by Jade, Ella
“How did you know I was out by the lake?”
“When we got back from the service you said you needed a few minutes. I’ve seen you out there before, usually when you have a lot on your mind. When security told us we had an intruder, we needed to find you. We spread out and I went to the lake.”
“I’m glad you did but...”
“He had a gun to you.” He spoke so matter of fact. “I did what needed to be done.”
I could have thought of a few other ways to disable Franco. Killing him was not at the top of my list.
“You don’t approve.” Santino poured another drink. “You’re alive, so I don’t care about your moral compass.”
“I care about yours.”
“Mom wants me to be like you and Vincenzo but I’m not.” He lined up four glasses along the bar. “I’m more like Dad, Dominick, and Gianni but no one sees it.”
“You proved that tonight.” As much as I hated what Santino had done, he saved my life.
“I had to do it.”
“I’m thankful you did.” I stared at him, wondering how I’d ever be able to repay him for this. “I really didn’t want to die today.”
“I’d never let that happen.” He patted my shoulder. “Now Dad and Dominick will have to see who I am.”
“They have souls, Santino. Don’t lose yours.”
“You worry too much, big brother.” He poured whiskey into the three glasses on the bar. “I did what I did to keep you safe.”
“I want you to be safe,” I said as Dominick and Gianni came into the lounge. “Alive.”
“Salvatore.” Dominick practically lifted me off the stool when he hugged me. “When I couldn’t find you...”
“I was out by the lake when Franco found me.”
“Fuck him.” Gianni shook Santino’s hand. “He got what he deserved. I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“I did what I had to do,” Santino said. “He would have killed Sal.”
“Where’s Vincenzo,” I asked.
“We sent him home with Tommy.” Dominick drank from one of the glasses Santino poured. “He can’t be involved with this. Even though Franco was estranged from Antonio, they’re still Nadia’s family. It’s better if Vince isn’t here. I told him you’re fine. He’ll call you later.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “He shouldn't be here.”
“Neither should you.” Gianni took a glass off the bar. “I’m sending divers into the lake. Without going into too much detail, you don’t have to worry about anything. Your winery will not be Franco’s final resting place.”
“Thank you.” I was more relieved than I realized. “Santino won’t be implicated?”
“Never,” Dominick assured me. “Franco had plenty of enemies.”
“Franco was working with someone.” I rested my elbow on the bar. “He didn’t give me much. It’s a guy and they worked to screw with the shipments. They were the ones taking from the winery.”
“That makes sense,” Gianni said. “We’ll figure it out.”
“Franco was sloppy.” Dominick set his glass on the bar. “I’m sure he left a trail.”
“Why would he come back here?” Santino asked. “He had to know we’d catch him.”
“He’s always been a loose cannon. Who knows?” Dominick’s jaw tightened and his facial features hardened, reminding me why he was in charge. “Santino did what he had to do. I may not like it but it is what it is. You proved that you can protect this family. I should have dealt with him last summer in the warehouse but I listened to Vincenzo. It made sense at the time.”
“We always protect one another,” Santino said. “I always will.”
“Let’s hope you never have to.” I nodded. “I like it better when you keep me in the dark.”
“You can’t tell anyone what happened here tonight.” Gianni stood next to me. “The fewer people who know the truth, the safer Santino is. I know it was a traumatic situation for you but now you have to protect us.”
“I won’t tell anyone,” I promised the three of them. “What about Dad?”
“I haven’t decided,” Dominick said. “He’s away because he was furthering his steps to retire. Meeting with people in the old country who could help him with that. If anyone figures out what happened with Franco, we could kick off a war, especially now that we know Franco wasn’t working alone. We need to figure out who is coming after us and why. We have to stop this before it starts.”
“This sounds complicated and dangerous.” I didn’t want to be in the middle of any of this. “I realize I can’t go back to living with my head under a rock and pretending we’re a completely legit family but I want my business to stay clean. It’s not a front and it never will be.”
“You have my word,” Dominick said. “I’ll figure out what’s happening.”
“I believe you,” I told him.
“You know that trip you’ve been talking about?” Dominick asked.
“To Italy?” I finished the last drink on the bar, the one that was meant for Vince. “What about it?”
“Tonight would be a good time to take it. With Rocco’s death and now this shit with Franco, it’s a good idea to get away for a while. After what you’ve been through, no one would question it.”
“What about the winery?” We’d already been closed for a few days. “I can’t leave now.”
“We’ll close for renovations. We’ll say we have a structural problem that needs to be dealt with. Gianni and I will come up with something spectacular for this place. We’ll add that extra ballroom you’ve been wanting for all those over-priced weddings you hold here.”
“Speaking of which, what about the weddings that are supposed to be held here in the next few weeks? I can’t tell those brides they don’t have a venue.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll pay to relocate them. Anything is possible. We have plenty of connections. Right now, I want you out of the country. It’ll be one less thing I have to worry about.”
“Dominick is right,” Gianni agreed. “Now is the perfect time for you to getaway. I’ll make the arrangements. Vincenzo and Nadia can join you.”
“Why?”
Gianni glanced at Dominick speaking their silent language. They often knew what the other was thinking. They always seemed to be on the same page. The rest of us accepted it.
“Because Franco’s dead.” Santino poured himself another drink. “Vince shouldn’t have anything to do with this. Neither should you.”
“You shouldn’t either,” I said.
“Too late.” He snickered. “I’m kind of front and center.”
“No, you’re not.” Dominick took the bottle of whiskey away from him. “Gianni and I will handle this. We appreciate what you did tonight. Because of your courage to pull that trigger, Salvatore is with us. No one but the four of us will ever know the truth.”
“You’re not going to tell Dad?” Santino asked. “You’ve already decided.”
“He doesn’t need to know.” Dominick looked at me. “I’ve been going over the numbers and you’re right, someone is stealing from the winery. It’s not tons of money but it’s enough to screw up shipments and cause stress for us. Now we know why but we have to figure out the who.”
“Why would Franco come at us?” I asked.
“He was stupid.” Dominick leaned against the bar. “You need to getaway. Take time to collect yourself. When you get back, we’ll have all of this sorted out.”
“You can’t fix everything.” I sighed when I thought about the mess I’d made with Hayden. “This winery is everything to me. You said it would be untouched. Those were your words when we opened. That’s not true anymore.”
“I know and I’m sorry,” Dominick said. “Franco was unhinged. I’m sorry he came after you. I should have taken care of him last summer.”
“He’s out of the picture now.” Santino nodded. “I’ll help clean up the mess with the books. You’ll need me if we’re not going to involve Vince
nzo.”
“He’s right,” Gianni said. “Santino can vet the employees and make sure we don’t have a mole. We’ll figure out who it is.”
“They’ll be sorry they ever stole from us,” Santino said.
“Sal,” Dominick glanced at his watch. “Gianni will arrange for you to leave tonight. Joey will go with you.”
“There’s something I have to take care of before I go,” I told him. “It’s important.”
“I get it.” Dominick gripped my shoulder. “Take Joey with you. Tell Hayden we said hello.”
“I’m sorry I always give you a hard time about being overprotective.”
“I’m glad nothing happened to you tonight.” He hugged me. “It’s my job to protect you.”
“You can’t be everywhere.” I glanced at my youngest brother. “Besides, Santino had it handled.”
“I had a hunch you’d be by the lake,” Santino said. “It all worked out.”
That part had worked out. Now I needed to fix what had happened with Hayden. I should never have left things the way I did this morning. If Franco had been successful tonight, the last memory I would have had was of her broken and sad. Life was too short to lose one more second with her.
Chapter Twenty
Hayden
Trust
As I scrolled through the job postings, I jotted down a few that interested me. Who am I kidding? None of them interested me. For one thing, Sal could make it difficult for me to work if he wanted. Another major problem, I didn’t want to work anywhere but the winery. I didn’t want to be anywhere he wasn’t. I really screwed up.
I pushed my computer away, disgusted with the way I had allowed all of this to turn out. If I had gone to Sal when Franco approached me, none of this would be happening. This morning I had been at the loft making breakfast and believing all was okay between us. Better than okay. I thought Sal had forgiven me and understood what I had done. How could I expect him to understand when I didn’t fully grasp the consequences of my actions?
I wanted to text him and see how he was doing after Rocco’s service but after the way he acted this morning, I decided against it. He had his family. He didn’t need me. Every time I tried to distract myself from the events of the last few days, reality came crashing back, hitting me in the gut. He had put his total confidence in me and I shattered it.
A soft tap drew my attention to the door. Did I even want to answer it? Crawling under a blanket and binge-watching something mindless, something to help me forget the outside world seemed like a good plan. I would take one more day to wallow in self-pity. Tomorrow I’d find a way to put my life back on track.
When I went into the living room, my surprise guest knocked again. This time it was louder and more impatient. I didn’t want to face anyone but when I peered out the window, Joey was parked in front of my house, sitting in Sal’s SUV. Did that mean...
“Hayden,” Sal called from the other side of the door. “Please open the door. I need to speak to you.”
Sal? I ripped the hairband from my hair, shaking out my tangled locks. As I tried to make myself presentable, I realized I wore a tattered t-shirt and a pair of old boxer shorts I’d bought on clearance two years ago. I’m a mess!
“I have no right to ask you to see me,” Sal said. “Not after last night and...” He paused. “This morning.”
He’s apologizing?
I went to the door, my heart eager to answer but my head hesitant. What if this was his final goodbye? Could I handle that? Only one way to find out. I answered the door, my stomach churning and my body a shaky wreck. Sal didn’t appear frazzled at all. He donned the same suit he had on this morning. Ten hours later and he looked as if he just left the house for the first time. The only difference was a dusting of stubble covered his jaw but his hair was as neat as when I last saw him. He’s been through so much today with Rocco’s funeral but looking at him was like seeing the most perfect form of a man. Attractive, charismatic, put together, calm, and collected. How did I lose him?
I wanted to jump into his arms and kiss him. Pretend that nothing bad had happened but it had and I was to blame.
“You answered,” he said. “I didn’t know if you would.”
“I wasn’t sure after this morning,” I admitted. “I didn’t think you’d want to see me.”
“I’m here.”
“Why?” If he was officially ending it, I wanted to know. Seeing Joey sitting outside didn’t fill me with confidence. Was Sal in a rush to leave? Was this a drive by break up?
“Can I come in?”
I widened the door so he could step inside. As each second passed, I became more anxious. Why is he here? I didn’t say anything when I followed him to the sofa. Neither of us sat. It was as if we were in some awkward state of limbo.
“I didn’t expect to see you again today.”
“It’s been a long and draining day.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m leaving for the airport in a few minutes but I wanted to see you.”
“Leaving?”
“I’m taking that trip to Italy,” he said. “Dominick thinks it’s a good idea for me to get away.”
“What about the winery?” The thought of him taking that trip without me hurt. We had so many plans.
“We’re closed for a few weeks. Making some improvements.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry.” He leaned against the sofa. “Everyone will be compensated for their time off.”
“Including me?” What was he saying? “I didn’t think... I still have a job?”
“Do you not want to work for the winery?”
“I guess I’m just confused.” I paced the small living room. “I don’t know what’s happening between us.”
“I shouldn’t have asked you over last night. Being drunk isn’t a defense but if I hadn’t been drinking I wouldn’t have done that. This morning, I was sober and I still messed things up. I couldn’t handle burying Rocco and dealing with what happened between us. I’m sorry I did that.”
“I wanted to be with you last night. You didn’t force me to come to you.”
“This morning wasn’t my best moment.”
“You’re not the one who needs to apologize.” Now was my chance to explain but the words were jumbled in my head. “I hurt you.”
“You betrayed me.”
Ouch! That was true but hearing him say it made it real.
“I didn’t expect that from you. My family has a code.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t and that’s where I went wrong. I can’t expect you to live by my standards if you don’t fully understand the consequences. It isn’t so much about betraying me. I get that you made a mistake when it came to Franco. He threatened and intimidated you by using me.”
“I didn’t know what to do. He said he would shoot you and make me watch. He threatened your family. He told me it would be easier to get to Angelique and Nadia. Angelique’s pregnant. I panicked.”
“He put you in a horrible position but there was one way to fix it.”
“I know that now.” If I had to do it all again, I would never have allowed Franco to manipulate me. “I should have trusted you but I was afraid.”
“Trust is really important to me. If I can’t trust you, I can’t be with you.”
“I understand.”
“I don’t think you do.” When he stepped closer to me, a chill coursed through me. “Being without you isn’t something I particularly want to do. These last few days have been pure hell.”
“It’s all my fault.”
“It was easy for me to think that when Rocco was killed but now that I’ve had time to process the situation, I know you couldn’t control Franco. If you didn’t help him, he would have found another way. He’s been sabotaging the winery for months. He’s not working alone.”
“Is that why you’re going away? Now that there are more threats?”
“I can’t discuss any of that.”
“T
ell your family that I won’t help Franco again.” No matter what he threatened me with next time, I’d be smarter. “I won’t do anything to jeopardize your family. You can go away and be assured that I won’t let Franco use me again.”
“Franco’s not going to be a problem for you or anyone else.” His voice was steady and even and I wondered what he meant.
“Is he...” I thought for a moment. “He’s dead?”
“Do you think that I would leave you here alone and unprotected?”
He didn’t answer my question but it was probably for the best. “You don’t owe me anything not after what I did.” I rocked back and forth.
“Could you stay still?” He reached for my arm, stopping me from moving around the room. “Stay close to me.”
“Is that what you want?” I stepped toward him. “After everything I’ve done?”
“I want the truth. All of it.”
“I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” I pointed to the sofa. “Can we sit?”
He took a seat on one end of the sofa but I wasn’t sure where I should settle until he patted the spot next to him. I was encouraged that he wanted me near him. I was calmer when he was near me.
“When did Franco approach you?”
“The night I had dinner at the main house for the first time. He was inside here waiting for me when I came home. I offered to pay him back for the money he gave me to go to school but he wouldn’t accept.”
“Because giving him access to my family was far more valuable.”
“When did you let him into the winery?”
“A day later,” I paused. “We did make love that night but not because I was trying to distract you.”
The muscles in his face tightened. “I shouldn’t have called you a whore. I was upset and angry. I regret saying that.”
“You were justified.”
“I’m sorry I said it.”
“I see how stupid I had been.” I rubbed my temples, trying to thwart a headache. “I’m sorry.”
“I know you are.”
“No, you don’t.” Saying the words wasn’t enough. “I’m sorry for betraying your trust, putting your family at risk, allowing Franco to use me, and for Rocco. If not for me, he’d be alive right now.”