by Nicole Fox
Instead, she laid a cool hand on my shoulder and gently stroked my hair back from my face. “Was it your man who did this to you?”
I pressed my lips together, but it hurt. My face was more bruised than I realized. “We’re divorced, but yes.”
She frowned, but she wasn’t frowning at me. “No man should do that to a woman. They think they have their reasons. They think they have the right. But those are weak men. You don’t have to worry about that with Ciro. If I thought he would do something like this, I would beat him myself.”
“No, you don’t understand. I’m not here to try to …be with him. I just want to keep my son safe.”
Carlita smiled to herself, a small smile that said she knew a secret I wasn’t privy to. “And don’t you worry about that. Ciro will keep him safe, and you, too. You are under Santora protection now, and nothing will harm you.”
“Thank you.” The words didn’t seem sufficient, but I didn’t know what else to say.
She turned away from me and toward the huge garden tub in the corner. Leaning over, she turned on the tap. “Why don’t you take a nice, long soak? It will be good for your bruises and for your soul, too.” She produced a fluffy, white robe and matching towels out of the closet and laid them out for me.
As she closed the door, I wanted to protest. I should be with Christopher, comforting him during this strange time. But I realized that he was happy to watch TV, eat, and hang out with Ciro and Carlita. I had a moment to take care of myself without any need to worry, and I needed to take advantage of it. I peeled off my clothes and left them on the floor in a heap as I slipped into the warm water, feeling the tension slowly ease out of my body.
Chapter Nine
Ciro
“Calm down, Ciro. You’re going to wear a hole in the rug.” Frankie tried to hand me a beer.
I pushed it away. “I can’t drink right now.” But after a moment, I took the bottle anyway and flicked off the cap with my thumbnail. The carbonation felt good, but it didn’t do anything to ease my anxiety over Sophia and Christopher. “This is all my father’s fault, you know. If he had just agreed to let me kill Pitera, then the whole thing would be over with.”
Frankie shrugged his agreement as he fetched a beer for himself. His house was smaller than mine, but he’d had a bar installed as soon as he had moved in. “That may be so, but you also have a sexy woman sleeping under your roof now.”
I gritted my teeth. I’d done my best not to think about that as I let Sophia and the boy get settled in. There were enough guest rooms in my house that each of them could have their own room, and I could have easily slipped into Sophia’s bed the night before. But it wasn’t time for that—not yet. I needed to figure out what I was going to do. “Shut up. I think my whole life is falling apart. I’ve got a son I didn’t know about. My father is changing everything and I’ll never be Don. He won’t let me do what needs to be done. I feel so powerless, and I’m fighting someone as low as Joe Pitera.”
“You’ll figure it out, Ciro. You always do. And don’t get too disheartened. I give your dad a few months to try this ‘legitimate business’ thing, and then he’ll get tired of following the rules. It isn’t in him.” He took a slug of beer and flopped down onto a leather sofa. “No more than it’s in you.”
I strode to the window and looked out. The evening was rainy, with the glowing twin headlights of cars passing by steadily on their way home from work. “I hope you’re right. I don’t mind having them there in my house. In fact, I like it more than I care to admit. But what kind of life are they going to live if someone is assigned to guard them all the time? I’ve got Jimbo on the job this evening while I’m here. I told him to lay low and keep out of the way, so as not to scare them, but I can’t possibly leave them there alone.”
Frankie shook his head and stared up at the beadboard ceiling. “You know, there are going to be a lot of jobless mobsters on the streets if this all goes through. You’ll have your shipping company, and Dino can still run his excavating business. But what am I going to do? Become an accountant?” He scoffed at the notion. “I’m no good if I’m not living this kind of life, Ciro.”
“You’re right, Frankie.” I turned to my friend, ideas forming. “You’ve always been loyal. You’ve always done your absolute best for the family, no matter what it took. And I think you won’t have to give that up just yet.” I grabbed my cell and fired off a quick call to Bruno, as well as two other capos.
“Why are you inviting them to the party?” Frankie got up and frowned into the fridge behind the bar. “I’ll have to get more beer.”
“Because I need witnesses to make the contract valid,” I replied with a grin.
Frankie was a small man, but his dark, little eyes danced with excitement. We clinked our bottles together as we waited for the others to show up.
“Everything okay?” Bruno asked as he stepped in the door and shook off his umbrella half an hour later. “The way you sounded over the phone, I thought something might have been wrong with Big T.”
Mack and Bennie were right on his heels, their eyes eager at the idea of an emergency meeting.
“Come in, come in. The night is early yet, and we have a lot to talk about.”
# # #
“That’s the situation.” I had them all seated in Frankie’s lounge while I explained what had happened with Joe, Sophia, and Christopher. “I have the two of them under my protection for the moment, but Pitera has already made it clear that he wants nothing more to do with the family. He’s not interested in keeping his business connections with us, and his actions are more than enough to lose his position with the police force. He has nothing left to lose, and he’s a dangerous man.”
Bruno listened, his chin on his fist and his eyes trained on the floor. He finally looked up at me. “I get what you’re saying and where you’re going with this, but what does Big T say?”
This was the part that was going to be hardest of all. I sighed. “I talked to him about a hit. To me, that’s the only option that makes sense. Any time someone has been a threat to us in the past, we’ve eliminated him. But my father would rather try to pay him off and lay low while he works on his businesses.”
“And you don’t agree?” Bruno’s thin eyebrow crooked at me.
“I don’t.” I spoke firmly. Bruno was my father’s top man. He had been in the business as long as my father had, and I knew he would be the most likely to give his approval for the next step. “Christopher is my son, no matter that we didn’t know about him until now. A threat on him is a threat on me, and to all of us. And he’s only a child. A monster like that deserves to die.” I had kept the focus on the child. It was bad that Joe had treated Sophia the way he had. I would have gladly given him a nice, slow death for even the slightest bruise. But Christopher was flesh and blood.
“So you’re looking for endorsements on a contract?” Mack guessed. He leaned back in his chair and blew a thin line of smoke toward the ceiling. “I don’t want to do anything against Tonio. But I also think there’s a special place in hell for guys like Joe Pitera, and who can blame us for sending him there a little early?”
I looked to Bennie. “What do you say?”
He grinned, leaning forward and draping his arms over his knees. He was so thin it was comical, his stick figure all angles and long lines. “I never liked that asshole anyway. Sure, he might have done us a few favors. But he was always a dick about it, like he was more important than the rest of us. I don’t think the world will miss him.”
I felt excitement rising in my chest. I knew I was defying my father, but this was no longer about doing things the right way. It was about doing what was right. “Bruno? What do you say?”
His brooding eyes touched on each man in the room before sliding over to me. “Who are you planning on giving the contract to?”
“I admit I wanted it for myself. I’ve seen firsthand what Joe has done to Sophia, and he sure pissed me off down at the docks. But he’ll expect
it to come from me, and Little Frankie has volunteered for the job.” I waved toward my best friend, who nodded and smiled.
“It’s a good opportunity to do one last whack before I’m stuck behind a desk for the rest of my life.”
Bruno nodded slowly. “Sounds like you have it all set, then. Might as well get it done.”
This had almost been too easy, but it let me know just how much the other men agreed with me. Disbanding the family and laying aside our way of life wasn’t going to work for any of us, no matter how logical my father had tried to make it sound. They were on my side, and I was going to get Joe eliminated. “All right, Frankie. You ready to make this official?”
He practically jumped out of his chair and strode forward to shake my hand. “This is personal, Ciro. It’s more than just a job to me. I’ll do my best.”
“I know you will.”
Chapter Ten
Ciro
I watched Christopher as he played in the pool, swimming like a little fish in red trunks. He splashed and dove, infinitely happy, despite everything that had already happened in his short life. The little guy had screamed with enthusiasm when I had shown him that, not only did I have a pool, but that it was indoors and attached to the house. I didn’t spend much time here, but Christopher was ready to make up for that.
Sophia sat next to me on a lounge chair. She had a bathing suit on, but she kept a thin coverup over it. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, exposing the graceful curve of the back of her neck. Even without makeup, she was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen. Instead of leaning back and relaxing in the sunlight, she sat huddled on the edge of the chair with her arms around her. She looked like she couldn’t get warm. Her eyes stayed focused on her son, following every movement. Even when I spoke to her, she didn’t turn to look at me.
“I hope you’re settling in well here. If there’s anything you need, just let me know. We can have it delivered.” I wasn’t about to let her go out shopping—not when I knew her ex-husband was lurking out there—but I could still provide for her.
“We’re fine. Thank you.”
She didn’t seem to want to talk, but there were plenty of things to talk about. “Look, I know this has been awkward for you. It has for both of us.”
Those blue eyes slid over to me for just a moment. “I’m sorry if I’ve been distant. I just wasn’t expecting this. I don’t know what to do with myself, other than to take care of Christopher. And he’s certainly enjoying himself.”
The boy had found a beach ball and was batting it around the pool excitedly. I watched him just as closely as Sophia did, but for different reasons. I had a son. There was now a little part of me walking around in the world, carrying my genes on for at least one more generation. He was beautiful and charming and amazing, and I couldn’t quite seem to grasp that he was mine. I felt more like an uncle or a stepdad. I couldn’t help but wonder what Sophia thought my position in this whole thing was. I could be anything from mere financial contributor to full-time dad, and I still wouldn’t be sure how to feel about it.
“He is.” I scooted closer to her and took her hand. She started to pull away—I assumed and hoped it was merely instinct—but then she let me have it. “I need to talk to you about a few things. Very important things.”
I could see the fear in her face as she turned to look at me fully. “Yes?”
“Well, I had to talk to my father about our …living arrangements. I have my own money, but I need to use his men to make sure you’re safe. As much as I want to, I can’t be here all the time. It only makes sense to have someone guard the house when I have to leave.”
“Jimbo was kind yesterday.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “I didn’t see him much, but he smiled at Christopher and gave him a dollar. That kind of thing means a lot to a little kid.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” I had known Jimbo was right for the job. Having lost his own son in a car accident several years ago, he would do everything he could to keep another child alive. “But of course he’s one of my father’s men, and he needs to know what’s happening when he’s behind the payroll.”
“Does he want us to leave? Is that what you’re getting at?” The fear in her face was replaced by stubbornness. “That’s fine. We can be on our way this afternoon.”
My hand tightened around hers, then I quickly let go. I didn’t want her to think I would be rough with her like Joe had been. “First of all, this is my house. I say who stays. Second, he’s not asking you to leave. He believes you certainly deserve the protection of the Santora family.”
Her shoulders relaxed a fraction of an inch.
“In fact,” I continued. “He remembers you from when you used to come to the parties. He thinks highly of you.”
“I’m not sure where praise from a mob boss lands on the scale of flattery, but I’ll take it.” Sophia gave the smallest of smiles.
She was trying, but this was so much more difficult than it should have been. I knew she could be warm and sweet, but hiding out from Joe had made her cold and stiff. We would have to get past that, especially considering the rest of what my father had told me.
“He’s happy to help with anything he can, on one condition.” I pulled in a deep breath and held it. “We have to get married.”
Her mouth fell open and her eyes searched my face, no doubt searching for some sign that I was kidding. “What?”
I shrugged, feeling as much as victim here as she must. I didn’t want to get married. Sophia was beautiful and good in bed, but marriage was the last thing on my mind. “Big T is a little old-fashioned. We have a child together and we live under the same roof. He insists that we make it right.”
Sophia’s eyes darted from me to Christopher and back again. “And you want to do this as well?”
She had referred to our potential marriage as “this.” We seemed to be in the same boat. “I can’t say I had planned on it. But it would ensure that the two of you are always under the protection of the Santoras. That might be me, my father, or any of the men under our employment. You would be safe, and that’s the part that’s important to me.” I hadn’t told her what my father wanted to do with his business, but I knew that, even if he tried to become a legitimate mogul, he would always have more power in this city than anyone else.
“I …I don’t know. Can I have a little time to think about it?”
I ran my hand over my chin, feeling the rough stubble against my skin. “I’d love to say yes, but I’m afraid we don’t have much time. Things need to be taken care of as quickly as possible. You can still pick out a dress you like and some flowers,” I said quickly as I saw her face fall. “It will be small and quick, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be nice.” I’d never helped plan a wedding before, but I could only assume she would want the ceremony to be somewhat personalized.
She sucked in her lower lip as she turned to look at her son once again. No, our son. I would have to wrap my head around that, and soon.
“I suppose that’s just what we’ll have to do, then.” She made no move to get any closer to me, or to show that she was happy at the thought of being bonded to me for life. “I want what’s best for Christopher, whatever that is. He deserves something better than what I’ve been able to give him so far, that’s for sure. I just wish we didn’t have to get involved with the mafia to do so.”
I let go of her hand, suddenly angry with her for being so ungrateful. “I’m sorry that I’m not what you want. I would have thought I would be a much better choice than that asshole, Joe Pitera. You might not like it, Sophia, but I’m what you’re left with.” I got to my feet and stormed out of the pool house. I could barely hear her sobs behind me, but I didn’t care. I had done a lot for her. I had pulled her out of a terrible situation. I had ensured her safety. Hell, I had even gone behind my father’s back to put a hit out on her ex-husband.
But she didn’t know that last part, and she didn’t know that it was because of that very act that I co
uldn’t defy Big T’s request that Sophia and I marry. Taking out a contract without his knowledge and approval was practically a death wish. The only reason I felt I could get away with it was because I was his son. We would see just how thick the blood ran once Frankie whacked Joe and word got back to Tonio. Until then, I had to play the game.
As I slammed open the door of my study, I envisioned what a forced marriage between Sophia and I would be like. I had been too busy carousing and making money to worry about finding a wife, and now I was about to be stuck with one. Her beauty might not mean anything if she was going to be so cold and distant. We would be one of those typical couples who only spoke to each other long enough to argue before retreating to their own rooms. What had I gotten myself into?