by SL Perrine
“I have a room in the basement?” Anthony asks.
“Yes and no,” Mila answers as she begins the descent. “The Manor is situated into a hill; the bottom floor actually opens onto the back of the property. You can enter and exit the Manor there if you prefer not to come through the main entrance.”
The stairs end in a small room populated with comfortable chairs and benches. A narrow hallway leaves the room and runs along the side of the stairwell to a single door. Mila points at it.
“Through there is your personal parking garage. I’m sure the car dealership has delivered your truck by now. I will meet you in this room where we’ll leave for school and my other activities.” She points to the door in the waiting room. “Through here are your living quarters.
They enter through the door and Mila gestures expansively. “This is your apartment.”
Stunned, Anthony stands without speaking for several heartbeats before speaking. “It’s bigger than my father’s entire home.”
“This is the just the living room. Don’t spend too much time in front of the television.” Mila admonishes. “Come on. I’ll show you through the rest. There’s a larger gym for everyone’s use on the other end of this level as well.”
The rest of Anthony’s quarters consist of a kitchen, laundry room, workout room, and master bedroom with an attached bath containing a shower and large garden tub with massaging jets.
“Mila, this is amazing. Absolutely amazing,” Anthony gushes.
“It is very functional,” she agrees. “You should get ready for dinner. Dress well. Father demands decorum at dinner.” She motions at the doors of a walk-in closet. “I’m sure Nico had the Sarah put your clothes in there. Your suits should already be hanging, but you’ll have to put your everyday clothes away in the dressers on your own. You do know how to use a dresser, yes?”
“Pull the drawers out and place the clothes inside?”
“There’s hope for you yet, Neanderthal.”
“That means so much to me coming from a pixie.”
They share a laugh followed by an awkward silence. Mila breaks the awkwardness by stepping close and wrapping Anthony in a hug. “Thank you again for saving me, Jax.”
Anthony folds over the top of the young girl and returns the hug. “Anyone would have come to your rescue, Mila,” he says softly.
“Maybe, but you were the one who did. Can I ask you something?” Mila asks as she breaks the embrace.
“Anything.”
“How did you beat up those two men? I know what you told those police officers, but I’m not sure I believe that. I saw something different. You called lightning to your fingers.”
“In moments of extreme distress, the mind sometimes seeks explanations beyond the ordinary. Ask a police officer, and he’ll tell you they have interviewed several people that witnessed the same event and they will all give differing statements as to what occurred and what they observed.”
“Maybe,” Mila agreed in an unsure tone.
“Look at me, Mila. Do I look like someone who could call lightning to his fingers? I’m just an ordinary fat guy.” He grins.
“Were you scared?”
“Terrified.”
“Me too.” Her demeanor abruptly reverts to precocious Mila. “I need to change for dinner. I’ll leave you to your own devices.” She pulls a cell phone from her pocket and glances at the screen. “Dinner is in an hour. You should hurry.”
Anthony walks Mila to the door of his apartment and opens it for her. Mila exits but turns to fix him with a serious look from the waiting room.
“Jax?”
“Yes?”
“You’re not ordinary,” She states seriously before ascending the stairs.
Anthony shut the door. “Neither are you, Miss. Moretti… Neither are you.” He says softly to himself.
Chapter 5
Gianna was busy taking calls all day. The number of stores Mila and Anthony needed to shop at should have been half as many as the concerned calls she had received warning that her daughter was picking up strays. One man even went as far to say he thought Anthony, or Jax as Mila had dubbed him, was one of Nico’s displaced nephews who needed a new look to get his act together. She did not dare tell those people Anthony was the new Manny. She did not need shop owners and spa workers spreading rumors about the Moretti’s hiring someone to care for their child from the local shelter.
What she should have done was insist he bathe and change at the Manor before going around town with Mila. That would have saved her an afternoon of worried phone calls. She had to admit, her daughter had a flair for dramatics. Waltzing him back into the Manor when she knew her mother would be leaving her office to head upstairs to change for supper. Mila wanted to parade him in front of her on purpose, knowing full well Gianna would approve of the new look.
She caught herself smiling as she blankly gazed at her wardrobe. He did clean up nicely, that was for sure. “Oh, heck, Gia. Pull yourself together girl.” She said thumbing through the navy-blue dresses. She thought about it for a moment and turned to look through the assortment of black clothes and settled on a thin strapped dress. It fit her snugly, dipping down low to show off her cleavage, but so long that it danced across the floor as she moved. One thin slit on the right side showed off more than just a knee when she sat with her legs crossed.
The smile stayed with her even as she thought of the many times she had worn the same dress for Giovanni, not knowing it would have no effect on him at all. She wondered if it wasn’t a useless impulse buy. It was bound to elicit a reaction from someone soon.
She steps through the room, a room larger than her entire apartment when she was in college. A king size bed, dresser, chest, and armoire and she still had too much space. The carpet is plush, and soft on her bare feet. Not the cold, white tile like the rest of the hideously large house. The bathroom is tile, but it’s black and looks like marble to match the counter and wraparound tile shower, which was behind the large clawfoot tub in the center of the room. No door, just half a wall of black onyx. Gianna and Giovanni may sound well together, as if named at birth to accent one another but, in all reality, she was her husband’s opposite. His white to her black; his angel to her demon. Though fallen angels are not her thing. She never looked as far as the heavens, but only looked as far as the stars.
Gianna Frescatore only married Giovanni Moretti because that is what good little Italian girls did. They went to school, came out to society and married men their fathers chose for them. Giovanni only married her for her looks. Gianna was nothing more than a princess bride. There was also the fact that her genes produced a dominant line of witches this side of New Jersey. Her father led the coven most talked about. Giovanni wanted sons to make his own father proud. Unfortunately, what he did not realize before he married her, was her power lay dormant. He had to train her himself. Even then he had never seen the full strength of her magic. She had not uncovered it thoroughly until he had lost interest in her completely. She studied alone in her sanctuary, teaching herself with books and old journals. Not that he knew anything about it. He thought her sanctuary was a cute idea. He had no idea what she accomplished within it.
After her hair was set in an intrinsic array of curls that cascade down her backside, she slipped the dress up her body to rest against her tanned skin. The cold air from the air conditioner made her arms and legs break out in goose pimples. With a pure thought, she reached her mind out to the control panel on the wall in the foyer. A small wire behind the panel sizzled and smoked until a spark erupted without anyone near to realize. The cooling system made a horrid noise and shut down. Gianna smiled devilishly in the mirror, pinched her cheeks and moved barefoot to the hall and silently made her way down the stairs to the dining room.
“What have we here?” She noticed the men glaring at each other down the long table. Matteo at his usual spot and Anthony sitting across from him, next to Mila. She seemed perfectly excited to have him there. “Mila, come sit
in your seat.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Gianna kept her eye on Anthony as Mila made her way around the table to the chair opposite her. She moved too slowly for her father’s taste. “Mila!” The girl’s head jerked up at her father’s voice. “Move to your seat so we may eat.”
“Sorry,” she quickened her pace and sat down next to Giovanni.
“So,” Giovanni looked down at his plate as he served himself. “I see you’ve cleaned up well.”
That was not meant as a question, but Gianna would not expect Anthony to know her husband or his condescending ways.
“He sure has, darling. Mila did an excellent job helping him today. I hear you two had a busy adventure.” She smiles at her daughter and looks to where Anthony sat. He looked like he was fighting a war in himself. Suddenly she realized the way her lifestyle had made her cold, and abrasive. “Has my daughter convinced you to change your name as well as your hair?”
He did not answer for a few moments, but when he seemed to realize she had spoken to him, his head came up. His eyes were big but widened more at the sight of her. The dress appeared to be a hit, though she couldn’t imagine he liked her very much. She would have to adjust the way she spoke. Being around Giovanni, Gianna acted in ways even she did not care for.
“Um, yes. I think so. I mean…I don’t dislike it.”
“Is there a problem? Did she do too much?” Gianna sneered at Anthony.
“No. Not at all. I like everything. I was just… I don’t want to use the wrong fork.” He said quieting as he spoke then looked complacently to his plate.
“Don’t worry about it, Jax. Just pick one.” Mila said picking up a fork out of turn to make him feel better. Gianna could tell she took to him quickly. That means he couldn’t be a dangerous man, or her daughter wouldn’t like him so much.
“It’s not a rule. The forks.”
“Well, this is all stimulating. Matteo and I have work.” Giovanni slid his chair out but, before he could leave, Mila gave him a disheartening look.
“Papa, do you have to go? It’s Jax’s first night here.”
Without being able to refuse her, Giovanni kisses Mila’s cheek and sits back down. “Of course. I’m sorry.” He scoots his chair in and looks down at Anthony. “So, Jax, is it?”
“That’s what Mila calls me. It’s Anthony, sir.”
“Sure, Jax. So, do you have experience as a Manny? Ever taken care of kids before?”
“I had a cat once. It ran away when I wouldn’t let it eat the gerbils.” Anthony quipped.
“What happened to the gerbils?” Giovanni asks as his brows furrow.
“They ate a toilet paper tube and died from too much fiber.”
Giovanni frowns at Anthony’s flippant air, for the first time in his life unsure how to address someone’s demeanor. Anthony must have noticed anger creeping into Giovanni’s confusion, because he quickly corrected his error.
“Forgive my crass attempt at humor, sir, I’m a bit nervous. The answer to your question is, no. I don’t have experience caring for children. At least not long term. I’ve looked after my sisters six kids many times over the years though.”
“Interesting. Well, I expect Mila’s schedule followed to the letter. She’s not to slack. She has tutors, lessons, and volunteer work she helps her mother with. It’s all good for the image of the family. You understand.” Again, he wasn’t asking a question, and Gianna saw in Anthony a level of knowledge.
“Yes, sir.”
“Above all is her personal safety. In this I expect you to lay down your life in exchange for my daughter’s. Do we have an understanding?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.” Giovanni resumed eating his meal and looked to Matteo with longing.
Ordinarily, Gianna would have thought that meant he remembered something that he needed to do or an answer to a grueling case. Like an Ahh moment. She could not help cringing when he did it just then. She now knew what that look was, she also knew she would never be able to wash the image from her mind every time she saw the two of them in the same room together.
“Sweetheart, I think your father has work to get back to. Why don’t we let him get to it?” She looked at Giovanni, a level of consideration between them. He reached to touch Gianna’s hand, but she pulled it to her lap. “I think I can catch you up later. Goddess knows we’ve been through enough employee interviews in the past.”
“Thank you, Gianna.”
He stood, and Gianna let him give her a kiss on the cheek, something he’d done during their entire marriage before he’d left a room.
“Good night, Papa.”
“You can ring me before you go to bed. I think we need to finish that story tonight.”
“Okay. I’ll have it ready.” Her smile spread wide across her face.
“I’ll have cook leave us some milk and cookies,” he leaned down to kiss his daughter and stood to nod to his assistant.
As the men left the room, Gianna held her eyes closed and breathed deep. When Mila turned to make idle conversation with Anthony, she slowly released it and opened her eyes to her plate.
“Jax, you should sit next to mamma. You're too far away now.”
“Mila!”
“What, he’s down there all by himself.”
To be honest, a table with six seats between each end was ridiculous. So, Gianna shook her head in agreement and began slowly moving food around her plate. Mila started on a tangent at what she and Anthony would do the next day. She went on about museums and amusement parks to start.
“Are you okay?” Anthony leaned into her so Mila couldn’t hear, and she quickly nodded giving him a small smile.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
She tried to listen to her daughter, but her concentration was suddenly on the proximity of the man beside her. Thinking about her straying husband was making her imagine all kinds of things about a man she hardly knew. One she would have never entertained thinking about in such way before her husband’s indiscretion. Her pulse quickened, sweat beading on her forehead, and her chest. A drop of perspiration slid down between her breasts making her body shiver.
“Is it me, or is it hot in here?” Anthony leaned over to her again. His breath sticky on her flesh and something clicked when Mila shouted.
“Mamma, I don’t feel so good.”
“Oh, my. The air conditioning. Please, Anthony, open those doors.” She motions to the French doors in the room behind them, which led to a covered patio outside and moved over to Mila, noting the flush in her cheeks.
Paying close attention to the thermostat, Gianna held onto Mila, moving her outside, into the cool air. It was no use; she fried a wire in the control panel.
“Nico, the air conditioning is on the fritz. Could you see to it please?”
Anthony looked at her quizzically, and she pointed to an intercom on the patio table she had her finger on. “You guys have got everything here, don’t you?”
“Hardly. Though it’s nice to have what we do.” She snapped at him, not meaning to. Her bitter tone a side effect of her carelessness. She intended to open the doors when she arrived in the dining room, but all thoughts of them disappeared when she saw Anthony dressed for dinner.
Nico appeared in the doorway and offered to take Mila to her room. Gianna was informed Sarah already saw to the windows through the second floor. Gianna thanked Nico and moved off the patio into the night. Her feet were still bare, and she found she needed contact with the earth. With each step into the night, she felt more energized. The cool breeze made her chilly where sweat still clung to her. She did not bother looking back at the house to see if Anthony had gone since she assumed he left to go to his room. Instead, she moved further into the night to gaze at the stars and scolded herself for such carelessness.
Gianna was happy to see Anthony had left her alone. By the time she walked back into the Manor the only one waiting for her was Giovanni. Not that she was happy to see him there, but she could handle
him. She knew how to act around him. Her cold demeanor was a second skin in that house. Around him, it was the only skin to have. Especially after she discovered his infidelity.
“What?” she barked when he did not say anything but started to follow her toward her wing of the house.
“You did this? The air unit is fine. Something in the wiring has been compromised.”
“Have you not considered that after twelve years the wiring needs replacing?”
“No, Gianna. I know your distaste for the cold air, but it’s essential in keeping the house running efficiently.”
“You mean cold enough for fires late at night in your study!” It was a way to deflect. She could tell by the pause in his steps that it worked. “I dislike artificial air. It stifles my abilities, and I need to be on point. We have a new employee, who needs carefully watched. I can’t be around them all day. I will have to use my vision.”
“Seriously, Gianna. Having a little girl tantrum with the wiring is not the answer. You could have turned the damn thing down.” Giovanni’s strong hand grasped her arm firmly.
She held back the hot sting of tears brimming her eyes. She reverted, as she always had at his touch, to the weak, compliant wife, expecting the sudden impact of a pain. Then the fire flashed in her vision, but before she could see those figures again, she blinked the image away and pulled from his grip.
“You do not get to reprimand me anymore, Giovanni. You do not get to lay hands on me anymore either. Touch me again, and that bright image you’ve worked so hard to build up will be torn down in an instant.”
“You have no proof.”
“You think I’d witness something like that and not get proof? I have my own interests and my daughters to consider. No, make no mistake. I have proof.” She pulled her phone from the pocket of her dress and flipped through to the snapshots she had taken of him and his assistant together. The light of the fire would have made the silhouettes unidentifiable. However a dimly lit lamp behind them had allowed her to get a clear image of them.
Giovanni grabbed at the phone, but she withdrew it before he could. “You could try to delete them, but I am not so stupid to not have copies. You’ve taught me well.”