"Yes, and you can trust her. I swear."
I held his gaze, not flinching. I knew I had to prove I was strong. He smirked at me. "You're dead if you step out of line, you hear me?"
"That's never going to happen," I promised, taking Daniel's hand, "Never."
Chapter 28 – Family Tree Pruning
When we heard the telltale crackle of the gravel, letting us know the psycho had left, I collapsed. I had been running on adrenalin, and now that he was gone, it hit me all at once. I was a shaking, crying mess. Daniel pulled me into his arms.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I swear I thought he knew. I swear I thought he did." He pulled out his phone, and I wondered if he was going to call 911, but he didn't. "Ann Marie, he knows. Anthony knows she's out here. He was gonna kill her. I'm sorry. I told him you sent her. She wasn't gonna talk. She wasn't gonna give you up. I had to, I'm so sorry. He was gonna kill her." Daniel nodded his head yes, and I heard him sniffle. "Okay, I'm sorry." He hid his face in my hair. "I love you, too."
He hung up and looked down at me worried. His eyes focused on my cheek. I realized it was throbbing and hurt like hell, along with the hand and knee I had fallen on. He scooped me up and set me on the bed. "Just stay here, I'll get you some ice."
He rushed out of the room, and I wondered what the hell had just happened. I didn't know who the hell that guy was, but from what I could glean from their conversation, he was Daniel's father. I needed some answers, and Daniel had better give them to me without a fight.
He brought the ice pack in for my face and went right to talking. "I'm so sorry. When I looked at the papers last night, I saw Ann Marie had included some online colleges. I also came across our marriage certificate, but I don't think even she knew about that. It was in the middle of your financial papers. I don't know why Victor wrote it up, but I suspect he thought this might happen. It really was the only thing that saved you just now."
I shifted the ice on my cheek, and he grimaced. "I thought he knew you were here. I swear I did. There's no way I would've called him out here otherwise. When I realized he didn't know you were here, I knew Ann had sent you out to keep you safe. She wouldn't have ever compromised my position." He shook his head. "She knew you had to want me, to fall in love with me, or you'd be killed. It was your only way to live, and we didn't even know it."
I pushed myself up to a sitting position and winced. My hand was sore, but I didn't think it was broken or sprained. Daniel looked so pained, when he saw me flinch while using it. I wasn't going to let the pain distract me, though. I needed answers. "Who was that man? He said you were his son. I thought the man who came to your party was you father. His name is Daniel, you're Daniel Junior, and you look just like him. The only difference was your eyes."
"I have my father's eyes." I thought he was going to finally talk, but he didn't.
"Tell me what the hell is going on, Daniel!" I cringed. Shouting made my face hurt.
"He's my father. Mr. Anthony Valente, the Mr. Valente, is my father. Marcello Valente Senior is my older brother, but we have different mothers. My mother, Julia, was a goomah. Anthony, my real father, had been in love with her since second grade. He was the oldest child and the only boy of the Valente family, though. A marriage had been arranged for him with Sophia Davante, it was a power move to make the family stronger. He wanted nothing to do with it.
“He’d planned to elope with my mother and run away from his family. Somehow, his father had found out and threatened to kill my mom, but not before she was tortured in front of him. It’s crazy, but they decided to take a chance and tried to run away, thinking they’d be able to hide, but they found them. He had to watch, as they nearly beat her to death. He finally agreed to marry Sophia, as long as he could keep Julia. No one was to touch her ever again. He became obsessed with keeping her safe.
“There was something going on with one of the rival families, when my mother was pregnant with me. He couldn't hide her with Sophia and their boys, so he set up a safe house for her near the hospital. She was due any time with me. He even had a burn phone set up for her to call him if she went into labor.
“He was so excited for me to be born. He’s told me repetitively I’m the only child he wanted. You have no idea how often he’s threatened to kill his sons or grandson and only stopped when I stepped in. It’s gotten worse over the years. Little Marky has a mouth on him. He was lucky I was fast enough to get between him and my father. For the longest time, Ann Marie would ask me to stay close, when her husband dealt with my father, so I could intervene and keep him safe.
“The night I was born was the night my mother, Julia, was killed. Somehow, Sophia had found out where my mother was being kept and had some of her family go after her. She was able to get a call off to my father for help, and he had to listen to her being attacked while it happened. I heard that he wasn’t ever right in the head after that. He took her to the hospital in hopes of saving her.
"Three days before my mother, Julia, was killed, my Aunt Silvia was in a near-fatal car accident. They were both pregnant at the same time, and my aunt's unborn son died. The Bartoli's were in a bind, they needed money. They weren't well off, and the mounting hospital bills were going to wipe them out. When Anthony saw my Uncle Daniel pacing the halls, he recognized him. He knew Uncle Daniel was Julia's family, my mother's brother.
"My mother had been brought in, her death imminent from bleeding out. My father and uncle cried together over her, and the state of Silvia. When the doctor announced that Julia had died, but I'd been saved, Uncle Daniel was there. Anthony was devastated over losing my mother, but overjoyed that they'd saved me, though he knew he couldn't take me home to his wife. He'd also heard the sad news of the Bartoli's losing their baby. That was when he asked them to take me in his place. Julia's baby was pronounced dead, and Daniel Bartoli Junior was alive.
“Sophia was dead a month later. At that time, Marcello senior was seventeen, the oldest of their three boys. I don't think he ever connected the dots that our mothers were killed only a month apart. He was never very swift like that, and they didn't know specifically what our father did for a living at the time.
“Even so, it was twelve years later that I was found the first time, and it came out that I was Big Boss Anthony Valente's son. The only people who knew I was his son were my father, Anthony, my Uncle Daniel, and his wife, my Aunt Silvia. My mother, Julia Bartoli, was Daniel Bartoli Senior's sister, and Silvia's sister-in-law.
“I looked a lot like my mother, so passing me off as Daniel’s son was easy. The only thing I got from my father was…"
"His eyes," I cut him off. "You both have the same striking copper eyes."
He nodded. "They suspected that was what caused people to dig into things and find out I wasn't really Daniel’s son. I was taken at twelve and used as leverage. Anthony had a no-tolerance policy when it came to me. Everyone involved was killed. I was sent back to the Bartoli's and hidden again, until another attempt was made when I was fourteen.
"After the second attempt on my life, I was moved to Ann Marie and Marcello's home and was passed off as Ann Marie's illegitimate child. The Bartoli's hadn’t wanted me to get lost in their crowd of children, so they’d assigned Ann Marie specifically to care for me, when Silvia didn't have me with her. That was why I was already very close to Ann Marie before she married Marcello
“While at their house, I was watched over by my father's goons. They already had security on them, so it didn't look suspicious. I got to know my father during that time. He could visit and not draw any extra attention to me, since I lived with his eldest son, who'd gone into the family business. Anthony had told me all about my mother, so when I was eighteen, I looked into her. That was what set off the third attempt to take me.
“With each subsequent attempt to take me, my father became a little more unhinged and protective of me. It seems to have only gotten worse over the years. This place out here was developed as a more secure way to hide me. I wouldn't be ar
ound anyone, and I'm completely off the grid. On top of that, my father had my name changed. On paper I’m no longer Daniel Bartoli, I’m Daniel…"
"Collins, you're Daniel Collins." Daniel jumped off the bed like I was a snake. "I saw it on some mail. It was under your keyboard, and the wind blew it out. I didn't know why your name was Daniel Collins, but I suspected it had something to do with you hiding out here."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because I knew you'd freak out. I only found out two days ago, and you were on edge already, acting all distant and weird. I didn't want to add to it."
He paced back and forth, and I finally stopped him. "Are we really married?"
"Yeah, on paper, we are. The marriage license is in your trust papers. I found it last night. I don't think Ann Marie knew, otherwise she wouldn't have let Marky come out here. He'd never been out here before. She knew the only way to protect you was if you married one of us and became part of the family."
I felt sick to my stomach. How I had acted with Marky had been bad enough, but to do it as a married woman was so much worse. It made me want to puke.
"Gabby, are you alright?"
I burst into tears, an emotional mess, as I shook my head no.
His face fell, as he took a few tentative steps toward me. When he saw I wasn't going to pull away from him, he gathered me up in his arms.
"I'm so sorry," I cried. "I didn't know we were married. I wouldn't have let him anywhere near me." I pressed my hand into my stomach, trying to settle it. "I'd never cheat on you. I swear, never," I sobbed.
"I know," he whispered into my hair, like he was relieved. I was worried he would question my loyalty as his girl, as his wife.
"When I saw that, I knew you wouldn't be able to go back to St. Mary's. I was going to ask my father if there was a way to keep that under wraps so you could attend. As my wife, you should've had the rights to a security detail. You would've been protected, but he didn't know anything. He didn't know we were married. He wasn't involved in you coming out here at all. I should’ve known better. I'm so sorry."
We sat quietly for a while, letting it all sink in. Before, we had thought we had been set up, but now I knew Ann Marie wasn't just setting me up, she was pushing me to marry someone, anyone. The only thing that would save me was to be married to someone in the family. She knew that, and apparently, Daniel was the only candidate after Marky. I would have to thank her for not telling us. I think the pressure would have ruined everything, but not knowing gave us the chance to grow a real relationship. At least I thought it was real.
"Daniel, I was listening."
He scrunched his brow at me confused.
"When he came in, I went into the bathroom and listened through the wall." He sat there silently, waiting for me to continue. "Did you mean it?" I worried he had just said he loved me to keep his dad at bay.
"What?"
"I heard you tell your dad you loved me."
His cheeks turned bright red, and he looked away from me.
"If you don't…"
He peeked at me. "Do you want me to mean it?"
"Only if you really do."
He let out a relieved breath. "You really want me to?"
"Yeah, I'd really like that."
He pulled me into a tight hug, hiding his face in my neck. "Yeah, I meant it."
"Me, too," I added shyly.
"You, too?" He didn't sound sure.
I shrugged. "Yeah…you know…me, too," I fumbled over it, scared to say the words.
He swallowed hard. "So you…you know…me?"
He looked so cute trying to ask, it gave me the courage to say the words. "Yeah, I love you, too."
"Really?"
"Yeah." I decided to be bold and do what I had wanted to do for some time now. I kissed him, smack on the lips. It took a moment, but he finally gave in and kissed me back. It stayed chaste, because I didn't think Daniel was ready for tongue yet.
When I pulled back, he rested his head on mine and chuckled. "Wow, that's cool."
"Yes, it is." I shifted the ice back up to my cheek, and he frowned.
"Let me get you some painkillers, and you lay down. I'll make some lunch while you rest." He kissed my forehead, after he tucked me in, and disappeared into the kitchen once I was medicated.
I woke up much later to an arm over my waist and Daniel's face pressed into my shoulder. He had curled himself around me in his sleep, and it felt nice.
I went to the bathroom, and when I came out, he was standing next to the bed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep. I was trying to ice your cheek while you slept, but I guess I dozed off." He pointed to the melted ice pack on the bed.
I shrugged. "It's okay, Daniel, we're married. Sharing a bed isn't unheard of," I teased.
He blushed and shrugged at me. "Well, you know…we can."
My grin was huge and hurt my face, but I couldn't stop it. "That'd be nice. I think I'd like to share with you. It felt nice to cuddle."
He cleared his throat. "Cool, yeah, that's…yeah," he fumbled over his words.
My stomach growled, thankfully changing the subject. "Is there any lunch left?"
"Yes, I put the sandwiches in the fridge, so we could eat together. Do you need more pain pills?" he asked, looking at his watch. "You can take two more after lunch, or I guess early dinner, or should this be lunch and then we have a late dinner? Late dinner is alright, we can have a late lunch and a late dinner or…"
"Daniel, let's go eat." I took his hand and pulled him out of the bedroom. I felt him squeeze mine, and I looked back at him and smiled. He was so damn cute, and he was mine. He really was mine.
Chapter 29 – Brakes
After our late dinner, we played one game of chess. I think we were both nervous, and I was pretty sure Daniel was going to back out on the whole bed sharing thing. I had a plan, though, and I hoped it would work.
I sent him to get ready for bed first, while I cleaned up from dinner and chess. When he came out, I went in and took a shower myself. Once I was dressed, I opened the bedroom door and waited for him to come in. When he walked in, I slid under the covers, lying down where I had slept earlier.
He sat on the far side of the bed, with his eyes focused on the blanket.
"Daniel, are you alright?"
"Yeah, it's just…I was thinking." He cleared his throat and started again. "The paper, it says we're married, and I'm happy to be married, but I wondered if you were really okay with it. Even if we did it for real, I mean if we bought a marriage license ourselves and signed it, we wouldn't be able to do it in a church. I couldn't bring that much attention to myself, and then to have you there with me. It'd be even worse," he grimaced. "What I'm trying to ask is…do you accept it? I mean, being my wife. We're legally married, but I wanted to know if you thought we were."
I rolled onto my side and took his hand in mine. "I don't have any family. My parents aren't speaking to me, so it'd be just me and you and your family. I would've preferred the whole official eternally-binding church ceremony, but this is good, too. I'm okay with the way things happened. Maybe later, if it's safe, after we settle in again, we could try to do that. I know we couldn't have any family with us, but maybe just the two of us?"
He nodded yes, but looked worried. "I think…well, I don't know for sure, but I think your parents were led to believe you're dead."
That made me sit up, shocked. "What? Why would they think that?"
"Most likely because that was your fate. My cousins probably staged your death and lied, saying you were dead, that they'd carried out the order."
"You really believe your father planned to kill me before I came out here?"
"I know he did. He doesn't like loose ends. He's a bit paranoid, but that's actually a good thing in his line of work. He's always warned me that you can't read other people's minds, so it's important that I stay hidden. I can't trust anyone. You don't know what's going on in someone else's head, or if they're planning to double cros
s you…he didn't know you. He didn't trust you, and he most likely didn't want to risk you knowing more than you let on. You were dead as soon as he found out you'd met the family and stepped into Marcello’s home."
I was stunned, but after meeting Anthony, I believed Daniel. I was thankful Ann Marie and Victor had saved me and had done it in such a way that I didn't even know I was in trouble. I laid back down, snuggling into the pillow.
I heard Daniel clear his throat. "Gabby?"
"Yeah?" I looked over at him, waiting for his response.
"Are you mad we're married, now that you know everything?"
I had to get it through this man's head that I wasn't upset, and I was happy. I decided to do it in such a way that would be fun for the both of us. I grabbed hold of him and kissed him with all my might. I pinned that boy to the bed and practically ate his face off. I stopped short of humping his leg and pulled back to see his stunned face. He was panting hard, but finally broke into a smile. I grinned back at him. "I'm really happy to be your wife. It's time for bed now, husband." I snuggled down into his arms with a split-faced grin.
"Yeah…yeah…" he panted, sounding a little dazed. I think my point was made.
I woke up early, needing to pee badly. I looked down at my waist and could see why. Daniel's arm was wrapped around me tightly. I glanced at his clock, it was an hour before we usually got up. I squirmed out of his arms and took care of business.
When I walked back in, Daniel was lying face down on my side of the bed. It was going to be a challenge to get back in. I squeezed onto the little sliver of bed he had left me and tried to worm my way back under his arm. Even in his sleep, he figured out what I was doing and was quick to tuck me back against him. It felt so nice to be held in his arms. I wondered if I would be able to get him to hold me for no reason at all. I would love to just snuggle up to him. The thought of sitting with him by the fire made me want to be closer with him, so I wiggled around until I could get my arm around him and squeezed him tighter to me. He tucked his face into my neck and let out a contented hum. I silently prayed he hadn't set the alarm.
Straight Up Interfererence Page 20