by J. L. Drake
“Hey,” it took all my self-control to pull away, “how much time do you have right now?” His lips curled playfully.
“I canceled everything, once I knew we were having company tonight.”
“Good, come with me.” He didn’t question me and followed without hesitation. When I didn’t head upstairs to the bedroom, though, he made a funny noise and looked at me, confused. Still, he played along and followed me into the library.
“Sienna, I don’t think I could read right now.” He chuckled.
“I know.” I locked the door and motioned for him to follow me to the back where I knew a comfy couch was. Pulling my favorite book from the shelf as we whisked by, I sat down and opened it to where the yellow ribbon marked my page. “Lose the jacket, Mr. Capri, and come here.” I patted the soft material next to me as he shimmied out of his jacket and tossed it on a chair. Once he was next to me, I gently pulled his head to my lap, and he curled onto his side and pulled his feet up.
I knew he was exhausted, but I also knew he would never stop and take the time to rest on his own.
“Wait.” I pulled back his sleeve and admired the two beaded bracelets he had wrapped around his wrist. “You still have these?”
“Of course.” He yawned. “You gave them to me.”
“Well, yes, but I was fourteen at the time.” I chuckled.
“It was the nicest gift anyone ever gave me.”
“Somehow I doubt that.” I eyed the gorgeous library that any book lover would die to have.
He rolled over to look at me then reached up and wrapped a piece of my hair around his finger as he thought. “I don’t wear them every day, but when the mood strikes, I like to wear them. Do you remember what you told me that day when you gave them to me?”
“No,” I lied, embarrassed that he did.
“You told me that you had nothing to your name but these rosary beads. You said that you kept them in a jar with a gold lid. That Father Thomas at the church let you collect them from the floor in the common room and explained that they were still blessed even if they were from broken chains. We were on that flat rock next to the pond, and I watched as you strung each bead with such care and explained that something can come from nothing. When you were finished, you took my hand and wrapped both around my wrist and smiled that gorgeous smile of yours and said they would protect me because I was a good person.” He kissed my fingers as I blinked back the emotion. “Now,” he shimmied back onto his side and got comfortable, “are you going to read to me?”
“I am.” I gently stroked my fingers through his hair, remembering how he had looked at me after I said those words to him and how he took my hand and gave it a squeeze because he couldn’t speak. That moment meant just as much to him as it did to me. I still couldn’t believe he kept them.
When I didn’t start reading, he nudged me and nestled in closer, sliding his hand up my leg and stroking my thigh with his strong fingers.
Sending my gaze down the page, I found where I had left off. He made it through two chapters before his breathing evened out and his muscles finally relaxed.
We stayed there like that for a long while, my fingers fiddling with the beads on his wrist, hanging on to the memory of that day, until the time caught my attention, and I felt my own anxiety take over. Elio had been asleep for nearly three hours, and I had the finished book well over an hour before. I hated that I needed to move and wake him. The moment I shifted, his hand clamped down hard, and I jumped.
“What’s wrong?” His eyes jolted open.
“Nothing,” I said in a soothing voice. “I just need to get ready soon.”
“Okay.” He sat up and rubbed his eyes.
“You can sleep a little longer. There’s still time.”
“No.”
“You’re kind of jumpy,” I teased to see where his head was.
“Can’t imagine why.” He closed his eyes and shook his head, then smiled as he realized how grumpy he sounded. “I don’t nap, ever, so thank you.”
I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Anytime.”
“Wait.” He stopped me from leaving. “Will you take a walk with me?”
“A walk?” I studied the time on the wall. I was still okay for a bit.
“I want to show you something.”
“You do?” I found myself intrigued. “Lead the way.”
He led me out the back door of the Hill House, down a stone pathway and along the edge of the vineyard. “I know that, right now, this place doesn’t feel like home, and I know how important it is to have a place to go, especially when you just need to be left alone. Years ago, I felt that way, too. So, I made a special place where I felt at peace.” He glanced over at me, gauging my interest.
“All right.” I smiled encouragement.
He threaded his fingers through mine and walked me down the hill a little way to where two weeping willow trees stood. He led me through their draping branches into a small grassy area fronted by a bed of lovely sunflowers. A canvas hammock swung between two sturdy trees shaded by the wispy branches of the weeping willows. The protected area was perfectly placed. It had a lovely view beyond its sunflower border down over the vineyard, but it couldn’t be seen from the Hill House or from the side that looked over Elio’s and Mariano’s homes.
“No one can see you here unless they are coming straight up on you from below. It’s a place to come whenever you need to be alone or just want to think.”
With a huge smile, I let go of his hand and admired the magical spot. The weeping branches of the willow brushed over my shoulders as I felt the smooth fabric of the hammock.
“You did this?” He nodded. “Back when you first came here?”
He nodded, but his face fell as he came closer and joined me in the shady hideout. He leaned his shoulder against the tree and folded his arms as though he found it hard to explain.
“A year after we moved here, I had the roses that lined the area dug up and replaced them with sunflowers. Much like your necklace, I also needed something that reminded me of you. It took a few years to get it the way I wanted it.” He looked over at the hammock that hung between the two trees. “I planted the sunflowers myself, every spring. I never pictured myself as a gardener.” He laughed softly and looked down at his fingers, and I noticed his edges of his nails looked stained. “I just figured if we were ever to be here together, I wanted you to like it. Maybe it sounds foolish, but now I know I was preparing it for you.”
I was speechless. How could a man be this thoughtful when he’d felt all hope was lost?
“Climb in.” He pointed to the hammock, and I slowly eased into it and was pleasantly surprised when he joined me, slipping an arm under my shoulders. I tucked my head against his neck.
“I love that you never gave up on us. Thank you.” He turned and kissed my forehead, and we snuggled in and spent a few more blissful moments enjoying a spot that was reserved just for us. Just as I got comfortable, he lifted his free arm and checked the time.
“I hate to say it, but we should get going.” He offered me a hand, and we headed back toward the Hill House.
Back at the house, I examined the purple sun dress I had decided on in the mirror, then threaded a favorite pair of dangly earrings through the tiny holes in my earlobes. I headed downstairs to the kitchen with my stomach in knots. I wasn’t sure what events would come along with the company tonight. I leaned over the counter and lowered my head to suck in a deep steadying breath, trying to calm my nerves.
“Knock, knock.” Andrea stood in the doorway, looking very pretty in her slacks and pink blouse. “They’ve arrived. Will you join us out back?”
I nodded, but as she turned to leave, I called her back. “Andrea?”
“Mm?” When I couldn’t seem to find the right words, she smiled warmly and moved closer.
“You know how much you mean to me, right?” I blurted, just to have it out there.
“Sienna,” she gathered my hands in hers, “no matter wh
o comes in and out of your life, you will always be the daughter I’d dreamed of having. Perhaps even one day, my daughter-in-law?” She winked, and I let go some of my tension. Regardless of what might be heading my way, I had the Capris to ride out the storm with me.
She tucked her arm through mine as we walked toward the French doors that led outside. “Surely, it can’t be all bad,” she whispered.
“And if it is?”
“I’ve been known to hide a body or two.” She chuckled darkly, and I smiled at her humor. Elenora spotted me and rose from the garden chair where she sat. Her men nodded politely at me as I approached but kept their distance.
That’s right, keep your wolves on their leashes.
Taking in my surroundings, I spotted a few more of her men by their cars and a couple more down the driveaway. Suddenly, I felt my heartrate speed up. Why so many of them? Where were Piero, Niccola, Vinni, and…
“Andrea?” I started to panic.
“He’s here,” she squeezed my hand, “you just have to let yourself feel him.”
I nodded once and squeezed back.
She stopped and gently removed my white-knuckled grip on her hand. Elenora was once again dressed to perfection in a white blouse and flowy skirt.
“Welcome to our home,” Andrea greeted her. “Please take a seat.”
“Thank you.” Elenora kept her eyes on me as she eased down into her seat, and I mirrored her actions.
“I will just go and get us something cool to drink,” Andrea offered and smiled. Then she gracefully walked back toward the Hill House.
“Sienna—”
“Do you know where my father is?” I didn’t want the pleasantries. I wanted—no, needed—answers.
“Yes,” she nodded, “I do.”
I wanted to ask where he was but held off on that, as I guessed the answer would come later.
“You told me you left because you were in danger and that you’re back now because of the article I did, but,” I blinked back the hurt, “did you ever even check on me?”
She cleared her throat as she mulled over my answer. “I knew where you were.”
“How?”
I watched as her gaze swung over to Francesco, who was now standing by a lounge chair. I couldn’t fathom that he’d known things about me that I didn’t and that he’d never once breathed a word to me in all the time I had been at the Capris’ home. I would address that later. Right now, my mother needed to understand that forgiveness wasn’t about to come easy. She needed to see how her actions had affected my life.
“After I finally ran away from the terrible family I had been placed with, I had to live on the street. I had to sleep in alleyways. I went days without eating. But you say you knew where I was.” I tilted my head to look at Francesco. “Apparently, you both did.”
“You blended in. It was a good thing.”
“I was alone. I had no one.”
She leaned forward, resting her arms on her thighs, and hung her head. “I just…” Her voice cracked, and I found myself full of emotion. “I just needed you safe.”
“I may have been safe,” I leaned forward, “from whatever was after you, but I wasn’t from everything else.”
“I chose the lesser of two evils,” she quickly dried her eyes and sat straight again, “and what good did that even do?” She looked over my head.
Suddenly, his hand slipped over my shoulder. It was as though I was thrown a lifeline, and it felt wonderful as it rested there on the curve of my collarbone. Elenora’s eyes widened for a split second, but she quickly pulled her mask back down.
“Are you two together?”
“If we were?”
“That would pose a problem.”
“What does that mean?” What was her damn hang-up with the Capri family, anyway?
“These people are murderers, Sienna. Stone cold killers.”
“I disagree,” I stated simply.
“You need to trust me on this, Sienna.”
I snorted as I shook my head at her words. “I have no trust. Not for anyone.” Elio flinched, and Elenora caught it. I could see it as her eyes narrowed in on him. To my surprise, he made no comment, and she let it go and directed her attention back to me.
“I want to earn it back.” She placed a hand on mine and stared into my eyes. “I know it needs to be earned, and I’m willing to do that.”
My knee-jerk reaction was to say no, but she was my mother, the person who had given me life. I needed more from her, and I knew she could fill in the gaps of where I came from and who I was.
“It’ll take time.” I wasn’t going to give in easy.
“I know.”
Andrea arrived and passed us each a frosted glass of bubbly water. She settled into a chair next to Elenora.
I waited a moment and took a sip, then turned to Elenora.
“You need to accept that the Capris are in my life too.”
Her neck contracted as she swallowed hard. “I’ll have to work on that.”
“You can’t disappear on me again.”
“I won’t.”
“I want answers. I deserve them.”
“You do, and I’ll do my best to tell you whatever I can.”
“All right.” I felt unsure, but what other choice did I have? “What now?”
“Come to our party tomorrow night,” Elio suddenly said. “See for yourself that we’re not who you think we are. My cousin, Vinni, turned twenty-seven today. We’re hosting a party for him. It would be a chance for you both to relax and get to know one another in a less formal setting.”
I noticed Elenora looked unsure, but when she caught my expression, daring her to say no, she slowly started to nod. “All right. If it’s acceptable to the rest of your family, I think that can be arranged.”
“Any family of Sienna’s is family of ours. We’d love to have you,” Andrea said. “The party starts at eight up in the main house.” She pointed to the Hill House behind us.
“I guess we’ll see you tomorrow.” She smiled politely at me while I digested the little progress we had made. While we walked them back to their cars, I couldn’t help but notice Oscar was watching me intently. It could be that he was actually watching Elio, who had become my shadow lately. Either way, I felt strange and a little uneasy around him, and wondered just who he was to my mother.
“Thanks,” I said over my shoulder once our guests’ cars were all headed down the driveway. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“Yeah,” Elio came into my view, “I really did.”
“What are you thinking?”
“I don’t like how cryptic she’s being.” He turned to look over at Francesco. “I don’t like secrets. They are kept from people for a reason.”
“You kept secrets from me.” I hadn’t meant to lash out, and I saw the hurt on his face.
“And look where it got me.” He kissed my hand then tucked it around his arm as we walked back into the house.
Later that evening, after Elio slipped out, I found myself hanging around the kitchen with Donte, who was busy cleaning up from dinner.
“What do you do when you’re finished?” I asked as I dried the remaining mixing bowl.
“I normally take a walk, or maybe drive into the city to visit friends. As long as the kitchen is clean, and the meals are prepped for the next day, I’m allowed to leave. However,” he removed his chef’s jacket, “there’s always someone on standby if someone is hungry.”
“What are your plans for tonight?”
“A walk.”
“May I join you?”
“Sure,” he smiled, “as long as you clear it with the Don first.” I looked him, confused. “You should ask the boss’s father for permission.”
I nodded and made quick work to find Piero, who thought it was a lovely idea to go for a walk. I grabbed a light sweater, and we headed out.
“When did you start working for the Capris?” I asked and admired the glow of the sunset over the rolling hills in
front of us as we strolled along in relaxed conversation.
“I’ve known them since I was ten but never officially worked for them until I was seventeen.”
“Wow that’s pretty impressive.”
“Mafia, remember? When you work for the family, you are treated like family. My father worked for the Don’s brother, Bosco, when he was thirty.” He paused to make sure I was following, and I nodded for him to go on. “But it was actually Mrs. Andrea who hired my father. She happened to be here on vacation and found him cooking at a small restaurant. She made him an offer, and not long after, we went from a small little place in a poor neighborhood to a three-bedroom villa on the Capri property. Do you know what it’s like to see your parents worry?” His face suddenly dropped, and he closed his eyes for a moment, clearly knowing a little of my story. “I’m sorry, Sienna, poor choice of an example.”
“Don’t be.” I shrugged. “It was hard for me, but that wouldn’t mean that it wasn’t hard for you too, just a different kind of hard.” I chuckled. “Sounds very poetic, doesn’t it?”
He laughed with me and let it go. Again, it was something else we connected on.
“Let me ask you this.” I let my curiosity about what it was like living in a mafia house get the best of me. “Were you ever scared? I mean, they are mafia.”
“I think I would have been, if I had known better.” He nodded as he spoke as though he agreed with his wording. “I was too young to know much, anyway. Plus, Mrs. Noemi loves kids, so the odd time when I was around, she was really nice. Mr. Vinni and Mr. Niccola were hilarious. They were always pranking their father and getting into mischief wherever they went. As I got older, and I realized what kind of world I was surrounded by, well, let’s just say I understood it by then.” He lifted a finger. “But it was all because I listened to my papa as he groomed me to not only be the best chef I could be, but how to keep safe in this life. Head down, be polite no matter who you’re speaking to. But most of all, he taught me to be loyal.”
“Sounds like your papa is a wise man.” He smiled at me, and we went back to admiring the evening.