“What do you mean?”
“No judge in his right mind would leave a child in a situation like yours. I’m going to find the best lawyer money can buy, and I will get custody.”
“You wouldn’t.” Fright flashed across her paling features.
“I’ve missed five years of her life. I have no intention of missing more.”
“First Dante, now you? Don’t do this, I’m begging you.”
“She’s my biological daughter. I have rights. You have yourself to thank. Now I suggest you leave.”
Sam flung open the door and gestured toward the idling Mercedes. Kate shot him one more pleading look then ran to the car without looking back. Mr. Suave had been right about everything. Sam was in for the fight of his life, and nothing he could do could prepare him.
***
“We’re home, Mrs. P.”
“Oh...what time is it?” Kate stretched the kink from her neck and blinked several times to clear the sleep as she stared at Paulie just outside the opened car door.
“After ten.”
She stepped from the sedan, and Paulie walked her to the elevator. “Thanks for taking me, Paulie. I only wish it could have turned out different.”
“Things will work out, Mrs. P., don’t you worry.” He smiled a rather odd smile as if he knew something she didn’t.
“I hope you’re right. Goodnight.”
The gentle hum of the elevator did little to calm her nerves. She didn’t know if Dante would be up, or even home, but this couldn’t wait. To her surprise, he was seated on the sofa. Dropping her purse and coat at the door, she walked over to him. “I need to talk to you.”
He stared blankly at her. “Not now.”
Catching glimpses of the bruises on his face gave her the drive she needed to continue as she sat next to him. “We have to. I can’t go on like this. I know you went to see Sam.”
He blinked back to reality then looked at her as if he were searching for something. “Are you sorry I got there first?”
“How dare you tell him about Hope? I should have told him.”
“Do you really think it would have changed anything?” He looked arrogantly at her. “You should have thought of that six years ago.”
“Things were complicated then.” She glanced toward the stairs and then into Dante’s eyes. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled. “I want out. I don’t want to play your games anymore.”
“I don’t see you have much of a choice.”
She looked away again, feeling trapped knowing there was no way he would let her out of his sight. He’d probably assign her two bodyguards instead of one. She forced back her anxiety. This had to be done.
Dante raised her chin with his index finger. “Ahh, it’s as I thought. You are upset because he rejected you for keeping such a secret.” He tucked a stray hair behind her ear and she jerked her head away, the motion causing the same lock of hair to fall once more against her cheek.
“Don’t touch me.” Her hand followed where his had been as she pushed the hair firmly back in place. “Let me take Hope, and I’ll leave right now.”
“I can’t do that, and you know it.”
Kate shivered at the dead-calm of his voice. She worked hard to swallow her fear before speaking again. “Hope and I don’t belong to you.”
“And you don’t belong to him either.” His words stung with truth. He stood, pointing at her with each word. “I’ve loved Hope since the day she was born. She is my daughter, and you’ll never take her from me.”
“Don’t do this.” Her voice sounded so weak compared to his. She saw his pain but couldn’t put her daughter in jeopardy any longer. Kate had to believe there was a fresh start, a clean start, a safe start in their future.
“How foolish do you think I am, Trina?” He paused when she stared at him in confusion. “I’ll know your every move. There’s nowhere you can go. Even you are smart enough to know that.”
The cold look on Dante’s face told her he wasn’t giving up. Right now, Kate didn’t know if she had any fight left. She stood and paced in front of him, wringing her hands, stopping when she realized she couldn’t give up either. Hope’s safety depended on it.
“Please...I’ll take Hope and we’ll go far away, to another country even. I don’t want her to be in danger, please. Don’t hold us prisoner here, let us go.” She tried not to sound desperate, but at this point she was.
Dante put his hand in front of her face. “Don’t beg. It’s beneath you.” His bearded face twisted with the anger she could tell he was trying to keep in check. “This is a slap in the face to me, Katrina. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” She nodded.
“I’ve sat here tonight thinking of a story to tell Carlo.”
“A story? What do you mean?” Kate suddenly wondered if there was hope in all of this. If Dante told a believable story to Carlo, maybe he would back off and leave them alone.
“I will tell him we’re reconciling. No one knows the real reason you disappeared. They didn’t know about your threat at the custody hearing. When your body was presumed missing or that you were dead, I was given full custody of Hope. To Carlo, I said it was a ruse to keep the media focused on something else rather than our separation. I told him we had an argument and you were making me pay for it by staying away, and you were obviously willing to let our daughter live with me. I lied, Trina. I lied to Carlo Santini because I knew he would come after you.” He kept his face closer to hers as he ground out, “While you were off reuniting with your lover, I was here pretending nothing was wrong and protecting you.”
“Why? I don’t understand.”
“I’ve always loved you Katrina, and if I can’t have you, no-one can.”
His words struck her like blood-laced daggers, and she slowly eased into a nearby chair. The reality of hopelessness sunk in. There was no way out, none, unless she risked their lives to do so.
“No matter how badly you may think you want your freedom, I don’t want to be without you. If Carlo knew you’d threatened to expose the family and you’d spent time with an ex-lover, he would have sent someone after you. You’d be dead. I couldn’t let that happen.”
Kate cringed and swore she saw the corners of his mouth tilt into a smirk. She felt like a caged rabbit. Everything was spinning out of control.
Dante moved, and she jumped. His face was like stone as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “My men are loyal to me, unlike my wife. I sent them to look for you. They know the consequences of betraying me. I was the only one who had to deal with Carlo’s questions.”
“What exactly are you saying, Dante?”
“There’s a price to be paid for your little indiscretion. No one deceives me, especially my wife.” He said wife again as if daring her to contradict him. She didn’t. Instead, she folded her hands neatly in her lap.
“I’ve paid a price, believe me.”
“There’s more you owe.”
She narrowed her eyes as a sick feeling reeled in her stomach. “Like what?”
“We will be having dinner with Carlo and Dina in a few days. You will act like nothing is amiss. For all purposes, we will be the happy family of the past.”
“Except we’re not, Dante. We haven’t been in a very long time.”
He didn’t take his eyes off her when he spoke. “We will go back to our lives as if nothing ever happened. We are working our way back together. You will play the perfect wife.”
She left the chair and crossed the room to retrieve her sketchpad out of her bag. “I’ve been sketching again. I want to go back to designing clothes. I’ve been away long enough.” She noticed his features soften as if the old Dante returned when she changed the subject.
“Yes, Francesca has been handling things in your absence but you need to return as we have many orders to fill, as well as new opportunities.”
“What? I haven’t been gone that long. Where has all of this business come from?” She slapped the pad against her thigh.
“I don’t know if I’m ready to jump into sixty hour weeks again. I want to spend time with Hope.”
“You will have plenty of time for that. Carlo has made new contacts, and I have increased business with existing ones. We are almost out of inventory at the warehouse. You need to bring your staff up to speed and maybe reissue some of your older fashions.”
“Yes, yes, I may temporarily do that until we agree on patterns for the new designs.” Kate’s mind whirled with possibilities, thankful for the opportunity to talk about something other than Carlo Santini, Sam Hackett or the whole ordeal.
Over the years, Dante had always given her sound business advice. Maybe this is what she needed to focus on to take her mind off the current struggles. With a little luck, her business would pull them back together and Dante could find the strength to disconnect from Carlo Santini. A future with Sam could never happen, but she wouldn’t deny him visitation to his daughter. She also wouldn’t give him custody, even if that meant bonding with Dante to form a united family structure for the courts. Sam wanting full custody could just be the card she needed to play in order for Dante to leave the clutches of the family. For the safety of her daughter, she would do what needed to be done at any cost, even her own happiness. They could return to Milan like they’d always talked about. Dante could practice law again, and she could design. Carlo Santini and all of this drama would be a bad memory.
“You have a reputation in the industry.” Dante’s features softened as if he’d somehow read her mind. “Surely once they know you’re alive and well, you will be flooded with new orders.” Kate relaxed for the first time since being back in the penthouse, feeling positive they could come to a mutual agreement.
“Of course, I can do that. New orders will be a fabulous way to come back.” She sounded confident now, taking the positive energy she felt and running with it. It would be a lot of hard work, but she would make the badness disappear. She would continue to be a success, and he would respect her like he used to.
Kate watched Dante’s expression transform from calm and supportive to intense. His mouth formed a thin line, and his brown eyes seemed darker. Somehow she didn’t think he was buying her change of heart. He stroked his bearded jawline several times and dropped the bomb. “Until you prove yourself to me, I do not want you in the public eye. There will be no interviews with anyone from the paparazzi unless you clear it with me first. When you leave the penthouse, you will be with my men or under my escort. You will not disobey me on this.”
Kate tossed the pad onto the table. Fury filled every nerve ending in her body. Didn’t he see what she was trying to do, all she was giving up to make this viable? Why wouldn’t he meet her halfway? She hated how he’d become this scheming monster. She hated herself for being afraid when he got like this, and she couldn’t stand to be controlled any longer. Boldly, she marched over to stand in front of him.
“You can’t tell me what to do anymore.”
He took hold of her arms and stared into her eyes. “Yes, I can. After all I’ve done for you, you owe this to me.”
She chewed her lower lip, realizing he was partly right. He had given her child a name, saved her from telling the truth to her father, and had even given her anything she’d desired. There was a time when she had been happy with him, but that was before he’d been corrupted by the family. Now she wanted nothing to do with him, or them. And until she figured out a solid solution, she needed to bide her time. Kate sighed in surrender. “You’re right.”
“I’m glad you see it my way.” He kissed her cheek as if the discussion had never happened. “I have to go.”
“Where?” she asked, puzzled Dante would actually leave after everything which had taken place. While she felt emotionally drained, she wanted to talk more and ensure they’d come up with a satisfactory resolution. The scary part was, she almost had herself convinced she could lead this life and make it work for the sake of her daughter.
“I have a job to do for Carlo.”
The thought of Carlo and the family filled her with more fear. She hated all of the secrecy. Watching Dante put on his overcoat reminded her of the many nights while they’d been happily married when he’d done this very thing. No explanation, he’d just leave.
He stopped at the door but didn’t look at her. “Go to bed.”
She’d go to bed but with no intention of sleeping. Kate had a list of questions for Francesca and more designs to create. In the morning she would go to the warehouse and immerse herself in work. She’d play the game no matter how long it took, until she found a way to take her daughter and run.
Chapter Thirteen
True to her word, Katrina used Paulie to drop Hope at school and then proceed to the Warehouse. Everything was still a blur, and she counted on the warehouse to help put things in perspective at least so she could function. Over coffee, Dante had informed her the dinner with Carlo and Dina had been moved up to tomorrow as Dina would be leaving for a charity function in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Nothing like being tossed to the wolves before I’m ready, Kate thought as she smoothed the front of her tulip skirt and opened the huge steel door to the warehouse. It seemed as though all activity stopped, and everyone stared.
“K, K, K, Kaaaate!” Jonathan, her assistant designer, dashed across the floor. His ebony skin was highlighted by his bleached blonde hair tipped in red across the edges of his flat-top haircut and the pale blue contact lenses he wore. Jonathan hugged her tight then kissed both cheeks before stepping back as if making sure it was really her. “Oh, I have missed you, girlfriend!”
“I missed you, too, Jonathan.” Kate hugged him back, feeling the muscles across his tight spandex t-shirt. Jonathan was the only guy she knew with muscle who could still look good in skinny jeans. He liked to thank his personal trainer and partner, Evan, but Kate considered him a product of an exceptional gene pool.
“When I saw your picture in the paper, I cried. I really did. Your legacy will live on, baby, we couldn’t let it go.” Jonathan rubbed his eye and looked away.
“Thank you.” She touched his arm. “I’m thrilled to be back.”
“Chessie is great, don’t get me wrong, but she’s no you.” Jonathan draped an arm across her shoulder and steered her toward the metal stairs which led to the offices. Kate hadn’t let Francesca know she was coming, she figured Dante had made the call. Then again, her sister-in-law hadn’t come down to greet her.
“I hear we have tons of business,” Kate spoke over her shoulder as they climbed the stairs.
“Yes, it’s been crazy lately. Some of us have been working overtime, you know.”
“I appreciate it, Jonathan, I really do. And don’t worry, I will make sure you are all handsomely rewarded for your efforts.” When they reached the landing, Jonathan clapped.
“Shall I give you some time with Chessie, or do you want to hold a meeting? I know it’s your first day back, so if you just want some chill time, I understand. You’ve been through so much. I’m here for you girl, you know that.”
“Actually, I have a very important job for you.” Kate laughed when Jonathan’s eyes lit up. “Until I can get a handle on new designs, I’m going to need you to open up our old files. Take a look at our top sellers and see what you can do to liven them up for today’s market.”
“You, you’re going to let me mess with perfection?”
“You’ve been my right hand for years. You’re the only one I trust to do them justice.”
“I won’t let you down!” Jonathan’s big, white teeth gleamed as he wrapped her in another hug before high-stepping into his office. She heard his chair roll across the floor and slam into a file cabinet. “Hold all my calls, Sandy, I am on a mission!”
Kate shook her head and chuckled as she made her way to her office at the end of the hall. Already, she felt energized by being back to work. Yes, there were many late nights ahead, but she hadn’t gotten this far by being idle. She wanted to work, needed to work, and needed th
e distraction.
“Chessie?” Kate stepped into her office, startling the voluptuous redhead at her desk. In a flash of memory, she realized it had been Francesca with Dante at the restaurant that night. Her sister-in-law stood and pulled her into a hug full of tears.
“Thank God,” she sobbed. “I’m so glad you are all right. I’m so glad you’re back.”
“Me, too, Chessie.” Kate walked around her office, touching the familiar objects and pictures. This was real, this was her life, not the cabin with Sam and all of his lies.
“When did you get back, darling?” Francesca dabbed at her eyes and leaned against the desk.
“Yesterday.” Although it seemed like forever, so much had happened in a twenty-four hour time span.
“Everything is good? With my brother?”
“Yes.” Kate didn’t know how much information to give. She didn’t know how much Chessie might already know. Dante’s face appeared in her mind, so she forced a smile to pad the lie. “We’ve talked, and we’re staying together. We are fine.”
“Katrina, I am your best friend. Don’t lie to me.” Francesca rose and casually closed the office door. “Sit down and talk to me.” She motioned to the leather chair behind the desk, and took another chair on the opposite side.
“I really don’t know what to say.” Kate sat, feeling the leather wrap around her body as she leaned back. She closed her eyes for a moment then sat up straight. “I’m doing what I have to do.”
“You know my brother has always loved you.”
“I know,” Kate said with a hint of sadness.
“I have no doubt he would give up his life for you and Hope. He’s just…not in a good place right now.”
“And you know it’s a place I want no part of. He won’t let me go, and I don’t want to stay. Yet he’s forcing me to pretend.” Kate’s vision blurred as Francesca uncrossed and crossed her legs, revealing trendy snake-skin stilettos.
“Is that so bad? Do you think you could ever love him again?”
“I, I don’t know.” What Kate said was the truth. She honestly didn’t know. “Chessie, I want to believe that maybe there is a chance, but not here, not now, not while he’s still under Carlo Santini’s control.”
Twist of Fate Page 19