Last Man Standing

by Wendy Rosnau

  “Go back to sleep,” Lucky muttered.

  “Go back to sleep, moron,” Chansu repeated.

  When Elena giggled, Lucky said, “That damn bird is a nuisance.”

  “He’s beautiful. And you like him.”

  “I don’t like him.”

  “You do so.” She kissed Lucky, then ran her hand over his chest to finger the cross. “I think there’s a story behind this. Does it have to do with that night in the alley?”

  “What do you know about that night?”

  “Summ told me the story. And my father retold it to me. Joey and Jackson are alive because of you.”

  “The cross was a gift from Vina a few days later. We all got one. She told us that the three crossbars symbolized the three of us. That it would remind us of our loyalty to each other and the power of it.”

  “But you almost died.”

  “Joey and Jacky would have for sure if I hadn’t gone to help them. Joey took a helluva beating before I got there. He’s always been tougher than he looks. And the cricca had broken one of Jackson’s arms and several of his ribs. A rib had punctured his lung.”

  She kissed him. “You make me feel so safe. Grazie.”

  He started walking again, moving into the shallowest section of the pool. He needed to give her up. And he would, he told himself. As soon as he loved her once more.

  “So what is it you wanted to show me?”

  “You’ll see.”

  He walked deeper into the warm pool, the water lapping at his waist as he headed for the waterfall. She clung to him and buried her face against his neck.

  “Hold your breath,” he instructed. “Here we go.”

  She did as he told her as he walked into the waterfall. The warm water rained down on them for only a few seconds, and then Lucky was standing behind the falls facing an outcropping of white rocks.

  Elena raised her head, sighed. “Oh, Lucky, it’s wonderful. Our own private paradise,” she whispered, her voice full of pleasure.

  He walked toward a large rock, perched her on it and spread her legs. “When I saw this rock, I imagined you sitting on it just like this. And me—” he fit himself into the open notch between her thighs “—right here.”

  “Naked,” she supplied.

  “Sì, naked and inside you.”

  “And when was this? How many days ago did you imagine this?”

  “Several days ago,” he admitted.

  “Then you wanted me that day in my bedroom when you kissed me?”

  “I wanted you, Elena, long before that.” He kissed her, slid her forward and pressed his thick shaft against her sex. “I want you now,” he muttered. “Here.”

  “Yes,” she whispered against his mouth. “Oh, yes.”

  He was rock-hard and pulsing, anxious to bury himself in her once more.

  The warm water had made their bodies slick and he moved against her and into her with one smooth surge. He moaned and slid deeper. “You feel so good, Elena. Make me feel good.”

  She pulled him closer, wrapped her legs around his hips and urged him to the hilt. “There,” she sighed. “I love you there.”

  Lucky began to move, pumping himself into her with deep strokes. He felt her start to come apart, her need wrenching her upward, her sighs ragged with her passion. “That’s it, Elena. Move on me. Sì, like that. Ahhh…just like that.”

  He picked up speed, thrusting harder and faster. Feeding her his body again and again, he watched her face as his mind focused on the sweet promise she had made him earlier.

  I love feeling you there. When I’m gone, I’ll remember, Lucky. I promise, I’ll remember.

  Chapter 13

  Elena refused to cry when Lucky handed her over to Frank at the airport in Key West seven hours after he’d rescued her from Vincent D’Lano’s home. He had made a good argument for why she should leave sooner than planned. Vincent would move on Lucky now that he was out of jail. Most likely within the next few days.

  “How is Mother?” Elena asked when she was seated next to Frank in his black BMW heading for home.

  They had lingered a moment at the airport to watch Lucky’s white Cessna lift into the sky. But he was gone now. Gone, but not forgotten, Elena mused, closing her eyes to envision their lovemaking behind the waterfall.

  “Did you hear me, Elena? I said, Grace is anxious to talk to you.”

  Elena blinked her eyes open. “You said she’s better?”

  “Much better. You can see for yourself.”

  Elena said nothing.

  “Are you all right?” Frank reached out and touched her arm.

  She glanced at him. He was such a handsome man, patch and all. Strong and rugged like Lucky. “A bit moody, Frank. But I’ll be fine.”

  “Is it Vito? His death?”

  It was that, and so much more. But Elena simply nodded. “I don’t blame you for anything, Frank. I will be forever grateful that you saved Mother that awful night.”

  “I’m committed to your mother for life, Elena. But it’s not out of guilt, though I feel responsible for what happened that night. I love your mother. I always have. I did what I thought was right after you were born. Only now I question—”

  “Don’t, Frank. You did what you thought was right. And that’s why I went to Chicago. To do what I thought was right.”

  “Lucky said you and Vito got along well.”

  Elena smiled, remembering their brief time together. “He’s like you. He looks intimidating, but underneath, you’re both pussycats.”

  “Did you tell him that? I can’t imagine he liked being referred to as a pussycat.”

  “Actually I did, and he set his jaw just like you did a second ago.”

  Frank chuckled.

  “I love you, you know that,” Elena said. “But I love him, too. I’m glad I wasn’t too late.”

  “I’m glad, too.”

  “This is the way it was supposed to turn out,” she stated.

  Elena had thought about it so often the past week, and she did believe that things had turned out the way God intended.

  “Did Vito talk about me at all?”

  “He said he was grateful to you for taking care of us. I believe he’d made his peace with you before I came. But knowing what you did, how you took care of us…” Elena paused. “I think his faith was restored in a deeper sense. When he told stories about the two of you, his eyes would light up and he’d always smile.”

  Frank drove through the gate and steered the BMW up the driveway. In the distance, on the veranda, Elena saw her mother sitting in her wheelchair, the early-morning sun warming her face.

  After Frank turned off the engine, he said, “I’ve talked to her, Elena. I’ve told Grace some things.”

  Elena tucked her hair behind her ear and turned a questioning look to him. “What do you mean, you told her some things?”

  “Actually, she brought it up. She said, ‘Elena isn’t with friends, is she.’ I didn’t want to lie, so I told her you were in Chicago with Lucky.”

  “And?”

  “And she knows you’re not my daughter, Elena.”

  “You told her?”

  “Yes.”

  “Everything?”

  “No. I didn’t reveal what happened to her that night at the cabin. How she was injured. I don’t feel she’s strong enough to hear that. But I did tell her that before her accident, she was married to someone else. I told her about Vito Tandi. That he was dying.”

  “And how did she take that?”

  “Better than I imagined she would. She knows you went to see Vito and that he has since passed away. She’s waiting to talk to you.”

  Elena leaned forward and kissed Frank’s cheek. “Thank you, Papa. Thank you for being a man of honor.”

  Wearing jeans and a pale blue tank top, Elena stepped out of the car and headed for the veranda, the breeze moving her black hair, the sun warming her cheeks.

  When Grace saw her, she raised her hand and waved. Elena waved back, th
en hurried up the veranda steps. When she reached her mother, she stopped a foot from her, surprise widening her eyes. “Well, look at you. A new outfit and more color in your cheeks than I’ve seen in weeks. And you look like you’ve gained weight.”

  Grace beamed. “Yes. I’ve regained my appetite and two pounds, Lannie. Frank says if I keep eating, he’ll take me on daily boat rides. I love boat rides.”

  Elena leaned forward and hugged her mother’s frail body with gentle hands. “You look wonderful, Mother.”

  “Frank says the extra pounds—” Grace turned and whispered close to Elena’s ear “—have made my breasts fuller and he likes that.”

  Elena straightened and saw her mother blush. Her smile widened.

  “I’ve missed you, Lannie.”

  “And I’ve missed you.”

  Her mother studied Elena with curious eyes. “We need to talk, don’t we?”

  “Yes.”

  “Come sit beside me.” Grace clasped Elena’s hand the minute she sat in the chair next to her wheelchair.

  They sat facing the ocean, the warm coastal breeze on their faces. By noon Grace would be wearing a wide-brimmed hat over her yellow turban, but she would still be on the veranda watching the ocean tide rush the shoreline. She loved the ocean.

  “I know you went to Chicago to meet your real father before it was too late.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Frank says his name is Vito Tandi. That I was married to him years ago when I lived in Chicago. I don’t remember him. I don’t remember anything before my accident. But on Wednesday morning I felt strange. A heaviness right here.” Grace touched her heart. “Frank says that was the morning your father passed away. I’m sorry, Lannie.”

  Elena nodded. “Me, too.”

  “Was he a nice man?”

  “A very nice man, Mother.”

  “How are Frank’s boys?”

  Elena took a deep breath, tried to keep the emotion out of her voice. “Joey and Rhea are very happy. Nicci keeps them busy. Rhea is pregnant.”

  “Oh, another baby. That’s wonderful. And what about Lucky? I hope he’s feeling better. Frank says he has serious back problems.”

  “He’s feeling better.” Elena refused to talk about Lucky becoming her father’s heir. It would be too confusing for her mother. “He’s stopped drinking.”

  “That’s good news, too. Did you like Chicago?”

  “It’s cold there right now. I’m told it’s beautiful in the summer.”

  “Will you visit next summer when Rhea’s baby is born?”

  “Perhaps.” Elena stood and walked to the railing. There were so many things she wanted to tell her mother. So many things she wasn’t sure she should share. Private feelings. Desperate emotions.

  “Guess what, Lannie. Frank bought a bigger sailboat. He says he’s going to stock the galley so we can sleep under the stars sometimes. And guess what else? Frank’s been massaging my leg just like you do. He’s very good at it. Now you can work more at the hospital if you want to. And Frank says…”

  By the time Lucky landed the airplane at O’Hare, the weather forecast had been upgraded. It seemed the winter snow was moving north, but for the favor Chicago was in for subzero temperatures and blizzard-condition winds.

  By seven o’clock that night the temperature had dropped to minus two degrees and the wind had begun to howl. Closed in his study, Lucky put together the final information on the Colombian drug cartel for Hank Mallory, then called him on his private line. That done, he phoned Joey and asked him to pick up Jackson and come over.

  A rap on the door brought his head up from the paperwork on his desk. “Come in.”

  Summ entered with the tea he’d ordered—Elena’s favorite, orange spice. He was a fool to torture himself with things that reminded him of her, but he couldn’t help it. He glanced at the bottle of perfume on the desk, the one she’d left behind in her room. As much as the familiar scent unsettled him, it soothed him, too. Just as the tea did.

  “Miss musume.”

  Lucky blinked. “What?”

  “I say I miss musume. You miss, too?”

  “Yes. But she’ll be happier where she is.”

  Summ sniffed, and her expression seemed to question that statement. “How is back?”

  “Better.”

  “Sit straighter. Look better. Smell better, too.” She headed for the door. “I bring Matcha later to help you sleep.”

  An hour later Joey came through the door, his jaw tight and his shoulders covered in snow. He said, “I can’t find Jackson.”

  The news brought Lucky to his feet. “How long has he been missing?”

  “He didn’t go home after work. Sunni tells me Jacky always calls if he’s going to be late. She says Mac started pacing the apartment and whined at the door mid-afternoon. She’s scared, Lucky. I brought her over here, along with Rhea and Niccolo. Rhea told me last night that she’s pregnant. Until things are settled, I figure this is the safest place for everyone.”

  “Congratulations on the baby. About Jacky—did you call Vina to see if he was there?”

  “I called her, but there was no answer. I hate like hell to worry her.”

  “You think Vinnie’s got him?”

  Joey shrugged. “I think it’s a possibility.”

  “There’s a chance Jacky’s job has just gotten him tied up somewhere.”

  “If that’s the case, his timing stinks. Still, I think he would have called Sunni. He’s always considerate of her.”

  Lucky walked to the window, rubbed the back of his neck, then his unshaven jaw. “Vinnie’s determined to get us.”

  “And what better way to draw us out? Using bait is the oldest trick in the book. And he knows Jacky would be our weakness. He wants revenge, Lucky.”

  “He wants blood,” Lucky amended. “And right now I don’t think he cares whose it is as long as they’re connected to us.” Lucky faced his brother. “I learned today that he’s working with the Colombians. That is, he will be if he can deliver what he promised.”

  “And what did he promise?”

  “Dante Armanno’s tunnel. For the sizable operation they want to run in Chicago they need a safe place for their cache. Some place invisible to the authorities. Some place where they can store large shipments.”

  Joey raised his eyebrows.

  “At first the connection didn’t make sense to me,” Lucky admitted. “Vinnie’s not powerful enough to interest the Colombians. But if he could offer them something they didn’t have…” Lucky shrugged. “The tunnel is the only reason they’re interested in him, I’m sure of it. That’s why he got Carlo Talupa to agree to make Moody Vito’s heir. It wouldn’t surprise me if Carlo was in on it from the beginning.”

  Joey tossed his leather coat onto the couch and sat on the chair facing the desk. “It makes sense. So now what?”

  “First we find Jacky. I’ll make a phone call and get our guys out looking for him.” After Lucky made the calls and hung up, he said, “How about some orange spice tea?”

  His brother looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. Lucky ignored him and poured two cups of tea, then set one of the cups in front of Joey.

  Sniffing the tea, Joey asked, “So let’s discuss what we’ll do if Vinnie has Jacky.”

  “If Vinnie has Jacky—” Lucky raised his tea to his lips “—I’m going to kill him twice.”

  “You didn’t hit her too hard, did you?”

  “I don’t think so, boss.”

  “She breathing?”

  Tony Roelo bent down and searched for a pulse on the limp body at his feet. “She’s alive.”

  “Good. Tie her hands and throw her over your shoulder and let’s go.” A few minutes later Vincent led the way out of the house, Tony Roelo behind him with the unconscious woman on his broad shoulder.

  They’d parked out of sight and shot a dog with a silencer gun to keep themselves from being discovered.

  When they reached the car, Tony asked, “
Should I put her in the trunk with the other two?”

  “Yes. And make it quick.”

  While Tony followed orders, Vincent climbed into the car, tucking his long coat around his legs, then removed his hat. He lit a cigar and began to puff away until the back seat was thick with smoke.

  While waiting for Tony to deposit the woman into the trunk, he considered the next stage of his plan. He had needed a way into Dante Armanno. A way to persuade Lucky to open the gates. An easy takeover was what he wanted. But he knew there was no such thing when you were dealing with a man like Lucky Masado. He equaled ten of his best men.

  Lucky was a ruthless son of a bitch, but he had one serious flaw. He was a man of honor. And loyalty to his family came before everything else. And it was what would ultimately seal his fate.

  Now all he needed, Vincent mused, was the weather to cooperate.

  When the driver climbed behind the wheel, Vincent said, “Turn on the radio, Tony. See if you can get an update on the weather. My plan and that trio in the trunk aren’t going to do me a damn bit of good if they start closing roads or the airports.”

  “Lucky, can I talk to you?”

  Lucky looked up from his desk and saw Rhea standing just inside the door. He reached out and turned the light on. He’d been sitting in the dark thinking about Elena. Thinking and remembering the way she’d touched him. How he’d touched her. How sexy her voice was, and how natural it had felt to fall in love with her.

  “It’s late, Rhea. Why aren’t you sleeping? Joey went up to bed hours ago.”

  “There’s been no word on Jackson?”

  “Not yet.”

  “So we just wait…and pray?”

  “The men are out searching. How’s Sunni?”

  “Worried. She and Jackson are supposed to be married in three weeks, Lucky. This is awful.”

  “Jacky’s alive, Rhea. I would know if he wasn’t.”

  “That’s what Joey said.” Rhea came forward wrapped in a floor-length white robe, her short blond hair framing her delicate face and drawing attention to her blue eyes. “It smells good in here.”

  Lucky glanced at Elena’s bottle of perfume on the desk. He had foolishly misted the air with it. Hoping Rhea wouldn’t notice the bottle, he said, “It sounds like congratulations are in order. Joey told me about the baby.”