Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology

by Anthony, Jane

  He didn’t pull away but he turned his head down toward her and said, “I should probably go.”

  “Don’t you dare--I need you to stay.” She tugged on his t-shirt.

  His lips were pressed together. Like he was seeing through her and she paused. She hadn’t told him her intention to dig out everything, but it was a start. Knowledge was power and that had been ingrained into her psyche as a business negotiation skill. Her lips parted and he captured them.

  And his kiss made her believe in him.

  8

  The multistate manhunt for the prisoners continues…

  Rocco stopped adding vegetables into the food processor and turned the radio announcement off, not wanting to hear anymore..

  Soon the police would close in on him if anyone of the people he saw during his escape recognized his mugshot.

  If he stayed here much longer, Mica and Jacob could get in trouble for aiding and abetting, even if they hadn’t known. Every officer he’d met of the law wouldn’t care.

  But if Mica was in trouble as she claimed, he’d help her.

  However his mother’s memory haunted him too and his shoulders slumped.

  If his brother hadn’t pointed his finger at Rocco years ago for the armed robbery, then he’d be holding down a job and be near his mother’s side right now. But then he’d have been around to hear how his brother had tried to kill Mica while he’d been in prison.

  The life he'd intended for himself flashed before his eyes. He’d have a one-story house with two bedrooms, work delivering the mail, and go grocery shopping for his mother weekly. He’d had a plan that all blew up in smoke when he’d gone to Vegas for a vacation and ended up accused of a bank robbery.

  If he’d known that he’d have never kissed Mica, but now her soft lips were burned on his soul.

  But his priorities of importance needed to be his mother’s health and Mica’s protection. His own dreams had been destroyed long ago to where he didn’t matter--all he could do was leave the world better a place.

  A knock behind him called his attention and he jumped.

  He didn’t have much time to help anyone.

  By leaving, he'd help Mica more, to keep her name out of the news if he was caught working here for her. She patted him on the shoulder and said, “Don’t listen to the news. I don’t want to know more than the weather.”

  And that innocence was her only protection. He let out a long breath and turned the food processor on to finish his sauce/juice, and replied to her comment. “It’s fifty out today and it’s getting warmer.”

  She shrugged and handed him the next carrot as she said, “And tomorrow, a blizzard is predicted. Colorado is extreme in the weather changes.”

  He turned off the food processor. If it snowed, he was stuck. “Where’s Jacob?”

  “Sleeping in the library. I figured we could have lunch by the fire.”

  At least until the storm ended. Hopefully it was the last one of the season, but he raised his eyebrow and asked, “How?”

  She gave him another carrot and said, “Spring doesn’t come easy in Colorado it seems.” Someone knocked at the door. He turned off the food processor as he imagined it was the police here, already, but she simply said, “Can you listen for Jacob again, Rocco? It should be my packages.”

  Right. She'd said she'd ordered things. He swallowed and saluted her as he said, “Yes, ma… Mica.”

  “Good.” She winked and he left.

  However he walked to the end of the kitchen. The police could be here even now, so he peeked for a moment. Outside the glass door he saw a man in a brown delivery uniform. Mica opened the door and accepted the packages.

  Clearly Mica had ordered herself more clothes as the name Armani was on the box. He walked back in the kitchen but heard Jacob’s cries. He headed into the library and saw that her son was playing on the floor as she stayed near the door. “Jacob will want to know what happens next.”

  “Next?” He put the boxes near her feet.

  She turned her head and for one moment Mica seemed innocent and sweet, like a girl in a movie as she said, “In the book. You only read him chapter one. There are one hundred and thirty-five more.”

  His face heated as he said, “We don’t have to…”

  She smiled at him. “If you do five a day we might be done in a month.”

  Rocco's time was numbered. There was no way he’d have that opportunity. “You plan on keeping me around?”

  She pressed her hand on his arm like they were friends as she asked, “Do you have other plans?”

  His throat constricted. If only he had this life to lead. Mica’s kisses left him aching.

  He massaged his scalp and reminded himself that he never ended up getting what he wanted. “My mother…”

  “What about her?” She gently squeezed the muscle she touched.

  There was no way he could act on that spark, but he let out a sigh and met her pretty brown eyes that had kindness reflecting back at him. He wished he could hold her. “I need to find a way to convince her to get cancer treatments before it’s too late.”

  Her lips pressed together and her eyes widened. “She’s not treating?”

  Because he'd gone to jail and his brothers were dead. Roger was the last, but what stopped his mother was Rocco’s incarceration. He was the youngest but the one who protected his mom. He’d always been her big hope in life and he’d failed her. He glanced at his new sneakers that Mica had given him as he said, “She was disappointed in life. She needs to know that good still exists in the world.”

  Her eyes glistened like she’d cry for him as she asked, “You were on your way to see her then?”

  Adrenaline and awareness grew through him. He nodded and said, “When we’re both free.”

  She lifted her chin, took a breath and said, “Then I’ll fly you there myself.”

  “You don’t have to.” She was already doing a lot. He didn’t have ID and at airports there would be security.

  Her eyes grew wider and she flipped her ponytail. “It’s been a while since I've flown. I love piloting my plane and helicopter, but with being weak… I’ve been nervous that I’ll need my meds and be alone when the muscle paralysis hits.”

  So this was a literal offer and not just a pity ticket. She was way too amazing. “Alone?”

  She nodded “I don’t have anyone flying next to me.”

  Jacob made a sound as he reached up for a star on his play mat. Both of them glanced at him and his huge smile.

  He put his hands in his jeans pocket. He couldn’t accept her offer. She’d be charged with something for sure if she caught helping a felon. It was better not to argue with her. “How long does getting your license to fly take?”

  “It depends on how long it takes you to build the flight hours in school. And I preferred to learn than attend dance classes.” She shrugged and again tapped his shoulder like they were friends when if he was the man he intended to be, he’d do more than just stand there. “It’s like driving a car really, but if you’re willing to sit next to me and make sure I’m okay then we can go wherever you want.”

  For now, he backed out of her reach, toward the kitchen. “We can talk about that later. I’ll get our lunch ready, and snacks. Then Jacob can hear the next chapter.”

  He turned to go, but she stepped in his way making the air smell like floral perfume. “One more thing?”

  Anything she asked he’d probably do. He knew it as he swallowed the sweet scent around her. “Yes?”

  She picked up the box that said Armani and handed it to him. “This is for you. To wear to dinner tonight.”

  He stared at the white box and then at her. This was too much. His body stilled as he shook his head. “I’m not a doll. You don’t have to dress me.”

  “It’s a date.” She traced her arm but straightened her spine. “I don’t get to go out, so we will make our own entertainment.”

  Rocco kept his mouth shut about the designer clothes and hugged
the box to his side. Armani didn’t make prison uniforms. The doorbell rang, interrupting their conversation.

  He blinked and imagined that the police were here, right now, to arrest him. Ali’s men and people like his brother didn’t ring. “Are you expecting more packages?”

  She nodded and said, “Yeah. It’s probably the cake so you don’t have to bake.”

  “I like baking.” He ignored the thump in his veins that reminded him he was on borrowed time.

  She had no idea what life in prison was like and that he didn’t get to make his own dinner, let alone dessert.

  Mica tilted her head and said, “I saw how you enjoyed our simple cake. So I ordered my favorite for us to share.”

  And it was probably mouth-wateringly delicious, just as she was. He bowed his head. She'd had more than he’d ever have. Of course she'd order her favorites. Tonight might be a fun date for her but at the moment it was like he was enjoying his last meal.

  One night with Mica was worth risking everything for.

  “Is there anything special you want to eat?”

  She beamed like she had rainbows that came out of her naturally as she said, “No you can surprise me. I’ve surprised you plenty." Giving him her cell phone she said, "If you need to call your mom… use my phone. I never set up the landline as that seemed unnecessary till opening. I don’t care if you call out of state or country.”

  “Thanks, Mica.” He wasn’t sure what else to do. On one hand, no one would suspect Mica's phone number in relation to Rocco, even if the police traced every call.

  He pocketed the phone, but she headed him off to the door and took the cake from the delivery man while he stayed watching Jacob and her backside down the hall as she accepted her cake.

  Unless they tracked Mica down, and found him at the chalet, and then she might be in trouble. He picked up Jacob to head to the kitchen.

  Food first. But if he didn’t call his mother, then his entire reason for escaping prison meant nothing.

  He added the spiced beef, potatoes, carrots, peas and the processed onion, garlic, tomatoes, thyme, turmeric, parsley, and bay leaves to the slow cooker and turned on the beef stew.

  This would be better than the slop they called stew in prison.

  Once it was on, and he cleaned the dishes, meal prep was done. Mica put the cake in the refrigerator and took Jacob from him, and silently pointed toward the phone.

  It was time.

  She left and he opened the window so he’d breathe fresh air while he spoke.

  It wasn’t enough air in case his lungs closed.

  The phone in his pocket heated his thigh. He had to talk to his mom. He would keep the call short. He meandered out of the courtyard, glanced up at the birds and dialed her home phone.

  Hopefully she hadn’t changed her number, but he wasn’t sure until she answered and he heard her voice as she said, “Hello?”

  Tears formed in his eyes. “Mom.”

  “You’re okay?” Her caring tone was the same she used when checking his forehead for a temperature.

  He closed his eyes, wishing he could hold her and bring her to a hospital, and not be on the run. “I can’t let you die because of me.”

  She became even more serious. “It wasn’t you. We both know Roger-”

  “He’s gone. He can’t hurt you anymore.” He remembered how his brother had towered over them when he’d been a teenager and Rocco only ten.

  His brother had been rough until Rocco returned from boot camp.

  His mother cried. “He was my oldest boy. But I should have stopped him from hurting you.”

  The day he'd knocked both his brothers down, when they used to tag-team him, was one of the highlights of his life. Now they were both dead and his mom needed to live.

  Now he needed his mother to be well as he said, “When I’m able, I’m coming to you. I need you to be there when I get there.”

  She sighed and started, “I- I’ve seen the news. Rocco you shouldn’t have done this because of me.”

  “Get your cancer treatment.” She had reasons to live. More reasons than he did. She had options to do whatever she wanted. “I need you there when I’m truly free.”

  She sniffed and then said, “I can’t afford it anyhow. And what happened to you is my fault.”

  Money. The Hellsworths never had much, but if he stayed employed at the chalet, maybe Mica might pay for his mother's care, and he could work for her under the radar until the debt was paid.

  She was his best hope but he'd have to be clear that it was a job--he wouldn't accept a handout. He wiped his face and said, “No. No it wasn’t. It was all Roger.”

  His mother started, “But-”

  Again he interrupted because this wasn’t her fault at all, and his brother had been a bad person, not her. “Mom, I’m getting some money transferred to you.”

  “Don’t. You need it.”

  “I need you, Mom. You’re all I have when I’m trying to appeal.”

  She sighed. “I’ll always be with you, even when I’m not here physically anymore.”

  “You’re my only character witness now. I need you.” She didn’t need to die. Not today. His voice became more serious. “When I get you help, you will take it. I have to go, Mom.”

  “Help yourself first, Rocco.”

  They both said “goodbye.”

  He closed his eyes and listened to the breeze that brushed against the newly formed leaves emerging on an oak tree near the servant’s entrance.

  The one vacation he’d ever taken in Vegas had turned out to be twenty years in prison when Roger tried to clean out the hotel, using Rocco’s identity.

  No one cared when he’d said he was innocent. His appeals unanswered.

  But that was a past he couldn’t change. He needed her there so he didn’t give up, no matter the odds.

  He let out his breath slowly, like this moment might never end.

  The birds sang so sweetly in the tree he’d climbed.

  Then the voice of an angel called out, “Are you okay?”

  Money for money's sake was evil, but now that had to take preference to anything else. He met Mica's gaze and knew better than to wish for what he’d never be able to have.

  He glanced at the door. “I’ll be inside in a few minutes to read, Mica.”

  “We’ll be waiting.” She motioned with her hand to follow.

  And maybe today he was like a puppy, but he followed her directions.

  If things were different, he’d follow her anywhere. But she deserved to be with a man who was worthy of her. He was too tainted, even if she offered more. All they had was now.

  9

  Jacob fell asleep in Mica’s arms as she sat in her office desk in her suites of rooms Her glass desk and white leather chair were identical to what she had in her New York offices, not that the décor mattered.

  Her son’s brown eyes were hypnotizing and beautiful.

  This had been enough for her for months.

  The idea of having this boy kept her strong when she’d been so weak throughout her pregnancy, her determination to keep this baby meant finding a treatment for the poison Ali had tried to kill her with.

  But she was lucky. She had the resources to have state-of-the-art everything.

  Rocco, the man downstairs who stirred her heart, hadn’t had the best at his fingertips.

  She stood, put the baby in his crib, and then her phone rang that was on her desk next to the computer.

  She grabbed it and saw her secretary's name.

  Luckily Jacob stayed asleep. She snuck out into the next room of her hotel suite to put him in the crib to sleep and took a seat in her office with a large bay window that overlooked the view of the mountains. Most of the rooms had a balcony but she doubled her suite and the balcony was in the bedroom, so she’d opted for pretty windows for work.

  Rocco was still downstairs.

  He’d been outside all afternoon, near that tree.

  Her heart whispered to
help. Maybe she was wrong and it would be intrusive but she ached to do something to help. “Julie, legal wants to talk to me?”

  Julie then sounded like she was typing as always and said, “Yes. Let me connect you to Steve Cardona, your senior lawyer on this case, but first I want to say I’m sorry for what I said earlier about Rocco. I read his file and his life sounds… sad. I should only speak after knowing facts.”

  Mica’s heart constricted. Her knees pressed together under her desk and turned it on to read the report as she said, “You didn’t say anything bad. Not really. I’m downloading what you sent now. Let me talk to legal.”

  “Of course.” Julie clicked a button and for a second silence echoed back to her.

  Mica read everything fast in the one-page report and then twenty-five pages of fact-finding documentation.

  Her attorneys had concluded that the trial had serious issues in the records. A voice on the phone clicked on and asked, “Ms. Murphy?”

  Right. She was the billionaire business woman who ran a hotel empire not a woman of leisure who did whatever she wanted. She sat back in her chair and glanced out the window at the back view of Rocco doing some light raking to make a path clearer.

  Her instincts were right.

  The brown-haired man had worry lines she could erase as she asked her lawyer, “This is Cardona, who wrote this report?”

  Perfect. Steve Cardona’s brief meant she wasn’t completely crazy as he said, “Yes, ma’am. Now we need to know what you want us to do.”

  Fix it. Free Rocco. But she sucked in her breath and asked, “If I wanted to help, what could you do?”

  “He’s an escaped prisoner on the run right now. That’s not helping his case.”

  “Can he be cleared without having to go back?”

  “You must be personally invested in this. Just so we’re clear I assume he’s at your house. If he’s caught, you could be indicted for aiding and abetting a criminal.”

  “That won’t happen as you’re my lawyer. Now what can you do.”