Mafia Secret

by Angie Derek

  "You knew them." She rubbed her thumb on his cheek to sooth him. "I didn't."

  "Exactly. When betrayal is that close, it takes an outsider to spot the inconsistencies."

  "You're being too hard on yourself. Besides, here I am, safe and sound. You know who killed Jiovanni and why. You know who arranged my kidnapping and why. It's over."

  "Yes, it is." The finality in his tone worried her. "No matter what I say about protecting you, you'll never be completely safe, none of us are."

  Lessa frowned at his words. "No one is ever completely safe."

  "I don't know if I could protect you without the family's support. But you don't belong here. You're too . . . light for what goes on here. It will destroy you."

  "Why are you trying to scare me again?" Her aches were forgotten as she tried to turn in the saddle to face him.

  "Fear's healthy if it makes you do the right thing."

  He was pushing her away. She grabbed on to her anger. "Stop talking in fucking riddles, Marc!"

  "You don't belong here."

  "I belong with you." She'd already demonstrated her trust last night despite the doubts she'd had about this life. He wasn't going to pull back from her now. "We already went over this."

  "What if I don't want you anymore?"

  His careless words stabbed into her heart. But she refused to believe them and ducked her face to meet his eyes. He wasn't hidden behind his mask, but tried to avoid her gaze before she could see the sadness and fear in them.

  "Look at me," she whispered. "You're a bad liar."

  He looked up then and met her gaze. "I promised I wouldn't lie to you. It appears I can't even when I want to."

  "So, don't."

  His arms tightened around her waist and he touched his cheek to hers. "It would be better for you to go home and never look back."

  Two Jeeps reached them at that moment. Jio drove the lead Jeep with Edoardo in the passenger seat. Two men she vaguely recognized pulled up behind them. Marc shifted back so they were no longer intimately entwined.

  "Glad to see you found her," Jio said. "What happened?"

  Marc motioned to the barn. "Ryan fell out the loft door while trying to kill Lessa and me."

  "Ryan?" Jio's expression was almost a duplicate of how Marc had looked a moment before.

  "He killed Jiovanni and arranged Lessa's kidnapping," Marc said curtly. "I'm taking her back to the house."

  Jio frowned in disbelief and shared a look with Edoardo before turning back to Marc. "You sure it was him?"

  "He admitted it to Lessa and snatched her out of the house when she recognized his voice."

  Jio leveled a considering gaze on her and nodded. "I'll take care of it."

  "You're the boss." Marc released Ben's reins and urged him into a canter. The gelding moved easily down the vineyard path toward the estate in the distance.

  "You didn't tell him the rest." She wondered at the short exchange between them.

  "Plenty of time to deal with that later."

  A sudden flash of Ryan falling through the opening made her shudder. Her eyes burned with backed up emotion. Ryan had planned to kill both of them. His gun hadn't wavered from Marc. "He was going to shoot you."

  "He didn't," Marc whispered, checking the reins and slowing Ben down to a walk again. He hugged her close. "He was going to throw you out the hay loft door."

  All she could see was Ryan's steady hand pointing the gun at Marc. "He was going to shoot you."

  "You knocked him on his ass before he had the chance. You gonna tell me where you learned a move like that?"

  "A girl has to be able to protect herself."

  He chuckled softly and squeezed her hand. "I don't want you going back to Florida."

  She smiled and her heart warmed. "You said it would be better for me to go home."

  "It would be better for you."

  She sighed at the familiar warning. "Then what are you saying?"

  "I don't want you to go. I know it's selfish and I should force you to go Florida where you'll be safe. If I could, I'd whisk you off to some tropical island where we could forget all of this. But life doesn't always work that way."

  Intertwining her fingers with his, she glanced over her shoulder at him. "I don't want to leave you."

  "I thought you were counting the days. The danger's past, and I promised you could go home once you were safe."

  She frowned and considered. "You think I want to go home?"

  "Why wouldn't you? You have a good life back there. As if that wasn't enough, being kidnapped and nearly murdered would make anyone run screaming to the hills."

  The dark note in his voice worried her, and she squeezed his hand again. "It wasn't your fault."

  "It was completely my fault. He grabbed you because of me. He tried to kill you because of me."

  "It was not because of you. It was all him."

  Marc shook his head.

  At his mutinous look, she decided she wouldn't be able to convince him he wasn't at fault so changed the subject. "Why don't we get back to why you don't want me to leave?"

  "I want you to stay," Marc said slowly, "with me."

  She liked hearing him say that. "All right."

  "All right?"

  She smiled at his doubt. "What do you want me to say?"

  "I thought I'd have to convince you even though I knew I shouldn't try."

  "I'll have to go home for a little while. Give notice on my job, find someone to take over my lease, and pack up." She shifted so she could look at Marc's face. "You really thought you wouldn't be able to convince me?"

  Marc shrugged, his expression dropping in to his usual blank mask. "I won't ask you to leave your life for me. Not to come into this life. Not until I can figure a way out so I can keep you safe. If I can convince your brother to grant me an early retirement from a business that doesn't have a pension plan, you won't have to choose between me and your life."

  "People move all the time. It's not like you don't have cheerleading teams out here in California." She touched his cheek with her fingertips, and the shutter lifted, showing his desire for her. "I love you."

  Marc pulled Ben to a stop and twisted her slightly in the saddle. His lips brushed hers gently, his grip tightened and the kiss became more passionate. She returned his ardor. He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers for a moment before opening his eyes and kissing the tip of her nose.

  She grinned at him. "I wouldn't have come back here if I didn't plan on staying."

  "I made you come back."

  Shrugging, she wasn't able to drop her smile even as she challenged him. "Did you?"

  Marc growled and tugged on her hair. "You're staying, for now?"

  "How many times do you need me to say it?" she asked with a frown.

  "One more time."

  "Where you go, I go. Where you stay, I stay. Is that clear enough for you?"

  "It'll have to do." Marc kissed her frown and urged Ben back into a walk.

  "Now what happens?"

  "I declare myself to your brother and ask for your hand."

  He made the statement just as she was turning to face forward again, and she nearly fell off the horse when she yanked back around. His strong arm around her waist was all that kept her astride.

  "Excuse me. Ask my brother for my hand in what?"

  "Marriage. I'm a little old fashioned and would prefer to not live in sin for too long."

  She stared at him, trying to figure out his one-eighty. One minute he was doing everything he could to convince her to return home, and the next he was proposing marriage.

  "Speechless?"

  She took a deep breath and tried to get a handle on her feelings. They were cascading too fast for her to categorize them. "You're serious."

  Marc smiled slightly. "What did you think I meant when I told you to stay?"

  "I didn't think you meant that."

  "You love me, so marry me."

  She nearly laughed at his statemen
t and shifted her weight to try to get more comfortable in her contorted position. "You're forgetting something."

  "Oh, that," he said with a smirk as he claimed her lips again. "I love you. More than you can imagine. My life would be eternally vacant without you to lighten my darkness."

  Lessa raised an eyebrow at his over the top words and didn't respond.

  His smirk dropped, and with it the mask he hid behind, to show the earnestness in his eyes. "I love you, Alessandra. Marry me."

  "Yes, I'll marry you." She touched his cheek and allowed herself to smile back at him.

  The urgency faded from his eyes, and he kissed her tenderly. She wasn't ready to release him when he drew back and leaned his forehead against hers again. His free hand cupped her face, and she sighed in contentment.

  "My own little cheerleader," he said softly, his thumb moving over her lips.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Marc pulled back reluctantly as a flash of movement caught his attention. Clarissa waved at them from the pool patio area. "Your sister's waving us down."

  Lessa twisted around to face forward as he urged Old Ben forward and down the dirt road to the fence surrounding the pool patio. A contentment he had never felt before settled over him.

  Clarissa looked from Lessa to Marc as Ben walked up to the fence. "Jio and Edorado ran out of this house like it was on fire. What's going on?"

  Marc waited a moment to see if Lessa would speak up, but she was silent, so he dismounted and helped her down before turning to answer Clarissa's answer. "They're taking care of Ryan."

  Clarissa's eyes narrowed. "Why would they need to?"

  He didn't wait this time to see if Lessa would answer and broke it to Clarissa quickly. "He killed your father and kidnapped Lessa."

  Her eyes widened in shock and confusion. "Ryan?"

  Lessa nodded, but remained quiet. Concern for her edged some of his contentment away. She hadn't been particularly tongue tied with him recently and he'd thought she was comfortable with her sister. So, what was bringing on her silence?

  "But why would he kill daddy or have Lessa kidnapped?"

  Marc's phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. It was John Norma who was currently assigned to Lessa's mother, Erin. Who was on her way here. Crap. "Hold on a second." He hit talk. "Yeah."

  "We're pulling in the gate. Where do you want us to bring her?"

  At least they hadn't brought her right into the house. "Pull around back to the pool area. We'll wait for you here."

  He hung up and slid it back into his pocket. Ben rubbed his head on Marc's shoulder reminding him he still had the gelding. He glanced to the stables and was relieved to see Dave Boward, the stable manager, hovering just out of earshot. He nodded and Dave strode toward them.

  "Thanks," Marc said handing Old Ben's reins over to Dave in relief.

  Dave grunted in answer, he generally didn't say much, and jogged Ben back toward the stables. A black sedan slowly pulled up the dirt drive from the garage area to the pool.

  "Your mom's here," Marc said, realizing Lessa hadn't known what the phone call was about.

  She spun to face the car as the back door opened and Erin scrambled out before running up the path to where they stood. Both women began to cry and Marc took an uncomfortable step back to give them some space. Clarissa met his eyes over the fence and jerked her head for him to meet her. With a sigh, he reluctantly left Lessa's side and walked down the path to the pool gate.

  John got out of passenger side of the car, but didn't say anything.

  "Go ahead and park the car back by the garage," Marc told him. "But don't put it away just yet."

  John slid back in and the driver, Andrew, backed the sedan down the path until it was out of sight.

  "Well, you going to fill me in now?" Clarissa asked softly.

  Marc kept his eyes on Lessa. He didn't know what she was telling her mother now that they were no longer hugging, but he hoped it was as little as possible. "You aren't going to like it."

  Clarissa's frown grew deeper. "Spit it out."

  "Ryan killed Jiovanni for seducing Opal," he paused, "and getting her pregnant."

  She shut her eyes and shook her head. "You're sure?"

  "Ryan was."

  Lessa and her mother walked slowly down the path toward where he and Clarissa stood.

  "Jio can fill you in when a certain guest is gone."

  She looked like she was going to protest, but glancing at the two women reaching them she nodded and put on her company smile. "Hi, I'm Clarissa, Lessa's half-sister, you must be her mother."

  Erin wasn't as practiced at the poker face as they were and didn't try to hide her surprise at Clarissa's friendly greeting. "Hello, yes," she wrapped her arm around Lessa's shoulder, "I'm Erin."

  He didn't miss the gesture. Uniting her and Lessa as a single unit. But against what exactly? Lessa met his gaze and gave him a small smile. He eased away from Clarissa and positioned himself on the other side of Lessa. His fingers found hers and he gripped her hand. Again he wondered what she had told her mother those few minutes they had stood alone together.

  Had she told her that she was engaged to him? Somehow he doubted Erin would accept the news calmly. No mother would be happy to hear her daughter was about to marry into the mob. Of course, Lessa was already neck deep in the mob despite Erin trying to block her from her heritage.

  Erin slid her arm off Lessa's shoulders to wrap it around her waist in a hug. "I'm just glad you're alright."

  "I told you, I'm fine, mom. Nothing bad happened. Marc," her hand squeezed his, "rescued me before anything could have happened."

  Erin shifted her contemplative gaze to him. "And your Marc?"

  He tried his own poker face smile. "Yes, ma'am."

  The sound of a vehicle stopped whatever Erin was about to say. A Jeep roared up the dirt road from the vineyard and came to a stop beside the gate to the pool. Jio and Edorado climbed out. He didn't miss the absence of Ryan or the other two guards and what that could mean.

  "Excuse me." Marc offered a quick smile to the women before separating himself to meet the brothers at the gate. As he walked closer, he saw the phone Jio was holding to his ear. He wasn't happy with the conversation judging by the irritated expression on his face.

  "No, Tony, I need you to stay put." Jio grimaced. "I have everything under control...I don't really care what you've heard...Well, we got her back in one piece and I just finished taking care of father's killer...Ryan. You know whoever you got keeping you informed isn't really staying on top of things here." He shook his head. "Look, I'll call you later. I have things I need to deal with here." Hanging up the phone, he turned his frown to Marc. "Ryan didn't survive the fall."

  Marc nodded. It was perfectly plausible no matter what he might suspect happened once Jio and Edoardo arrived on scene. "Now what?"

  "Ryan's going to pull a little disappearing act and run away forever."

  Marc rocked back on his heels, his eyes traveling to Lessa. She looked composed at the moment, but still wasn't really saying much. What she was feeling under her calm exterior? But Lessa wasn't the only worry nagging at him. "Did you speak with Ryan?"

  Jio stared him down for a moment. "Why?"

  "Did he tell you about Opal?"

  Jio sighed obviously expecting the worse. "Spill it."

  "Jiovanni got Opal pregnant. That's why Ryan killed him."

  Edoardo made an odd sound halfway between a cough and a laugh. "You have got to be joking? Opal?"

  He shrugged. "It's what he told Lessa."

  Jio ran both hands over his face this time and sighed. "Our family just keeps growing and growing. Shit, how old is Opal anyway?"

  Marc realized he had no idea. She was younger than the Tazio siblings, but he wasn't sure by how much.

  "Eighteen," Edoardo answered.

  Jio shook his head. "Trust dad to cover his bases." He shifted his gaze to Edoardo. "She likes you doesn't she?"


  Edoardo held his hands up. "Oh no."

  "You go find her and bring her back here." Order given he turned back to Marc. "Do we know how far along she is?"

  "Lessa didn't say if Ryan told her." Marc hadn't moved past the fact of Opal's pregnancy. He thought of how she looked at the funeral. He had only caught a quick glimpse of her. "She can't be too far along or she's hiding it well."

  "Well," Jio said. "Mama's just going to love this latest development." He jerked his chin to the three women. "What about Lessa?"

  He hesitated. It had been easier to break the news of why Ryan had killed Jiovanni. "I asked her to marry me."

  "What did she say?"

  The straight forward question was a good sign and he relaxed a fraction. "Yes."

  "Huh." Jio didn't appear angry or irritated by the news. Of course, he was probably focusing on the Ryan issue at the moment. "I guess we'll deal with that later. For now, consider yourself assigned to Lessa and her mother. You need to get Erin out of this house before my mother gets wind of her presence."

  "You mean before our latest house guest arrives," Edoardo snapped, clearly not happy with the task of finding and bringing Opal back.

  Marc slapped Edoardo on the back. "You'll do just fine. She doesn't know anything, anyway." He was just glad Jio hadn't tasked him with bringing Opal here, he would much rather focus on Lessa. He didn't have to think hard to decide he would take both of them to his house.

  "I need to speak with Lessa before you leave," Jio said.

  Marc recognized the order for what it was. Jio didn't want to speak to Lessa in front of Erin. "Edoardo, John and Andrew should be waiting just around the house, could you have them bring the car over here?"

  Edoardo rolled his eyes, but ambled away. It took less than a minute for a sedan to roll up and park next to the Jeep.

  Marc walked over to Lessa and rested his hand on the small of her back. "Ladies." She leaned into his touch and he moved his fingers in a caress. Despite her sudden quietness, she wasn't pulling away from him. He let out a breath in relief. "Car's here."

  Lessa raised an eyebrow in question, but didn't voice what she wondering. Erin wasn't as trusting and frowned first at him and then at the car.