by SUE FINEMAN
She pulled her sweater off and tossed it on the chair, then unzipped her skirt.
“What did you get him for his birthday?”
“I had a portrait made of me and Taylor a week before the attack.” She motioned for him to turn around while she finished undressing. “We didn’t stay long enough for him to unwrap it. Taylor could barely keep her eyes open. If I still lived there, I would have put her to bed and gone back to the party, but—”
“But I forced you to stay here.”
Alex pulled on flannel pajama pants and a cropped T-shirt, her normal sleeping attire.
Charlie turned to look at her. “You looked nice tonight. Your hair looks good, too.”
“Not good. Better.”
“Good,” he said, and the deep, soft sound of his voice sent tingles skittering over her skin.
She walked into the bathroom and, leaving the door open, brushed her teeth. He stood in the doorway watching her. Her body hummed with desire, and the way his gray eyes had darkened, she knew he wanted the same thing she did.
As soon as she finished brushing her teeth, he lifted her to sit on the counter and leaned in to kiss her. She opened her mouth and kissed him back, a raunchy, fuck-me kind of kiss. His big, rough hands slid under her shirt, then he pushed her shirt up and kissed her breasts. Alex wanted to purr like a kitten with a bowl of cream.
Charlie let go of her so quickly, she nearly fell off the counter. “What in the hell am I doing?”
“You don’t want me?”
“I don’t want to get dumped again.”
“What makes you think I’ll dump you again?”
He walked away, and she jumped off the counter and followed him to the attic steps. Catching his arm, she said, “Don’t leave me like this.”
“Why not? That’s the way you left me. I waited six months for you to come back to me, but you wouldn’t even return my phone calls.”
“What phone calls?”
“I left messages at your house and on your cell phone. Hell, I even went to your house a couple times, and the woman who answered the door said you’d gone to Europe.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” Nobody told her about the calls and visits because they didn’t want her with Charlie Kane.
Now she was living with him, and if she had her way, they’d make love tonight.
Chapter Ten
Charlie turned to face Alex. “What in the hell do you mean, you didn’t know?”
“I lost my cell phone and I didn’t know you’d called the house phone. Nobody told me you’d come to the house.”
“Did you go to Europe?”
“I was planning to go, but…” She shook her head. “I was too sick to go anywhere.”
“Damn!” If he’d known, he would have stormed into that house and searched until he found her. But he didn’t know. He knew their fathers didn’t like each other, but he didn’t know the history, and he didn’t know Alex was pregnant and sick.
He didn’t know the depth of her father’s hate for the Kane family.
Her soft hand brushed his face. Charlie grabbed her hand and held it there. “What about later? Why didn’t you call me when you felt better?”
“Because Papa said if I did, he’d have me declared an unfit mother and take Taylor away from me. When I was in college, I took a trip to Mexico with a few friends. We got a little too drunk and a little too wild and someone had a video camera. They put it on the Internet, but I didn’t know until Mario told Papa one evening over dinner. Papa watched the video and exploded. He said any woman who’d behave that way didn’t deserve to be a mother.”
“Is it still on the Internet?”
“I don’t think so. I was young and stupid, and I was mortified when I saw the video, but I knew who’d taken it. Papa paid him off, and the next time I went in to his site, it was gone. I’m sure Mario has a copy somewhere, and I’m sure he’ll pull it out and use it one of these days. He blames me for getting him fired from the business, and he blames me for the attack.”
Charlie dropped her hand. “Why would he blame you?”
“He thinks I should have let Scott do what he wanted, so he’d sign the contract. As if I’d let that creep put his hands on me.” She looked up at Charlie’s face. “Mario and Antonio have always hated me. Mother was pregnant with me when Papa divorced their mother and married mine. They made my childhood a living hell. I was so glad when they moved out of the house.”
Charlie gazed into her eyes for several seconds. He and his siblings bickered sometimes, but no matter what happened, they always stuck up for each other.
“If I turn out the lights so you can’t see me, will you kiss me again?”
He kissed her deeply, passionately, then pulled back. “I like looking at you, but this isn’t the place to—”
“Charlie? Alex?” Dad called. “Are you here?”
“In the attic, Dad.” Charlie whispered, “Like I said, this isn’t the place.”
She nodded slightly just before Dad started walking up the stairs. “Ginny just called me. She had news about Scott Higgins.”
“They caught him?” said Alex.
“Yes. He went to visit his parents in Columbus. We had someone watching the house. He claims someone must have been posing as him, because he’s never heard of the Whippoorwill Inn, and he didn’t hurt anyone.”
“Yeah, sure,” said Charlie. “They did get fingerprints, didn’t they? And what about that ring?”
“He wasn’t wearing a ring when they picked him up, and they’re checking prints now. He said he met you and your brothers at the restaurant, Alex, but he didn’t attack you.”
“He’s lying. He told me Mario sent him, and it was definitely the same person I met at the restaurant.”
“Ginny said she’d talk to you tomorrow, let you know if they need you to see a lineup. I hope we don’t have to use Taylor, but we can’t rule it out.”
“Find another way, Dad,” said Charlie. “I don’t want Taylor involved.”
“She’s already involved, son. Taylor is a witness in a brutal attack. We can’t let this guy go free to beat on another woman. The next one might not live through it.”
<>
Vinnie unwrapped the present from Alexandra and nearly cried. The portrait of her and Taylor showed them before that bastard attacked her, before he put the scars on her face. His daughter’s beautiful face was no longer as perfect as it was in this picture. Her hair would grow back, but her face would never look quite the same as it had before.
When everyone saw the picture, the chattering among his family quieted, and he took a deep breath to get his emotions under control. Mario was responsible for this, but Vinnie owned some of the blame himself. He was the one who found the note on Alexandra’s pillow, the one who told Mario where she was staying. But he didn’t think Mario would send that bastard to the motel. He expected Mario to go over there himself and have a talk with her. Change her mind about leaving the company. Make peace.
Alexandra had told him what the boys were doing. She said she wouldn’t have sex with the clients, and Vinnie couldn’t believe the boys would ask that of her. He was so wrong. He’d never forgive himself for the part he’d played in her attack. And he’d never forgive Mario for what he’d done.
He needed to change his will before his heart gave out. He didn’t want to reward his sons for what they’d done, yet if he gave Alexandra more than he gave the boys, they could take it out on her. He’d have to be very careful how he handled things.
“Hey, Uncle Vinnie. Open mine next,” Nick said, and everyone started talking again.
As he opened his birthday gifts, Vinnie had a feeling this would be his last birthday. The doctor said his heart was giving out, that he needed a new one. But he was too old for a transplant. He could buy excellent medical care, but all the money in the world wouldn’t buy him a new heart.
Time to get his affairs in order, get a new will made, and take care of business. He didn’t w
ant his family fighting over his assets after he was gone.
<>
Donovan checked on Taylor, then crawled into bed with Hannah. “I interrupted something upstairs.”
“Oh, Donovan. I was hoping—”
“And I was hoping they wouldn’t get back together. I know Charlie wants to keep Taylor, but that Porcini girl is going to bring him nothing but heartache.”
“You’re wrong. She’s a nice girl and a good mother. And she cares about Charlie.”
“She cares about her family, too, and if push comes to shove, she’ll side with them and he’ll not only lose her, he’ll lose Taylor, too.”
Hannah rolled into his arms. “I hope you’re wrong.”
“Her own brothers set her up to be hurt. She could have been killed that night, and you can bet he wouldn’t have let Taylor live through it. The kid saw his face.”
Hannah shivered. “Stop it. I don’t want to have nightmares.”
“I’ve had nightmares since the morning I saw that girl sitting at the breakfast table. She’s Vinnie’s daughter. That spells trouble.”
She rubbed his chest. “You’re forgetting something. Taylor is half Porcini.”
“She’s more Kane. She looks more like you than anyone in the Porcini family.”
“I think she looks like Charlie.”
Donovan changed the subject. “Andy gave me the plans for Charlie’s house today, and I walked them down to get the permits. He should be able to get started on the work next week.”
“Does everyone get their permits that quickly?”
“Of course not. I didn’t say it was urgent, but they pushed it through anyway. One of the perks of my job. I just hope the ghost doesn’t chase the contractors away.”
“So do I.”
<>
Vinnie sat down with his attorney, Bernie Stine, on Saturday morning. Bernie was the only attorney he knew who’d make house calls. He could have postponed this meeting until Monday, but Vinnie didn’t know how much time he had left. This couldn’t wait another day.
Gina had stayed over last night. She didn’t like living with her daughter’s family, but her husband hadn’t left her enough money to live alone. If she and Vanessa had gotten along, he would have let Gina stay in the house. Now that Vanessa was gone, there was no reason not to have her there. She was the last of his siblings, and she’d grown up in this house, as he had.
“I want my sister Gina to live in the house as long as she wants. When she dies, it goes to Alexandra. I bought the boys houses when they married.”
The attorney made notes as Vinnie talked.
“Set up a trust fund for Gina, so she’ll have enough to pay her expenses. The house eats money.”
They talked for several minutes about the size of his estate, but Bernie didn’t know about Vinnie’s off-shore account. Nobody knew about that money, not even Vanessa.
Vinnie gave generous gifts to the servants who worked at his house. The cook had been there nearly thirty years. “Give her enough to retire in comfort. Hell, she took good care of me over the years.”
Bernie named a figure and Vinnie nodded. “Yeah, that should do it.”
“Give my nieces and nephews a hundred thou each and their kids ten thousand each.”
“Same list as before?” Bernie asked.
“Yeah.”
“What about your children and grandchildren?”
“The grandchildren get a half million in a trust fund to be used for college or held until they’re thirty. Whatever’s left gets split three ways.”
Bernie cocked his head. “I thought you wanted to disinherit your sons.”
“I do, but I don’t want them to hate my daughter because she got something and they didn’t.” And they would. They’d make her life a living nightmare. “Put something in there that if anyone contests the will, they get nothing.” He didn’t want Mario trying to push Alexandra out of the picture, and he didn’t want Antonio taking the house away from Gina.
“What about the business?”
“If I can’t sell it before I die, I want the employees to have it, one share for every year they worked there.” Some of those people had been there since he bought the business.
Bernie stared at him. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Alexandra doesn’t want it, and I’ll be damned if I leave it to Mario and Antonio. Damn kids bled the accounts dry and didn’t give anyone a raise since they took over. Those people work hard, but my sons didn’t give a shit about anyone but themselves. All they care about is money, and that’s all they’re getting. Money.” They’d burn through the money in no time and be left with nothing – no business and no job skills. And no reason to go after Alexandra’s share.
“If I die before the divorce is final, can you fix it so Vanessa gets only what’s specified in the pre-nup?”
Bernie nodded and scribbled on his yellow legal pad. When he finished, Vinnie said, “I want to make a video to play when you have that reading of the will thing after the funeral.”
“Good idea, Vinnie. It’ll be something your kids will cherish in the years to come.”
“Yeah, maybe Alexandra will want to keep it.” But not Mario and Antonio. Antonio expected to get the house, and the boys both expected to get the business.
Vinnie poured himself a stiff drink. “The boys might try to have me declared incompetent.”
“Not a chance. You’re the sharpest eighty-year-old I know.”
A sick eighty-year-old.
After Bernie left, Vinnie studied his financial statements. Adding the numbers from the gifts in his will and subtracting that number from his net worth, he figured he’d have about nine million left for the kids to split. “Too much,” he said to himself. “Way too much.”
He could send more to his off-shore account, but there was plenty of money in there to keep Alexandra in luxury for the rest of her life.
He leaned back in his chair and wondered how his old enemy would like it if he left money to the city for a park. “Porcini Park.” He smiled. “Yeah, that’ll fix the hardheaded Irishman.” Since the school district built another school on the property the kids used for Little League games, the kids had no place to play baseball. Vinnie owned a big piece of property near the new school. He’d been holding on to it for investment purposes. His only question was whether to make the gift now or wait and do it through his will.
“What the hell. Might as well do it now, so I can watch Donovan Kane squirm.”
<>
Saturday morning, Charlie took Alex and Taylor ice skating. The kid sailed out onto the ice like she was born on skates. Charlie took her hand and they skated around the rink a couple times. Alex sat on the sidelines cheering and laughing. She refused to go out on the floor with all the kids. Charlie didn’t mind the kids. He’d been skating here since he was three. Looking at Taylor’s smiling face, he knew she loved it as much as he did.
“Are you sure you haven’t been on skates before?”
“Grandmother said it was too dangerous. She doesn’t even like me playing with boys, but I like playing with boys.”
He liked playing with girls, too, especially Taylor’s mommy.
Taylor finally pooped out, and Charlie took them to the pancake house for lunch.
“I’ve never been here before,” said Alex.
“This is where regular people go.” Why would she go to a place like this when Vinnie had a cook who made her anything she wanted?
She cocked her head. “Are you implying I’m not regular people?”
He grinned. She wasn’t regular anything. Alex grew up in a mansion, with servants to cook and clean for her, with a rich father who gave her anything she ever wanted.
As soon as they finished eating, Charlie said, “I need to get you home, so I can go work on my house.”
“Can I go see your house?” Taylor asked.
“Sure.” The kid would probably be in the way, but Charlie didn’t mind. He liked spending time wi
th his daughter. And Alex. She wore makeup today, and her scars were less visible. Scars or no scars, she was a beautiful woman, with so much sex appeal he could barely keep his hands off her. Her voice alone stirred his body.
Minutes later, he pulled up in front of the dumpster in his driveway. Taylor asked, “What’s that?”
“It’s called a dumpster,” said Alex. “It’s like a big garbage can.”
Charlie unlocked the front door and walked inside with Alex and Taylor. “As you can see, there’s a lot of work to be done.” He pointed at the hole in the wall between the kitchen and dining room. “We’re opening this up to make a great room.”
“What’s that mean?” Taylor asked.
“It means we’re making the kitchen, dining room, and living room one big room instead of three smaller ones. The back bedroom will be a family room, TV room, or play room, and the front bedroom will be a study or office. The stairway will go in the middle bedroom.”
Alex cocked her head. “So the bedrooms will be upstairs?”
He nodded. “Master in the front, two bathrooms in the middle, and two other bedrooms in the back. We’ll have to raise the roof for the two smaller bedrooms.”
“Why not just buy a bigger house to begin with?”
“This was Pop’s house at one time. My father grew up here. I got a good deal on it. I didn’t think it would need this much work, but it should be nice when we finish the work.”
Taylor tugged on Charlie’s arm until he leaned down. “Why is that man staring at us?”
Charlie glanced around. “What man?”
“The one over there.” She pointed at the kitchen.
Charlie called into the house, “John Garrett, is that you?”
The music box started playing, and Taylor said, “There’s a little boy there, too.”