She touched his arm, but he snatched it away from her. Startled, she looked up at him and recoiled from the contempt in his eyes. He stared at her with a look of such pure venom that it took her breath away.
“You fucking whore …” He stepped towards her. “I’ll kill that fucking dog. I swear I will.”
Autumn’s heart was in her throat. Was it him? Was it him threatening her? The quiet violence of the moment was broken by Olivier, breathing hard from his struggle with the angry dog.
“I think it’s better you go, Karl. Now.”
Karl was silent for a moment, unsmiling. Autumn held her breath. Leave, she thought. Go away and never come back.
Karl smirked in Olivier’s face, then cast one last glance at Autumn, his eyes raking all over her body. Olivier stepped in front of her, protective and furious. Karl turned on his heel and walked off.
Olivier put his arm around Autumn, whose whole body was trembling. “You okay, baby?”
She nodded. “That was nasty.”
“He’s a vile dude, all right.” He studied her carefully. “What did he say to you?”
“It doesn’t matter. Let’s go home.”
They fixed dinner together, as had become their habit, but Olivier noticed Autumn was quieter than normal. Her lovely face was pale, her usually sparkling eyes dull. He leaned over and stroked her cheek. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
She smiled at him. “Ah, nothing. Just people sometimes. They can be jerks.”
Olivier put down the knife he was holding and put his arms around her. “Don’t let that asshole get you down. He doesn’t deserve a second thought.”
“I know. Sorry.” She smiled suddenly. “I must be hormonal. God, Olly …what have you let yourself in for?”
He laughed. “Listen, I’m not one of those men who gets freaked out by a woman’s cycle. I know the routine – feed, comfort, and don’t even try to pretend I’m right about anything.”
She kicked his butt gently. “You’re either very well trained or a madman.”
“Both.”
Autumn nodded, but stayed silent. Olly saw the expression on her face—jealousy? “We’ve never had that conversation, have we? The exes?”
Autumn smiled sheepishly. “No. Then again, my exes equate to one. Pete. And you knew that.”
Olivier looked astonished. “One? Have you seen you?”
Autumn flushed. “What can I tell you?” She chopped a few more vegetables before asking, ever-so-casually, “And you?”
Olivier hid a smile. “Well, let me preface this by saying, I’m fourteen years older than you. So …there have been a few women.”
Autumn nodded. “Few, as in a ‘fewer than ten,’ or ‘fewer than Hugh Hefner?’”
Olly laughed. “The first. And no really long-term relationships, either. In fact, I’d say this is my longest relationship.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Her delighted smile made him want to kiss her, so he did, and dinner was soon forgotten.
He watched them through binoculars from the beach side, hoping no one would see him. The bastard was kissing her again, pushing up her skirt and lifting her onto the counter. Jesus, all they ever did was fuck …
He lowered the eye-glasses. While he enjoyed seeing Autumn’s sexy body and her full, ripe tits, and enjoyed watching her being reamed by the dude’s enormous cock, he’d seen enough. It should be him fucking her, his name she should be screaming.
No matter. Soon, he would make her scream …when he murdered her. Whore. He would enjoy killing her.
She was dead the minute she’d let that bastard into her bed.
Dee-Dee Ford hated seeing her husband so down and dejected. It should be the happiest time in their marriage, but Pete seemed completely withdrawn and listless. His face was drawn and his pallor pale and clammy. He looked so much older than a few months ago, she realized with a pang. She rubbed his arm. “You okay, honey?”
Pete sighed. “I need to tell someone about something I found out, but it’s about …Autumn’s welfare and I don’t want to piss you off.”
Dee-Dee sighed. She was trying, she really was, but even the sound of Autumn Keller’s name set her teeth on edge. She put her hand on her swollen belly and steeled herself.
“Pete, baby …we’re married and we’re supposed to be able to talk. I know Autumn and I aren’t exactly friends, but she’s a part of your life—your past.”
Pete looked away from his wife. “Dee-Dee …before you told me you were pregnant …”
“You were going to leave me for her. I know.”
Pete’s eyebrows shot up. “You do?”
Dee-Dee nodded, ignoring the pain shooting through her. “Pete …I don’t think either of you were really prepared to be together again. That’s not me being a bitch. It’s me saying that if you had left me for her …I truly believe you would have come back to me. Yes, we have problems, but I think, with all my heart, we can make this work. And on some level, I think Autumn knew that. Otherwise, why would she have rebounded so quickly with that new guy?”
Pete nodded slowly. “The new guy is my problem. He’s not who he says he is.”
It was Dee-Dee’s turn to look surprised. “Oh ho ho, what’s this now?”
Pete couldn’t help but smile at her glee. “By all means, enjoy it here, in private, but this is strictly between you and me, Dee. You have to promise. I could get into trouble.”
“Cross my heart. Go on. Is he a conman? A big-time gangster?”
Pete laughed. “No, quite the opposite. He’s a billionaire, from San Francisco. Olivier Gallo.”
Dee frowned. “That name sounds familiar.”
“His brother, Jackson, was a psycho. Kidnapped his wife and killed a few people. Jackson’s wife ran off with Olivier’s half-brother.”
“God, yes, I remember….and Autumn’s new fuckbuddy is the brother?”
Pete nodded. “And she doesn’t know. He booked into the guesthouse under a different name, and as far as I can tell, Autumn has no idea he’s a Gallo.”
“And you don’t know whether to tell her?”
“No, I’m saying I’m not going to tell her.”
Dee considered and nodded slowly. “As much as I’d like to burst that bitch’s bubble—sorry—I think you’re right. The less we have to do with them the better.”
She got up and went to sit on his lap, kissing him tenderly. Pete grinned. “Oof, fatty.”
She laughed and smoothed his blonde hair away from his face. “We’re going to make it, Peter Ford. I swear to god we will. And now …we can all get on with our lives. I might even be pleasant to your ex, next time I run into her.”
The final note was the worst. Of course, Autumn had no idea that it was the final note …just as she had no idea that her perfect little life was about to fall apart.
It came the morning Olivier told her that he wanted to take her on vacation. “A friend has an island in the Indian Ocean. There’s a very secluded, very private villa we could stay, where you could be naked all of the time.”
She grinned at him as they sat at her little table. “Will you be naked all of the time?”
“Unless I’m frying bacon. Because of the spatter.”
Autumn grinned. “Sounds like heaven …but you have friends who own islands? Jeez, man, fancy. I’m lucky if I have a friend who owns a Hibachi.”
Olivier rolled his eyes, smiling. “Are you finished, wise-ass?”
“I’m done.”
He leaned over and kissed her. He tasted of toast. “Well, then, what do you say?”
Autumn nodded slowly. “Let me figure out some finances and I’ll get back to you. Sounds heavenly, though.”
“You don’t need to worry about money,” Olivier said, pinching her last piece of toast from her plate. “I’ve got this.”
She bugged at him. “No way, dude. I pay my own way.”
Something in her tone obviously told him not to push it, bu
t Autumn was a little uncomfortable. It was the first time money had been an issue in their relationship. She knew he must be pretty well off—he had that sweet-ass Porsche for one thing—but maybe he was richer than she’d expected and that bothered her. Autumn had always paid her own way—college, rent, everything …
“Olly? You should know something about me. I don’t come from any kind of money. My ma and pa still work, and they’re in their sixties. They only had one kid, because my ma got pregnant by accident when they couldn’t really afford to have kids, but she wouldn’t consider an abortion. So, the Keller’s are workers. We don’t borrow money and we don’t spend money we don’t have. And I don’t let anyone pay for me, you know?”
Oliver nodded slowly. “That’s admirable. But I’m talking about a vacation—just one. And the island itself is free. The villa’s free.”
Autumn smiled. “You’re sweet, and I promise, I will consider it. But then I pay for my flight, and half the food and other stuff.”
“Fine.” He glanced at his watch. “Look, I have to drive down to ‘Frisco, but I only have a meeting this morning, so how about I meet you at the coffee house this afternoon?”
“Coffee date? I like it.” She went to sit on his lap. “When is your meeting?”
“Noon.”
She glanced at the clock and grinned. “So you have a little time before you have to go?”
He slid his hand between her legs and started to caress her as he kissed her lips. “You need to be fucked before I go, pretty girl?”
Autumn gasped as he began to slide two fingers in and out of her cunt. “God, yes. Yes, I do…”
She was still glowing from the almost frenzied lovemaking two hours later when she went to check in on the guesthouse. Sally rolled her eyes when she saw her. “Girl, it’s your day off. Get lost.”
“I just have some accounts to catch up on. And Olly’s in SF until later,” she admitted. Sally chuckled, and a half hour later, when Autumn’s head was stuck in the bookkeeping, Sally brought her some tea and lingered.
“So …this thing with Olly is getting serious, huh?”
Autumn smiled. “Pretty much. God, Sal, it’s so good to finally trust a guy, you know?”
“I do. He’s a keeper. I can tell.”
Autumn sat back in her chair and sipped her tea. “Is it too good to be true? I trust Olly completely, but there’s still a part of me—probably thanks to your brother, sorry—that’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. No offense.”
“None taken.” Sal perched on the side of her desk. “Auttie …Pete isn’t a bad guy. He’s just a weak guy who always thinks the grass is greener, you know? When he was with you, he wanted Dee-Dee—excuse me while I vomit—and vise verse. I think Dee-Dee getting pregnant was the best thing that could have happened to him—and you.”
Autumn nodded. “I agree.”
“And you don’t need to worry about Olly. He’s solid.”
Autumn returned home just after one p.m. Olly had messaged her that he was escaping work early. Autumn grinned. He was such a slacker. She jumped in the shower and changed into fresh clothes to meet him at the coffee shop. It was as she was leaving for the coffee shop that she noticed the flag on her mailbox was up. Immediately, her skin began to prickle. The familiar envelope was in there.
She grabbed it, shoved it in her pocket, and walked down to the coffee place, feeling her adrenaline spike and her temper roil around inside of her.
She ordered her coffee, not engaging with Kirk the barista as she normally did, and went to find a table in the corner. She took the envelope out and studied it, trying to find any clues on the blank surface.
Open it.
She squeezed her eyes shut as she ripped the envelope open, as if to save herself from reading it. Her curiosity won out over her fear.
The question is to stab or to shoot? Do you have any preference about how you want to die, whore? Or are you not that fussy—same as you’re not fussy who you spread your legs for. You give sluts a bad name, but soon it won’t matter, because soon, you’ll be dead. Very, very soon.
And maybe I’ll kill that asshole you’ve been fucking after I make him watch you die.
Remember that, bitch.
“God, still trying to learn to read, I see.” Dee-Dee. Autumn looked up and scowled at her nemesis.
“Fuck off, Dee-Dee.”
Dee-Dee flipped her the bird. “I was actually coming over here to make nice, but screw you, whore.”
She turned to go, not noticing Autumn had gone very still. “What did you call me?”
Dee-Dee leaned over and got in Autumn’s face. “W.H.O.R.E. Whore. Spreading your legs for anyone who comes along—excuse me, any rich man who comes along.”
Autumn lunged at the blonde woman, dragging her over the table and pounding on her. “Was it you? Have you been sending me those vile letters? I’ll fucking kill you!”
Dee-Dee screamed as Autumn punched at her. “Get this crazy bitch off me!”
Autumn felt two strong arms pulling hers behind her back and hauling her away from her victim. “Autumn! Quit it now! What the fuck are you doing?” Pete.
She whirled on him and threw the letter at him. “Your fucking wife has been sending poison pen letters to me…threats. That’s what’s fucking going on!”
“I haven’t sent you any goddamn letters, you fucking psycho.” Dee-Dee was up and wiping her face. Her lip was bleeding. “You probably sent it to yourself to get more attention for yourself. Don’t think that fucking perfect face of yours fools me, slut. You were all ready to fuck my husband before Mr. Billionaire came along.”
“Dee!” Pete shouted a warning. Autumn was confused.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
Dee-Dee was so riled up, she ignored the fact that the entire coffee shop had gone silent. “I’m talking about Olivier Gallo, you ignorant bitch. Your boyfriend is a Gallo. You know, the one with the psycho brother. Perhaps that’s what turns him on about you. You have so much in common.”
“What the fuck is going on?” They all jumped as Olivier’s voice, loud and furious, cut across the room. He stood at the doorway, staring into the room. “Chief, all due respect, let go of Autumn, please.”
Pete dropped Autumn’s arms, but she didn’t move, just staring at Olivier.
Olivier nodded, his face serious. “My name is Olivier Gallo. Olivier James Gallo. I didn’t want anyone to know I was a Gallo for obvious reasons. My family’s history is bloody, cruel, and hurtful. I wanted a chance to be free of it.”
The room stayed silent, the shock burrowing deep into Autumn’s bones. Tears started to fall.
“Six weeks,” she whispered. “Six weeks we’ve been together and not one word. Not one. Fucking me every night, talking about our future …and I didn’t even know who you really were. I trusted you and you lied. I thought …” She couldn’t continue. Her voice choked up and she pushed past everyone. Olivier reached for her, but she ducked out of the way.
“Don’t. I don’t ever want to see you again.”
Olivier rocked back. “No, Autumn, please …”
But she kept walking, sobbing now. She went into her home, locked the doors, and climbed onto the couch, Clem next to her. She hugged the dog as she cried her heart out.
Olivier looked so shocked and devastated that Pete felt his heart go out to the other man. Even Dee-Dee looked upset and ashamed. She went to her husband. “I’m sorry, Pete. I lost my temper.”
He hugged her quickly. “It’s okay. Go home. I’m going to talk to Olivier.”
She nodded. “I am sorry.”
He gave her a small smile. “I guess we have to work at this, huh?”
Dee-Dee left, throwing a quiet, ‘I’m sorry,’ at a stunned Olivier. Pete steered him into a chair and signaled to the barista for coffee.
“What the hell just happened?” Olivier said finally, his eyes focusing on Pete.
Pete shook his head. “I’m sorry, dude. That got way
out of hand.”
“How did your wife know about me?”
Pete felt ashamed. “It was me. I did a background check on you. I know. It was a gross invasion of privacy. Olly …I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am. If I hadn’t told Dee-Dee who you really were …I was jealous, man. It’s no excuse, but it’s the only reason I have. I was mad that Autumn had moved on so fast, and that she was happy with someone who wasn’t me. And I have no right to think like that. I broke her heart once and then did it all over again. Except for this time, even if she didn’t know it, her heart wasn’t broken. We were never meant to be. Do I love my wife? I don’t know. She’s not the best person, or hasn’t been to Autumn, but with me, she’s different. I’m guilty of fucking around on both of them.” He sighed. “So, anyway, I’m sorry.”
Olivier nodded. “Thank you.”
“Out of interest, and tell me to mind my own beeswax if you like, but why didn’t you tell her who you are?”
Olivier was silent for a long moment. “Because of the Gallo name …you know who my brother was. Jackson Gallo. He’s the reason I’ve spent too many days in places like this. The unspeakable things he did to his wife, to his ex-girlfriend, and to a friend of ours—all women, of course—tainted our name. At least here in the States. For just once, I wanted not to be Olivier Gallo. Just Olly. No baggage.”
Pete studied the other man. “You love her.”
Olly nodded. “I do. I’m so in love with her. God, man, I shouldn’t have lied.”
Pete felt something shift in his soul at the sight of this big man, humbled by love and cowed by devastation.
Olivier asked him, “What the hell do I do now?”
Her tears finally dry, Autumn let the dog out to pee and went to run a bath. She avoided her face in the mirror, knowing all she’d see was puffy red eyes and heartache. She heard Clem bark and went to let her back in, only to find the door locked. She frowned; she never locked the door when Clem was in the garden. Someone moved behind her and she spun around just as Karl clamped his hand over her mouth.
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