by Ava Catori
I laughed. "Nah, that's not it at all," I reassured him. "I asked for my freedom."
Hunter's brows shot up in surprise. "You mean, he's letting you go from the ..." He paused clearly looking for the right word to use. I could suggest a few, but I refrained.
I nodded and smiled. "So I've done a bit of construction in my days and I have some money to invest… I was wondering if I could meet with you and your partners, and see if they’d give me a chance to work with you."
Hunter looked at me and tilted his head. "Well, we're in full growth and talking about looking for new investors, so your timing couldn't be more perfect." He stopped to think for a few seconds and added, "The only issue I see is convincing Brad you're starting out on your own and not as part of ..."
"The organization," I finished his sentence for him. What was with him and mob related vocabulary? "I'm pretty sure I can convince him if you give me a chance."
"Okay, I'll set it up after the weekend," Hunter agreed.
"And one more thing," I said. "Please don't say anything to my wife before it's done."
It was Hunter's turn to laugh. "You're secret's safe with me."
"What about Gia?" I asked.
"Oh, you shouldn't worry about her. She's so mad at Isabella for dumping you while you're injured, she's been limiting their exchange to a minimum," Hunter explained, helping me get up.
"Oh ..." I was going to comment on Gia's sense of family but the pain in my back stopped me. I growled. "The doc said I was going to be as good as new soon, but the bastard probably doesn't have the same definition of soon as me."
* * *
25
Isabella
After two weeks on the job, I discovered a sense of purpose that was new for me. Despite the fact I always felt tired as sleep eluded me, when I arrived at work I was happy to be at the desk they'd set aside for me. Being Barbara's assistant was actually pretty rewarding. First, because I knew how grateful she was for my help. She kept repeating how delighted she was to have found me, that without me she didn't know how she would have been able to spend as much time with Aiden and that made me feel amazingly useful.
The work itself was challenging. I had to get things done with limited guidelines and every day brought in a new surprise.
Some I never saw coming ...
A storm brewed and erupted from behind me. Gia stomped toward me. She was huffing and angry, like a bear that woke from her winter's hibernation early.
"Gia, are you okay?" I had no idea that her fury was aimed directly at me.
"No! Of course not,” she barked back. “Do you realize what Gino did for you?" She barely gave me a chance to answer before continuing. "He could have been killed, and here you sit like it doesn't even matter."
She shook her head turned and then spun around as if she was going to walk away, but instead turned back toward me. I watched her defensively.
"Sure, I get it, you don't love him, you were forced into this marriage. So yeah, you have every right to ask for your divorce, but you couldn't have been bothered to at least check on him?" Gia grilled into me, not sparing any flesh.
I tilted my head, not sure where she was going with this.
"And shutting off your cell phone, what was that? What kind of woman are you? You could have at least called and told him you were leaving. Instead, you scampered away like a scared child, refusing to own up to your choices."
I barely had a second to take in what she'd said, before she started up again.
"You should be ashamed of yourself! You don't even know what he did for you … how could you? You never even gave him a chance to tell you."
What he had done for me? What was she talking about? I had no clue, I opened my mouth to tell her but another tidal wave of words knocked me out.
"He gave it all up for you. All of it! He walked away, thinking it was what you wanted. After everything was said and done, he chose you."
"What..." I was completely lost. I heard the words, but none of them made sense. I shook my head, not clear on what she was saying.
"Yeah, he asked my dad to be released from the organization. He got his life back, free and clear in exchange for saving my father's life - and for what? For you. Except now you've packed up and moved out. For heaven's sake, you didn't even find two minutes to call to check in on him. You act like you were never tied to him. You're freaking married to the man. Sure, out of weird circumstances, but you stood in a church and took your vows. The least you could have done is given him a chance. Where's your sense of decency? He could be dead right now, but there you sit, setting up your new little work station and striking out on your own. Well, goodie for you, Princess, goodie for you." She roared like a lion, her anger and frustration spilling onto the floor.
"Gia," I said, finally managing a word in, "What are you talking about?"
Her jaw was tight. Gia shook her head and spit the words at me. Her accusations flew straight in my face. "What is it you don't understand? He walked away from mafia life. He chose you, only you were nowhere to be found. You already moved out. On top of which, you never had the decency to call and check up on him. Gino’s been laid up in bed after almost being killed, but you're off playing house in your new apartment. Your true colors came out. Turns out, you’re a fucking, selfish bitch and don't deserve Gino."
"Wait, whoa, slow down. I'm confused. I have no idea what you're talking about. The entire past weeks have been a blur. Can you tell me what the hell is going on? I just started here, and last time I talked to you we were on friendly terms. What the hell changed?" I stood to face her eye to eye. I was being slammed without any information, blindsided.
"Gino's freaking laid up in bed. He was stabbed. Fucking Russians turned on him, in fact, went nuts. The top Russian guy was ready to take out his own daughter to prove a point; freaking shot her. Gino's lucky to be alive. And you, you haven't even bothered to ask about him. What kind of insensitive jerk are you? I expected more out of you, after everything you've been through. We're picking you up, putting you on your feet, and in return you shut out the one person who gave away everything for you."
My gut twisted and my heart lodged in my throat. "No! What? Nobody told me. He was stabbed? Why didn't you say something?"
"Oh, come on, you didn't hear it through the grapevine? I know 'family' talks. I find it hard to believe," she said, battering me with her words. "You're full of crap."
"Gia, I didn't know." My stomach clenched and then twisted like a tornado tearing a path of destruction.
She glared at me, daring me to lie. We each stood our ground in a standoff. It took a minute, but she finally relented. If she hadn't told me, maybe nobody else had either. As she recognized the truth in my eyes, the clouds started to lift. "You really didn't know?"
I shook my head. "Is he okay?"
Her answer was short. She was still judging me. "He will be. He's on the mend."
"Where is he?" I knew in the family, it was rarely at the hospital where news would spread. Things stayed private when it came to those kinds of matters. We had people we contacted that came to us.
When she told me his sister was taking care of him, an urge came over me, a need to see him. Then I stopped myself. What would it do? What would it prove? I'd just filed for divorce. If it weren't for his injury, I wouldn't be having these thoughts. I needed to move on. I was lost in a fog, trying to understand my new mix of feelings. Everything was tangled in my head, and I had no clue how to start the process of untangling it.
She said he'd given up his life in the mob...for me. For me? How was that even possible? He was power hungry and hoping to grasp the brass ring. It was what he wanted most, and was clear he'd follow the path to the top. I was only along for the ride. One feather for his cap.
The rational part of my brain kept reassuring me. I wasn’t a horrible person; our marriage was a sham. I was forced into the situation over lies and delusion. Hell, we hadn't even been intimate.
And yet, a part of me
wanted to see him, to talk to him. I knew it would only lead to one conclusion, regardless of the changes. We were strangers, pulled together in terse circumstances, and our lives didn't belong to one another.
I hated that he'd been hurt, and wanted to make things better, but that wasn't the answer. It was a knee-jerk reaction, and they never ended well. I knew he wanted me. Yet, there was no need to provide false hope. I'd stay away. Time would heal things.
The aching in my stomach stifled me and then moved to my chest. My body betrayed me as I mourned for a man I didn't love. Nothing made sense.
* * *
26
Gino
It took another week before Chiara grew tired of playing mother hen and finally let me go. I hadn't fought very hard to escape her tender ministering. The fact that I’d been unable to summon the energy to argue with her demonstrated how weak I’d been. Also, I had nowhere special to be. Until now.
Driving to Ocean Crest, I smiled. Poor Isabella had no idea what was in store for her. Barbara sent her to Manhattan for the day to retrieve something from Brad's office so we could talk freely about my joining their partnership.
All my discussions with Hunter had led me to believe he was all for me hopping on, but Ryder was still on the fence. The man didn't have anything against me. His brother even thought he liked me. But Ryder knew the secret of a happy life was a happy wife and he would defer to whatever Barbara decided.
So today, my job was to convince Barbara. Somehow, I felt I needed to sell her more on my ability to be a good husband to Isabella than my knowledge about construction work.
It turned out I was only half right.
Indeed, I figured it out the second Brad opened the door. I knew his main issue with me was my association with what he politely designated organized crime. His being on the board of some very prestigious corporations wouldn't sit very well with my becoming his partner.
There were two ways for me to get him to swing to my side. One was telling him about all the dirt I’d collected on some of the most honorable members of those big corporations. I opted not to take this angle. I figured it could work against me, since it would only compound his belief that I was irredeemably a mobster. Instead, I chose to adopt an attitude that would work with both Barbara and him.
"Have you ever been madly in love?" I asked him as we settled into Barbara's office.
Brad looked at me strangely. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Would you humor me for a second and answer my question?" I insisted.
Instead of answering, Brad looked away through the window. Okay, so he had. The pain in his eyes didn't leave any doubt as to how it had turned out. Well, then he would be an easy sell.
"I hadn't until I met Isabella," I confessed. "And I always thought all this talk about love at first sight and all that jazz was ..." I didn't finish my sentence but made a wide sweeping gesture with my hand.
Barbara tilted her head and a smile grew on her lips.
"So here's the deal. Isabella married me because she thought she had no choice."
"But now she knows better," Barbara noted.
"Right," I admitted. "And the reason she's leaving me is that she doesn't want to be a mobster's wife."
"So what Gia says is true. You're going to change your life for her?" Barbara asked, still incredulous.
"I already have," I confessed. "Yeah, I saw an opportunity and I took it."
"Gia mentioned that you could have used this opportunity to seize more power by getting rid of her dad and taking his place," Barbara said.
That comment took me by surprise. I didn't think Gia's analysis could be so right on the money. Nor did I think she would have shared it with her boss. Those two were closer than I realized.
"Yeah, I could have let the chips fall that way," I recognized. "But my sister--a very shrewd woman--suggested there was better outcome."
"So you gave it all up?" Brad asked.
"Well, I'm not starting broke, if that's what you mean." I turned to face him. "I have money, I have properties, I have my freedom. No more ties to the family." Right, and I also had retained a ton of information that could always prove useful one day. Some days it was necessary to show some form of amicable persuasion to get a building permit or some special treatment. Life was full of surprises and I liked being prepared.
"So you would invest your money in our Ocean Crest project?" Brad asked.
"Yeah, I would very much like to do so. Real estate is something I know a little about, so I'm certain I would be a good fit."
"And what if Isabella decides to quit?" Barbara asked.
It was my turn to smile. "She's my wife. She's not going anywhere."
Barbara and Brad exchanged a look. They were wavering. Instead of taking the chance of them falling on the wrong side of the fence, I made a suggestion.
"What about a trial period?" I asked
Brad nodded and Barbara frowned at me. "What do you mean?"
"What if I work with you for a couple of months? We can see how we get along," I explained. "If it works out, then we figure out a way to make it a formal partnership. If it doesn't, you just pay me an honest wage for my work and we all go our separate ways."
"Sounds like a fair offer," Brad said. "I think we could work with that."
"How about your injury," Barbara asked. "I understand it was serious. Isn't it too early for you being doing physical work?"
She had a point. "I won't deny I'm in no condition to do any lifting, but I should be fine for other things. I'm lucky in that I'm a fast healer."
"Then I say let's give it a try," Barbara said. "I'll do all the paperwork to get you on payroll as of--" she hesitated.
"Tomorrow will be fine," I said.
"Then tomorrow, bright and early." She smiled, and after Brad and I shook hands, walked me to the door. As I was about to walk away she held on to my arm and said, "Isabella is family." Her tone was almost menacing when she added, "I want to see her happy."
Biting back a chuckle at her attempt to intimidate me, I simply answered, "Then it's all good. We're on the same page."
* * *
27
Isabella
When I first saw his face, relief washed through me. After what I'd heard from Gia, his being injured and all, it was good to see he was okay. Only I had no clue why he was here. I hoped it wasn't a desperate plea to ask me to come back. I needed closure, he had to understand that our ship had sailed.
"Morning, Isabella," he said with a grin as he walked past my desk, not even stopping.
Oh! So he wasn't here for me, probably for Gia. I was surprised by a weird little twinge in my belly. What the hell was wrong with me? I wanted out, right? I turned and watched him continue past me. Was he ignoring me? Should I be insulted that he didn’t think I’m worth fighting for? None of this made sense; I seriously needed to get my head examined.
I stood and followed him. My voice was edgier than I’d expected it to be. "What are you doing here?"
Gino turned toward me. "It's good to see you, too."
"You didn't answer my question." And now I sounded like a petulant child, but I couldn't help myself.
"I work here. I'll be doing some things with the Ocean Crest project. That won't be a problem for you, right?" A wicked smile spread across his face. His tone taunted me. "We're all adults here. Aren't we?"
I swallowed hard. Working here? Just as I was trying to start over? He was going to be a daily presence? I quizzed him, trying to grasp his choice. For goodness sake of all the places in Jersey, he had to pick the one I was working in! "Why here?"
"I'm not sure what you heard, but I decided to try something different. Away from the family, but still with family." He let a few seconds pass to let the news sink in and then continued. "This new company, well, it's a perfect starting point. It's close to our home, and there's a good group of people here."
He waited for me to answer. He seemed to enjoy my utter confusion. My chest tigh
tened. I was reeling, but didn’t want him to see it. How was I supposed to start fresh if my soon to be ex-husband... I swallowed my pride and stood a little straighter. "Right, sure. We're all adults."
His grin grew wider. It aggravated the hell out of me. He was like a cat that ate a canary, up to no good. Refraining an impulse to slap the look from his face, I turned my back to him and returned to my desk.
He said a brief hello to Gia and then make his way into Barbara's office.
I would have given anything to be a fly on the wall. Why would she hire him, knowing I was here? Didn't she see there would be a conflict? I waited for him to exit her office before I went in.
"Barbara?" I didn't have to say much more. She understood right away what I was asking.
"Will this be a problem for you? I hope not. You always said he behaved properly with you, right?"
I couldn't help but nod.
"So he's a decent man, you're a grown up. It will probably be a bit awkward at times, but I'm sure you two are more than capable of working through whatever issue may arise," she said with a tone that made it clear where she stood. Understanding, she’d closed the door to the conversation, I still wanted to protest.
"No, I mean, yes, it's fine. It's just ... I guess I would have liked some kind of heads up," I explained.
Barbara frowned at me. I was used to her warmth and compassion, but today I was coming head on against her business side. I had a long way to go before I could stand up to her in that field.
"Listen, Isabella, I would hate to see you leave. I like working with friends and family. That's why I took you on, but that doesn't mean I have to consult with you over future hires. Now, if you feel it's going to put too much pressure on you, I'd understand your decision to move on."
What she was politely telling me was that it wasn't her job to mother me. Her job was to keep the project running smoothly and if she thought he would be a good fit, she could hire him without consulting me. Fair enough.