by J. L. Drake
“Ha, ha.” It was hard to deny the effect he had on her. “This friend of yours, Dominic. The one that isn’t, as you say, very social.”
“You seem very interested in him. Are you trying to make me jealous?”
“Would you be?”
“Of course.”
“I was just thinking maybe he might be someone who would get along with Stephanie. You know, since they both seem to have something in common.”
“Oh yeah, how so?”
“Well, you know.” For some reason, he didn’t seem too excited about fixing up a friend of his with a friend of hers. “Because they seem to be so similar. Both are artistic, loners. They might hit it off.”
“I don’t know about that,” he grumbled.
“I think they’d be great.”
“Who?”
“You know who. The blacksmith.” She relaxed into the seat as they moved away from the heavy traffic of the big city.
“Dominic?” Roman exhaled loudly. “He’s had a troubled past. I’m not sure he’s relationship material.”
“Well, you know, to some woman that’s a challenge.”
“A relationship should never be a challenge.”
“Yes, that’s true.” She frowned. “Yet, you want to date me even though we have our differences.”
He reached for her hand again. The warmth from his fingers flowed up her arms and caused her heart rate to quicken.
“We have outside issues. That’s something that we can overcome. Dominic has internal issues. Some things can’t be fixed.”
“Love can mend anything.” She’d always believed in that. Love could conquer all, as they say.
“You really mean that?” A slight smile graced his lips.
“Yes, I do.” Madison straightened her spine.
“So does that mean that you’ll go to Chicago and meet my parents?” He turned and gave her a grin that was both playful and sexy as sin.
Her heart yelled “yes,” but her mind urged caution. Roman was the kind of man who did nothing halfway. It was important that she keep her independence and not be swept away.
“I will, but…” She paused. “On one condition.”
“I don’t like stipulations.”
“I think you will be able to handle this one.”
“Okay. What is it?”
“No more of the mob tactics. You forced my hand into having my show at your sister’s place. I won’t be forced into doing anything like that again.”
“That was business.”
“That resulted in me going on a date.”
“Sorry, but I’m a bastard sometimes.” He winked at her again, being so playful.
“You didn’t give me a choice.”
“I’m used to making decisions for the betterment of the family, so I went a little overboard knowing that arrangement would benefit both of us.” He looked her straight in the eye. “I promise not to do that again.”
“Then yes, I would love to meet them.” He smiled, tugged her hand over, and rested it on his thigh. “Don’t let it happen again.”
“It won’t happen again. You have my word.”
Chapter Seventeen
Roman
Roman took a glance at his watch for the tenth time in an hour. He had a surprise for Madison and was counting off the minutes until he could show her. Impatiently, he finished the last bit of his work for the morning and pushed his chair away from the desk. The view from the window drew him closer. It wouldn’t be long before the tranquil lake would be filled with energetic tourists and locals boating, swimming, and fishing. The winter had been a mild one. Even now, the ice threatened to edge away from the shoreline.
Today he had to go back to the windy city. The pressure was on from the family and he could only be gone for so long. A meeting with Rinaldi was on the schedule for the evening. Roman clenched his fist and leaned a shoulder against the cool window. If he ever needed a poker face, now would be the time. Lying never came easy for him. Yes, he could bluff and con his way out of things with the best of them, but in this case, he’d have to look the guy straight in the eye and convince him that it wasn’t his gun that had killed one of his men. Most importantly, he had to put a stop to this contract marriage.
His father didn’t care that he was already engaged. It was a lie, but one he intended to correct soon. The ring he had for Madison wasn’t an engagement ring, but to anyone looking at it from a distance it would appear so. It was too early to ask her to marry him. Damn, he wanted to, but she deserved a proper proposal and with everything going on, the time just wasn’t right.
He popped open the small black velvet box. It held a stunning blue sapphire that matched the color of her eyes and the band had small diamonds around it. The sooner it was on her finger, the better. Roman planned to stop by her store and give it to her before leaving town. Madison would probably say it was too much, but in this case he wasn’t taking no for an answer. As far as his woman was concerned, he never would.
Roman put on his coat, tucked the box in his pocket, and slipped his overnight bag over his shoulder.
“Arlo, get the car. I’m ready to go.” He spoke into his cell and walked out the door.
Madison
Madison hummed and it wasn’t just because of the coffee cup in her hand. No, her time with Roman had her floating on air. Thinking of him made her morning stroll to the Java Shop even more enjoyable. Most of the lakeshore—the centerpiece of the town—was lined with homes, mansions, resorts, and restaurants. The first twenty feet of the shoreline had been declared public domain many years ago by early settlers. A paved path completely surrounded the lake for people to walk and enjoy the view.
All of it was beautiful, but the part of town she hiked through today was one of her favorites. The mostly undeveloped site and the surrounding buildings had been there for over a hundred years. They could probably list it as a historical district, but no one had bothered to go through the paperwork. Roman had joked about it being an excellent place to upgrade. Lake Genoa was perfect the way it was and she never wanted it to change.
They’d spent the past couple weeks getting to know each other, both mentally and physically. He’d become her addiction. The more they were together, the more she wanted him. After the fashion show, he was taking her to Chicago to meet his parents. Butterflies attacked her stomach every time she thought about it. The idea of meeting his father terrified her.
The sun’s rays heated her face. Madison stopped at the corner, closed her eyes and lifted her chin to the sky. Even though it was February, the sun felt warm. She wanted to soak in every drop. Today was above freezing. It was amazing how forty degrees in the springtime felt balmy while the same temperature in October was unbearable. Every winter, neighbors complained about the cold, yet no one wanted to move away. They might take a week’s trip to Florida or somewhere more temperate, but everyone always returned.
Yearning for the first hints of spring, she opened her eyes and headed for work. The sidewalks were now ice free and the barren yards showed more ground than snow. It wouldn’t be long. She glanced to the trees in the hopes a robin might be there but that was wishful thinking. The tips of her fingers hugged the insulated cup to stay warm. She’d abandoned her warm gloves for fingerless ones. It was hard not to be giddy knowing there were more sunny days ahead. Winter took its toll on everyone.
“Morning.” She greeted an older couple out walking their poodles. They nodded and the canines wagged their tails.
The storefront of Bells and Bows came into view. It was a love-hate relationship. There were parts of her work that she loved. Working with the dresses, happy brides, deciding what to purchase for the shop, and other aspects of running her mother’s business. On the other hand there was stress, keeping bills paid, bridezillas, and crazy wedding party members. She also had a nagging feeling there was something else out there she should be doing instead.
At least her mother had become more involved with the business, which was
a blessing. It freed Madison up, but if Roman was in Chicago, she had a lot of time to herself. That never bothered her before as she worked on her designs, but the inspiration for designing had wilted. She needed to find a new passion to pursue.
Madison waved when she spotted Stephanie flipping the sign in the window to open. At least Stephanie knew what she wanted to be—a published writer. The art center already had some of her short stories and poems, but her goal was to eventually write full-time. When that day came, she’d miss her friend enormously.
“Hey, girl.” Madison placed her coffee cup on the counter and wiggled out of her coat.
“Hi. How was your weekend?” Stephanie folded her arms across her chest. For some reason she’d never liked Roman and that was even before they knew he was the infamous mafia man they’d read about in the papers.
“Good. How about you?” Madison hung her coat in the closet, walked into her office, and flipped through the mail on her desk.
“Okay. I got some writing done.” Her friend followed, stood on one foot, and twirled her finger around a long string of her blonde hair. It was a nervous habit she had and it almost always hinted there was something on her mind.
“And?” Madison raised her eyebrow but didn’t look up.
“And what?” Stephanie placed her hands on her hips.
“Is there something wrong? I got a feeling that you want to ask me about something.”
Her mouth opened but nothing came out. The door in the main room opened and an excited group of girls entered the store. “I’d better go.” Stephanie excused herself and left to care for their customers.
With a shake of her head, Madison settled in behind her desk. She really needed to talk to her friend and see what the problem was. In the back of her mind, there was also the nagging suspicion that it somehow involved Roman.
For the next half hour, Madison caught up on emails, voice mail, bills, and all the details for the upcoming fashion show. While she worked, a constant flow of customers came and went through the front entrance but Stephanie never asked for any help.
Tuning out the conversations in the other room, Madison kept her nose to the business at hand. She closed her eyes and yawned. When she opened her eyes, a tattooed finger tapped an envelope in front of her. The man placed his hand on the desk. Each digit was tattooed and tanned. Swallowing hard, her gaze slowly followed the length of his suit clad arm up to his cold, hard face.
It was him. Her breath caught and her pulse pounded in her ears. The beast who trashed her store.
“What do you want?” Her voice squeaked and she grabbed for her phone.
He was quicker and flung it across the room. It crashed against the wall and fell to the floor. The screen shattered.
“I’m here to help you.” His statement and thick accent was confusing. Russian, possibly, but she couldn’t tell. He put one finger to his lips. “Shh.” The guy straightened and then wandered around the room.
Madison sat up straight. “Who are you?”
“It’s not important who I am. It is important who I represent.” All the oxygen seemed to flow from the room.
Her mind had to interpret what he meant moments after he said it. His words were hard to understand and truth be told, she feared for her life. How did he get past Stephanie? Panic set in. Where was Stephanie? Her gaze darted to the now closed door.
“Relax. The last time was a warning.”
“Warning? Watch my back? I don’t even know what that means.”
“The warning wasn’t for you. It was for him.”
“Him who?” It was best to keep him talking while she figured out what to do. And where were the security people who watched the shop?
“Caponelli. You don’t think he is really interested in you, some little girl from nowhere?”
Madison swallowed. Her heart broke in two. Was she just a pawn in some kind of mob war?
“He is trying to buy up the town and we want to beat him to it. That was a warning for him to back off.”
“I don’t understand.” She swallowed.
“We want to develop this area. Romeo just wants to launder his illegal business through your legal ones.”
Her head was spinning. She reached for some bottled water and took a drink.
“I am here to make you an offer from my boss.” His pacing intimidated her as much as when he simply remained in one place. There seemed to be no one she could trust and something about him frightened her as much as Diego had.
“What kind of offer?” As soon as his back turned, she grabbed a letter opener from the desk and held it in her lap.
“My boss wishes to buy your property.”
“He wants a bridal store?” That’s the last thing she expected to hear.
“No, the property. He wants to tear it down and build bigger and better business.” The word wants sounded like vaunts.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t own the building. My mother does and I’m not sure when she will return.” Not to mention the fact that she would never sell.
He stopped in front of her desk, picked up the envelope, and tossed it closer. “I know she is in town. The offer is in here.” Mister Russian bully guy crossed his arms over his chest and laughed. “I suggest you take this one. The second offer will be less.”
“What about the third one?” Her defiance and courage grew and she avoided looking at the letter as if it was an overdue bill.
“Those that don’t take what’s offered aren’t around for a third one.” He crossed the room and rested his hand on the doorknob. “I suggest you don’t take too long. Have a good day, Miss Miller.” Good came out as goot. The man waited for a response and she finally nodded. “I’ll be in touch.”
Chapter Eighteen
As soon as the door was closed, she rushed to lock it. Then Madison flew to the window. The goon walked down the sidewalk like he didn’t have a care in the world. A black SUV waited. It was one very similar to the kind that Roman used but somehow different. She couldn’t put her finger on what. A brief warning light flashed in her mind. Were they somehow connected?
Madison jumped when someone knocked on her door. “Yikes.” She’d forgotten about Stephanie and rushed to open it.
“Are you okay?” They both spoke as the same time.
“Security just called,” Stephanie added. “They’ll be right here. Who was that guy?” Her words were flying out a hundred miles a minute. “I’m sorry. I must have been putting some dresses away in the fitting rooms. I never saw him come in, only leave. I was scared to death something had happened to you.” She had a death grip on the iron and was on the cusp of freaking out.
“You were scared. I was terrified.” The intimidation had radiated from him.
Stephanie narrowed her eyes. “So help me, if I see him again I will beat him to a pulp.” The nasty scar on her face hadn’t faded much.
“He never said who he worked for, just that he wanted to buy the building. He said the offer was in the envelope.”
They both turned at the same time and regarded the letter like a viper.
“Is anyone still in the store?” Madison asked.
“No, they all left.” Her voice shook.
In the next second, several of Roman’s men swarmed the shop.
Madison whispered to Stephanie, “Don’t say anything about the letter.”
It sat untouched on the desk while the guys took down their story of what happened and promised to watch from a car out front in case he came back. There was also a big guy in a suit camped out in the front room. Having him there was a comfort but she wasn’t sure how they would explain his presence to their customers.
Stephanie never questioned her request to remain quiet. Wiping her sweaty palms on her sweater, Madison stepped up to the desk and ripped the letter open. It was indeed an offer to buy the building. A reasonable offer, but there was no way her mother would sell the building. There was also a deadline to let them know.
“Who’s it from?” Step
hanie’s exotic perfume tickled her nose as she looked over her shoulder.
Madison flipped the letter over and checked both sides of the envelope. Nothing.
“It doesn’t say. It just says they’ll be in touch.” Goosebumps raced up her arm.
They both jerked as the phone in the other room rang.
“I’ll get it,” Stephanie said.
Madison hugged herself as she contemplated her next move. She would, of course, have to notify her mother, wherever she may be at the moment. At least Connie was in town somewhere.
“What?” Stephanie’s exclamation rang loud, and Madison wandered out from the office.
She held the phone in one hand and her finger wrapped around her hair with the other.
“Okay, let me know what happens.” Stephanie hung up the phone and collapsed in a nearby chair.
“What is it?” The day was going downhill fast.
“That was Andrea over at the arts center.” Andrea had been the shy, quiet bride that Madison helped get away from her abusive fiancée. It had taken a while to get her out and about, and working at the center had done wonders for her. Unfortunately, she still had a long way to go before she would ever trust men again.
“Is something wrong?” The poor girl had been through so much.
“Apparently that jerk just made a visit there too.”
“He didn’t hurt Andrea, did he?” She pressed her shaky hand to her chest.
“No, fortunately there were other people there at the time. He just gave her the letter and left.” Exhaling, Madison collapsed in a chair and the phone rang again. She locked eyes with Stephanie as she answered it and there was no need to hear what was said on the other end to know it was no good. After the conversation ended, Stephanie sat quietly.
“Who was that?” Madison leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees.
“The couple that owns the Chinese restaurant. Big, scary guy was there too.”
The phone rang a few more times with the same story.
A chill eased its way up her arm. Roman promised to never do anything to change her town, but questions niggled at her mixed with fear. All these businesses were ones they’d visited in the last few weeks. They were also places Roman mentioned should be developed.