Rise of the Titan

by Pressley James

  “That’s the nicest compliment anyone’s paid me yet. But, anytime that I grate your nerves, just tell me so,” he muttered with a short laugh, waving the fork in the air, and then stabbed the lamb again. “It won’t hurt my feelings in the least.” He sipped wine from the flute. “Meant to tell you earlier that I made a trip back down, and luckily, I was able to retrieve something of yours. Since you slept most of the morning, I didn’t get the opportunity to say so.”

  “Really?” she said with surprise. “You brought some of my things up?”

  “I had to wade my way through at some parts.” He winced. “Sorry to say that the things packed in the boxes are ruined. By good fortune, however, your suitcase wasn’t damaged. I was able to retrieve it for you. It’s waiting in the foyer.”

  “That was stupid crazy not to mention dangerous. I wish that you’d asked me before you put yourself at grave risk. You could’ve been hurt or worse.” Her gaze softened and her insides filled with glowing warmth. Again, was her earlier perception of him totally off-base? Deep down, her soul cried yes. “But, I appreciate you going all out for me. It’s more than anyone has ever done. So, again, thank you.”

  Was it her imagination?

  Or were his eyes more smoldering?

  They were dead pointed on her.

  Somehow, she managed not to strangle on the wine.

  Shrugging, he broke their intense eye contact first. “No problem, damsel. Just glad that I could pay you back in some capacity. Which reminds me---I haven’t officially thanked you for your help.”

  Frowning, she tipped the glass to her lips again. “What? I haven’t really done anything.”

  “Wrong. Last night, during Mama’s breakdown, you stepped in at the right moment. Fuck, at some points, I didn’t know what to do. So thanks.” Then, he regarded her openly again, and now it seemed that he was suddenly tense. “Do you find us to be strange?”

  “Who?”

  “Me, my mother, Carmine…surely, we strike you as odd? While you haven’t met my boy, Cassius, he falls in the same line as the rest of us---different.”

  “Tell me why I should,” she challenged openly. “You’re all just…people.”

  “First, my roots are cringe worthy---that is with me being Vitali’s bastard son and all. Let’s be real, anyone connected to him knows what kind of man he is.” The light in his eyes dimmed. “While the very truth sickens me, he spawned me. That fact alone makes many have preconceived notions about me. What’s that saying---the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree?”

  Her interest piqued.

  He really was concerned of her initial impressions of him.

  She fought to keep her expression blank. “Are you referring to yourself?”

  He shrugged. “Naturally, I am.”

  “Unlike most, I don’t rely on others’ opinions,” she said truthfully, eyeing him close. And so far, wasn’t she discovering things that refuted her earlier assertions about him. Quickly, she chased the thought away and continued. “I tend to make my own judgments about people.”

  “Well, shit, damsel,” he said in a husky tone. “Just something else to admire about you.” He tapped a finger against the table. “Too bad most don’t hold your sentiment. In my inner circle, when it comes to my reputation and those close to me, it depends on whom you ask. As for the brood here, Mama, Cassius, and Carmine…well, I’d like to think of us as being extended family.” He leaned back in the dining chair. “Hell, we are family---more so than some blood kin.”

  “From your interactions, it’s obvious that you’re all close.”

  His glance fell towards the glass window.

  As it did, her gaze followed suit.

  Of course, in the Chalet home, an outside view was always possible, especially since the blinds were fully open. The dark rainy night signified a calmness that’d been lacking earlier. Why she was at ease with him, she didn’t know.

  She just was…

  “Carmine, that smug bastard,” he smiled with open affection. “I don’t know what I’d do without him.” His smile waned somewhat. “He’s like a father to me, and I’m damned lucky to have him in my life.”

  “You’ve know him for quite awhile, I take it then,” she prodded gently, setting the flute carefully on the table. “Again, your interactions say as much.”

  “He came into our lives when we desperately needed it.” His large hand tensed on the table, and he continued to stare out the window. “He was the calming presence during our every storm. Fuck, I love that man. And Mama….I’d die if I lost her. I couldn’t handle it.”

  That much was true, she digressed, taking in his tensed form.

  It was mirrored on his face.

  “And this Cassius that you mentioned,” she treaded carefully. “Who’s he?”

  “My brother from another mutha,” he grinned wolfishly, relaxing just a little. “We’ve known each other since we were seven year old runts. We’ve been running wild and loose ever since. We’re thick as thieves. Though we’re not blood brothers, we are brothers.” He turned his gaze on her again. “I’ll warn you now, my boy’s pretty astute. Nothing slips past him.”

  Suddenly, she was nervous.

  Uh-oh, there was an extenuating factor that’d put her under the scope while she was here. That meant that she had to be extremely careful….

  “Aren’t you going to ask the burning question?” His gaze turned challenging. “Surely, you’re not planning to ignore the elephant in the room?”

  “And what elephant is that?”

  “The reason why my mother is the way she is…why she dresses and prances around the house as if she’s a ghost?” The pain resonated in his eyes. “In many ways, I suppose that she is.”

  “You hardly know me, and I’m not expecting you to talk about such private matters.” She leveled her gaze with his. “And I’d never think of infringing upon your privacy or your mother’s in such an intrusive way.”

  “Thank you,” he murmured quietly. “It’s just that most gawk at her like she’s some sort of monster. I can assure you that she’s not. The only fact is that she’s endured too much in her short life time.”

  And so have you, she voiced quietly.

  Mentally, she shook her head to clear it.

  Why was she so inexplicably drawn to the very criminal she was here to destroy?

  “Are you from here?”

  “No, I’m originally from Brookwood, a small town in central Alabama. A few years ago, I migrated to Georgia in a neighboring county, and then left,” she said vaguely and shrugged. “This time, I decided to try my luck here in Columbus.”

  “You mentioned that you know, Vitali.” Now, he regarded her with an unreadable expression. “In what capacity, might I ask?”

  “Like I told you before, I just do,” she shrugged again uncomfortably, and her stare didn’t waver. “And hopefully, you’ll respect my privacy just as I’m respecting yours.”

  “Granted,” he acknowledged in fast agreement. “It’s just that when I hear that someone’s involved with my father, I tend to get a bit leery and apprehensive.”

  “Have I given you any reason to be leery?”

  “Fortunately, you haven’t.” He traced a finger along the rim of the flute. “I consider myself to be a good judge of character. And you seem just that----good.”

  “A stripper with a heart of gold, huh?” she asked flippantly, grasping the flute again, and to her chagrin, it was slightly unsteady. However, she was truly interested in his assessment of her. “Isn’t that a bit cliché?”

  “Not in your case. In this short amount of time, there are many things that I’m learning about you. You possess a level of kindness that’s incomparable, and more than that, you’re a kickass independent woman.” His stare lingered. “I like that.”

  She sipped the wine slowly. “You’re partly right, especially about me being ‘kickass’.”

  “Modesty fails you, I see,” he muttered with a lopsided grin. “But, there
’s nothing criminal about having full confidence. In fact, it’s quite admirable.” He glanced at his wall clock. “The night is still fairly young. Unfortunately, the only entertainment that I can offer you is a game of cards, chess, or television. Or,” he murmured with a lengthy pause. “…we can just talk.”

  The pulse jumped in her nape.

  Was it wise to continue being around him?

  Doing so was knocking everything off balance---mostly her perspective of him.

  That was the dangerous thing…

  But, the foolish part of her reigned again.

  Her smile was soft. “We can talk.”

  “Good,” he said quietly, standing, and then quickly moved to her side. He braced both hands against the back of her chair. “Shall we?”

  She nodded. “Of course.” As he pulled her chair back, she struggled to stay steady when standing. Somehow, she managed a soft. “Thank you.”

  Moments later, sitting in the matching arm chairs, and facing the soft September fire, they conversed again and watched as the flames leapt in the fireplace.

  “I failed to mention it earlier,” he frowned with an added wince. “Our location pretty much prohibits any kind of cell service. We have landline phone service, and it was a bitch even getting that installed up here. I’ll warn you now. The reception’s not that great.”

  “It doesn’t matter anyway. My phone’s died out,” she sighed heavily, staring into the leaping flames. “And like an idiot, I left it to drown in the car.”

  “Ouch, that’s not good,” he frowned again. “Apart from the landline phones, we communicate by walkie-talkies. Since you’ll be cooped up with us for a short time, I’ll give you one along with the channel number. And you’re more than welcome to use the phone anytime.” He settled back in the chair. “Only internet service is dial-up. If you’re in need of a computer, you can use the one in my office.”

  And that would open the door to some snooping…

  But, why wasn’t she eager to?

  The conflicting war raged inside of her.

  The right thing to do and the thing that she actually wanted to do…

  But, she didn’t have to decide tonight, did she?

  Right now, doing nothing seemed appropriate…

  “I can imagine that it’s peaceful up here.” She risked a glance at him and wished that she hadn’t. He was staring straight dead at her, she mulled, feeling her heartbeat speed up again. But, why did that thrill her? “It’s so quiet.”

  “It’s like being in another world,” he admitted and turned his attention to the burning fire. “When I bought this place that was my full intention---to get away from the bullshit in the real world.” Sighing, he leaned forward in the chair, and suddenly, his light mood fled. “And it’s too much of it.”

  “You won’t get any disagreement from me.”

  “And here I thought that you would be a lady of optimism.”

  “Maybe if I hadn’t seen such ugliness and wrong, I’d think differently,” she said in all honesty. “So far, there’s been nothing to change my mind.”

  “I suppose that we’re two of a kind, then,” he murmured in a suave tone and settled back in the chair again. A different light glimmered in his eyes now. “Something tells me that we’re more alike than either of us wants to admit.”

  She stared at him across the space. “Maybe so.”

  They both fell silent.

  Each of them lost in their own private thoughts.

  It wasn’t until the flames had nearly died when she shivered. “What time is it?” she asked sleepily and peered over at him. Again, his stare was pinpointed on her, and just how long had it been, she thought with another thrill. “It’s been so relaxing that I haven’t realized the time.”

  “About ten…ten thirty,” he said with a slight shrug and stood. Then, after grabbing the poker, he stoked the fire and sent the flames roaring hot again. Still holding it in his hand, he faced her. “If you’re cold, I’ll grab a throw or something----”

  She rose from the chair slowly. “No, I think that I’ll turn in.”

  The disappointment showed on his face. “You sure that I can’t entice you with a nightcap?”

  “It’s late, and I’m tired. But, thank you for dinner,” she said softly. “And I enjoyed the company.”

  “Anytime damsel.” His eyes were smoldering hot---hotter than the searing flames jumping behind the fire screen. “If you need anything, you know where to find me.”

  “Alright.” She hesitated for a brief moment. “Goodnight.”

  Their gazes held.

  It seemed that they both wanted to do or say more.

  Finally, he turned and faced the fire again. “Goodnight.”

  She stared at his backside.

  A part of her wanted to give in and stay.

  But, you can’t, her rational side argued.

  You’re ruining everything!

  It was that thought that made her flee.

  Chapter 8

  Three weeks drifted in and went away.

  The falling rain seemed relentless.

  On a cool wet fall morning, at 10:18 to be exact, the drizzling rain brought along with it a melancholy spirit. And just how long, pray tell, would she be cooped up here? The flooding river was undoubtedly a raging disaster at this point. Suddenly growing restless and agitated, she turned the television off. Perhaps the lack of mobility was the prime cause of the unrest within her. Too, the latest weather forecast hadn’t been that promising either. As it’d been for the past weeks, there’d be rain, rain, rain, and more rain.

  Sighing, closing her eyes, she sagged against the sofa’s cushion.

  All of her carefully made plans were going awry!

  To say that the situation was causing setbacks would be a colossal understatement. Without a doubt, Rowell was expecting some sort of information from her, even it were just a tiny minute detail. So far, she didn’t have anything substantial to work with.

  Too, things had just become…well…too…complicated…

  She’d always prided herself at being a consummate professional.

  Duty and honor always came before anything.

  But, now, her entire mindset was changing, leaving her enmeshed within a ball of unrest and confusion. Absolutely nothing from her mental vantage point was the same, and her entire perspective had shifted on the Vitali case. Granted, she still wanted to nail Carlo Vitali’s ass to the wall, and she wouldn’t rest until it happened.

  Titan, however…

  In the twisted and sordid tale, he was the forbidden element.

  A wild card thrown into the game…

  She inhaled a sharp breath.

  For weeks on end, before meeting him, she’d envisioned different methods of entrapment to bring him down. But, now, all that had changed within the blink of an eye. Suddenly, she didn’t perceive him as the villain. Being around him and interacting with him was impairing her judgment. As limited as her experience had been with him so far, she wasn’t convinced that he was a complete monster. If anything, his poor soul was damaged, she breathed shallowly, and it was all due to a violent and brutal upbringing. Like most, he was a product of his environment and just living it out.

  On an even more personal level, she was finding peace within the mountainous hideout. A calming peace that she’d imagined virtually impossible for the last year or so. After Gage’s death, she’d become numb to everything and fallen into depression. Months and months of therapy had proven beneficial to her mental health. Yet, while so, there’d always been a huge void.

  But, here, that very void was being filled, she sighed again and looked about the room.

  There was no reasonable explanation for how, when, or why.

  It just was.

  Her gaze flitted towards the window.

  Yes, her thoughts were reckless.

  Just as her feelings were…

  This situation with Titan was a dangerous one, not in the physical sense, but an em
otional one. It was the little things that he was doing that counted most---his small acts of kindness were far reaching. They talked for hours on end, it seemed. When they did, he hang onto her every word. Such a high level of kindness, attentiveness, and respect towards her made her cold heart go warm. Deep down inside of her, he was stirring things that she thought herself incapable of feeling---the kinds of things that needed to remain dormant. Namely, her desire to know him more as well as her volatile attraction to him…Little by little, second by second, it was evolving into a raging beast.

  That meant her objectiveness with the case would be limited.

  “And that’s not good,” she sighed for the umpteenth time. “Not good at all.”

  She sprung up from the sofa and began pacing.

  How was it possible that a man so wrong in every way seemed so right?

  “Bored with this place already, huh?”

  With a start, she stopped dead in her tracks and turned.

  Quickly, she prayed that her expression was straight.

  There he was.

  The very source of her discord…

  Titan…

  By now, she should be numbed by the sight of him. Yet, she wasn’t. As always, he rendered her speechless and made her tongue-tied like a giddy school girl. His rugged attractiveness was an anomaly. Because how many male creatures on this earth looked that damn good?

  Again, her helpless gaze was enraptured by him.

  How could it not be?

  About his head, his black hair lay in deep waves. A smooth shaven cut edged the stubble along his chin in a perfect line. In the maroon-shaded polo top and white trousers, he was downright dapper; and all too well, the clothing molded about his huge muscular body. A teasing smile curled his full lips, and a devilish glint shone in his gray orbs. “Sorry, there’s not much action in big bold country like this. So, allow me to apologize for that transgression.”

  “I’m sorry,” she gushed, feeling the warm flush grow all over her. Suddenly, her face seemed hotter than hot, and the nervous butterflies flitted in her tummy. But, to all misfortune, she wasn’t able to stifle either reaction. “Please don’t think that way or that I’m unappreciative of the things that you’ve done.” When he was upon her, she nearly lost her breath. “And I probably haven’t thanked you enough---”