Shadow Keeper

by Christine Feehan

"He got shit," Tom said. "Women were all over us."

  "He told me you competed for women," Sasha said, "and he always won. I have to admit, I can see why. He just walked up the stairs and you could see all that power. He bragged he took every woman from you."

  James swore. "Fuckin' liar. I won my share of the bets."

  "I did, too," Tom said. "Aaron ran his mouth but he lied all the time to make himself look good. The bet on you was fifty thousand dollars. He needed the money, so he had to get Ferraro out of the way." His gaze shifted just for a moment to James.

  "You bet fifty thousand dollars that you could date me?"

  James climbed slowly to his feet. "We don't date, we fuck 'em and then drop 'em. That's the bet."

  She nodded. "I see. He shared that picture of me with both of you, didn't he? And you all three made the bet."

  "Of course he did. To give us an incentive to work harder." James laughed. "Then Ferraro snapped you up and killed the plan. All along, it was just a ruse."

  "What do you mean?" Tom asked.

  "She wasn't really engaged to him. It was so he could help her straighten things out at Hendrick Center."

  Tom scowled. "You've got to be kidding. The brain-dead patients." He stood up and staggered to the door.

  Sasha started to protest, furious that Tom would talk about the patients at the Center that way, but Giovanni put a hand on her arm and shook his head. They watched the door close after them, and then she glared at her fiance.

  "Why didn't you let me tell them off?" Fury made her voice tremble, but it was at the two fighters, not Giovanni.

  "We were already skating on thin ice, baby." He caught her chin and examined her face for bruises.

  "I don't understand."

  "When you told him we weren't really engaged, you never mentioned the Center's name. You said your brother had a traumatic brain injury. Anyone who didn't have a family member or friend in the facility wouldn't know about the facility. And Tom wasn't present for the conversation. He referred to the patients as 'brain-dead.' It's both of them. Together."

  Stefano and Taviano entered the room, both obviously overhearing the last thing Giovanni said. They'd been watching and listening from the control room.

  Stefano indicated the door that led between the lounge and the hall where the two men had disappeared. "That's why their alibis checked out. When one was doing something, the other was seen. Once we went back and looked at anyone who would benefit from Aaron being out of the way, we concentrated on both Corlege and Mariland. Mariland is a firebug. He has a sealed record of starting multiple fires as a child. He went into the Army. They didn't look at his sealed records, because they couldn't. He also is very good at explosives."

  "And Corlege?" Giovanni asked.

  "Corlege is a very sick man. He likes to hurt women. He's had three relationships where his partner has ended up in the hospital," Taviano said.

  "Sheesh." She rolled her eyes. "It's funny that Tom is the one who hit me when Corlege probably wishes he could have."

  "Which is why none of us wanted you here in the first place, Sasha," Stefano said. "You could have really been hurt."

  "You needed me to help carry out this plan. I told you I'd be all right." She couldn't help the smugness in her voice.

  "He got his hands on you." Giovanni glared at her. "You let him touch your feet."

  "I was getting information, and you burst in here like a crazy person," she protested, feeling slightly guilty. "There wasn't supposed to be hitting. In any case, I needed a foot massage."

  "You want a fuckin' foot massage, Sasha, you get it from your man, not the ones we suspect of trying to kill you."

  "That's my cue to leave. I have to go back to work." She rolled her shoulder experimentally. It hurt, but not nearly as bad as it had when Tom hit her. More likely, he'd grazed her when she was rolling.

  "You aren't going back to work. We already have another server working the second tier, and Nancy shifted to the top one. You're going to take it easy right here and then go home with me."

  She started to protest, looked around at the set features and then shrugged. "Fine." She didn't feel all that good anyway. Her shoulder did hurt, but she wasn't about to mention that and get another lecture. "Why didn't they just kill Aaron? They didn't mind in the least killing me. Or Giovanni. Why the elaborate plan?"

  "Best guess," Stefano said, "jealousy. They wanted his title and wanted Aaron to see them in the winner's seat. Or at least James did. He seemed to be the leader between the two of them. They both wanted to win the competitions for the groupies. They probably got talking over a bottle of booze one night, sat around talking smack about Aaron and then thought up ways to actually get rid of him. The more they talked, the more elaborate the plan and the better it sounded. We've seen it before."

  "We know all this, but can we get enough evidence to convict them?" Sasha asked.

  The three men looked at one another. It was Giovanni who spoke. Gently. "Baby. We just have to get Aaron off. That shouldn't be difficult now that we know where to look."

  "I don't understand. The cops are going to want to arrest them."

  "They'll try," Stefano agreed. "Let's go home. My woman is waiting for me. And for all you observant shadow riders, not one of you noticed she wasn't drinking alcohol when we came to the club dancing. I bet her that you'd notice and I lost that bet."

  Giovanni and Taviano both looked at their brother like he'd lost his mind.

  "She used to drink Moscow mules and cosmopolitans, but for the last few months, it's been water. Or sparkling water. Maybe you haven't been paying attention." Stefano gave them his mean look. "There is very little Francesca does that I don't notice."

  Giovanni nudged Sasha. "Pay attention, baby. I follow in Stefano's footsteps when it comes to my woman. I notice everything."

  She thought about giving him a smart-ass answer, but she remained silent. She really wanted to go home and soak in that fabulous tub in the master suite.

  Giovanni glanced at Stefano. "Will you be inviting our New York cousins to come for my wedding?"

  "Of course."

  "Perfect. I can't wait to see them. Come on, baby, let's go home." He knelt down to slip her heels back on her feet. His hands brushed her ankles as he did up the straps. "Who knew you were so good with a shoe?"

  "I have many talents." She sent him a small smile.

  "One of them is not staying out of trouble when your man is fighting."

  "In my defense," she said, "I didn't know he was that good."

  Taviano choked. Stefano turned away, clearing his throat. Giovanni stood up slowly. "I've been keeping count of all your little indiscretions," he warned. "I believe in punishments."

  She laughed. "I'll be looking forward to that." Her smile faded and she took his hand to allow him to pull her up. "You do know it goes both ways, right?"

  Giovanni wrapped his arm around her. "Not sure what you mean, woman."

  "I'm very good with ropes. Hog-tying is something of a specialty. Torturing is second nature." She leaned into him, and he put his head down so her lips were against his ear. "I'm very, very good with my mouth."

  He laughed as they walked down the hall to the private entrance and exit for the Ferraro family. Once in the parking lot, he handed her gently into the car. "Your shoulder is going to be black and blue. I wanted to beat the crap out of Tom."

  "Um ... babe? I think you did. I think both of them are going to wake up very sore tomorrow."

  "They'll be celebrating tonight, thinking they put one over on Aaron. You played your part beautifully, Sasha. I will say, I didn't expect them to follow you into the break room. We had it set up to watch over you at their table, but this was so much better. Especially when they attacked me."

  "Do you have someone watching them?"

  He nodded as he slid onto the seat beside her. "Ricco is following James, and Mariko is following Tom. If they're together, which we hope, they'll talk. They won't be able to help but b
rag. That's just another nail in the coffin. We'll be able to provide that to the investigators along with everything else we've got on them. There's going to be plenty of proof."

  "And Aaron?"

  "He'll have to stay in jail a little longer. Just until after we're married."

  "That long?" She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes against the stream of lights.

  "Baby, we're getting married in two days."

  She couldn't help but smile at the reprimand in his voice. Of course, she knew when they were getting married. "Aren't you a little afraid for Mariko and Ricco? If one or both get caught, I'm sure Tom or James won't have a problem shooting them."

  "They'll never come out of the shadows. In any case, even if they did, they're too well trained and far too fast. Ricco is the fastest of all of us."

  It surprised her that Giovanni would name his brother faster, but she realized none of the Ferraro brothers ever bragged. They teased one another, but they didn't brag out of the family circle or in it. They were arrogant, but it came from a place of complete confidence.

  "He's really that much faster than you?" She'd just seen Giovanni in action, and if he was fast enough to take on two mixed martial arts fighters, then Ricco had to be insanely fast.

  "Yes. And he never, never gets turned around in a city."

  "I didn't think about that happening," she admitted. She reached down to rub at her aching ankle. Her feet were still painful.

  Immediately, Giovanni lifted her feet into his lap and undid the tiny buckles on the thin straps. He dropped the shoes onto the floor and began to massage her feet. His fingers were strong and they moved into her sore muscles, a deep pressure, until she wanted to cry with relief.

  "That feels so good, honey," she admitted. "I should have stopped James, but my feet hurt so bad I was shameless."

  "You were," he agreed, but he didn't stop. "We'll talk about that more when we get home."

  "Are we going to talk about how your skanky actress with the roving tongue managed to slip through security and get into the employee lounge when we get home as well?"

  "Don't try diversion. It won't work. Meredith isn't my actress, and you can handle ten actresses like her with one hand tied behind your back. If we stopped her and not the other two, it would have possibly given away the fact that we were letting them slip through on purpose."

  She was a bit mollified that he believed she could handle Meredith so easily.

  "We're also going to talk about how you didn't exit the room when you were supposed to, before the fighting started. I gave you enough time, but you didn't take it. Worse, you threw your shoe at Tom so he'd come at you. Those MMA fighters could break your jaw with one punch."

  "I'm scrappy and fast. I had to be, working with cattle and horses."

  He sent her a look that said he wasn't happy with her and she was going to hear about it so she thought it prudent to change the subject. She glanced at the front seat where Enzo drove and Emilio sat on the passenger side. "You said Ricco never loses his way. How do people get turned around in the shadows?"

  "You're moving very fast, the speed is insane. Especially narrow shadows. Some tubes are like slick rails. Everything is blurred because you're moving so fast. The neighborhoods are unfamiliar. I know my way around Chicago, but I usually work in San Francisco, Los Angeles or New York. I've even worked overseas. Ricco trained in Japan. All of us trained in Europe or Asia. Sometimes, both."

  "Your life is fascinating."

  The car stopped, and Emilio opened the door for them. Giovanni slipped out first and then reached for her. Gathering her into his arms, he cradled her close to his chest. Sasha put her arms around his neck and leaned into him. Inhaling his scent. He smelled like home to her now. He carried her as if she weighed no more than a feather. As if she was a princess. She knew he carried her because her feet hurt. He was like that, paying attention to every detail.

  He carried her through the house, right to the master suite. She loved the way the house was set up, and she'd already been adding her own touches here and there. She would be bringing treasures she had put in storage--thankfully--things that had belonged to her parents and brother. For now, it was little things, like arranging flowers in large vases and scattering them around the house. Her mother had loved flowers. She grew them in the garden and then cut them for the house. Sasha had always thought it was a little silly since the flowers were right outside, but now she really wanted to surround herself with the things that reminded her of her mother, and she wanted her own garden.

  Giovanni deposited her in the armchair right in front of the fireplace and went on through to the bath to fill the square, oversized tub. She picked up the remote and started the flames so they flickered and threw out dancing shadows. Putting her head back she looked around the room with its high ceilings and beautiful appointments. She had never thought that she might be living in luxury. She still had a difficult time coming to terms with it. She wasn't certain she would ever actually do so.

  "Baby?"

  She turned her head almost lazily. Her man stood in the doorway, watching her. She smiled at him, the feeling of love so strong her heart felt shaky with it. "Right here, Giovanni. I don't know if I can move."

  "You don't have to. I'll undress you and get you in the bath. The hot water will help."

  "It's strange to think that someone would try to kill us. Both of us. Not because we did anything to them, but because they wanted to hurt someone else. That kind of thinking eludes me. Do you think we've got it wrong? I mean, really, that's so bizarre."

  "Unfortunately, people kill for all kinds of reasons, Sasha. They hurt each other and steal from each other. I've always found the useless robberies to be the thing I find hard to understand. Killing for five bucks. Or a candy bar. How does a person do that?" He shrugged. "I don't want you thinking about it anymore. We're home and we're safe. I know your brother is because I just checked on him. We've tightened security there and no one is going to get near him."

  "Thank you." She flashed him a small grin. "I was just sitting here thinking I could never get used to this, but that right there, being able to make a phone call and have someone actually talk to you and reassure you that Sandlin was in his room and sound asleep, an actual person reassuring you at this time of night, that I could get used to."

  He laughed. "I suppose I'm spoiled. I would expect it. In fact, if someone didn't get their ass in gear and tell me immediately, I might get them fired. I've had that since I was very young."

  "You were spoiled." She stretched lazily.

  He walked over to her, and she watched him come, his muscles moving beneath his tight shirt, his dark features so beautiful to her. He scooped her out of the chair and took her into the bathroom. It was every bit as luxurious as the bedroom. The fireplace in there was lit as well. Flames flickered, licking at the logs.

  Sasha kept her eyes on Giovanni's face as he slowly pulled her club uniform off and tossed it aside. He kissed her. Slowly. So hot. Perfect. Taking her breath and her heart at the same time. His hands moved over her body, gentle. Tender even. All the while she could feel possession in his touch. He helped her into the large tub and then inspected her shoulder carefully. He pressed a warm cloth over the spot that was throbbing. "I added some salts into the water. They should help. Scoot down until your shoulder is underwater. I'll put a pillow behind your head."

  She did so and then he joined her, pulling her feet into his lap. "I've got to wash that man's touch off your skin."

  "It really bothered you, didn't it?"

  "I don't want anyone touching you. Family hugs. There will be kissing on the cheek. But no one else. I don't share what's mine." He looked around the room. "All this, Sasha. It doesn't mean anything without you. Nothing I have in my life means anything without you. I live hard. The things I have to do are sometimes very difficult. I do them because it's my duty, but I've never had what I needed to make it all worthwhile until I found you."

&n
bsp; She heard the sincerity in every word. No one had ever made her feel so wanted--or needed. "I'm not going anywhere."

  "I worry you will. I practically railroaded you."

  She laughed. She couldn't help it. "Honey, I'm not someone who can be railroaded. I'm here with you because I want to be with you. I'll always choose you. I had one moment of freaking out, and after I realized it wasn't about you at all, or even your world, although no sane person wants to be in your world, I knew I wanted to be with you. I was losing my mind over things I had no control over, like someone trying to kill us. It was convenient to think it was about you or how you live, but it wasn't. I'm ashamed I even had that moment."

  She knew he would dismiss it, and he did, with a single wave of his hand and the best foot massage of her life. After, he made love to her, so tenderly he stole her soul along with her heart. He woke her in the middle of the night and delivered her "punishment," which just so happened to be the hottest thing she'd ever experienced, and their erotic tango turned so wild she was certain it might take weeks to recover. It was morning when she woke him for his "punishment."

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  "I tried to get bail posted for Aaron," Tom Mariland said. "I don't know why I couldn't make it happen. I tried three bondsmen. All said the same thing, they couldn't get him out until Monday. There's no way we can take out all the Ferraros at this wedding and get away with it."

  "We can get away with it," James Corlege said. "We just can't blame it on Aaron." He paced across the room, his hand beating a little tattoo rhythm on his thigh. "Fucking bitch lied to me, said her engagement to that moron wasn't real and all the time she planned a wedding behind my back. I hate them. I hate her most of all."

  Tom gave a snort of laughter. "You sound like the bitch belonged to you."

  "She would have if Giovanni moneybags Ferraro hadn't enticed her away. Women are so easily led by their tits straight to the money. Dangle cash and they'll spread their legs and do whatever a man wants." James turned and smashed his fist into the wall. "At least Aaron's going down for the fire and the stalking. Getting Marita to screw the bastard and get his condom out of the trash for us was a stroke of genius. There is no way Aaron can explain how his sperm was all over Sasha's underwear when they find it's his DNA."