself, but I protect what's mine, and Francesca is definitely mine."

  "Ours," Giovanni corrected. He strode across the room to pace along with Stefano. "Francesca is the center of our family. She holds that place you should have had but were too busy to bother to take, Eloisa. Sasha is my choice. She's forever my choice. You didn't bother to get to know her before you accused her of being a gold digger."

  Eloisa shrugged off Stefano's hand and stomped to the elevator. "The two of you are absolutely ridiculous. At least Francesca has the right blood, and if she'd just get pregnant and do her duty, I'd be happier. That one"--she waved her hand toward Sasha--"she waits tables. Why would we want children from her? She isn't even of our blood." Clearly, she hadn't noticed Sasha's shadow, although the lights were dim in the early morning hours.

  Giovanni would have hit her if she'd been a man. The contempt in her voice lashed out at his woman. He had never understood his mother. She appeared cold and unfeeling most of the time. Certainly, when he was young, he couldn't remember a time when she held him. There were no sentimental pictures of her holding any of her children. It was Stefano, a young boy, who had taken the role of caretaker of his brothers and sister, never Eloisa. Francesca had made every effort to integrate her back into the family circle, but rather than embrace Francesca, the longer it took for Francesca to get pregnant, the worse Eloisa acted.

  The elevator doors slid open and Eloisa stepped inside. She turned to face her sons. "Giovanni, you have a duty to our family. You must produce the right children. You can't marry a woman who does not have what that takes. You've known this since you were a toddler."

  The doors shut before Giovanni could respond. Sasha could produce riders, but Eloisa didn't know that because she hadn't seen shadows cast by her in the dimly lit rooms. It didn't matter to him whether she knew or not, she had no right to make matters for Sasha worse than they already were by jumping to conclusions and raining a nasty, barbed diatribe on her.

  Stefano whipped out his phone and called down to the manager. "Did I not say I wanted the code changed on my private elevator?" There was silence. "If it was changed, then how did my mother get up here?" Again, there was silence. "I didn't put her on the list of people who could have the code." He listened, his face darkening. "No, it wasn't an oversight and if you want to keep your job, you'll have the code changed again. Not a single person who is not on that list is to be given the code. If this happens again, you will not be working here. Do you understand?" He slammed the phone down.

  Giovanni and his brother exchanged a long, frustrated look before turning back toward the kitchen. "Are you certain that woman is our mother?"

  Stefano shot him a look that slowly turned into a grin. "I don't know. If there are aliens, it's possible they stole our real mother after I was born and left behind a robot. That would mean the robot is your parent, and I got the real, sweet mother."

  Giovanni couldn't picture his mother being sweet. He'd never witnessed her sweet, not even when Emmanuelle was born. Stefano had held the new baby, looking down at her with love on his face, but not Eloisa. She'd immediately gone to the training room and had begun to work to get her figure back. None of them believed for one moment that anything said or done would change Eloisa. None of them tried anymore. Only Francesca seemed to see Eloisa's goodness beneath her abrasive, nasty barbs. Francesca insisted Eloisa's concern for her children was there, and that she tried in her own way to protect them. Maybe after this she'd give up trying, but he doubted it.

  Sasha and Francesca, both seated at the table, were calmly drinking coffee. He could have kissed Francesca. He could always count on her, the way they counted on Stefano. She'd kept on as if Eloisa hadn't just insulted the hell out of her and she'd made certain Sasha was put at ease in doing so.

  Sasha looked up when they entered the room, her gaze moving over him and settling on his face. She sent him a small smile. "Are you all right?"

  That was supposed to be his question. Giovanni felt warmth infuse his body and the tension
coiled tightly in his belly ease. He hadn't even known it was there, but Eloisa could do that to all of them--make them tense and edgy just by walking into a room.

  He stalked across the room and bent to brush a kiss across her mouth. "I did neglect to mention my mother. I was hoping I'd actually have the wedding ring on your finger before you met her--or even knew about her."

  "She who must never be mentioned," Stefano intoned in a ghostly voice.

  Francesca burst out laughing. Stefano had followed Giovanni into the room, eyes only for his wife. He relaxed the moment she laughed. He took the chair across from her. "I'm just grateful I already ate before she arrived."

  "Sometimes I wonder what she thinks is going to happen when I have a baby," Francesca said. "Does she believe that she'd suddenly turn into a doting grandmother?"

  "Not a chance," Stefano said. "That woman won't touch one of the babies. Not ever."

  "You can't possibly know that," Sasha said. "Babies transform people. You put a baby in their arms and they turn to mush. It just happens."

  "Not with Eloisa," Stefano said, helping himself to the fresh coffee Francesca had put on the table. "She gave birth, sent the baby to the nursery, summoned one of her sisters to the hospital and they carried the child out. I fed them. I was just a little boy and remember getting up because the baby was crying. She never got up. Not one time that I can recall."

  "Really?" The shock showed on Sasha's face. Like everyone else, she had tremendous difficulty believing the reality of their lives.

  Giovanni nodded. "It was always Stefano who took care of us. Eloisa rarely even showed her face, and there was hell if a baby cried for more than a few minutes. She would fly into a rage."

  "She hit Giovanni more than once because he would always guard the door to slow her down so I could get the baby outside where she couldn't hear it cry anymore," Stefano said.

  "You couldn't have been very old," Sasha said to Giovanni.

  He shrugged. "Ricco took more of a beating than I did. If she was really angry because the baby had the croup or something and cried at night, he was the one who had to face her."