by Emma Nichols
had for her mother and sister, and her unborn niece or nephew. All of it paled by comparison with the depth of her feelings for the woman lying in her bed. Simone. She looked over her shoulder towards the bedroom and the ache in her heart increased tenfold. She would miss her family and her home, but she couldn’t live without Simone. The difference was as vast as all the oceans of the world joined together. Perhaps this feeling was incomprehensible to anyone who hadn’t known profound love. Yet she was sat on a precipice. Once things had settled down with the Amatos, what then? There was a reason her sex life had been expressed behind closed doors in a secret, silent, and sometimes sordid world, a faceless place in which she could remain anonymous. That wasn’t love. She would give up everything for Simone. “I would die for you,” she whispered. Simone’s hands reached around Maria’s waist, startling her.
Maria turned and looked into Simone’s eyes, and half smiled.
Simone frowned. “You’re worried, aren’t you?”
Maria sighed. She couldn’t look at Simone as she answered, “A little, yes.”
There was no doubting the escalation that the decommissioning of the Amato fleet would trigger. Lives would be lost in the process of trying to achieve harmony with a man who didn’t know the meaning of the word and had even less inclination to achieve a positive working relationship with anyone.
Maria’s desire to leave Sicily had grown with every action she was forced to take. But she was now torn with not wanting to leave Simone.
That loss, her heart would never recover from.
Simone stepped closer and released the cloth belt from Maria’s waist. She grazed her skin with her fingertips and watched the goose bumps form. “I don’t want to think about that right now.” She ran her thumb over Maria’s nipple and back again.
A flood of energy zipped down Maria’s spine, and then Simone’s lips met hers. Maria tugged Simone to her and kissed her lips hard. And then Simone’s hand was between her legs and the softness of her touch, and the pressure coming and going, and the sense of Simone’s fingers teasing at her entrance brought her to the floor. The tiles were cool against her back, and the warmth of Simone’s bare skin moved slowly down her body. She closed her eyes and as Simone’s mouth enveloped her sex and her tongue
moved inside her, she became consumed by the fire that coursed through her.
19.
Reluctantly, Maria eased out of Simone’s arms and wrapped herself in her robe. The sensitive parts of her body hummed and looking at Simone just made the humming stronger, and the tingling turned to throbbing heat.
She took a deep breath and smiled. Simone looked irresistible lazing sleepily on the couch. The lightness she felt was tempered too quickly by the impending reality she needed to address. The meeting with Don Chico was in two days. What would be Alessandro’s response to the decimation of his fleet? Patrina’s revenge. And…the not so small issue of creating a future free from it all. Pesto barked and scratched at the other side of the door. “I need to feed him.” She ran her fingers through Simone’s hair and pressed a tender kiss to her lips then went and opened the door. Pesto ran in, tail wagging, and bounded towards Simone.
Maria laughed as Pesto licked and nuzzled Simone’s neck, eventually driving Simone to her feet. Simone’s laughter carried through from the bedroom as she escaped Pesto’s attentions and Maria’s laugh quieted as she poured two glasses of orange juice and set them on the breakfast bar. She watched Pesto munch his biscuits then turned to Simone as she walked towards her. She looked stunning.
The jogging bottoms sat low on her hips and hung loosely to her bare feet with painted toenails, and the T-shirt stretched across her breasts and revealed the smooth skin that Maria had kissed every millimetre of in the past eight hours. Simone’s hair had a slightly wild appearance, and Maria read pure lust in her eyes. Simone looked sexy, and she moved with tantalizing grace. Maria swallowed hard. Her mouth was dry, and desire drove her into a frenzy. “Hey sexy, come here.” She held out her arms.
Simone tugged open Maria’s robe, stepped up to her, and pulled her close.
Maria’s naked skin flamed against the thin material that failed to obscure Simone’s erect nipples. The hardness fired electric impulses through Maria and ignited her sex. She groaned at the throbbing. I have work to do. She closed her eyes, felt the heat of Simone’s warm breath on her cheek, and kissed her tenderly. And when she looked into Simone’s eyes, the ache in her chest grew.
Simone smiled. “Good morning, lover.”
Her groggy voice resonated through Maria and her skin tingled. Oh my God! She smiled at her body’s reaction. “Yes. It is a very good morning.”
Maria ran her fingers through Simone’s hair, tilted her head towards her, and looked into her eyes. She brought to mind the job she needed to do, and the inferno subsided. When she smiled, she sensed the emotional distance she had created between them in her withdrawal. A shield had closed across her heart. It was safer that way. Simone released her and went to the breakfast bar. Maria sensed the hurt in Simone by the jabbing pain in her chest. I don’t want to hurt you. Tension rose up her spine and strengthened the fortress around her.
She had spent the hours since waking thinking about how to keep Simone safe. She was certain Capitano Rocca had seen them together on the street when heading to the explosions at the port. Rocca would spot Maria at a fucking masked ball. She knew the meaning behind the look Rocca gave her and the tenderness of the touch when Rocca had consoled her after her father’s death. But Maria would never seek comfort from that source. It was Rocca’s job to know what was going on in Palermo, and for the most part she had proved to be effective at it. And whilst Maria would have trusted Rocca before the recent escalation of events, the fact that her father’s death had been designated an accident when the car had clearly been doctored meant Rocca was potentially involved in the cover up. Until she knew the truth, Maria didn’t trust anyone except Giovanni and Angelo.
And, if Rocca was involved in a cover up and she had seen Simone in Maria’s arms on the street after the blast, then Simone could be in more danger than she might realise.
Simone sipped the orange juice. “What is it?”
Maria stared over Simone’s shoulder to the cove beyond the window. “You can’t go back to work at the café.”
Simone’s eyes rose sharply, and she straightened her back.
Maria looked at her. “It’s too dangerous.”
Simone sighed. Shaking her head, Maria leaned towards Simone.
She put her hands on Simone’s shoulders as she appealed to her. “You are in danger at the café, Simone. I need you where I can protect you. Here.” She stopped and took a deep breath, her frown deepening as she spoke.
“Alessandro is going to be angry after the explosion and…” She turned away from Simone.
Simone turned Maria around. “And what?”
“I think Capitano Massina saw us together last night on the street near your house.”
Simone shook her head. “So?”
Maria pursed her lips. “It’s complicated. If she suspects you’re associated with me, she might not like it.” She couldn’t tell Simone that Rocca might be involved in the cover up of her father’s murder until she knew it for a fact. She still had to tell Simone about the meeting in Italy and the business she needed to attend to in Spain. She didn’t want Simone to worry unnecessarily. She would be safe staying at the villa while Maria was on business, and then maybe they could both go to Spain and take a holiday.
Simone nodded, fighting tears, and looking around the room.
“Okay,” she whispered.
Maria took Simone’s hand and interlocked their fingers. She pulled her close and kissed her, then stroked the hair from her face and brushed an errant tear from her face. “You can never go back to the café, Simone.”
Simone slipped from Maria’s arms and paced around the room with her head in her hands. “What do I tell Roberto? He will ask questions. And w
hat will happen when Patrina finds out?”
Maria intercepted her and tugged her into her arms. “Hey, look at me. It will be okay. I can talk to Roberto. I’ll make sure he’s safe, Simone.”
Simone eased back, shaking her head, and looked into Maria’s eyes.
“You have no idea the lengths I have gone to, to protect him from Patrina’s influence.”
Simone stared at Maria, as if it were all her fault and then her eyes softened, and she looked at Maria with wide pleading eyes.
Maria squirmed internally. Prickly heat became intense within her and then punched her hard in the gut. She tugged Simone to her chest to avoid looking at her and closed her eyes. Fucking hell. She couldn’t conceal her relationship with Roberto for much longer. Simone could read her far too well. And if Simone challenged her and discovered she had been keeping the truth from her, she would never trust her again. Simone would probably want to kill her for involving Roberto in mafia business. Their relationship would be over before it got off the ground. She kissed the top of Simone’s head, inhaled the sweet apple scent of her hair, and whispered,
“I will make sure Patrina doesn’t hurt him.” She bit her lip and silenced her concerns.
Pesto bounded through the door and jumped up at Maria’s legs.
Simone eased out of Maria’s arms, her eyes damp, glanced at the wet dog and started to laugh. She wiped her face and sat at the breakfast bar. Maria felt the distance between them. She passed Simone a cup of coffee. “Do you like eggs?”
Simone nodded and sipped her drink. Maria smiled. “I make mean eggs.”
Simone didn’t react to the light-hearted comment. Maria moved around the kitchen sourcing ingredients and implements. She cracked eggs and cut up Parma ham, parmesan cheese, and spring onions. A few minutes later, she placed a plate in front of Simone.
Simone looked down at the omelette then smiled briefly. “Thank you.”
Maria started to eat. “Would you like to go diving with me sometime? I will introduce you to Octavia.” Maria raised her eyes and smiled.
Simone toyed with the eggs with her fork. “Sure.”
Maria took in a deep breath and placed her fork on the plate. She couldn’t dance around the facts any longer. They would dive, and she would show Simone the reef at some point but polite conversation wasn’t going to make the imminent reality more palatable. “Simone, I need to go to Italy on Tuesday for a meeting.”
Simone stared at her with a worried expression.
Maria smiled. “I’ll be fine.” She felt the lie sting her chest. “You can stay here. Would you like to come to Spain with me later in the week?”
Simone stared at her blankly.
“I have to visit our construction business there. It will be a short meeting. I was thinking…maybe we could take a break afterwards. The Pyrenees is beautiful this time of year.” She smiled again, but Simone continued to stare at her with a vacant expression. She needed to take the bull by the horns if she was going to distract Simone from her thoughts.
“There’s somewhere I would like to show you. A surprise.”
Simone half-smiled.
“You’ll love Spain and the mountain air. It’s stunning.” Maria’s heart raced. “You’re beautiful,” she whispered.
Simone’s eyes flashed with the hint of a sparkle, and her smile slowly widened.
“Will you stay here while I’m in Italy? It will just be one day.”
Simone nodded and Maria released a deep sigh. “Good.” Maria stood, collected a piece of paper and a pen, and started writing. She handed the note to Simone. “Tomorrow, go and see Doctor Bruno. That’s his address and number. Angelo will take you. He will sign you off work. I will speak to Roberto and make sure he is safe. Then go and collect some clothes and your passport from home. We will have a couple of weeks to sort something more permanent out.” Her thoughts rambling, she smiled at Simone. “Maybe you can work at the Riverside when all this is over.” What she really meant was, it would give her time to sort out how to handle the inevitable fall out with Alessandro and Patrina following the explosions and ensure Simone’s safety in the short term. After that, she would rather they escape Sicily together and never come back. But the thought of Simone rejecting that particular offer sealed her lips. The time to ask would need to be right, and this wasn’t that time.
Simone tilted her head, a slight frown crossed her brow, and then a smile slowly formed, and her eyes became bright and sparkly once more.
She took Maria’s hand and brushed her thumb across Maria’s knuckles.
“I do trust you.”
Maria swallowed hard, trying to ignore the sharp jabbing in her chest. She would deal with the backlash from her lies later. She blinked and redirected her thoughts. “Have you ever been to Valencia?”
Simone shook her head.
“You will love it. Do you know there are seventy-seven varieties of orchid in the region? We could take a tour before going to see the wild orchids in the Pyrenees.”
20.
The burning sensation in Patrina’s chest flared. She breathed deeply as she watched Alessandro acting out his latest tantrum. He reminded her of everything she detested in her husband. He was vulgar, with gross physical movements and a single point of focus that failed to appreciate anyone or anything in the world that didn’t revolve around his precious ego. Fucking pig. She bit the inside of her lip to the point of sharp pain then smiled as she reached across the table and placed her hand over his clenched fist. She still needed him and whilst she did, she would do what she did well: play the game and get what she wanted…and that was full control of the Amato business. “Alessandro, darling.”
He snatched his hand from hers and stood. She watched him trudge heavy-footed back and forth in the small space between the table and the bar, his eyes making jittery movements. He looked like a man driven to insanity by paranoia. She smiled inwardly at his self-initiated demise. If she had time, she would wait for the drugs to take him to an early grave. But time was something she didn’t have. And with the Italians on their backs, time was in short supply for Alessandro too. As long as Chico didn’t take her down with him. She clenched her fists beneath the table and took a deep breath, aware that Beto was watching her watching Alessandro.
Alessandro jerked his head towards the new face behind the bar, and the waitress smiled at him.
He looked at Patrina. “And where the fuck is that other woman?”
Patrina picked up her drink and sipped. “She’s been signed off with stress.”
Alessandro looked around the room. “Fucking bitch. I never liked her anyway. We need to get rid of her, Auntie.”
Patrina shook her head. “We have bigger problems to deal with, Alessandro.” She didn’t much like Simone being around either. And it was Alessandro who had insisted Simone be employed to tend the bar at the café. She was eye candy and would attract the punters. He wasn’t wrong.
Simone was pretty, too pretty. But Patrina wasn’t in a position to challenge him and justified her passivity on the basis of Alessandro’s dominance and her need to keep him onside. Self-preservation was the first rule of her law.
Simone didn’t really belong in this environment. She never had, and Patrina had done her best to keep her out of the way. Patrina could sleep at night, knowing she had done all that she could for Di Salvo’s daughter. But no matter what Alessandro thought about getting rid of Simone, that wasn’t an option. Don Stefano had created an obligation to the Di Salvo family, and even Patrina wouldn’t renege on the promise her husband had made.
Some innocent lives lost in the war were just collateral damage but not that of Adrianu Di Salvo. The man who had served them and been their silent eyes on the street for many years had saved Don Stefano’s life. Back then, she had been eternally grateful to the quiet, unassuming man for his loyalty.
Now, she would defy anyone who protected her husband from the fate he deserved.
Alessandro sniffed, paced to the seat, and
sat down, then his bullish bravado shifted to a confused expression, and the young boy inside him looked at Patrina with wide imploring eyes. He cowered in the seat and as Patrina reached across the table to him, he stiffened his back, and his eyes flashed with something akin to hate.
He leaned on the table and spoke slowly through gritted teeth. “We need to take out the Riverside, once and for all.”
Beto looked silently from his boss to Patrina, then lowered his eyes to his drink. He picked up the glass and sipped. Patrina stood, and Alessandro mirrored her movement. She stroked his cheek, drew his eyes to hers, and smiled at him. “Alessandro, we need to keep focused. Getting caught up in a war of this kind will shift our attention from growing the business. To where will we supply the wine if we don’t have the Riverside?”
Alessandro reverted to his five-year-old cowering self and nodded.
He fell into Patrina’s arms and hugged her tightly. “You are right, Auntie.”
She breathed a deep sigh, kissed his head as he comforted himself against her chest, then whispered, “We need to keep Don Chico happy, Alessandro.”
He pulled away from her aggressively and threw his hands in the air.
“Our goods got blown to fucking pieces last night, Auntie. Chico will be up my backside for payment for merchandise we haven’t been able to sell.”
Patrina concealed the smile that warmed her chest and frowned. She had a plan. “I know. We need to stall Chico and find a new route into
Sicily.” She looked into Alessandro’s eyes with conviction. “We need to call our cousins in Spain, Alessandro. The Lombardo cement comes in directly from Valencia. If we can infiltrate their supplies, we can keep the casino project alive and transport our other merchandise at the same time.”
She was thinking aloud and shaking her head as she spoke. Brilliant.