“No, sweetheart. His name is Dominic Battaglia. He wants to pay all of your medical expenses. He’s been very generous.” Her mother glanced over to the beautiful blue roses that filled several vases. Kyra had never seen blue flowers before. Let alone roses. They caught her breath at the mere sight of them.
“He brought those?” she asked. Wondering if the flowers were from Renaldo instead.
“Yes,” her sister answered.
“I think…” Kyra winced. Her mother soothed her discomfort and then she spoke again.
“Relax. Doe, get her some water,” her mother said. Her sister hurried away.
“The man, he owns the company you work for? He’s your boss?” her father asked.
“I think so,” she guessed. They said his last name was Battaglia so it was possible that he worked with Mirabella in some capacity. What Kyra wanted to know desperately was why Renaldo hadn’t reached out to her instead.
“He asked your father to call him personally when you woke. He wants to see you. He made it clear that he wants to help. He arrived with two men who looked… your father didn’t get a good vibe from them. We told the police.”
“What?” Kyra blinked at her family. “Why did you tell the police?”
“They wanted to know about anyone who has visited you. Kyra, sweetheart we didn’t know what to make of these people,” her mother reasoned and her father nodded his head in agreement.
“I want to see him. Can you call him for me? And Jamie? Please, Mama, it’s important.”
“Yes, baby,” her mother smiled.
Kyra relaxed. By nature her parents were very cautious people. If Renaldo was the one who saved her then things may not be good for him with the Battaglias. Either way she had to know the truth about what happened that night. Dominic Battaglia may have the answers.
***
The next day Kyra underwent a battery of tests. They poked and prodded her everywhere. She endured the exams, hopeful that soon the doctors would say she was well enough to get out of the hospital. Her nurse was named Mary and very sweet. She spoke about her grandchildren and her daughter in-law who she swore looked like Kyra. Through it all Kyra smiled and nodded. Her thoughts constantly drifted to Renaldo. Where was he? Did he return to Italy or stay in America? Were the police out searching the streets for him? Even now she couldn’t recall if it was him that saved her life. But deep inside she knew the truth.
Kyra was wheeled back into her room, and to her surprise a man waited for her. He was strikingly handsome. He was possibly the same age as Renaldo. He wore a dark wool trench coat over a tailored dark suit. He nodded his head in respect when the nurse wheeled her inside. “Your mother and father are meeting with the doctors. They granted me this visit with you, signorina Kyra. My name is Dominic Battaglia.”
“I know who you are,” she answered. The nurse helped her stand from the wheel chair and walked her over to the bed. Without the assistance she would have dropped to her knees. Her limbs felt so weak. But the doctors said moving a bit would help.
Dominic observed her in silence. He waited until the nurse fixed her sheets and then wheeled the chair out of the room before he spoke again. “Please accept my family’s deepest sympathies for your accident. Donna Mirabella sends her personal wish that you recover quickly.”
“Donna?”
Dominic smiled. “It means lady, in Italian. It’s a term of respect when referencing her.” He stepped to the bed. “I’ve spoken to your parents. They say you will recover. Fully!”
“I want to see Renaldo,” she blurted. “Where is he? Does he know I’m here?”
Dominic stared at her.
“Please. Whatever happened that night he didn’t do anything wrong. I think he saved my life. That’s why I told my parents to not call the police on your family. I just want to talk to him.”
“Unfortunately that won’t be possible. I have sent Renaldo back to Sorrento.”
“What?” Kyra gasped.
Dominic gave her a patient smile. “For his safety. The laws here in America are quite different than the ones at home. His act of chivalry could be taken as an act of murder. I am impressed with you, Kyra. That you were brave enough to protect him.”
“Can I talk to him?” Kyra asked.
“I have an offer for you instead,” Dominic said.
“Offer?”
“Yes,” Dominic stepped closer to the bed. He had the kindest amber brown eyes. They were cast under a dark ring of lashes and a half-lidded stare. Sleepy-eyes are what came to mind, but sensual in the way they matched his soothing voice. “Catalina tells me you are quite the talent. You make shoes?”
“Yes, I make them.”
“And you wanted to move to Paris to make them for Mirabella’s?” he asked.
“I interviewed for a job but didn’t get it,” she said.
“Consider the job yours. The Donna insists. We will cover your expenses to move and give you a year’s salary in advance to ensure you adjust. When you are well the attorneys will contact you for an employment contract and help you with your work visa.” Dominic picked up his scarf he had dropped over the chair. He tied it into a knot around his neck.
“There are two of us. My partner. Her name is Jamie Collins. She’s a designer too. I ah. This is awkward. But I have to ask. Is it possible that she too can work for Mirabella’s?” Kyra asked. It wasn’t the best way to introduce Jamie to the Battaglias but she had the sense that they were negotiating for something Dominic Battaglia wanted in return.
“Renaldo mentioned Jamie. She was with him when they brought you in,” Dominic said.
“Yes! And she’s really loyal to me. She is very trustworthy.”
“I’ve spoken to Jamie,” Dominic said, his warm stare now piercing. Kyra wasn’t sure what he meant by that so she kept silent. He continued. “If she wishes a job she too can have one. I’ll inform the attorneys. They’ll make an offer.”
“What about my request to call Renaldo?” she asked.
“He sends his regrets that he could not be here with you. And if you wish to see him again, you will,” Dominic smiled. He removed a card and handed it to her. Kyra reached for it but Dominic held to it, which forced her to look back up into his eyes. “There is only one favor the family asks of you, Kyra.”
“Yes?”
“Silence,” he winked.
She nodded that she understood. The door opened and her mother returned with her father following. They looked to Dominic. He nodded his head. “Grazie, for letting me visit your lovely daughter. Again let us know if anything is needed.”
Her father shook his hand and walked him out. Her mother came back to her bedside. “Is everything okay?”
“I got a job, Mommy. In Paris!”
Her mother’s face froze. “Job?”
“A good job. My dream job,” Kyra said and prayed her mother would be proud of her. “Say you approve. I need your approval, Mommy.”
“Of course I approve. I am so very proud of you, Kyra. So proud!” her mother kissed her brow gently and then her cheek. “So proud,” her mother repeated.
“Thank you, Mom.”
***
Later that day –
“Knock! Knock!” Jamie pushed the door open with a hand full of balloons. “Hey squirrel! Look at you, honey! Love the turban!”
Kyra grinned. She dropped her magazine and stretched her arms. “Hi!”
Jamie put her balloons and gifts on the desk and rushed her for a gentle hug. She kissed her face and smiled. “Shit you look a mess!”
“I haven’t looked in a mirror. Been too afraid,” Kyra said.
“Well don’t worry. In a few weeks this will all be healed.” Jamie turned her face with the pinch of her chin from left to right. She then smiled into her eyes. “I’m so glad you are okay, kiddo. You scared the shit out of me.”
“I don’t know what happened? I still can’t understand how I got here. Mom and Daddy said it was you? Was it?”
Jamie
glanced around the room as if she expected to find someone else there. “Where are your parents?”
“Gone home. Finally! My sisters convinced them. They’ve been here for a week straight. Mama is exhausted. She needed some rest. She’ll be back here before sunset I’m sure.”
“You’re her baby. That’s to be expected.” Jamie winked.
The door opened. A detective and two other officers walked inside the room. Kyra froze at the sight of them. “Mr. Collins, I had no idea we’d be seeing you today,” the detective said to Jamie. Jamie didn’t respond. She hated when people addressed her as a man. The detective obviously did so to irk her. Jamie walked away and sat over in the chair grandly with the cross of her legs and the toss of her blonde locks. Today Jamie was a blonde. She wore a green turtleneck and jeans with platform knee-high boots that looked as if they were dipped in green glitter. She looked one hundred percent woman.
Jamie had several run-ins with the law in the past. She loathed the police. Most of her arrests were due to fights with men who turned violent on her when they discovered who she was. Jamie always ended up bloodying a nose or blackening an eye. She could handle her own and the detectives knew it.
“Hello, Ms. Okeeno. I’m Detective Muncie. I’ve been waiting to speak to you. The hospital called and said you were receiving visitors. Are you up for a conversation with me?” he asked.
Kyra glanced to Jamie who winked to reassure her. She then looked to the detective who had a piercing stare focused solely on her. “Okay.”
“Can I ask what your relationship was to Cezar Lupei?” he asked.
“He and I dated. We ended things last week. He’s been harassing me,” she said.
The detective’s left brow winged up. “Did you file a report on this harassment?”
“Ah…” she glanced to Jamie and felt awful for not doing what her friend advised. “No. I thought I could handle it. I knew he was upset with the breakup but I didn’t think… I didn’t know he’d want to hurt me.”
“So he’s never been violent in the past?” the detective asked.
“No. Never,” she answered.
“Can you walk me through the events of last Monday evening? The night you were attacked.”
Kyra sighed. “I had just… ah, woken up. I um,” Kyra didn’t know how to explain the story without including Renaldo. “It’s foggy in my head. But um, Cezar buzzed my apartment.” She looked up at the detective praying he didn’t see through her deception. “I put on a coat and went downstairs. I wanted to tell him to leave me alone for good. I thought I could talk to him.”
“You went outside? To talk?” the detective asked.
“Yes. But when I got outside he wasn’t there. So I walked to the sidewalk thinking he was in his car. Somehow he got around me. And when I turned he was there. And he was angry. He had a gun. He said I ruined him and that I needed to pay. He started talking crazy. So I told him to leave. He grabbed me. I screamed. He said he would shoot me if I kept screaming and he tried to drag me to the car.” Kyra could feel his arm around her throat. She could taste the blood in her mouth. Jamie must have sensed how badly she trembled because she returned to her side and held her hand.
“Can we do this another time, boys? Look at the kid. She’s exhausted.”
“No. I want to finish this. And then I don’t want to talk about it ever again.” Kyra looked up at the officers. “Cezar and I fought and we fell. I tried to get the gun but he grabbed my hair and started beating me. He hit me over and over in the head with something…. I don’t know, I think it was the gun. He did it until everything went dark.”
“And?” the detective asked.
“That’s all. It’s all I remember. I woke up here.”
“Was there someone else?”
“No,” Kyra said. Her memory was really sparse. She remembered a shadow but nothing of Renaldo. She still couldn’t believe how he returned in time to save her life. She owed him so much. “Nothing else. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, ma’am. You were lucky to have help. The doctors said so. As for Cezar Lupei, he’s dead. We have accessed his apartment. He had a shrine to you there. Pictures from him stalking you around town.”
She glanced to Jamie and the detective in disbelief.
The detective removed an envelope from his pocket. He opened it and unfolded a thin photo. “Can you tell me about this man?”
Kyra accepted the image. It showed her on the sidewalk talking to Renaldo. It was only minutes before Cezar confronted them both. “He is, ah, he works for the company I do.”
“Renaldo Cracchiolo,” the detective said. “It appears he left the country shortly after your incident. We have tried to reach the Battaglias for comment. Dominic Battaglia has referred us to his attorneys. How close are you to the Battaglias?”
“I work for them,” Kyra said. “I only know Catalina and Marietta.”
“And Renaldo Cracchiolo? You know him right? That is you with him in the photo. Right? Are you close to him?” The detective asked.
“He’s a coworker, and a nice guy. He offered to give me a ride home. That’s all.”
“Let me tell you what I think happened to you, Kyra. I think you were involved with Renaldo. I think your boyfriend Cezar got upset. I think Renaldo was there the night you were attacked. Witnesses claim to have seen a man who fits his description on the sidewalk with a gun in his hand.” The detective glanced up to Jamie. “But your friend here said it was just a Good Samaritan that happened by and drove you both to the hospital.” The detective stepped closer. “You’re a victim in this. I understand. But the Battaglias are very dangerous people. We believe Renaldo Cracchiolo was in this country to carry out a job. A mob hit in Brooklyn a few days before your attack. It would be wise if you were honest with me.”
“I don’t know anything else. I didn’t see who helped me. Please. I’m tired.”
“You heard her Inspector Gadget. We’re done. I want you boys to get out,” Jamie said. She stepped toward them.
Kyra held out the photo to the detective.
He smiled. “You keep it.” He removed a business card and passed it to Kyra. “Call me if your memory returns or Renaldo Cracchiolo contacts you.”
She accepted the card and watched as Jamie escorted them to the door. Jamie glanced back at her. “You okay, squirrel?”
“No,” she said staring down at the image of her and Renaldo smiling at each other on the sidewalk. “He’s gone.”
“Yes he is. And that boss of his, Dominic Battaglia, made sure to clean up everything. He paid me a visit. The man is gorgeous!” Jamie exclaimed. “But intense. He asked me about what I saw. And honey, he was asking in a way that I confessed it all.”
Kyra looked up. “Did Renaldo get in trouble with these people?”
“I think so kid. They sent him back to Italy. The man offered to pay me for my silence. But I told him hell no. Far as I’m concerned Renaldo is a hero. Cezar was garbage. Glad he’s dead!”
“Don’t say that, Jamie. Nobody deserves to die.”
“Better him than you honey! When I got to my window I saw you on the ground and Cezar hitting you. I saw Renaldo run over and grab him. I saw it all. I barely got downstairs in time to stop your enforcer. He was carrying you to the car. I could swear the man had tears in his eyes. He saved your life. Don’t you waste a minute on blaming yourself. Blame Cezar!”
Kyra stared at the image of Renaldo. “The Battaglias offered us a job.”
“Us?” Jamie repeated.
“Yes,” she smiled. “For Paris. And get this. We are a package deal, they want to negotiate salary.” Kyra smiled.
Jamie’s smile faded.
“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you dancing around? I’m stuck in the bed, but look at you.”
“Kyra, I met Dominic Battaglia. He’s intense. You heard that detective. That hit in Brooklyn the other day, man gunned down in front of his house. They think your playboy did it. This family isn’t even what the police beli
eve they are. I called my friends who are connected. They said the Battaglias are part of the Camorra, worse than the Mafia. Renaldo works for a psychopath named Giovanni Battaglia. A Sicilian Don. He’s the husband of Mirabella. Kyra, after everything that happened, you need to stay away from these people.”
“Mafia? I know that’s what they are. Hell I knew it the minute I saw Renaldo’s nightstand with bullets lined up on it. He was never just a bodyguard. He’s… something else. And that’s his choice. Mine is the future, and the life we want is in Paris. This is our chance, Jamie. Tell me you want it too.”
A slow grin formed on Jamie’s face. “Mama didn’t raise no fool. Damn right I do!” Jamie laughed. “When do we pack?”
“First we get me out of this bed and then we get the hell out of New York!”
“What about your parents? Have you told them?”
Kyra nodded. “They are proud of me.” She blinked away tears. “Renaldo changed my life. I can never thank him for what he’s done.”
“What you’ve done, kid. And I get the feeling you changed his too.”
Epilogue
Four Months Later
From the backseat of the car Kyra stared out at the Amalfi Coast. She’d always heard Italy was beautiful. The people, the food, the land, all of it lived up to its reputation. Yesterday she landed in Napoli, and checked into her hotel. And today a driver arrived. Kyra secretly had hoped it would be Renaldo.
It wasn’t.
The car veered up a road with tall cypress trees on either side. They were no longer traveling along the coast but deeper into Sorrento. And everywhere she could see some of the most beautiful flowers bloomed. She checked her watch. Her stomach felt as if a hundred butterflies were trapped inside. Maybe she should have asked Jamie to come with her. The invitation was for her only. And after only three months in Paris, Kyra was shocked that it arrived.
“Signorina, benvento in Melanzana,” the driver said.
Kyra leaned forward. The roads were narrow, one lane streets. But she could see clearly ahead the tall gates of an estate. Two men were posted outside of it. Both of them looked secretly armed. The driver rolled down his window and spoke to one of them and the gates were opened. Kyra could not trust the beauty that awaited her. This was the home of the Battaglias. Jamie said to trust nothing. And the villa was massive. It looked like a museum to her. The car drove around a circular drive and a large fountain. He parked before stone steps that led up to a wide door between roman columns.
Scandalous Heroes Box Set Page 16