by Неизвестный
Maria wanted to be happy. Had it not been for her father’s death she might
well have left already. But then she would never have met Simone.
She had spilled her wishes for a different future to Simone without
thinking, like picking up on a call with a soul mate she’d known for a
million years. The code of silence was there to protect those you love. Had
she broken the code? Bringing Simone to Valencia and the Pyrenees was a
risk. She wasn’t thinking clearly. Her actions around Simone defied logic.
This was what love did to you. It was dangerous to lose her capacity to think
and to be controlled by strong emotions. She closed her eyes and prayed she
wouldn’t live to regret the weakness that afflicted her. The image of the
cruiser she had just purchased came to her, and she opened her eyes and
smiled.
The Octavia was a key part of the plan. She had done everything
possible to ensure the cruiser couldn’t be linked back to her. The owner,
Mariella Sanchez, was a woman of Spanish origin who would be
untraceable should anyone come looking.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes again. Her heart slowed
with her thoughts. She couldn’t tell Simone about the boat or her identity.
Not yet. It was too risky. She turned as the door to the boardroom opened
and smiled at Rafael.
“Congratulations, Maria.”
“Thank you, Rafael.”
“Please, take a seat. Would you like a drink?”
Maria nodded and a woman came into the room with two cups of
freshly brewed coffee. Rafael smiled at her as she set them on the table,
remaining silent until the woman had left the room.
“We are increasing cement production as you requested. Shipments
will leave twice a week until further notice.”
“Excellent. We’ll be able to increase the scope of our construction
projects.” She smiled. “Amato will be unable to build the casino as planned
because their supplier in the mainland is unhappy, and our cement will be
too expensive for them. They’ll go bust, and the project will be abandoned.
We will get the tech park reinstated as my father had intended.” She sipped
at the drink, her thoughts drifting to her execution of the plans.
Rafael took a sip of his drink. “Business is good.”
She looked at him with a faint frown. “Everything is secure at this
end?”
“Of course, Maria.”
“Good.” She smiled and sipped her coffee. “Please give my regards
to Isla and give Jose and Diego a big hug for me. I’m sorry not to take a
longer trip. Maybe next time I can visit them.”
Grinning, he reached into his breast pocket, opened his wallet, and
pulled out a picture of twin boys sporting broad grins and identical gaps
where their baby teeth had not long fallen out. “They are growing so fast.”
His cheeks shone as he regarded the picture nostalgically, as if
imprinting the memory firmly in his mind. Maria smiled and patted him on
the arm. “They will soon be as good looking as their father.”
He cleared his throat, replaced the picture safely in his wallet, and
stood as she did. “I will escort you down,” he said.
She followed him out of the building with the paperwork for the
cruiser folded neatly into her inside jacket pocket and pressing stiffly
against her chest.
23.
Simone had decided on the drive from the airport that the Pyrenees
was, without doubt, the most beautiful place she had ever seen. They had
passed beneath the high, snowy peaks of the vast mountain range that
touched clear blue skies and driven cautiously down the narrow winding
roads that carved their way through forested mountainsides. Kayakers
paddled top grade trout streams and rivers which split the slopes and
created ravines. Everywhere around them had been wild countryside with
numerous species of wild orchid, butterflies, and raptors, though they
hadn’t stopped to discover the many walking trails.
She had delighted in Maria’s animation as she talked about one of
the most unspoiled regions of France, the pre-historic caves, chateaus, and
the escape routes through the mountains that had served the resistance
during the Second World War. Warmth had filled her with the admiration
Maria had for the place, and she had wanted the journey to never end.
Now, she sat in the passenger seat of their hire car in the town of St-
Lizier, her eyes fixed on the blue door of the estate agent’s offices that
Maria had just stepped into, and a steady flow of vibration fizzed in her
stomach. The mixed feelings had started in Valencia. Excitement in the
moments she shared with Maria, and comfort in the privacy of their hotel
room, but then a dull feeling had her looking over her shoulder in those
moments when she was alone. The hotel had been luxurious, and she had
been spoiled with the spa and aromatherapy massage. She had felt safe, and
there was no logical reason for the discomfort that came to her. Bizarrely,
she didn’t even feel anxious in Palermo though she had every reason to. She
rubbed her fingers together, interlocked them, and clenched her fists, and
the urgency to see Maria intensified. Maria wouldn’t be long. She just
needed to collect the keys to the property she had planned for them to stay
at.
She looked around, and the Roman architecture drew her eye.
Looking closely, it reminded her of her visit to the Colosseum while she
was at Rome University, though these buildings were nestled within a large
national park rather than a bustling and vibrant city. She hadn’t considered
her personal safety an issue in Rome. In fact, it hadn’t become an issue until
recently…until Maria. Maria, Maria. She was exhilarating to be with,
attentive, caring, considerate, respectful, and daring. The idea of losing her
clenched her gut until it burned. She closed her eyes. Enjoy this beautiful
place with the woman you love, Simone. She opened her eyes and inhaled.
The air here was clearer, cooler, and a little more humid than Valencia.
Tranquillity became tangible in the softening of her eyes as she watched
people amble leisurely down the narrow street, chatting and smiling.
Reassurance quieted her concerns and breathed deeply to relax her muscles.
She sighed.
Maria caught her eye as she exited the building and ran to the
driver’s door. Simone’s heart skipped lightly, and she smiled at the beaming
grin that spanned Maria’s face as she got into the car and dangled a set of
keys in front of her.
“Here, you can be the guardian of these.”
Simone grabbed them. Maria held on to the fob, drew Simone
towards her, and kissed her. Simone froze.
Maria leaned back, let go, and smiled. “We’re okay here. It’s safe.”
Simone looked around outside the car window, her heart thundering
behind her ribs. Yes, they were. She shook her head at the realisation of how
closeted she had lived. Open displays of affection weren’t something she
engaged in back home, for her own protection. But she hadn’t been openly
out at uni either. This is so crazy. She settled i
n the seat, closed her fingers
around the keys, and released a long slow breath. Maria frowned at her,
though she saw passion flash across Maria’s eyes as she looked into them.
She reached up and traced her face. Maria’s cheek was warm, and when
Maria took her fingers and tenderly kissed them, Simone stopped breathing
and swiftly closed the space between them. Tingling sparked in her lips and
swept down her spine and across the surface of her skin as Maria’s mouth
closed tenderly over hers.
It was a short route to the farmhouse, and yet it was as though the
home sat a million miles from everywhere. Set in a meadow of green a
couple of kilometres from the main road, surrounded by arable farmland,
pine forests, and within the mountain’s view, it was idyllic.
Simone stepped out of the car and looked around. She took in a deep
breath. Sweet, rich, earthy aromas filled her senses. She ran her hand over
the cool stone building. “This place is so exquisitely beautiful.”
Maria wrapped an arm around her waist. Smiling, she took in the
familiar surroundings and inhaled deeply. “You like it?”
“It’s incredible.”
Maria took Simone’s hand and tugged her towards the door. “Come
and see inside.”
Simone allowed herself to be dragged, though she still hadn’t
soaked up enough of the vista to want to move. She handed over the keys,
and Maria unlocked the front door.
The single-story building was dark inside. Small windows kept out
the sunlight that would too quickly overheat the rooms in the warmer
months and stopped the cold penetrating during the harsher winter months.
The rustic wood door squeaked as it opened into the main living area where
a two-seater, chocolate brown couch and a matching armchair hunkered
around a natural fireplace. Dry logs stacked in a neat pile on the hearth
waited for their turn to deliver their duty. A beautifully hand-crafted, dark-
wood dresser leaned against the main wall, with decorative china artefacts
adorning its shelves. A large oil painting that replicated the view across the
meadow spanned the chimney breast above the fireplace and could be seen
from the adjoining dining room through which Maria was leading her.
Maria placed the keys on the central island and smiled at Simone.
The layout bore a striking resemblance to the beach villa, slightly less open
plan but remarkably similar. Simone frowned as she compared the two
properties in her mind’s eye.
Maria’s smile broadened and then she went to the fridge. “Would
you like a drink?”
She had pulled out a bottle of wine before Simone had the chance to
answer and knew exactly where to go for the glasses. Simone’s frown
deepened as Maria poured their drinks.
Maria’s eyes narrowed, and her smile slowly disappeared as she
held out a glass to Simone. “What is it?”
Simone stared at Maria, her heart pounding. “You know this place?”
Maria lowered her head momentarily. She took a pace towards
Simone, who took a pace away from her.
She looked into Simone’s eyes, and released a long breath. “Here,
please, take this. Let’s talk.”
Slowly, Simone took the glass. She put it on the island and crossed
her arms. Maria took a sip of the wine, picked up Simone’s glass, and
headed out the rear door to the patio area that overlooked the meadow. She
placed their glasses on the stone topped table and sat, encouraging Simone
to join her. Simone sat.
“My father brought me to the Pyrenees when I was four for a
holiday,” Maria said softly. “I discovered the snow on the mountains and
trout fishing in the streams in boots that were bigger than me. I discovered
this place about fifteen years ago.” Her eyes wandered across the
spectacular view. “I fell in love with it.”
Simone saw tenderness and longing in Maria’s eyes. Maria’s lips
trembled as they closed and formed a thin line. She looked sad and
remorseful, and Simone’s heart ached. She wanted to take the pain away.
“The agent looks after it for me. I rarely get an opportunity to visit.”
Simone swallowed. She dropped her shoulders, picked up her glass,
and sipped her wine. Something was niggling her though she couldn’t put
her finger on what. Every time she looked at Maria, she melted. Her heart
ached in a way she had never experienced, and as soon as Maria was out of
sight, she worried for her to the point of a physical pain gripping around her
chest. This place was so far removed from Maria’s life in Palermo. “Why?”
Maria frowned. “Why what?”
“Why don’t you visit?”
Maria looked away. She hesitated to speak, and they sat in silence.
“You can trust me, Maria.”
Maria turned her head slowly to face Simone. “You are so
innocent.”
Simone felt the bolt of rejection locking her out of Maria’s world.
The tumbling sensation started in her stomach, sparked a fire that flamed
inside her, and like the tree struck by lightning, she was beginning to
crumble. Tears welled behind angry eyes. “Don’t say that to me.”
Maria sipped her wine. “My life is always under threat, Simone.”
Simone remained silent. Her jaw hurt from her gritted teeth. She’d
already worked that out.
Maria flinched. “I’m not who you think I—”
“You think you know who I am?”
Maria hesitated, then started to nod. “You’re right.” Her lips
twitched at the corners, and her eyes narrowed. “We don’t know each other
at all.”
Simone lifted her chin as she glared at Maria, her shoulders rising as
if to say, so what? “I know you’re a mafia boss, and I also know that you’re
one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. You’re smart. And you care about
people.”
Maria looked down at her trembling hands on the table. “I’ve killed
people, Simone.” She didn’t look up and rubbed at her eyes.
Simone felt the admission like the fracturing of ice when standing in
the middle of a frozen lake. Her pulse raced. She should jump back in the
car and disappear from Maria’s life forever. Instead, her thoughts
transformed the feeling into a fierce determination to protect and defend
her. “You must have had a good reason, Maria.”
Maria slowly lifted her head and looked at Simone. She wasn’t
smiling. She didn’t look relieved at the reprieve Simone had given her.
“Is there ever a good reason to take another person’s life?”
Simone nodded with conviction. “Yes, I think there is.”
The intensity in Maria’s eyes softened and then slowly, a tender
smile formed. Simone ignored the quaking in her stomach as she searched
for the right words as the disappointment, rejection, and loneliness that she
had lived through after returning to take care of her brother flooded her.
“We do what we have to do to survive.”
Maria sighed and bowed her head. “I can’t live in that world
anymore, Simone.”
Simone reached out and took Maria’s hands in hers. These hands
had taken life from oth
ers, and yet they’d given Simone hope of life, a
different life. She couldn’t imagine the conflict Maria must have
experienced nor the suffering she would endure for the rest of her life. She
couldn’t take Maria’s conscience from her and supposed Maria wouldn’t
want her to. She could love her though. In spite of everything Maria had
done, she would cherish her and be there for her. She would do that.
She cupped Maria’s cheek and leaned across the table, and when she
met Maria’s mouth with tenderness, her heart opened, and she felt Maria
curl up inside it. When Simone leaned back, her focus was blurred through
the wet sheen covering her eyes. Her voice reflected the painful truth she
knew they both shared. “I would rather die than lose you.”
Maria looked away. “If anything happens to me, if the situation
deteriorates with Amato, you can live here. Roberto too if he wishes.”
Simone shook her head, and her eyes widened. “Please, don’t talk
like that.”
Maria looked up and wiped the tears that slipped down Simone’s
cheeks. “I’m not expecting anything to happen.”
You’re lying. Maria smiled, and Simone’s expression remained
etched with concern. Maria cleared her throat and leaned back in the seat
and sipped from her drink.
“Hey.”
Simone saw a flicker of light in Maria’s eyes as she smiled at her.
She was trying to shift the subject. The least Simone could do was go with
her. “Hey.”
Maria pointed. “There’s a stream down there. We can fish for trout
tomorrow.”
Simone glanced in the direction of the forested area.
Maria looked at Simone for a long time and sighed. “You are
beautiful,” she said.
Heat filled Simone’s cheeks and when she smiled, she saw a glint in
Maria’s eyes.
“Would you like to live here one day?”
“Yes.” Her voice sounded as broken as her heart felt. Her eyelashes
felt thick with wetness. She wiped her eyes to prevent the burning from
becoming another flood of tears. The dark image wouldn’t leave her
though: Maria lying in a pool of blood, Alessandro standing over her dead
body with an insane grin on his face, gloating, and his gun still pointing at
her blood-soaked chest. An icy chill shuddered down her spine.
Maria leaned closer, lifted Simone’s chin, and looked into her eyes.