Quiet Secrets

by J. L. Drake

  Once the door closed and we were behind the protection of the thick tinted glass, I grabbed her shoulders to face me.

  “Are you all right?”

  My hands shook as I tried to process that I just killed someone on an open street in the middle of the day.

  “Hey.” Elio grabbed me and made me look at him, but I was so far away from reality that it was almost overwhelming. “You’re okay. Take a breath.” He made quick work of fixing my arm with the first aid kit that came out of nowhere and assured me I didn’t need a stitch after all.

  I was pleased the partition was up and we were in a limo instead of a town car. I needed to be grounded because I felt like I was being pulled in a hundred different directions at max speed.

  I swiveled, dropped to my knees in front of him, and desperately grabbed for his belt to release it. His hands came down and covered mine to stop me.

  “As much as I understand your need to feel something, let’s just get home, because chances are we’ll have company.” He kissed my hands, and I tried hard to pull myself together to see his point. “When I’m inside you, Sienna,” he purred as he pulled me up onto his lap, “everything else just fades away. I can’t protect you when we’re like that.”

  I nodded my understanding, but the need for a release was consuming. I could also see by his eyes that he was in a battle to calm his own inner fire.

  “What you did back there was impressive but incredibly reckless. I appreciate what you did and why you did it, but these are not your average criminals. These men are highly trained and have a shoot first, ask questions later type of mentality.”

  “So, you’re saying I should have let him shoot you,” I shot back, feeling edgy about everything that had happened and about what was not going to happen right now.

  “What I’m saying,” he grabbed my arm when I went to pull away, “is thank you.” His gaze dropped to my lips, and I could see his battle with what he wanted to do and what he should do.

  “Kiss me,” he whispered.

  It was as if something hit the center of my heart, and an all too familiar pain spread through my chest like paint oozing out of a can. It filled the gaps and grooves of my battered heart. The photos flashed in front of me, and I didn’t know how to deal with it. I loved Elio, there was no question, but things were strange and different now.

  When his grip loosened on my arm, I slid from his lap and took a seat across from him, crossing my legs and my arms.

  He glared at me in confusion and was about to speak when a phone call came through and he quickly took it. Once he hung up, he seemed deep in thought, and in those moments of silence, my brain ping-ponged from all that had happened. I had ended a man’s life. It was a terrible thing to try to get my head around. Elio’s hands came down firmly on both my knees.

  “There’s a place in your head where you can put what happened tonight to rest. You just need to find it,” he whispered. I nodded once, understanding what he was referring to because I’d had to utilize that place before. He leaned back, and we returned to our silence.

  Once we were outside the town, I lowered the partition. “Please drop me off at the Il Giglio hotel.”

  “No,” Elio hissed.

  “You don’t get a say in this.”

  “The hell I don’t,” he snapped back, and we skipped by the turnoff completely. I should have known the driver would side with Elio.

  I slipped back in the seat and crossed my legs. “What about my stuff?”

  “I had it returned to our house after I saw you at the festival.”

  “What?” How could he?

  “It’s not where you belong.” He looked out the window, calm as ever.

  “And where is it that I belong, Elio? Because you’re doing a stellar job of making sure it’s not with you.”

  His head slowly turned, and his jaw started to tick as he stared at me. He was pissed, but so was I. We sat in silence for a few more minutes until we passed through the Capri gates, and I let go of the breath I was holding. When we arrived at his house, I hopped out, needing space away from him.

  I unlocked the door, dropped my purse, and went for the stairs, only to have him snag my arm. As he spun me around, I pushed him down on the stairs. He lost his footing and went down with a hiss. With quick hands, I undid his pants and freed his semi-erection and shifted quickly onto his lap.

  “Sienna?” He tried to get my attention, but I couldn’t do it. I was spinning and had no way to stop. He took pity on me and hiked up my dress, slid my panties over, while he quickly grew hard.

  I didn’t wait, I just lined him up and slid down and only focused on him inside of me.

  “Jesus.” His head snapped backward, and his neck strained.

  I gripped the railing, turned my mind off, and lived in the moment. His hands slid around and cupped my ass before they took hold of my hips, helping me ride out my tension.

  “Kiss me,” he ordered, but I couldn’t. I was still so hurt by him doubting me, by the photos, by all that we had between us. “Sienna!” he barked, but again I just took what I wanted and didn’t care. He smacked my ass, and the sting only fueled my fire. “Dammit!” He grunted, and I knew he was close, because so was I. The sweet taste of bliss was near and drew my sensitive nerves to high alert. He grabbed my head and slammed his lips to mine, but I cried out as pain and anger ripped through my chest. “Fuck,” he cursed when he didn’t get his way. He knew how I felt. I wasn’t trying to punish him, but he took me when he wanted, so shouldn’t I be able to do the same?

  Three more thrusts, and we both jumped off the deep end together. He buried his face in my chest, and I held on while I rode out a long much-needed orgasm. Bliss and pain were a dangerous mix during an orgasm, and my mind spun into a dark web, and I wasn’t sure if I should relish it or fight it…it felt better to give in.

  Once I was done and my lungs could take in air again, I slipped off his lap, fixed my dress, and rushed by him, wanting a shower. I ignored his command to come back. Elio might have a big bark, but tonight I wasn’t listening.

  To my surprise, he let me be, and I was grateful. I needed time to get my thoughts in order. The hot water pounded down on my head. Its white noise filled the air around me, blocking out everything else. I wished I could stay there and just live under the spray.

  Stealing one of his white dress shirts, I fastened a few buttons and pulled on some lace panties, then I went to look for my phone. I felt I should let Elenora know where I was.

  I took the stairs quickly, grabbed my purse, and as I dug for my phone, I walked into the kitchen where I knew he had chargers.

  “Yes, Papa knows everything that happened today. I just got off the phone with him.” There was a pause, and his shoulders flexed as he rolled his neck, holding the phone to his ear. “Because she doesn’t belong there,” Elio said quietly. He stood by the window with his bare back to me. I could see his frustration in the reflection of the glass and by how rigidly he stood. He had showered, and his hair was wet. He’d pulled on a pair of workout pants. It was an interesting look for him. I’d never seen him in anything but suits and on a rare occasion a pair of jeans. “No, I didn’t ask her.” There was a pause. “Fine. I will ask her.”

  I felt sick. Who was he talking to, and what more did he want to accuse me of?

  He suddenly sensed me and turned to find me staring at him. I shook my head slowly, plugged in my phone, and made the decision to text Elenora later.

  “I have to go.” He hung up and followed me out of the kitchen and into the living room, where a specular storm was rolling in. His huge windows gave a panoramic view of acres and acres of land, and it made me feel like I was in a cinema in front of those massive screens.

  “I want to talk to you about your visit with Cara.” He didn’t waste any time jumping right in. “Did she ask you about me?”

  “Of course she did! She was the one who would help me sneak away to visit you.”

  “And what else did she ask?�
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  “What you did for a living, were we still together. That type of thing.”

  “What did you tell her about my job?”

  “Nothing, I kept it vague.” I felt my back rise. “What? Did you think I sat there with a family chart and explained how you’re the underboss to one of the biggest syndicates in Italy?” He lifted a shoulder, and I covered my face, wanting to lose my shit. “If you have something to ask me, ask me, Elio!”

  He disappeared through a door I hadn’t been through before and returned with the polygraph test printout. “What is this?” He pointed to a high line that was circled. “What do I not know about my family but you do?”

  “What?” I snatched the paper and read the questions next to it. Is there something you know that the Capri family should know?

  I opened my mouth to be honest, to tell him the truth, but something stopped me. Maybe because I knew it wasn’t my secret, but I also knew it wasn’t that bad of a situation. Suddenly, something came over me. I folded my arms and popped out my hip, feeling a new sense of confidence.

  “It’s not fun, is it?” I waited to watch his eyebrows draw up. “Not knowing something about your family when others do.”

  “This is different.”

  “I see.” I sighed, hating that he couldn’t see the hurt he was causing me. “I’ve been honest from day one. Have you?”

  “Of course.”

  “Really?” I reached inside my purse and handed him the photo of Piero, Francesco, and Elenora. “Have your parents been?” He studied the picture and shook his head in confusion. “I’m going to ask you again. Have you and your parents been honest with me?”

  “I won’t repeat myself.” His tone told me that dicky Elio had returned. I then handed him the photo he was in. “I don’t remember this.”

  “But I’m supposed to take your word on that? That you didn’t know my mother at sixteen?”

  “Yes.”

  “Right.” I turned my back to him as I moved closer to the window. “So, when were you going to tell me you were supposed to marry Anna, before I arrived and messed it up?”

  “There’s a difference between being told to marry someone and loving that person enough to marry them. I didn’t love her, so it didn’t happen.” He rubbed his head in frustration, and I turned back to face him.

  “And you claim to love me, but you suddenly don’t trust me.” I tossed my hands in the air. “You want me to take your word, but you won’t take mine.”

  “I have more to lose than you do,” he snapped, and I felt a fire ignite inside me. “I mean,” he paused, “I have many lives that I have to protect and many plates spinning that can’t fall. You showed up, and suddenly the Coppolas are on my territory sniffing around, meddling in my business. My closest friend turned out to be playing my family, and then your long-lost mother surfaces, tilting my entire life on its axis. So, yeah, Sienna, I have to look at the common dominator right now, because that’s all I’ve got.” My mouth dropped open at the thought that he might think I had anything at all to do with any of it.

  “And yet, after all of you have assured me that you never knew my mother, I have photos of you and your parents with her, and your consigliere, your right-hand man, knows my life story, but I’m the villain here.” I shook my head, unbelievably hurt. “We’re not getting anywhere. It’s pointless for me to be here.”

  “What happened with Abramo?” he barked behind me.

  “What happened?” I repeated as I grabbed my purse and dumped it upside down on the table, sending my stuff everywhere. Once I found the little piece of paper, I tossed it at him. “Unlike the first guy, your professional driver decided to take a detour after my visit with Cara. He broke the number one rule, leaving me alone. That’s the address of where he took me. He gives me the creeps, and I will not be driven by him anymore.”

  Elio’s face fell, and he went silent.

  “Where did you get this paper?”

  “What?” I huffed. “I needed paper to write on, it was tucked down in the cubby on the back of the seat. Why?” He lowered onto a chair and studied it, then turned it over a couple times. He looked at the address I had written.

  “Was this the reason your heartrate spiked on the polygraph test?”

  “What? No.” I wasn’t following him.

  “What spiked it?” His voice was eerie.

  “It’s nothing bad. It’s just not my secret to share.”

  “I’ve killed people for withholding information from me.”

  I chewed the inside of my cheek a moment then let his words wash over me. He had no idea the damage he was creating inside me. Again, that dangerous web began to form inside my head as it spun its sticky darkness around all of our happy moments and drew them deep within its hold. I headed to the bar, pulled his handgun from behind the stacked glasses, and knelt in front of him. I placed it in his hand, wrapped his fingers around the handle, and pointed it at my heart.

  “Rules are rules, right?” I barely recognized my own voice.

  He jolted his hand away and set the gun on the table with a curse. His hands went to his head like there was a lot going on inside.

  “I can’t do this.” He abruptly stood and stepped away from me like I might have stung him. “I need to figure some things out.”

  “Right.” I stood too and gathered my belongings and the photos, holding them up to him. “Of all the things that you’re questioning me on, do you have photos to back them up?” I made a point of waving at the photos. “I also find it interesting that while you continue to vet and question me, you’ve failed to notice my real hesitation during that polygraph.”

  He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. I knew his signs well enough to know we weren’t going to get anywhere tonight.

  “I just want to know what you’re hiding from me.”

  “Me too…” I dropped my arms, suddenly feeling so heavy.

  An uncomfortable silence fell between us.

  “I think our boomerang effect just officially broke.” I waited a beat, then I left him there and headed upstairs.

  It wasn’t until much later that night when I was curled up in the seat in the guest room that I heard his car engine turn over and he peeled out of the driveway. I reached for my phone and called the one person who would cry with me into the night.

  “Who do I need to kill, because my week has been shit?” I broke down, unbelievably happy he answered.

  “I need you, Wyatt.”

  “That’s a damn good thing because I’m five minutes from you and I need my Sienna.”

  My heart surged with happiness as I wiggled into some comfy clothes and raced downstairs. I nearly tackled him as he got out of the car.

  “If that’s not a greeting.” He hugged me back just as hard.

  “How did you know I needed you tonight?” I sobbed.

  “Elio called me.”

  “What?” I pulled back, confused.

  “He doesn’t sound good either, but I think he’s more concerned about you right now.” I dried my tears, trying to make sense of what he was telling me.

  “I need to know more.” I took his suitcase, and we headed inside where we were soon curled up on the couch with a bottle of wine and some cheese.

  “Wait, so he told you to come and told you he needed to deal with something but didn’t want me to be alone?”

  “Yeah, when I asked him what was wrong, he just said the gate had my name and license plate and that I would be escorted here by those two guys who follow me everywhere.”

  “Nothing else?”

  “Not from him, no.”

  “Meaning?”

  “I called Vinni on my way here and asked what was going on.” He nibbled at some cheese. “Apparently, Elio told the guys he was going out and not to follow him. What the hell happened, anyway? Because when I left, you two were all Fifty Shades of Elio, so what gives?”

  “I don’t know.” I sighed, feeling the weight of our mess on my chest. “So ma
ny secrets are surfacing, and I just feel that someone is working against us.”

  “How so?”

  “You saw how we are together. I mean, we have a history that’s built on a solid foundation, we fit, we work, and suddenly he went all dark and doubting. He’s questioning me about my history and how he needs to understand my past in case I’ve done something that can hurt the family.” I brushed a tear away.

  “Could it be he’s nervous of your mother showing up?”

  “I think we’re all a little nervous of Elenora, only because she comes with her own bag of secrets. I still have no idea what she even does for a living. Francesco assures us we are safe from whatever she was afraid of, so there’s that, at least.”

  “And you trust him?”

  “I do.” I nodded without a doubt. “He was there for me when she wasn’t.”

  “I think I’m missing some story holes.”

  “Okay, here’s what I know.”

  Wyatt stared blankly at me while he digested my family update. It was a lot, which only led to more questions, but at least he spent time trying to figure it all out.

  “That’s a lot.”

  “Yup.” I shimmied down on the couch with a yawn.

  “Then he called me and left with the paper that had the address you wrote on it.”

  “Yup.”

  “He’s so sexy!” He leaned back and covered his face.

  “What?”

  “He’s all dark and brooding. Come on, Sienna, isn’t there a part of you that finds it a little hot?” I rolled my eyes and screamed into a pillow. “Oh, my God, you two are having brooding sex, aren’t you?” He ripped the pillow from my hold and saw my flushed face. “You bitch!” He laughed. “I’ve never been more jealous.”

  “Jealous? Weren’t you in a sea of army men a bit ago?”

  “Oh, yes, every gay man’s wet dream.” He flopped backward with a sigh. “Thank you for reminding me.”

  “While you relive your memories, tell me about the case, because I’m going to lose my job and will have to live through you from now on.”