“Until I give the order, I don’t care how much she protests. Sleep outside her door if you have to. If she knows I’ve set you on her, she’ll try to sneak away,” Luigi warned.
He shrugged. “I’ve never lost a client yet. But, she despises me. I don’t know if Arturo has told you, but she definitely has an aversion to me.”
“I’m well aware of that. I’m hoping by giving you this job and giving you whatever authority you need to make her behave, you’ll keep her distracted. I’m worried she’ll end up in the line of fire. She has an important meeting coming up soon at a hotel, a very public hotel. I don’t want her going anywhere else but to that meeting until I say the word. You don’t leave her side while she’s in that hotel no matter what she says.”
“In that case, I am more than happy to take on this job for you.”
“She is a treasure to me, but she is a handful,” Luigi said. “I don’t want anything to happen to her.”
“I understand the trust you’re placing in me, Don Luigi, and it is not misplaced. You have only to ask those I’ve worked with.”
Luigi beamed at him. “Good. Good. Arturo said to place Lissa in your care. He thinks very highly of you. You do this for me and we can talk about a permanent home. I think you’re just the right kind of soldier I need in the coming weeks.”
Tomasso managed a smile as he slowly stood up. “Thank you, Don Luigi, I won’t let you down.”
He liked the assignment just fine, although he was more certain than ever that Luigi and Arturo were up to something. Luigi didn’t want his niece poking around or leaving the property because she was too intelligent to miss much. She was no longer a young, traumatized child, or teenager being indoctrinated. She was a grown woman with a moral code of her own. She would never accept her uncle’s plan of absolute power. He couldn’t afford to make a single mistake around her. She was too sharp-eyed.
Tomasso sauntered out of the room, looking for all the world like an arrogant, important, Italian bodyguard. He knew he was good-looking. He made his way into the small study where Lissa liked to curl up on the couch with a book. He draped himself against the wall, a pose that always annoyed her.
She kept her nose in the book for a few minutes and then with a little huff of annoyance glanced up. “What? What are you doing?”
“Looking at you.”
“Well don’t. Go away.” She wiggled her fingers at him. “Don’t you have another pool game to play? You’re wasting my uncle’s money just standing around. He doesn’t seem to mind, but I do. Go stand somewhere else.”
He faced the camera they both knew was in the room and smirked directly at her. “I have new orders, Lissa. I stick to you like glue. You don’t go anywhere without me and if you try, I can use whatever means available to me to stop you.” His smirk widened into a taunting grin.
She hissed at him through her teeth and tossed her book down on the couch. “We’ll see about that.”
“Your uncle has retired for the night. Do I have to remind you that he’s ill?”
“You know very well he isn’t my real uncle. I’m a grown woman and I can do whatever I want or don’t want. I don’t want a bodyguard.”
She was good, Casimir had to admit. Throwing that bit about not being his niece to protect that cover as well. The men weren’t supposed to know Giacinta Abbracciabene was alive. He gave her the most insolent look he could, one that he played straight to the camera. “Throwing a tantrum because you don’t want a bodyguard is a little childish, isn’t it?”
She stood up and paced across the room to him. “I don’t need a bodyguard.”
“Apparently, whatever is going on in your uncle’s life, he believes that you do. So suck it up and give him his peace of mind instead of acting like a spoiled brat.”
Her chin went up, eyes flashing dangerously. “How dare you talk to me like that.”
“Are you going to go tell on me? Get me fired? Beaten up? Killed? Is that what you like to do when one of your uncle’s men annoys the princess?”
She glared at him. “I don’t need to go running to my uncle every time one of his men is rude to me.”
His eyebrow shot up. “His men are rude to you?”
She stuck her nose in the air, tossing her red hair in disdain. “I’m going to my room.” She swept past him.
He halted her haughty exit by simply straightening and falling into step behind her. She swung around, her fingers curling in two tight fists. “Now what are you doing?”
“Don Luigi wants you protected at all times, that means inside this house as well as outside. He told me not to leave you. I’ll be sleeping on the floor just inside your door.”
Her eyes widened with shock. “You will not.”
“Actually, I will. You have an important meeting at a hotel soon. He asked me to accompany you there, but otherwise, you are not to leave the property and I’m not to leave your side.”
Lissa stuck her chin in the air and continued stalking toward the stairs. “You aren’t sleeping on the floor in my room.”
“You offering your bed?”
She stopped so fast he ran into her and was forced to grab her arms to keep her from falling. She sent him a withering look over her shoulder. “Absolutely not.”
He allowed his finger to slide over her bare arm and leaned down to put his mouth against her ear. “You might like it.” He whispered the taunt, his lips brushing her earlobe. For one moment his teeth tugged and then he stepped away from her.
Lissa didn’t say a word. She went up the stairs, ignoring the fact that he followed closely. She yanked open her bedroom door, but before she could close it, he caught the frame and held it so he could slip through. Like Luigi, she had her own apartment. It wasn’t so large or ornate, but it was beautiful, with all the amenities.
Casimir whistled softly. “Nice. I thought my room with my personal bath and Jacuzzi was nice, but this definitely is a step or ten above.” He closed the door. “You certain no cameras or recording devices are in here?”
She nodded and stepped into him, hands going to his chest, pushing him back against the door. “You are such a smart-ass. I can’t believe you. Tomasso is going to get something broken over his head if he keeps it up.”
“Luigi wants me to antagonize you. He thinks that will keep you distracted.”
She tilted her face up to his, looking puzzled. “Why would he need me distracted? He went to visit his wife. You tailed him. By now, he has the news that Cosmos is dead. What is he planning?”
“He was burning papers, and I saw more on his desk, all in Cosmos Agosto’s name. Deeds. Bank statements, that sort of thing. He must be doing a takeover of Agosto’s estate.”
“Where is Arturo?” she asked. “Arturo is always with him.”
Casimir shook his head. “Not this time. Luigi drove in by himself, and I’m certain he’s going back out again tonight. He wasn’t planning to retire to his bedroom.”
“We’ll have to follow him.”
Casimir bunched silken strands of red hair in his fist and tugged gently. “Not we, golubushka. Me. I’ll follow him. You keep the home fires burning just in case he has someone else with eyes on you. Make sure you make an appearance every now and then by opening the door and telling me to get out.”
His hand slid under the curtain of her hair to wrap around the nape of her neck. “I just want to see where he’s going, Giacinta. I’m not making any move on him yet. I need to know where Arturo is and what they’re up to. You won’t be missing out on anything.”
“He had dogs.”
Casimir went still. His gut knotted. She suddenly looked vulnerable, her wide, blue eyes looking up at him. No tears. Just that quiet statement out of the blue. He didn’t have to ask who she referred to. He knew. Cosmos Agosto could rot in hell. He couldn’t imagine what kind of trauma a little girl suffered after watching a trusted man send his dogs after her. Worse, watching as the dogs killed her parents.
He pulled her into his arms,
tight against his body, holding her close, trying to comfort her when there was little comfort to give. “He’s dead, malyshka, and we’re one step closer to getting home.”
“I called Lexi,” she admitted. “After. I had to hear her voice. Gavriil told me to come home.”
Her voice was muffled against his chest, but he heard every word. He stroked caresses through her hair and stared over her head at the wall. “Maybe that would be the best, Giacinta. I could finish up here and then join you.” He wanted her safe. Out of the mess, away from Luigi and clear of the Sorbacovs. At the same time, he didn’t want to give her up. The selfish part of him that had been alone all his life didn’t want to be more than arm’s distance from her.
“Go keep a watch on Luigi,” she murmured, not relinquishing her hold on him. She leaned into him, tilted her head so she was looking up. “But first, kiss me. I’m not going anywhere. I think we have a chance of staying alive if we go after the Sorbacovs together. Certainly I have a better chance of getting close to them than you do. I’m not about to leave you now that I’ve found you.”
Casimir closed his eyes for a moment, savoring her words. I’m not about to leave you now that I’ve found you. In spite of every reason not to trust, Lissa trusted him. She trusted in them. She’d given herself to him, committing to him and that meant something to her – and everything to him.
“Kiss me, Casimir. I need to feel alive again. I’m cold inside.”
He didn’t wait. He took her mouth and poured love down her throat. The fire inside him burst through him and into her. The temperature in the room rose by several degrees but neither noticed. Her mouth was soft and perfect. So perfect. He could kiss her forever. Somehow she always took him to another realm, a place where brutal schools didn’t exist and he wasn’t a man without a soul.
He reluctantly took his mouth from hers and brushed kisses over her eyes, trailed more to her temple and then down to her chin. “Will you be all right without me? Luigi and Arturo can go to hell. We don’t need to recon tonight.”
“I’ll wait for you. He’ll make a move soon. Luigi has endless patience, but whenever a job is completed, he wants to discuss it. That’s a given. Every single time he comes out of his wing of the house and insists we go over every detail. He won’t wait long, which means whatever business he has, he’ll want to conclude it.”
“I thought you said Arturo is always with him.”
She nodded slowly. “That’s true. It’s highly unusual for Arturo to leave Luigi without a bodyguard.”
He kissed her again. Meaning it. Letting her know she was his and he would never change that. “I’m going then. I’ll be back as soon as I know where they are.”
She reached up with one hand and stroked his face with loving fingers. “I’ll be here. Don’t forget the cameras.” Just the slightest hint of amusement crept into her voice.
She was teasing him. In the middle of the biggest mess she could be in, she still found a moment for humor. He let himself smile, when all he wanted to do was wrap her up in his arms and carry her off like a primitive caveman. He took her mouth one more time and then turned away to take care of business. Because that was what men like him did.
10
Luigi came out of his wing in the late evening two days later, looking older and shaken. His tall frame was stooped and he walked hesitantly, as if his balance was a little off, but he refused help. Lissa followed him down the hall, staying close just in case he fell. Twice he had to stop and hold on to the wall, but he didn’t speak.
He had never before waited two days to go over every detail when she had disposed of one of their primary targets. Not one single time, and Lissa couldn’t help but wonder what he was up to. He disappeared each night, driving himself, without a bodyguard, sneaking away from the wing, and heading to a building on the outskirts of town. He didn’t go to his wife and children, or to a meeting with the heads of other families. There was no war going on. He simply drove to the building, got out, unlocked the door and disappeared inside for hours.
Casimir followed Luigi two nights in a row, and her uncle always went to the same place. The doors were firmly locked and the windows blackened out with bars on them. He couldn’t hear a sound and hadn’t yet discovered a way in. Once, Arturo had walked Luigi out to his car, so clearly the bodyguard was staying in that building. Their behavior made no sense to Lissa.
She couldn’t find sleep until Casimir returned, sneaking back into her bedroom, stripping as he came to the bed, reaching for her the moment he was there, as if he couldn’t stand being away from her. As if he couldn’t wait one more second to make love to her. Every time he touched her, it felt that way, as if he was making love. Sometimes he was gentle, other times rough and crazy, but she always knew he touched her with love.
Luigi, moving ahead of her toward his study, stumbled and grabbed at the wall. She reached out to him automatically, but couldn’t make herself touch him. Bile rose and she had to force it down, force herself to breathe through the repugnance she felt being so close to him – the man who had raised her. The man she had loved and clung to. The man who had had his own brother murdered so he could have power.
“Tio Luigi, do you need help. I can call…”
“No!” He spat the word, glaring at her over his shoulder.
She ducked her head as she normally did when he reprimanded her. Her hair spilled around her face, covering her expression.
“I’m fine, Lissa.” He softened his voice. “This disease is… humiliating. I don’t like you seeing me this way. I thought I was better and we needed to talk so I came out before I was really ready, but the medicine is working. Soon I will be fine again.”
“I’m upset that Arturo isn’t with you, Tio. He has never been away from you, and now, when you need him most…” She trailed off, but her tone was very accusing.
Luigi held the door for her and she preceded him into the study. The nape of her neck tingled warily and she felt as if she had a giant target painted on her back. She kept her back to him, a study in discipline, as she walked to the most comfortable chair, the one where she always sat when they talked. Luigi liked to sit behind his desk. She realized it made him think he had an advantage. He looked in charge. A man of authority, and until she had discovered the truth about him, she’d always accepted that image he projected. Now she wanted to pull out one of the many knives hidden on her body and cut his lying throat.
Luigi took his time rounding the desk to sit in his extremely expensive office chair. He steepled his fingers and leaned back, looking at her. “What is it, Lissa? You look… upset. Did something go wrong?”
With everyone else she stayed in character. This was going to be much more difficult than she imagined. She shook her head. Leaned forward. “That man,” she hissed. “The bodyguard. Tomasso. Really, Tio Luigi, was it necessary to assign me that arrogant, bossy man?”
His mouth twitched in amusement. “Yes, it was. There is trouble right now. My enemies are circling. I will not lose you, Lissa, so you must give me this need to protect you. Tomasso is good at his job.”
“Too good,” she snapped, waving her hand dismissively. “I’m used to Arturo. Where is he?”
“He only takes a few days off a year. He was scheduled for the time off and of course I gave it to him. He couldn’t know I would have a relapse or that trouble would come.”
Lissa shook her head and huffed out her breath in exasperation. “You don’t know how truly irritating Tomasso is, Tio. You coming out of your apartment is the first reprieve I’ve gotten.” She rolled her eyes. “He left to go check out the hotel. I’ve got an appointment tomorrow and he wanted to go talk to their security. If he loses me that sale, I’ll kill him myself.”
“Now, now, cara, he is only doing what I asked of him,” Luigi soothed, his voice indicating he was well pleased with himself. “His job is to make certain you’re safe at all times. Arturo will be back soon, but in the meantime, let Tomasso do whatever he deems necessar
y in order to protect you.”
She glared at her uncle. “Do you really think, after all the years of training, that I can’t take care of myself?” It was necessary to stay in character, and Lissa would never want a full-time bodyguard, especially one as bossy as Tomasso. She also needed to distract her uncle and make him believe Tomasso was the reason for her being upset.
“I know that you can, Lissa, but I’m not going to apologize to you for wanting to make certain you’re protected. I lost my entire family once. You’re all I’ve got now.”
Lying bastard. Her fingers inched toward the knife hidden inside the form-fitting jacket she wore over her bright blouse.
“You will put up with Tomasso for a few more days. Especially at the hotel.” Luigi made it a decree, as he did quite a lot of things.
He liked control, Lissa realized. He craved it. Issuing orders made him feel very powerful. She made herself sigh and then shrug. “Fine, but I don’t have to like it.”
Fire Bound (Sea Haven Sisters Page 18