The Bounty Hunters: The Marino Bros.: Box Set
Page 71
“You guys aren’t in any trouble?” she asked as Blaze led her to the stairwell beside the elevator. The police had the elevator locked down while they investigated.
“Don’t think so, and we have a confession on tape, and though it may not be admissible, it’ll be enough to get your case dismissed.”
“So Albert might get away with trying to frame me?” she asked, trying to calculate how long he might go away for trying to shoot Gio. Not long enough, she thought as the door shut and they began the brief climb to the fourth floor.
“Highly unlikely. The prosecutor has been riding hard on you for this, and he will want answers, so they will find something that was overlooked.”
“Good,” Lisa stated. “About time they start looking at him.”
Blaze pulled open the door at the top of the stairwell and they crossed the hallway to the open door of her old apartment.
Gio was answering questions from a detective, and Andreas and Nikko were tete-a-tete with another one, probably answering the same ones.
“If you’ll excuse me a moment,” Gio asked of the detective with whom he was speaking. The detective nodded, still scribbling away on his notepad.
Gio took Lisa into his arms. “Blaze fill you in?” he asked inhaling her scent and holding her.
“Yes, some,” she stated as he released her.
“It’s all gonna work out.” He kissed her softly on the top of her head.
“I believe you.” And she did. For the first time, in a very long time she felt more certain of that than anything else.
“Good, now we gotta go to the station. Blaze can drive you home, then he will come down to the station for us. Just wanted to see you, and knew you wouldn’t rest easy until you saw me.” His eyes twinkled with mischief. “I gotta make my baby happy.”
“You do, Gio. You do!” Lisa threw herself into his arms. “Only you,” she whispered as he kissed the top of her hair once more.
* * *
Lisa sent Mary home over two hours ago. It was nearly one in the morning and still no sign of any of the Marinos. Still not tired, she would wait up, all night if she had too, she thought as she flicked through the television stations looking for something to occupy her mind until Gio returned.
But it wasn’t necessary, there was a rattling at the door fifteen minutes later. She was up off of the sofa, and at the door before Andreas had it half way open.
“Thank you, all,” she threw herself at him. “All of you,” she stammered as Andreas let her go.
“Sure Weezie,” he teased, calling her by another one of the horrible nicknames the boys used on her when they had been neighbors and children.
She smacked him. “What are brothers for?” Nikko chimed in coming in next, and kissing her on the cheek.
Blaze followed and kissed her on the other cheek. She felt the love from this family that she desperately missed. These were her brothers, and then there he was, Gio. Her one true love.
“That’s right, Red,” he called. “Family sticks together.”
Her smile lit up the room. “Family sticks together,” she repeated.
He pulled her into his arms, and kissed her as the brothers silently disappeared into their respective rooms. He just held her, knowing now that he would be able to do so forever, but he couldn’t resist it. She had opened herself up to this. “Boy,” he whispered seductively in her ear, “I sure would like to stick it you, Red, right now.”
Lisa laughed. God how she missed this. She whispered back. “Then stick it to me, Gio.”
His eyes widened in surprise, but there was no way he would let that challenge pass unanswered. He took her hand and led her to the living room. “Quiet Red, we have a full house, and no bedroom of our own. It’ll be just like old times,” he said, beginning to strip for her as she began to fumble with her own clothes.
He lay on the coach, the tattoo across his chest glimmering in the rays of the moonlight coming in from the window. “La Vida Loca,” “This Crazy Life.” True. But it was going to be a good one. She sank onto him then, knowing there was no place she would rather be.
Gio sighed his pleasure. “Stick it to me, baby.”
She did, and then together they soared.
* * *
The next day brought Alex with the official news. “The prosecutor has officially withdrawn the charges. He issued charges against Albert for the attempted murder of Gio, and the plot to frame you. He thinks they will be able to use some of the confession Gio got, if not the video recording, at least having him testify. Albert denied everything at the police station, and of course shut down completely once his lawyer got there, but the best piece of news, is that the police picked up Connie in Atlanta last night and they are charging her as well. If she turns on Albert she will get a lesser charge and that might motivate her.”
“Oh, Alex. This is great news.” Lisa turned into Gio’s waiting arms.
“We also discovered something else. Something totally new.” Alex sounded excited.
“What is it?” Gio asked.
“Well, those pictures you took all those years ago, Lisa, the one inside that warehouse. Well, we just assumed the car in the picture belonged to the man Albert had met, but it didn’t. It belonged to the Senator. We are enhancing all the pictures now, and thankfully your private eye still had the negatives. We called him this morning. My guys saw something, shadows, someone was watching. If we can get an ID on the Senator, they are all going down. It’s going to be big. Connie will be offered protective custody after she serves her time for turning them all in. It’s practically a done deal.”
“Fabulous,” Gio stated putting out his hand to shake Alex’s while draping his arm over Lisa’s shoulder possessively.
“Yes, it is. Almost makes me wish I sill worked in the prosecutor’s office. Doesn’t it?” he included Blaze in his question.
Blaze nodded. “I like it when the bad guys go down. But, I’m very happy right where I am.” He was thinking of Bella and flying back home tonight. He had hated leaving her once again, but he hadn’t wanted his brothers to do this without him. She completely understood, but her own hearing was just a week away, and they were all needed for that.
Alex didn’t stay much longer. He’d only wanted to deliver the good news, and catch up with his old friend, Blaze. He envied him. He’d found out Blaze had finally met the right woman. He left feeling happy for him.
Lisa, and Gio returned to the kitchen. They were cooking up a storm for everyone before Blaze left. Andreas and Nikko were staying one more day before they returned to Tampa, and she and Gio and Johnny would follow in a couple of weeks although Gio needed to be present at Bella’s hearing. But that would just be the one day.
She needed to put her apartment in Jersey on the market, and decide what she wanted to take. She also needed to make sure she had all her son’s school records with her, and start looking for a place in the Tampa area. She wanted him to be in a great school. A public school, Gio had insisted, but he would buy the house, and they would scour the internet together finalizing their list.
Nikko had given them the name of a good realtor, a woman by the name of “Annie O.” He and his fiancée were looking for something as well.
As she stirred the pot of sauce she was making, Gio chatted with Johnny, explaining how to make the perfect meatball. “You got to add just the right amount of water and cheese. Fresh basil is key. And don’t handle it too much.”
Andreas was reading the paper in the living room, and Nikko was on the phone talking to Ronnie, his girl.
Yes, Lisa thought, cheerfully, she couldn’t ask for more, and she didn’t want to. This was her family. They always had been.
Epilogue
A Month Later . . .
Gio closed the back door of the small moving truck. Lisa had weeded out a lot, wanting to have a fresh start in Florida.
They had dinner at her parents’ house earlier and they just added the last few items to the truck. He and Johnny we
re driving it down to Florida together, their first road trip.
Lisa was like a mother hen, saying goodbye, making sure they had everything. Gio shook his head as she rubbed something off the kids face while he tried to push her hand away.
“Mom, please,” he urged.
“Sorry,” she pulled him to her one more time. “Habit.”
When she released him Gio was there standing beside her. “Three days, Lisa. We’ll be fine.”
“I know, but I’ll miss him.”
Gio’s eyebrows were raised in question.
“You too.” She reached her arms around him and held him.
The sound of the truck door closing told Gio their son had given them some privacy. “I’ll miss you too, woman.” His voice dropped to a husky whisper. “Especially that ass.” He squeezed it and dipped down for a kiss.
Lisa was ready; she opened to him and allowed him to get his fill. She’d be there ahead of them. Her flight left tomorrow morning, and she would be signing the contracts in the afternoon for the new house. They had found it on line, and their realtor, had taken them through the house in real time using Facetime. They had fallen in love with the neighborhood. Seminole Heights was one of the quaint historical neighborhoods in the Tampa Bay area. The homes were not identical and the architectural styles showed the influence of the arts that the neighborhood was known for.
Lisa loved the porch that ran along the entire front of the four bedroom home, and the tree lined streets. The schools in the area were top notch. Andreas had gone with the realtor as well, to assess the work on the recently renovated home. It had been priced to sell, but he had nothing but good things to say about all the upgrades.
Both Gio and she agreed to make an offer, and it had been accepted. She would be there for the final inspection, sign all the papers, and Gio would be there the following day.
She couldn’t wait to fill the house with things they chose together. Their home, she savored the thought, as Gio broke the kiss that curled her toes and left her wanting more.
He began to walk to the truck, and she followed him. “Okay, we will call every night, and we will be careful,” he assured her one final time before climbing in. He wanted to get a few hours of driving in so he could take the next two days easier and get to know more about his son.
“Love you. Both,” she called and waved as Gio began to back out of the driveway of her parents’ home. She was sleeping there for her last night. Her parents had promised to visit them in Florida once they were settled.
Gio honked the horn, and rolled his window down. “Love you, Lisa.”
She smiled. Yes, he did.
The
End
Beautiful No More
Book 4 of The Bounty Hunters (The Marino Bros.)
By
MJ Nightingale
Dedication
To all those who have a dream. Never give up.
To those who feel the weight of the world on their shoulders, don’t lose hope.
To those suffering alone, know you are not.
Prologue
Six Months Earlier . . . (April 2015)
She. Was. Beautiful.
Still is, he thought.
He scooted closer to the wall, repositioned himself for comfort, and then once again brought his face to the small hole he had made in the closet. Placing his eye over the peephole he watched, and remembered.
Catarina Stone was standing before her mirror brushing out the tangles in her thick black hair as she blow dried it to make it smooth. His palms itched to touch her hair. He felt himself getting hard.
She wore a simple white nightgown that reached her knees. Her feet were bare. What he could see of her legs showed him she was still fit. Perfect. He adjusted his erection choking back the groan that threatened to escape from his lips.
He had to sit back for a moment, collect himself.
He counted to twenty, and then leaned forward again to watch.
She had unplugged her blow dryer, then disappeared into the bathroom, and he cursed his impatience. He watched until his eyes began to water, trying not to blink so he wouldn’t miss her coming back into the room. He’d be able to catch a glimpse of her face then.
It seemed like forever. But ten minutes later she emerged from her ensuite, and grabbed the remote off her high boy dresser.
He nearly choked back a sob at her beauty. The whore. That’s what she had been, still was. Yet he loved her. She had been kind to him once. That was when it began, twelve years ago. Catarina was thirty-one now. But he still remembered her at nineteen. He’d been just a few years older, only twenty-two. She’d disappeared. Vanished. Then everything had come crashing down around him. His father still rotted in jail, but he’d managed to escape. But for two years he’d yearned for her. Her smile. Those eyes that glowed grey with flecks of gold. She hadn’t smiled much then. But for him she had. They had been friends, he’d thought.
He’d brought her extra food, books to write in. She was always writing in her little books. He’d asked her about them once. She said they were her diaries. But they were all in Dutch. Her language. She was born in Amsterdam. She’d told him that.
He got bits and pieces out of her when he brought her treats. But he never dared to stay too long in her presence then. He didn’t want his father to find out, plus she was a working girl. One of his father’s many slaves.
Catarina stood, legs slightly apart by her bed. She was close enough to touch. He wanted to touch her. He’d never dared. He sniffed at the wall trying to inhale her scent as he imagined stroking her thighs, cupping her.
His cock hardened even more, and it became so painful. Yet he resisted.
Not yet.
Catarina settled on Bay News 9, a local twenty-four hour news program. She always did that. She’d surf the local stations, but always chose the news. She set the timer on the remote so the television would shut itself off in forty-five minutes, and placed it on her night stand. She quickly crawled into bed. She always slept in the middle. On her back, then in the night she would roll to her side away from him.
It never took her long either. She was usually out in fifteen minutes, and then came the turn. Away from him. Just like before.
He watched. He waited. And just like clockwork, she fell asleep.
After she turned, only then did he grasp his cock in his hand after fishing it out of his pants, and jerk off. He came quickly, but wanted to scream her name. Catarina. He silently lifted his closed fist, and pretended to smash the wall that separated them. After cleaning himself up, he got ready to go to work. The white putty he used to cover the hole could be removed tomorrow—and he could watch her again. But now there were hallways to vacuum, mirrors to clean, and banisters to polish. The Trump Towers in Tampa did not clean itself and he needed to hurry. This wasn’t even his floor.
Salvatore shut the closet door, and padded out of the empty apartment. The owners were snowbirds, and they were gone for eight long, beautiful months of the year. That gave him time—plenty of time. He hummed softly as he hit the stairwell taking him back down to the seventh and eighth floors.
He immediately got to work upon finding his cart.
Ah, Catarina. He’d missed her. And she brought back those urges he thought he’d been able to suppress. A plan began to form. He hadn’t done anything bad in nine years. Nine long, lonely years. And she had made him do it when she disappeared.
Twelve years ago, this beauty had escaped him. She wouldn’t do that again, he vowed. Never again. If she tried, she would be beautiful no more.
Chapter 1
Six Months Later . . . (November 2015)
Andreas opened the door and immediately loosened the tie at his collar. It had been a long day. He climbed the stairs two at a time, his shoes making soft noises up the wide marble staircase on his way to his bedroom. The house was quiet. Too quiet.
Ever since his brothers moved out, the huge house on Anna Maria Island seemed too large. He still loved i
t though. His business and solid investments made the purchase possible within the first year of his move to Tampa.
The hallway was dark, but he didn’t need the light. He knew where he was going, past the four large bedrooms, two on either side of the long hallway, each with their own bathrooms, to his own master suite. He opened the door, and flicked on the light. Soft tones illuminated the room. The grey walls, and midnight blue décor soothed him immediately, and the stress of the day and long night faded away. All his brothers were married now, settled down.
He shook his head at the thought. All of them younger than him. All of them had found their soul mates, and he was happy for them. He looked forward to having more than just the one nephew. The house would be full on Sundays at least. But he had no plans to settle down. Soul mates were not for him. No woman had ever been able to capture his heart. Not even the one he had been engaged too. He’d proposed back then because she pressured him to do it, and he felt it was time. But at thirty-five, he was older, wiser.
He went to the dresser that faced the wall across from the sliders that opened onto his balcony overlooking Tampa Bay. The waves soothed him. So different from the street sounds that had come in through the windows of his New York apartment.
That had been another time. Another life. One he didn’t regret leaving behind. Except for one thing. There was only one. Not catching his parents’ murderer.
* * *
He removed his cuff links, placed them in a drawer of his dresser designed for his jewelry.
He finished undressing, setting his tuxedo garments carefully on a chaise longue in the corner of his room. His decorator had assured him it was manly, but the piece came in handy to lay out his attire before and after special occasions. He thought about the event he just left. His brother Nikko’s wedding to his fiancée Ronnie. She was a beautiful bride. All his brothers and their wives stood up for Nikko. All newly and hastily married. Blaze had wed his Bella over the Labor Day weekend in a small ceremony and announced they were pregnant. Gio and Lisa got hitched right here a few weeks earlier, on their son’s birthday. And Nikko married his Ronnie just six hours earlier.