St. Helena Vineyard Series: Promise Me Forever (A St. Helena Thriller) (Kindle Worlds Novella) (The Belmontes Book 1)

by Natalie Middleton

  Text copyright ©2018 by the Author.

  This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Marina Adair. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original St. Helena Vineyard Series remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Marina Adair, or their affiliates or licensors.

  For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds

  Promise Me Forever

  A St. Helena Thriller

  Natalie Middleton

  Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Afterword

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Introduction

  Dear Readers,

  Welcome to the St. Helena Vineyard’s Kindle World, where romance is waiting to be uncorked and authors

  from around the globe are invited to share their own stories of love and happily ever after. Set in the heart of

  wine country, this quaint town and its cast of quirky characters were the inspiration behind my St Helena

  Vineyard series, and the Original Hallmark Channel movies, AUTUMN IN THE VINEYARD and SUMMER IN THE

  VINEYARD. I want to thank these incredible authors for spending time in St. Helena, and all of you readers who

  are adventurous enough to take the journey with us.

  I hope you enjoy your time here as much as we have.

  Warmly,

  Marina Adair

  1

  Ten years ago….

  * * *

  Even the twinkling of stars couldn’t diminish the spark in Arianna’s eyes. She bit her lip as she looked at Alex. Her cheeks were flushed, and the wind was gently whipping against her hair. Her heart thudded in her chest.

  Alex smiled at her. His hand snaked gently around her waist and pulled her closer. He softly kissed her forehead. Arianna hugged him tight, afraid to break the spell.

  “Promise me,” she whispered.

  “Hmmm, promise you what, my love?” Alex said.

  Arianna broke free from the embrace and looked at him, her eyes troubled. A small frown appeared on her forehead.

  “Promise me we’ll meet here again after college. This very spot. We’ll pick up again and be together.”

  His eyes lit up, and he held her hands tightly.

  “We will. I promise.”

  * * *

  Present Day

  * * *

  The rolling green hills of St. Helena would have charmed any tourist, but Arianna wasn’t one. Those fields had stopped having any effect on her a long time ago. And if it wasn’t for her sister urgently requesting her help, she wouldn’t have stepped foot into this town.

  Not that she had much to hate here. St. Helena was a beautiful wine making town with loving residents. The DeLuca family had set up the town centuries ago and their wine was still considered to be one of the best in the county. Arianna Belmonte begged to differ; she’d grown up among wines and she loved the rich bodied Cabernet Sauvignon her family made in their small winery at the outskirts of St. Helena. The Belmonte Family had been vintners for centuries, and her cousins in Finger Lakes, NY, and Willamette Valley, OR, had been making some award winning wines in recent times. But the family winery had been on a decline in the last couple of years, and Arianna guessed that was exactly why her sister had sent a distress call her way.

  Arianna had no patience to be involved in the winery operations. It took a different sort of constitution to be patient and loving towards the whole winemaking process. Her sister, Sophie, was perfect for the job. She’d loved the winery ever since she was a child, picking up techniques and finally taking over the job from her father. The vineyard was beautiful, even though it was a small one. Sophie had toyed with opening a bed and breakfast to make something from the heavy influx of tourists but Arianna knew nothing about that.

  She huffed as she parked the car right outside. She was welcomed by a wooden board with ‘The Belmonte Estate’ engraved on it. The sun was beating down on her, and even though she didn’t look forward to St. Helena summers, she couldn’t help but smile. A rush of emotions overcame her and she shivered. It had been too long since she had come back.

  Well, not really. I’ve come for Thanksgiving and the odd Christmas, but never in the summer.

  Arianna always wanted to be a programmer and that’s what she did; she moved right out of St. Helena and straight into Penn State, where she graduated valedictorian in her class. And life had been exactly what she planned: a spate of job offers, Silicon Valley, and all the excitement that came along with having a high profile job. She wasn’t the one to brag, but her achievements made her smile. The youngest of the four Belmonte siblings, she always felt she had to prove her worth to the family. And prove she did. She’d moved out, got the fancy degree and the fancy job. And she loved it.

  She pushed the small wooden gate open and had almost come in when she was surrounded by a volley of barks. A ball of fur came running towards her. Oreo, Sophia’s Labrador, had come to welcome her. She loved dogs, just not enough to have her own. Oreo’s excited barks and nuzzles meant he was waiting for a cuddle, so Arianna indulged him, rubbing his ears. She laughed when Oreo jumped on her and licked her face.

  “Stop, stop, Oreo. I’m here for a few weeks, I’m here!” she wheezed, completely out of breath. It seemed Oreo had his fill for now, because he stood, wagging his tail as if he were waiting for her to follow.

  Arianna picked up her bags and had almost reached the huge timber house in the distance when a beautiful blonde lady came out and waved.

  “Oh my god, Sophie!” she said, dropping her bags and running towards her. Sophie was her favorite among her sisters. She was also the eldest, followed by Valentina and Giovanna, and finally Arianna. Tina and Vana had always rubbed her the wrong way, and it was Sophie’s calm peacemaking that had kept them in line.

  She hugged Sophie tightly, feeling a lump in her throat. The few times she had come back for the holidays, there had always been too much to do, and she had never got enough time alone with Sophie. It had been so long. They regularly spoke on the phone, but it was nothing like seeing her in person. Sophie hadn’t aged a day; in fact, she was glowing.

  Sophie was the first to break away.

  “You look beautiful, my love. Welcome home. I’ve made you some risotto and there’s gelato in the fridge,” she said, lifting the heavier of Arianna’s bags.

  Arianna stopped her and said, “Sophie, what’s wrong? Why did you call me here? You said it was urgent. What’s the matter?”

  She thought she saw a flash of sadness and alarm in Sophie’s eyes, but they were back to her pale blue before Arianna could be sure she saw something. Sophie turned away.

  “First, sister, you eat. Then we can talk.” She walked away. Arianna picked up the smaller suitcase and fo
llowed.

  The house looked absolutely untouched. The beautiful oak panels, which her parents had painstakingly decorated, looked just as regal as they had when she was growing up. It felt like time hadn’t touched this part of St. Helena. It transported Arianna right back to her childhood, and all that time she enjoyed on the balcony, looking over the vineyards.

  She was on the way to the balcony when the heady smell of food stopped her.

  Sophie’s made my favorite, tomato and pepper risotto!

  Her mouth watered and she made her way to the kitchen, seeing two plates of steaming rice. All thoughts of the balcony forgotten, she attacked the risotto right away.

  Her face melted into pure pleasure when she tasted the risotto. The tomatoes and the peppers together made a delicious combo, and she sprinkled more parmesan to flavor the rice to her liking. Sophie laughed and joined her at the table. Arianna raised her eyebrows and spoke with her mouth full.

  “What, you know I love this. And this is delicious. It tastes just like mama’s food. On that note…” She stopped and turned around. Something about the house struck her as being too quiet.

  She turned to Sophie and narrowed her eyes.

  “Sophie, where are mama and papa?” she asked, crossing her hands.

  There it is. That weird expression in her eyes. Something was definitely the matter and she didn’t like it one bit.

  “Sit down, please, Ana,” she said, using Arianna’s nickname. Her eyes pleaded and Arianna complied.

  Sophie took a deep breath.

  “Mama and Papa are with Tina,” she said. Arianna couldn’t stop herself.

  “Tina?! You sent Mama and Papa to live with Tina? You know how Tina is, can she even look after...I just don’t get it. What shook you so much that you sent our parents to live in some corner of the country? Don’t look at me like that; Anchorage is in a corner.”

  Sophie gently placed her hand on Arianna’s, quieting her. Sophie’s eyes filled with tears, which shocked Arianna. Sophie deliberately looked away.

  “Ana, we’re selling the estate. Someone threatened to kill Papa if we didn’t. We’re signing the papers in two weeks.”

  Arianna’s blood went cold. Selling the estate? To whom and why? And why was she the last person to know? Shock and disgust intermingled together and she stood up. She couldn’t believe the estate was going to be sold off. What was Sophie going to do? What were Mama and Papa going to do in Anchorage where Tina stayed? She hadn’t spoken to Tina for years, and she couldn’t imagine her wayward sister reeling in to look after their parents. Why didn’t Sophie send them over to her place in Cupertino? Her condo was huge and had more than enough space. She opened her mouth to say something but Sophie looked away, determined to not talk. Arianna frowned.

  The hard look on Sophie’s face meant it was all decided. If everyone had decided to sell out, why was she here? Disappointment crashed over her and she took her plate and went out to the balcony. That’s when it hit her.

  They were going to sell the Belmonte Estate. She was going to lose her childhood home.

  2

  Alex Garner looked away in frustration when his phone vibrated.

  It’s Mark. Darn, he just had to distract me this instant? Younger brothers can be mighty annoying sometimes.

  He groaned and slid the phone under a folder. He couldn’t afford to get distracted. He was up for a promotion and he was on a deadline.

  Another ping from his phone broke his concentration for good. This time, it wasn’t Mark. His boss messaged this time, asking for a meeting.

  Alex picked up the case he was supposed to be working on and made his way to his boss’s cabin. It had been a stressful few months at work, what with case after case coming his way. And he hadn’t been too lucky either, with a few cases swinging the Prosecution’s way. It hadn’t pulled him down completely, but it was never a good feeling to lose. He stopped outside the cabin and sighed. He was tired of the late nights, the tasteless coffee, and the soggy fast food meals. He craved some good home cooked food and a long walk in his hometown.

  It’s not that I hate the work. I love working. I just feel rusty now. I need a break.

  He massaged his neck, hoping the soreness would go away. It was all because of the stress he had taken these few months. But the caseload was reducing.

  Maybe I’m managing it better?

  Taking a deep breath, he walked in.

  His boss, William Schneider, looked up. William had set up the firm almost thirty years ago and had found extraordinary success as a criminal, taxation, and bankruptcy lawyer in Seattle. The law firm was one of the largest firms in Seattle right now, and the awards, plaques, and medals behind William’s chair evidenced it. The firm’s success in forensic audits, fraud investigation, and dispute services had landed them several cases where they liaised with the Seattle Police Department.

  Alex paused and his eyes hovered around one certificate in particular - a commendation from the State of Washington for the firm’s help in deciding a matter of bankruptcy law. Alex had been only an intern at that time, but had put in the hours and done whatever he could. He’d shook hands with the partners for the first time and had felt immensely proud. A small sliver of pride slipped in and he couldn’t help but smile.

  He turned to look at the founding partner, who stared at him. Alex felt nothing but immense respect for him. He had given him many breaks and supported his journey in the firm. Alex was a shoo-in for a promotion later this year, or so the water cooler talk went. He supposed that was what this was about.

  William cleared his throat. He stroked his chin and appeared deep in thought. He pointed to a chair and Alex nervously sat on the chair in front of him.

  “Alex, I am conflicted,” the old man said, emotion clouding his eyes.

  “What about, sir? What can I do to help?” Alex added, trying to hide his surprise.

  William rubbed his face. He looked pained.

  “There was a breach in company servers. Mails were sent from our servers to clients containing important data from the Moretti case. The State is moving to sue the firm for breach of trust.”

  Alex was shocked. Nothing he would have thought could have prepared him for this. He had worked on the Moretti case on and off. It was a case of money laundering and insider trading, and his firm had worked long hours to collect evidence in the case to prosecute a Wall Street CEO. All data was sensitive and immensely critical. Any leak could cause the culprits to cover their tracks.

  William wasn’t done yet.

  “Son, the breach was detected from your workstation…” the old man added, looking hurt.

  “NO.”

  Alex couldn’t stop himself. He stood up.

  “No, No. This can’t be possible. I wouldn’t do something like that, Mr. Schneider. You know I wouldn’t. I don’t know how that’s possible. I never took anything home with me. All my communication went via the company group servers. I followed all the rules.”

  Alex’s throat dried up. He couldn’t believe this was happening to him. This was sabotage, it clearly was.

  “You have to believe me, Mr. Schneider. I would never compromise the integrity of our work.” His eyes pleaded.

  A knock sounded on the door. Alex looked up to see Derek Stiles, Managing Partner, walk in. He exchanged a look with William, and Alex could see the defeat in the old man’s eyes. Something is fishy

  Derek Stiles was bossy, arrogant, and supercilious, everything Alex hated in a person. But he was successful in courtrooms and was a brilliant tax attorney. He had managed to snatch victory in the most hopeless of cases, and that was an asset that went beyond his attitude. He looked at Alex, disgusted.

  “Mr. Garner. I don’t know if William had the opportunity to talk to you about this.”

  Alex stiffened. Derek paced around the room.

  “Our IT group detected a breach in our data security. Some vital information about the case has been misplaced, and it has been traced to your workstation.
” He stared menacingly at Alex.

  “Do you have any idea how far back this has set us? It has compromised the tax authorities’ stand and hundreds of man hours are now wasted,” he roared.

  Alex matched his glare. “Like I told Mr. Schneider, I had nothing to do with that. I’ve not used any drives to transfer data, nor have I used any third party applications on my workstation…” He stopped when Derek nodded his head.

  “I expected something like that from you, Alex.” He stared at William. “I know we won’t get anything meaningful from you while you’re still in this office. Neither the truth nor information about your accomplices.”

  Alex glared at him, trying hard to stay cool and collected. Derek drew himself up.

  “Mr. Garner, as of this moment, you are indefinitely suspended. The firm will constitute a thorough inquiry into this, pending which, you will not be allowed into the premises. You have half an hour to pack your belongings. You will report to my office before you leave,” he said with an air of finality.

  Alex felt the air knocked out of his lungs. He was…suspended? After all this time, this was how he was going down? On a false charge? His face betrayed his emotions. Derek shook his head as he left the room, muttering something. Alex didn’t have the strength to say anything in his defense.

  He picked up the folder he was carrying and turned to leave when he heard a faint voice.

  “Prove them wrong.”

  He looked behind and met William Schneider’s eyes. There was steely determination in those eyes, and in that moment, Alex felt a huge load lifted off his chest. His mentor believed in him. And he would use that to prove these charges wrong.