Dangerous Beauty: Part Two: A Mafia Princess

by Hardin, Michelle

  “Don’t you care about your daughter? What if that sick prick comes to America? What if he sees her? Will you be able to stop Paolo Luchini when he decides to take her? I swear to God, Ana, if he touches her—”

  Anastacia hit his chest forcefully. “Do you think I’m a fucking idiot? That I don’t know how to protect my own child? I’ve been protecting her for her entire life! I stayed away from her to protect her! I don’t need you telling me shit about protecting my child!”

  That’s it! Angelo had had enough. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now. He hadn’t seen her in weeks, and then she showed up in Italy with a jet, wanting to make the trip to America together. He was going to let it go, but now he was mad as hell. If she had spent that time with Paolo, he was done with her— and this time he meant it!

  “Where have you been?” he yelled. “Tell me right now, Ana! You disappeared without a word, and then you just show up with no explanation? I’m not going through this shit with you again! So tell me!” he ordered.

  Fire filled Anastacia’s eyes. Was he accusing her of something? “Fuck you!” she shouted and balled up her fist, ready to punch the motherfucker in his face, but she caught movement out of the corner of her eye.

  She whipped around and gasped as her hand shot to cover her mouth.

  Nathan and Carter stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring at her and Angelo, wide-eyed and mouths agape.

  “Fuck!” she heard Angelo say behind her.

  Shit! She thought. Rage shot through her body. She had told him they had to stop fighting. She told him the kids were going to catch them, but the dumb bastard hadn’t listened.

  Anastacia slowly turned to Angelo with a deadly glare. She didn’t like getting this upset, but it couldn’t be avoided this time. He had pissed her off big time. Her daughter had just heard shit she was never supposed to hear. Anastacia approached him slowly, her body shaking with fury.

  “You big-mouth fuck!” she spat.

  Angelo’s jaw ticked as his gray eyes darkened and filled with rage. “You cold, poisonous bitch!”

  “I fucking hate you!”

  “I hate you!”

  “I can’t stand you!”

  “I swear to God, I wish I never met you!”

  Anastacia gripped Angelo’s shirt and jerked him forward. “Go straight to hell, you piece of shit!”

  Angelo grabbed her shoulders and lifted her body from the floor as if she weighed nothing. He shook her, “I’m sick of this shit, Anastacia!”

  Completely unfazed by Angelo’s show of force, Anastacia delivered a series of forceful blows to Angelo’s chest.

  Carter and Nathan snapped out of their shock and rushed across the walkway to pull their parents apart.

  Nathan called to his father in Italian while Carter called to her mother in French, each of them trying to convince them to calm themselves. Eventually, they were able pull the two apart. Carter took her mother through the kitchen and out the back door, and Nathan led his father to the office down the hallway— both trying to get their seething parents as far away from each other as they possibly could.

  15

  Parents

  Carter sat at the bottom of the large stone staircase in her backyard, watching her mother pace back and forth, clenching and unclenching her fists. They’d been out here for about five minutes, and Anastacia hadn’t said a word to her yet. As soon as they’d exited the house, Anastacia descended the staircase quickly and began pacing back and forth, muttering expletives in French.

  Carter still couldn’t believe what she and Nathan had witnessed. She knew that they had been sleeping together, but she didn’t know that they were in love. She chuckled at the thought. Her mother and her husband’s father were in love. What a tight-knit family they were, she thought sarcastically.

  She watched her mother continue to pace as she silently ran through the argument she and Nathan had witnessed. Obviously there were some trust issues present in Anastacia and Angelo’s relationship. It was also obvious that they had been in love for a long time.

  Carter was trying her best not to delve too deeply into what she had heard. She had always thought herself a bit too perceptive, and she was afraid of what she’d find with this particular situation. It was obvious by the violent turn the fight had taken when she and Nathan had been noticed that Anastacia and Angelo had said something they didn’t want Carter or Nathan to hear. That just made Carter more curious. Carter had numerous questions for her mother, the biggest being what did she mean when she’d said she had stayed away to protect her? Protect her from what? Her lifestyle? Carter shook her head. That couldn’t be it. Her father was a hit-man. If they had wanted to keep her away from the lifestyle, they would have given her up for adoption. So what the hell could it be? Carter took a deep breath and released it. She didn’t know, but she’d definitely be asking.

  She’d also be asking about this Paolo Luchini character and what the fuck was going on there. She had heard Angelo loud and clear. Obviously this guy had an obsession with Anastacia and would be interested in procuring the newest model of her— Carter.

  Carter snorted disdainfully. That motherfucker would find out very quickly that Carterina Salerno was not Anastacia Stone. Not to mention that Nathan would go cold-blooded killer if any man ever tried to take her from him. Carter knew that for a fact.

  What she couldn’t understand was why her mother was still communicating with Luchini. She thought Angelo had said they weren’t together anymore. Carter shrugged. Who knew? It was obvious the shit between her mother and father in law was intense and went back many years. She wondered how Cesare fit into all of this.

  “Stop, Carterina.”

  The sharp voice of her mother cut through her thoughts like a razor-sharp knife.

  “Stop what?” she asked.

  “Stop thinking. Stop asking questions.” She stopped pacing and faced Carter with a firm, authoritative expression. “I will not answer any of them. You were not supposed to hear a word of what was said in that house. This is not a puzzle for you to put together, not a problem for you to solve. Stop thinking about it! Do you understand me?”

  This was something Carter didn’t particularly like about either of her parents. They both knew her too well. Anastacia could read her like a book. She knew her habits, quirks, mannerisms— and so many other things that Carter didn’t even know about herself. What her mother was asking of her just wasn’t fair. She couldn’t expect Carter not to want to ask questions after what she’d just witnessed. She shot up from her seat on the staircase. “That’s not—”

  “I don’t care if it’s not fair!” Anastacia yelled. “Stop trying to figure shit out. You don’t need to know everything, Carterina. It’s not for you to know!”

  “But Anastacia—”

  “Goddammit, Carter!” Anastacia shouted.

  She flinched at her mother’s rage and backed away from the intensity of it. The look on her mother’s face caused Carter’s rising temper to rapidly decline. Her mother only used “Carter” when she was frustrated with her— or pissed. This time, it was definitely the latter. Carter knew what she had just done wrong. She had called her mother by her first name.

  Anastacia stormed up to Carter, and Carter lowered her eyes. Mistake number two. She could feel her mother’s rage.

  “Eye contact,” she growled.

  Carter willed herself not to cry. She knew that even one tear would piss her mother off even more, just like it did her father. She blinked away her tears, thankful they didn’t fall down her cheeks, and met her mother’s cold hazel eyes.

  Anastacia tapped her arms. “Unfold those arms. Now.”

  Carter obediently did as she was told.

  “Tell me what you did wrong?” she asked icily. It was the same tone Carter’s father would use when she was disobedient or did something unacceptable.

  Carter maintained eye contact with her mother and answered, “I called you Anastacia.”

  “Who am I to you
?”

  “My mother,” Carter answered quickly.

  “Am I Anastacia to you?”

  “No.”

  “Would you like me to be? Is Anastacia Stone the person you want to know, or would you rather know your mother? The two are not the same. Choose, Carter.”

  Carter shifted from one foot to the other nervously and bit back the urge to chew on her bottom lip. The habit used to upset her father, so she knew it would upset her mother, too.

  “I want to know my mother,” Carter said softly. She wanted the coldness in her mother’s eyes and the icy tone in which she spoke to go away, so Carter did what her father used to do to calm her. She embraced her mother warmly by taking one of her hands in hers, trying to soften her mother’s intimidating demeanor. Even though Carter didn’t want to admit it, it scared her a little. When she was younger, Carter always thought that one day she would piss her father off enough and his killer side would take over. He used to laugh at her whenever she said that, and Carter could now admit it was a silly fear. But Carter felt she had the right to her silly fears with parents like Robert Steele and Anastacia Stone. She could look into her mother’s eyes and see the same thing she had seen in her father’s— a killer lurking there, waiting for the next fix. Carter was not about to die at the hands of one of her own parents. She’d made it with her dad, and she would make it with her mother.

  Carter looked up at her mother with innocent eyes and the “baby girl” face she used to melt her father with. “I’m sorry, Mama. I really am. I won’t do it again. I promise.” She let her eyes water slightly. “Please don’t be upset with me. I missed you,” Carter whispered softly.

  It worked. Motherly warmth and love overtook Anastacia’s hard exterior, and she immediately took Carter into her arms. Carter resisted the urge to smile.

  “Oh God, baby girl. I’m so sorry, my baby,” she cooed as she peppered Carter’s face with kisses. “I didn’t mean to get so upset. I’m not mad at you. Come. Come and sit down with Mama.” She sat on the bottom step of the staircase with Carter and pulled her close.

  Carter wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist, rested her head on her chest, and sighed. This was better. Carter loved cuddling with her mother. She was warm and smelled like springtime…or what Carter imagined springtime smelled like. Anastacia wrapped her arms around Carter tightly, while Carter played with strands of her mother’s silky black hair. It fascinated her. It was silky, like Nathan’s, with a natural wavy look. She kept it the same length Carter used to keep hers before she met Nathan. Sometimes Carter envied her mother for having such “easy” hair. Carter liked her own hair, but sometimes she wondered what it would be like to simply run a brush through it in the morning and go. She touched her own silky curls and shook her head. It took hours for her to get her hair like this. Her mother’s hair probably looked like that when she got out of bed every morning.

  Carter heard her mother laugh softly, and she looked up at her face.

  “There’s nothing wrong with your hair, Carterina. Your hair is perfect.” She gave Carter a smooch on the forehead. “You are perfect,” she said with a loving smile.

  Carter loved her mother’s smile. She didn’t understand why anyone would think her mother didn’t have a heart and didn’t laugh or smile. With Carter, she did it all the time. She thought her mother had an incredible laugh and a huge heart. It made her feel special to know that her mother reserved her warmth just for her.

  Carter smiled back. “You’re beautiful, Mom.”

  Anastacia cupped the back of Carter’s head and kissed her hair. She pulled her close to her chest and rested her chin on her head. She was a woman who had been called beautiful so many times that she had become numb to the flattery. But there was something about hearing her baby girl say it. She could tell by the look in her daughter’s eyes that she wasn’t merely speaking of her appearance, like everyone else in her life that had commented on her beauty. Carterina saw more. She saw what only a child could see in a mother. It was very different for Anastacia to feel such pure love, such sweet, unconditional love. She had never experienced it before. She knew that Carterina hadn’t said it to her yet, but it was written in those big eyes of hers. Of course, Anastacia didn’t feel like she deserved such love, but she’d take it anyway. She was a selfish woman, and she wanted desperately for her daughter to love her. Carterina’s love was the only love that truly mattered. As long as she had her little girl, everyone else could fuck off for all she cared.

  “It’s okay if you love him, Mom. It really is,” Carter said softly.

  Anastacia frowned. Damn it— she thought she had made it clear that this wasn’t up for discussion. “Carter—”

  “No, don’t get mad.” Carter buried her face in her mother’s chest and spoke with a muffled voice. “I don’t want to make you mad. I just meant it’s obvious, you know, that you guys are in love.” She looked up at her mother with smile. “He’s really handsome, Mom.”

  Her mother rolled her eyes.

  Carter continued. “And he’s sweet, and a really good person. I wish I had known more about the Salernos after daddy died. I wish I had known that Nathan had looked for me, or that I’d had a place to go for all those years.”

  Anastacia swallowed the lump in her throat. She hated thinking about the five years her baby had been missing. She had never believed for one minute that Carterina was dead. Not after she had seen all the dead bodies at the scene of Robert’s murder.

  “I don’t like to think of that time, Carterina. I just wish I had been better prepared. I just never thought …” Anastacia had never gotten over the death of Robert Steele— and never would. She cleared her throat and continued. “I didn’t expect that to happen to your father. I didn’t see it coming. I’m so sorry.” She hugged Carter tightly as she thought of the many horrible things that could have happened to her baby.

  Nathan Salerno. Anastacia owed that kid so much for taking Carterina away from that place, for protecting her. He had no idea, but he alone— just by being with her— had shut down many plots to capture Carterina.

  “You don’t have to apologize anymore, Mama. I’m happy now. I have a home, an amazing husband … you. This is what I’ve always wanted. I just wish Daddy was here to see it, to see me.” She looked into her mother’s eyes. “Do you think Daddy would have approved of Nathan and me being together?”

  Anastacia laughed. “Your father never wanted men in your life, period, baby girl. But he was realistic. You are a very attractive girl. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep the boys at bay for your entire life.” She cupped Carter’s face. “Yes, baby girl. Your father would have approved. It would’ve taken him some time to accept you relationship with Nathan- because he was so protective- but he’d have come around eventually. He always said that Nathan had so much potential, and he was positive that Angelo would set that boy straight. And Angelo did.” She looked at Carter and saw the confusion on her face. Anastacia frowned. “What is it, honey?”

  “How often did you and Daddy talk?”

  Anastacia could hear the change in Carter’s tone. She knew the conversation was about to take a turn. Anastacia prepared herself for whatever questions Carterina would ask. She would be honest, but she couldn’t reveal too much— not yet, and not on her birthday.

  “I had to talk to your father often, Carterina. We had to discuss you, your future, the things you needed. You know, honey, things parents talk about,” Anastacia replied.

  Carter frowned. “The way you talk about him, it just sounds like …like you were close. It sounds like you two had a good relationship.”

  Anastacia shifted uncomfortably. “We did, Carterina.”

  “But that doesn’t make any sense. He wouldn’t talk about you. He wouldn’t tell me anything. Sometimes it seemed like he hated you. Sometimes he couldn’t even look at me when I asked about my mother.”

  Anastacia waited a moment, trying to construct an honest explanation without revealing too much too s
oon. “Our relationship was complicated. Sometimes we got along, and sometimes we didn’t.”

  “But why wouldn’t he answer my questions about you, Mama? Why would he yell at me the way he did when I asked? Why would he tell me that you made it impossible for anyone to love you? Why would he tell me I’m just like you— and make me feel bad about it?” Carter could feel herself beginning to get emotional. She blinked away the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

  Anastacia shook her head. “When did this happen, Carterina? When did your father say these things?” Anastacia asked. She couldn’t believe Robert would say anything like that about her. Anastacia wasn’t perfect, but Robert never had found it difficult to love her. She had never found it difficult to love him, either. Not after everything he had done for her.

  A tear slipped from Carter’s eyes, and Anastacia caressed her face. “Carterina, tell me what you’re holding back. All of it. Don’t leave anything out,” she said. She knew how Carter kept important details from stories, deeming them unimportant or too hard to talk about.

  Carter took a shaky breath as more tears began escaping from her eyes. She had never told anyone this before, not even Nathan. She had purposely left some things out of the story she had told Nathan about her father and mother in Hope Beach because she knew he wouldn’t understand. She didn’t even understand it herself. “Mom …” she cried. “Sometimes …” She sniffled. “Sometimes Dad would really…confused me. It was weird. There were times when he would look at me, and all I would see in his eyes was love. And then there were other times when he would look at me like it hurt— like my face caused him physical pain. Those were the bad times. They weren’t often, but they were there, and it hurt. Those were the times when he was short with me, he refused to talk about you, and he wouldn’t confide in me. But he stopped doing that after our big fight about you. After that, I stopped asking about you because I started …” Carter lowered her eyes and looked away from her mother. She couldn’t say the words that she was about to say because it was no longer true.