“I’m turning in too. Lots to do when we get up.”
“That’s for sure.” She looked at the cat. “Lucky boy, time for bed.” He didn’t budge. He had one leg over his face, something she referred to as the paw of invisibility.
Pierce laughed. “I don’t think that cat’s going anywhere.”
“Not while that fire’s on.”
“You want me to turn it off?”
“Nah. Let it be. It won’t hurt anything. It’s behind glass, and it’s making Lucky happy. You could probably turn it down, though.”
“No problem.” He used the fireplace remote to lower the flames, then got to his feet and drank what was left of his wine.
She got up and took his glass, kissed him on the cheek, and headed for the kitchen. “Night.”
“Night.”
She put the glasses in the sink and padded up to bed. She wasn’t super tired, but she had the feeling she’d be out as soon as her head hit the pillow.
She was. But a man’s voice urgently speaking her name woke her up. She blinked and found Pierce at her bedside.
He frowned. “Sorry to wake you, but you have a visitor.”
“Cammie again?” She looked at her phone. Almost nine.
“No. A woman I’ve never met. And she won’t tell me her name.”
She sat up. “Russian?”
“Not by the accent. She seems more like one of the Villachis’ associates.”
“Great. One more reason to move. Did you let her in?”
“Yes, but just into the foyer. Do you want me to throw her out? Call the police?”
“No, no. I’ll be right down.” She was probably one of the wives, just coming by to see how she was doing. Big Tony’s way of checking up on her without doing the deed himself.
Pierce left, and she pulled herself together. One of the best things about being a vampire was always looking pretty good. So long as she kept herself fed, there were no bags under her eyes, no deep lines, no bleary first-thing-in-the-morning look. All she really had to do was run a brush through her hair and throw on clothes. She went with jeans, a sweater, and Gucci loafers. She added some jewelry, then, as an afterthought, a swipe of mascara and a nude lip gloss.
Wouldn’t do to have one of the wives think she wasn’t looking her best. Old habits died hard.
She went down the back steps that went into the kitchen, then went through the kitchen and out into the living room, where Pierce was at the ready. She stopped cold at the sight of the woman standing in her foyer. Donna was really glad she’d taken the time to fix herself up a little. “Why on earth are you here?”
Lucinda Villachi had a loaf pan in her hands. And she was smiling. That alone was enough to make Donna cringe. “Hello, Donna. You look well.”
That didn’t answer the question. And it wasn’t a compliment Donna could truthfully return. At best, Lucinda looked a little ragged around the edges. Stressed, even. “Thank you. Really, though, why are you here? I know you don’t like me, and after our little visit the other night—”
“About that.” Lucinda shifted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry. I want to make amends.” She held out the loaf pan. “I made you another banana bread.”
Pierce held his hands out. “How kind. I can take that.”
Once again, Donna was infinitely grateful he was there. He’d answered so she didn’t have to. “Thanks, Pierce.”
He took the bread. “I’ll put this in the kitchen.” He left, giving Donna a distinctly sympathetic look as he walked past her. “Call me if you need me,” he whispered.
“Thanks.” She took a few steps toward Lucinda. “It surprises me that you want to make amends. That you even care after all these years. Especially with your brother deceased. You realize we don’t need to be friends. We don’t need to be anything. We’re not really family anymore.”
Lucinda put a hand to her heart. “Donna, you will always be family to me. You’re the godmother to my children.”
“Who are grown and couldn’t care less.” Not to mention, Alberto was in jail for running a chop shop, and Sofia had married and moved to California.
Lucinda persisted. “You’re my sister-in-law, even if Joe is gone.” She crossed herself. “May he rest in peace.” Then she sighed. “I haven’t been the best sister-in-law to you. I know that.”
Big Tony had either set Lucinda up to do this, or she was working her own angle. Donna didn’t know which it was, but something was up. “No, you haven’t been. What is it you really want?”
“For us to be friends. Or at least civil.”
Sure. That would happen. Donna crossed her arms. “What else? Because I know that’s not really what you came here for.”
Lucinda frowned. Then she sniffed like she was still deeply grieving. Which maybe she was. But the woman was normally as phony as a three-dollar bill, so it could all be an act too. “I was hoping for something of Joe’s. A keepsake. Would you let me look in his office for something of his that I might have? There was a picture of us as kids that he used to keep in there. I was hoping I might have that.”
There were some family pictures on one of the shelves in Joe’s office, but Donna hadn’t spent much time in there and couldn’t really recall the one she described. Although lately, she’d been in there more than she had been in years, mostly due to discovering the secret room behind one of the bookcases. The stash room. Where all the Russian money had been stored. Along with a hoard of guns, boxes of drugs, and a bunch of other paraphernalia. Most important, after the money, were ledgers detailing Joe’s years of working for the Villachi family.
And now Lucinda wanted to get into his office.
Right. That seemed logical.
Donna shook her head. “I’ll look for it. If I find it, I’ll drop it off at your house.”
A little spark of anger danced in Lucinda’s gaze, then she smiled. “That’s kind of you. But if I could just grab it now, then you wouldn’t even have to think about it.”
On a whim, Donna decided to indulge her. “Fine. Let’s go get it.”
Lucinda’s smile suddenly became real. “Great. I’ll just be a second.”
“No worries.” Donna let her mouth curve upward ever so slightly. “I’m going with you.”
Lucinda laughed. “What’s the matter? Don’t you trust me?”
Donna kept her smile in place and spoke as sweetly as she could. “No, I don’t.”
Then she turned on her heel and marched off to Joe’s office. She prayed that she’d remembered to close up the stash room the last time she’d had it open.
She flipped the light on and exhaled in relief when she saw that everything was in place.
Lucinda pushed past her to stand in front of Joe’s office. She shook her head. “I don’t see the picture.” She looked at Donna. “Did you move any of his things?”
“Nothing on these shelves. Although I really do need to clear this room out.”
Lucinda paused, then it was almost as if a light bulb went off inside her fetid little mind. “You know, I’d be happy to help you with that. I’m sure Tony would love a memento of Joe’s too.”
The need for sleep tugged at Donna. She hadn’t had nearly enough. “I’ll let you know. I guess the picture isn’t here, but we looked, right?”
Lucinda turned back toward the bookcases behind Joe’s desk. “It’s so nice to be in this space. I miss my brother so much.”
“I’m sure you do.”
She coughed suddenly. Donna wasn’t sure if the woman was supposed to be choked up with emotion or coming down with the croup. Lucinda cleared her throat. “Could I get a glass of water?”
“Sure. Come into the kitchen.” Donna started to move toward the hall.
Lucinda stayed put. “Do you mind if I just spend another moment in here? I feel like Joe’s spirit is still here. Like I’m close to him in this room.”
It was an office, not a chapel. And Donna wasn’t Lucinda’s to push around anymore. With a frustrated sigh, she deci
ded to cut through the crap. Whatever the consequences. “Enough with the games. Why do you want so bad to be alone in this room? What are you after in here?”
Chapter Five
Lucinda’s mouth fell open in shock. “What are you accusing me of? I just want something of my brother’s to remember him by. I’m trying to extend an olive branch here, Donna, and you ain’t being very nice about it.”
“Right. An olive branch. That must be why I feel like I’m being poked with a stick.” Donna stepped into the hall. She had an idea of what Lucinda was after, and it wasn’t a photo. “It’s time to go.”
In a huff, Lucinda stormed out. “I told my brother not to marry you. That you were trouble. That a woman like you would only bring him—”
“Stuff it, Lucy. He’s dead, and I don’t have to take your crap anymore. Not under my roof.”
Lucinda choked on her words but quickly found new ones. “The roof my brother paid for? The roof you’re shacking up with some guy under? My brother’s not even cold in the ground, and you’ve already got someone new in your bed.”
Donna’s palm itched to make contact with Lucinda’s face. But that was only going to stir a pot she had no desire to eat from. “That guy is my attorney. He’s helping me take care of the estate. But always good to know where your sick little mind goes first.” She pointed toward the door. “Get out of my house and don’t come back. Whatever you came here for, you’re not going to get it. Ever. Capisce?”
Lucinda’s eyes narrowed, and Donna imagined she could see smoke rising off the woman. “You will regret this.”
“More than I already regret marrying into this family? I doubt it. Now start walking, or I’ll remove you myself.”
Lucinda snorted. “As if you could—”
Donna grabbed the woman’s arm and started pulling her down the hall. She did her best to keep her emotions under control so that her eyes wouldn’t glow. “When I say something, Lucy, I mean it. Best you understand that.”
Lucinda yelped but had no immediate option except to move. She tried to pull away, but Donna’s strength was far superior.
So Lucinda started swinging with her free arm. She connected a right hook with Donna’s rib cage. Lucinda’s fist bounced off like she’d hit rubber. “What the—”
“I work out,” Donna quipped as she dragged Lucinda into the living room and toward the foyer. She released Lucinda, shoving her at the door. “Let’s go over this now. Do you understand that when I say don’t come back, I mean don’t come back?”
Lucinda was fuming. Her chest heaved with the exertion of her impending meltdown. “You have no right to do this. Joe is my brother. I should be allowed something of his.”
Donna put her hands on her hips. “How about this? You tell me what you really came here for, and maybe I’ll reconsider. But it has to be the truth, and you only get one shot. I have way too much to do to fool around with your sorry self all morning.”
Lucinda didn’t look convinced. At least not enough to speak up.
Donna shrugged. “Okay, get out.”
“No, wait.” Lucinda took a deep breath, and the heaving subsided a little. “The truth?”
The muscles in Donna’s jaw tensed in frustration. “Yes, obviously. The truth.”
“I want that picture. I know it was in his office. I’m sure it’s still in there. Just be a decent person and let me look for it.”
Donna stabbed her finger into Lucinda’s airspace. “Don’t tell me to be decent. That passive-aggressive crap is not going to fly.”
Lucinda held her hands up in implied surrender. “Fine. Sorry. Just let me find the photo. I can’t imagine what you’d want with a picture of me and Joe as kids at the state fair.”
Donna still mostly believed that Lucinda was full of crap. Past history supported the validity of that belief. But Lucinda’s answer actually had the ring of sincerity to it. Not a big, clanging ring. More like the little ding your phone makes when a nonessential text message comes in. But still. Maybe she really did just want something of Joe’s. And the only value a picture like that could have was sentimental.
Donna sighed. “Listen. I get it. But the best I can do right now is think it over. I had a long, eventful night, and I need a few more hours of sleep before I can decide this. I’ll call you.” That was a lie. Donna had no intentions of talking to Lucinda ever again, if she could help it.
“Hmph.”
“Don’t push me.”
Lucinda rolled her eyes but headed for the door. She left without another word.
“Thanks would have been nice,” Donna muttered.
Pierce emerged from the other side of the house, where his guest room was. “Everything cool?”
“Yes. But she’s up to something. I just don’t know what.” She glanced back toward the kitchen. “What did you do with that banana bread?”
“It’s on the counter. I was going to throw it away, but I figured I’d let you decide.”
“Nope, you were right. Pitch it. No way I’m eating anything that woman made.”
He nodded, chuckling. “Will do. Are you going back to sleep?”
Donna yawned without meaning to. “And there’s your answer. Yes. I need a few more hours. You need anything before I go?”
“No.” One side of his mouth quirked up. “But I should tell you, you have a date tonight with Boris Reznikov.”
She stared at him. “I do? When?”
“Midnight at the Russians’ club, Pravda, downtown.”
“Meeting on their turf, huh?”
“I know that’s not a good idea, but it’s all I could get them to agree to. Do you want me to cancel?”
“No. I want this over with.”
“Is that enough time for you to meet with Governor Fitzhugh at ten? I figured if you were going to be dressed to impress him, might as well knock out Boris too.”
“It should be plenty of time. Good thinking.” She put her hand to her stomach as nerves started to tangle it in knots. “Tonight, huh?”
“Too soon?”
“No, it’s fine. I wasn’t expecting it to happen so quickly.” When Pierce said he was going to do something, he did it. Night and day from Joe, who’d only jumped when Villachi business was involved. “I’ll be done with Fitzhugh in plenty of time. I don’t plan on entertaining him long, not if everything Charlie said about him is true. Which I’m sure it is. That’s great. I really appreciate it.”
“That’s what I’m here for. At least until Charlie takes over.” He laughed. “Rest well. I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Thanks. I’ll call Neo and see if she wants to go along.” She started for the stairs, then stopped. “Hey, is Boris going to expect me to have the money tonight?”
Pierce shook his head. “He shouldn’t. We’re only going to negotiate.”
“Listen, about that. If he wants the whole lot back and won’t budge from that, then I’m ready to give it to him. I just want to be done with this whole thing.”
Pierce nodded. “I completely understand.”
“Good. Thanks.” She gave him a little wave, then jogged up the steps. She stripped off her clothes, shoes, and jewelry, fell onto her bed, and was about to go back to sleep when a different urge struck her.
She picked up her phone and dialed.
Cammie answered on the second ring. “Hey, sis. How are you?”
“Better. Just wanted to see how you’re doing.”
“I’m having a blessed day. How are you doing?”
“Well, Lucinda was just here.”
“Ew. And I mean that in the holiest way possible. Is that why you’re not asleep? Because you should be at this hour.”
“Yep.” Donna rolled over onto her back. “I’ll go back to sleep in a bit. I just wanted to talk to you first.”
“You sound like you’re pondering something.”
“I’m always pondering something these days.”
“Anything specific?”
Since she had Cammie’s atte
ntion, Donna figured, why not ask one of the questions that had been rattling around in her head? “Have you ever heard of a crucifix giving someone special protections?”
“It wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility. Does that answer your question?”
“Enough, thanks.” Donna’s free hand went to the crucifix, the metal warm and comforting. “Hey, I need to tell you. I’m moving out of the house and into the governor’s penthouse in the Wellman Towers.”
“Wow, that is quite the step up. Sadly, it’ll be a bit before I can visit. A few of us are leaving tomorrow for a trip to the orphanage that we support in Nicaragua. I was going to call you tonight to let you know.”
Cammie was so good. “Well, good timing on my part then. I hope you have a safe trip. Call me when you’re back, okay?”
“I will. Be good while I’m gone.”
“I’ll try.”
“That’s all I ask. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Donna hung up, closed her eyes and went back to sleep almost immediately.
Four hours and some minutes later, she woke up feeling infinitely better but very hungry. Even so, she lay on the bed for a few moments, staring up at the ceiling. Then she glanced around the bed. Lucky had left. Probably hanging out with Pierce.
She had too much to do to lie here any longer. Plus, there were several hours of sun left in the day, which energized her to get things done. She scrubbed a hand over her face and got up. She was still in her underwear from stripping down earlier, so she pulled on some jogging pants and a T-shirt, then sat back on the bed to call Neo.
She answered immediately. “Hey, Mama. Good timing. I just woke up. What’s happening?”
“All kinds of stuff. How are you?”
“I’m good. How’s life as the governor?”
“It hasn’t really started yet. I have a meeting with the governor of New York this evening, though. I also have something else going on, which is why I’m calling. I need some help.”
“Hit me. I’m listening.”
“You want to tag along with me and play gangster? The short of it is, I need to meet with some heavy hitters, and while I have two people going with me already—”
Suck It Up, Buttercup: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (First Fangs Club Book 2) Page 4