Passionately Ever After

by Metsy Hingle

  Tough! Bianca was his sister, dammit. He couldn’t just keep waiting around for them to find out where Derrick had taken her. By the time they did, it might be too late. Just the thought of something happening to his sister left a sick feeling in his gut, and Steven did his best to temper that fear. He would find Bianca, he promised himself. He just wished he’d thought of asking Maria to help him sooner. But then, he had been so stunned to discover Maria was pregnant and so intent on getting her to see reason that he hadn’t been thinking clearly. Maybe if he’d been more focused on finding his sister than on his own worries with Maria, they would have found Bianca by now.

  “Steven, Emily will be here soon,” Maria assured him.

  “So you keep saying.”

  “She will. I just hope she gets here before you wear a hole in my carpet.”

  Steven stopped pacing, glanced over at her.

  “Try to relax,” she urged.

  “I can’t,” he told her honestly. He rubbed the back of his neck, felt the knots of tension there. “I can’t stop thinking about Bianca, how frightened she must be.”

  “I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could do.”

  “You’re doing it. Or you will be once your cousin gets here. If she gets here.” At the stern look Maria shot him, Steven sighed. “I know I’m being impatient. It’s just that Bianca will be depending on me. I’ve always been there whenever she’s needed me, and she probably wonders why I haven’t rescued her already.”

  “You’ll find her,” Maria told him. “You found me, didn’t you?”

  “You weren’t kidnapped and taken away against your will,” he pointed out.

  “You’re right. I wasn’t. But I didn’t want to be found and you found me anyway.”

  “I don’t think I can count on your cousin slipping up and using a credit card,” Steven informed her. “If I only had an idea where he might have taken her, where to look for her.”

  “Try not to worry. If Bianca is anything at all like her brother, she’s a lot tougher than you think.”

  “She’s not like me. She’s fragile and trusting and…” He thought of his sister in some dingy warehouse, bound and terrified, and a crazed Derrick Barone threatening her. “And so help me, if that bastard has done anything to her, I’ll—” He bit off the rest. Swearing, he turned away.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Steven sucked in a breath. He scrubbed a hand down his face and turned around to face Maria once more. “No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I had no right lashing out at you like that.”

  “You’re entitled. I can only imagine what you must be feeling. If it were one of my sisters being held by a Conti, I’d be angry, too. I just hope…I hope you’re right about my talking to Emily, that it will help you to find Bianca.”

  “It will,” he assured her and prayed to God he was right. He forced himself to think about other times when he’d been faced with impossible odds and had triumphed. The start-up and success of his company. His and Maria falling in love and creating a child together in spite of the bitter feud between their families. Getting Maria to return to Boston with him today had been another major hurdle. Granted, she hadn’t agreed to marry him yet, but that was a detail he would work on once he found Bianca.

  “Would you like something to drink while we wait? There’s some bottled water and cold drinks in the refrigerator over there by the counter,” Maria told him. “And I think there’s some wine in the fridge in the boardroom.”

  “No thanks.”

  “I think I’ll get myself some water,” she said, and standing, she walked over to the refrigerator.

  As she did so, Steven took in the surroundings. Although Maria had insisted that they turn on only a single lamp in the office, there was enough light for him to note that the room’s decor reflected her. She’d chosen neutral tones of ivory and sand, then added dashes of color with plants, flowers and paintings. There was nothing splashy about the room—just an understated elegance and beauty with surprising touches that prevented it from being merely another nicely decorated office. Instead it was an intriguing place that dared you to remain immune to its charm. Just like the woman who occupied it, he thought as Maria made her way back to the desk with the bottle of water. She wore a black turtleneck and slate-colored jacket, with a silver pendant hanging from the chain around her neck that glinted in the light as she sat down. She sipped at the water while idly clenching and unclenching the pen in her hand.

  Nerves, he realized. He didn’t blame her. His own nerves were stretched rather thin. And he couldn’t get Mallory’s last words out of his head.

  “I’ll be honest with you, Conti. From my conversations with Emily, I think the guy’s a loose cannon. The longer this drags on, the more likely he is to blow.”

  And if Derrick Barone blew, the one who would suffer would be Bianca. Guilt and worry pummeled at him like fists. He had to do something, anything, to find his sister. “What in the devil could be taking her so long?” he snapped. And as if in answer, the elevator bell dinged, announcing the car’s arrival on the floor.

  “That must be Emily,” Maria said.

  About time, Steven thought as he waited anxiously for the other woman to enter Maria’s office. Only she wasn’t alone. But before he could demand to know who the tall, sandy-haired man with her was, Emily was rushing past him to Maria.

  “Maria! I can’t believe you’re here. Where have you been? Why are we meeting here? And what—” The other woman broke off the hug, stepped back and stared at her cousin’s protruding belly, then back at her face.

  “I’m pregnant,” Maria explained.

  “But how? Who?” Suddenly she whipped her attention over to Steven. “Oh.”

  “I’m the baby’s father,” Steven said as he walked over and put his arm around Maria’s shoulders. “I intend to marry your cousin with or without your or my family’s approvals,” Steven continued, feeling the need to make his position perfectly clear.

  “I see,” she murmured, her eyes flicking from Steven’s face back to her cousin’s.

  “Except for Karen and now you and Shane,” Maria said, directing her attention to the man standing beside Emily with a protective arm about her, “no one in either of our families knows about the baby or us yet,” Maria told them. “It’s why I asked you to meet me here and not tell anyone. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything.”

  “We won’t,” Emily assured her. “Will we, Shane?”

  “Mum’s the word,” Shane replied. “Please accept my congratulations. You, too,” he added with a nod in Steven’s direction.

  “I don’t believe we’ve met,” Steven said pointedly. He extended his hand. “Steven Conti.”

  “Shane Cummings. I was the fireman on the scene of the plant fire where Emily was injured,” he explained as he shook hands. “Conti as in Antonio Conti’s restaurant? The Contis who put the curse on the Barones?”

  “That’s right,” Steven said defensively.

  “Great Italian food at Antonio’s,” the muscled man with the friendly smile said. “I treat myself to the manicotti every few months.”

  “I’m sure my family appreciates it,” Steven responded. “It was my understanding that the arson investigation was closed, and it was determined that Derrick Barone was responsible.”

  “That’s right. But I decided that I wanted to investigate Emily more thoroughly. We’re getting married.”

  Steven couldn’t help but envy the pair who were so obviously in love and had no qualms about the world and everyone else knowing it. Since his own relationship with Maria had been conducted in secrecy, they’d never enjoyed the luxury of simply being two people in love. But that was all going to change, he promised himself. But first, he had to find Bianca. “I hate to cut this short, but we don’t have a lot of time. Emily, did Maria tell you why she asked you to meet her here?”

  The petite dark-haired woman with the striking resemblance to Maria nodded. “She said she needed my help.” />
  “Steven thinks… We think,” Maria amended as she looked up at him beside her. She caught his hand, squeezed it before focusing again on her cousin. “We’re hoping that maybe if you talk to me, that you might be able to remember something that will help us find where Derrick is holding Bianca.”

  Emily’s expression fell. Her brown eyes were filled with regret as she looked at Steven. “I’m not sure what I can tell you that I haven’t already told Ethan Mallory and the federal agents. Please believe me, if I had any idea where Derrick might be, I swear I’d tell you.”

  “I know you would,” Maria told her cousin. Moving away from Steven, she reached out and took her cousin’s hands. “Will you at least talk to us? Maybe if you tell me what you’ve told the agents and the detective, it might spark something that you’ve forgotten.”

  “I don’t see how putting her through this again will help,” Shane informed her.

  “It’s all right, Shane. I want to help. It’s the least I can do since my brother is the one responsible. Where do you want me to begin?”

  “Why don’t we start with the week of the fire….”

  “I’m sorry,” Emily said nearly thirty minutes later after recounting the days leading up to and following the fire at the plant. She was exhausted and speaking of her brother, accepting the fact that her own flesh and blood could deliberately attempt to destroy and sabotage their family’s business, hurt beyond belief.

  “This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Steven said impatiently. “What about before the fire? Can you remember seeing your brother with anyone? Or maybe hearing him make plans to meet at a place that seemed odd to you?”

  “I think Emily’s had enough of your questions,” Shane said, standing up from his seat at the table around which the four of them had gathered. “Let’s go, Emily.”

  Steven swore. “Her damn brother’s got my sister, pal,” Steven fired back. “She’s our only hope of finding her.”

  “I’m sorry about your sister. But Emily’s been through enough. She’s done answering your questions,” Shane countered.

  Before Steven could erupt again and the testosterone escalated any further between the two men, Emily said, “It’s all right, Shane. I’m okay.”

  “No, you’re not,” he argued. He stooped down beside her. “You don’t owe them anything. You don’t have to put yourself through this again.”

  “Yes, I do. It’s obvious my brother’s not well. Somehow, I missed all the signs,” she said, regret filling her heart. How could she not have realized that her brother had begun to spin out of control? She swiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “I want to find Derrick just as much as they do. I want…I need to try.”

  “You’re sure you’re up to this?” Shane asked her.

  The love and concern in his blue-green eyes warmed her, gave her strength. She squeezed the fingers holding her own. “I’m sure.”

  “Thank you,” Steven said and resumed his seat.

  Emily nodded, recognizing that this was as difficult for him as it was for her. Maybe more so. “What else do you want to know?”

  “Maybe Steven’s on the right track,” Maria began. “You said that you’d recognized the name of a competitor who had called Derrick.”

  “That’s right. Snowcream. I told Uncle Carlo about it.”

  “But what about before then? Can you think of anything else or someone else he might have been seeing or talking to that you found strange?”

  Emily concentrated, tried to remember back to the months before the fire, before she’d discovered her own brother was willing to sell the secret recipes for profit. And then she recalled waiting in Derrick’s office for him so that the two of them could go out to lunch and discuss an anniversary gift and party for their parents….

  Emily tapped her foot impatiently as she glanced at her watch. Typical Derrick, she thought, miffed that her brother was late once again. She frowned, wondered why Derrick couldn’t be more considerate. His arriving late yesterday at the company meeting hadn’t sat well with Maria or anyone else.

  But then it probably wasn’t easy for Derrick who felt he was always being compared to his twin. He was wrong, of course. The only one who’d ever compared him to Daniel was Derrick himself. Emily sighed and wished, not for the first time, that she understood her brother.

  She glanced at her watch again. Perhaps she should try to reach Derrick on his cell phone, she decided, and was just about to call him when the phone on his desk rang. Since she knew Derrick’s assistant was at lunch, she grabbed the phone and answered, “Derrick Barone’s desk.”

  “Is Derrick there?” a woman asked in a breathy voice that sounded suspiciously like Amber’s, the wife of Derrick’s best friend.

  “Amber?”

  “I’ll take that,” Derrick said, snatching the phone from Emily’s fingers.

  “I know, baby. I miss you, too. But I got tied up with business and couldn’t get away,” he said to the woman on the phone. “Yeah, me too. But I promise I’ll make it up to you later.” He paused, glanced at his watch. “Why don’t we meet at the usual place say around four?”

  “Was that Amber Hopkins?” Emily asked when he hung up the phone.

  “Of course not. Why would I be making plans to meet Larry’s wife?”

  “That’s what I was wondering myself.”

  “Obviously, it wasn’t Amber,” Derrick told her.

  She wanted to believe him, hated that she had such suspicions about her own brother. Still, there had been something almost sinister in Derrick’s eyes when he’d spoken to the woman. It was the same look she’d seen when he’d borrowed Daniel’s car and wrecked it. He’d claimed it was an accident, that someone had run him off the road. But Emily hadn’t quite believed him. “It certainly sounded like Amber to me.”

  “Well, it wasn’t her,” Derrick assured her.

  “Then who was she?”

  “What is this? Twenty questions? She’s just someone that I’m seeing,” he snapped. “Now are you ready to go to lunch or not?”

  “I’m ready.” Even though she didn’t believe that her brother was being honest with her, she decided to let it go.

  “I thought we’d try that new place that opened up down the block,” Derrick told her and started to hustle her toward the door. As he did so, her purse caught the stack of letters on the corner of his desk and sent them tumbling to the floor.

  “Oh, look what I’ve done!” She stooped down to pick up the scattered letters.

  “Just leave it,” he ordered. “My secretary will take care of it when she gets back from lunch.”

  “I will do no such thing,” she informed him and began gathering up the envelopes and letters.

  Grumbling, her brother squatted down beside her and starting swiping the mail up from the floor.

  Emily picked up another letter and noted the addressee wasn’t her brother. “Who’s Anthony Woodward?” she asked, reading the name on the envelope.

  “Beats me,” Derrick said and snatched the envelope from her. “His mail must have been delivered to me by mistake.”

  Emily finished gathering the mail and couldn’t help noticing that Derrick had slipped the envelope into his briefcase. Standing, she returned the stack of letters to her brother’s desk.

  Derrick did the same and then asked sarcastically, “Satisfied now?”

  Emily nodded, although the truth was she was far from satisfied.

  “Then why don’t we grab some lunch and talk about the anniversary party?”

  “Emily? Emily?” Maria’s voice finally penetrated. “You still with us?”

  “Yes. I just remembered something that happened a few months ago,” she began and related the incident in Derrick’s office. “I’m not sure what it means, but I was pretty sure Derrick was lying to me about the woman, and something about the whole thing with the mail bothered me.”

  “Does the name Anthony Woodward mean anything to you?” Steven asked.

  “No. I never hea
rd of him.”

  “Wait a minute,” Maria said, her voice excited, her eyes bright. “Emily, what was Aunt Sandra’s maiden name?”

  “Oh my God, you’re right. Woodward is my mother’s maiden name. And Anthony…Anthony is Derrick’s middle name.”

  Steven whipped out his cell phone and punched in some numbers. “Operator, I need a listing for Anthony Woodward and the address, too, if you have it.”

  Emily waited, her heart pounding in her chest. A part of her wanted it to be Derrick, while another part of her prayed that they were all wrong. Despite all the evidence that pointed to her brother as an arsonist and saboteur, she didn’t want to believe him capable of this. But as Steven jotted down the phone number and address, Emily knew deep inside that Derrick was indeed capable of staging his own kidnapping and taking Bianca Conti as hostage.

  “Got it,” Steven said as he ended the call and held up the slip of paper with the information. Grabbing Maria, he kissed her quick on the mouth. “Thank you for agreeing to come back, for agreeing to help me,” he whispered.

  “You’re welcome,” Maria told him, and Emily didn’t miss the love and longing in her cousin’s expression. “But the one you should really be thanking is Emily.”

  Steven marched over to her and said, “Excuse me, Cummings.” Then he took her hands into his own and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Thank you,” he said, his blue eyes bright. “I can’t imagine how difficult this was for you and I know I’ll never be able to repay you for what you’ve done. My sister owes you her life, Emily. So do I.”

  She nodded. “You don’t owe me anything. I just hope you’re right. That you’ll find your sister at that address and that she’s…that she’s okay.”

  “Thanks.” He paused, his expression suddenly solemn. “I’ve got to go. Maria,” he said turning back to her cousin, “maybe you could go home with Emily and Shane and I’ll—”

  “I’m going with you.”

  “But—”

  “I’m going with you, Steven,” Maria said firmly.