The stewardess waits at the bottom of the steps and smiles respectfully as we embark the aircraft. Sophia is silent beside me and that’s a very good thing. We are not alone.
The usual guards have been sent to escort us and I don’t miss the curious looks in our direction. They nod with a respect I’ve never understood and I ignore every last one of them. I’m cold and unapproachable for a very good reason and just take the whiskey the attendant hands me without passing a remark.
Sophia asks for a water and turns to look outside the window and I wonder what is going on inside that pretty little head.
As the jet taxis down the runway, I lean back and close my eyes, shutting the world out. I need this time to prepare myself mentally for a challenge that was always on the horizon.
21
Sophia
This is my worst nightmare and I can’t even speak. The emotion is tearing me up inside and I never saw this one coming. Who is this man beside me because he’s not the man I gave myself to and enjoyed getting to know? This man is a stranger and from the looks of him, he’s withdrawing from me as well as himself.
He’s taking me to them—it’s obvious. I didn’t even get a say in the matter; he made my decision for me. Is he handing me over to set himself free from whatever hold they have over him? It certainly feels that way and now I’m right back where I started, in trouble.
Briefly, I wonder what Tobias would do if he could see me now. Flying straight to the enemy. The only hope I have is that Ashton thought it was a necessary step. She told me to trust Maverick, but how can I trust someone who has kept such an important piece of information to himself? Would I have come if he told me—I doubt it but now I’m here, I feel curious to see where this will lead. Am I to be married off to a rival family to prevent a war? Is this the only solution to a problem none of us wants?
Then there are the Romanos. I’ve heard of them, of course, but never took the time to really listen. Now I’m a fool because I’m going in blind. Whatever my fate is, it’s a very different one to what I hoped for and yet the man sitting beside me is the only one I have ever fully trusted. Yes, I’m a fool because he has shut me out and I’m not sure if he will ever let me back in.
I look around and see the usual set up. Black clad guards that are all from the same mold. Courteous to a point, hiding a deadly heart. One false move and my life would be over—it feels as if it already is.
We don’t speak for the entire journey, mainly because Maverick doesn’t open his eyes. I know he’s not sleeping, it’s obvious, but he’s shutting me out and I can only hope it’s for a very good reason.
Three hours later, we touch down and I see a place that is unfamiliar to me. The sun is shining and has wide open spaces and leaning over, I whisper, “Where are we?”
“Florida.”
I lean back and look with interest at a place Tobias never wanted to visit. I never really understood why, but the reason is probably all around me. The Romanos. They own this state and I’m guessing Tobias avoided it for that reason.
As the jet comes to a stop, the doors open and I sigh as I see the usual fleet of black cars waiting. Some things never change and so I follow Maverick to the door and without speaking, take my seat beside him in the second car. There are no words spoken and Maverick is keeping his cards close to his chest. The guards give nothing away and I wonder what hold they have over Maverick to send a jet and guards to bring him here. They obviously want him badly because this is quite something.
Once again, we don’t speak and I guess it’s because the walls have ears and I’ve lived in this world long enough to know that conversations are reported back. So, I sit beside Maverick and say nothing. There are no looks, no gestures and no indication that we even like each other, which makes me think he is delivering me straight to Satan himself.
It takes another forty minutes before we sweep through large electric gates into paradise. I thought I lived in a mansion, but this is something else. There must be acres of grounds, all manicured to the point of ugliness. Nothing out of place and so much wealth it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Drug money, extortion, and built on the bones of the damned. A beautiful paradise in Hell.
The cars sweep into a large drive set before the biggest mansion I think I have ever seen. Beautiful flowers decorate a white building that obscures the terror within its walls. Unlike my own home, this is modern and bang up to date, with huge pillars and modern lanterns with a composite driveway that must have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to have made.
However, the most interesting thing of all about this house is the welcoming committee because standing waiting are three men. Unlike the guards, these men are dressed differently and there is no mistaking their power. Three men who exude a confidence that tells me immediately who they are because these men are not guards, but why they are waiting is what intrigues me the most. The Romanos.
Maverick is still beside me and I daren’t even breathe. He is so tense I’m sure that one false move and he would shatter into a million pieces. There is so much tension in the air as the door opens and a guard says reverently, “Welcome home Mr Romano.”
I stare at him in shock. What did he just call Maverick? This can’t be happening. Before I can comment, Maverick exits the car and straightens up outside, before turning and offering me his hand.
Still, he says nothing and as he helps me from the car, the same man says, “Welcome, Miss. Moretti.”
I nod and stare in shock at the faces of the men who wait. There is no mistaking them—all of them. The Romano brothers and Maverick is one of them.
I watch in disbelief as he heads toward them and I don’t miss the interest in their eyes as he stops and says, “Brothers, it’s been a long time.”
One by one, they step forward and I shiver inside. It’s too much power in one place because these men are the cruelest of gods. Devastating good looks, more money than the reserves and an edge to them that tells you one false move and you’re dead.
I feel their interest and tremble inside. I stand like a lamb to the slaughter before three predators with capture in their sights.
One of them steps forward and says courteously, “Miss Moretti, we are honored to receive you in our home. You have obviously met Lorenzo, allow me to introduce the rest of the family. My name is Lucian and these are my brothers Romeo and Dante. We would like to welcome you to our home as a most welcome guest.”
I feel their stares stripping me bare as I struggle to maintain a disinterested façade and just smile politely. “I am honored to be here.”
Maverick turns to me and looks bored. “Maybe someone could show our guest to her quarters, we have a lot to discuss.”
One of the brothers moves his head slightly and a woman comes hurrying out dressed in a maid’s uniform and smiles warmly. “Welcome, Miss. Moretti, please follow me and I’ll show you to your quarters.”
Grateful to escape the obviously awkward homecoming, I don’t even look back as I follow her inside.
22
Maverick
I breathe a sigh of relief as Agatha takes Sophia inside because just her presence was setting me on edge. The fact my brothers were waiting told me everything I needed to know. This is not going to be easy and I need to maintain a cool head which I can’t do when she is around.
Lucian nods and says in a low voice, “We should take this inside. You are right, business comes first.”
As I follow my brothers inside a house I know only too well, I feel the walls dragging me back to a place I considered a prison for far too long. We head along the hallway to the den at the end of it. The usual place of business and as we walk, I can tell that nothing has changed. I left this place three years ago, almost to the day, and never thought I’d come back. The fact I’m here is a very big thing, which is why my brothers waited on the steps. Respect, that was the reason because they know only too well that one word is all it would take to rock their world and they will want to keep me sweet.<
br />
So, as we head inside the office and take our places, I ignore my usual seat and stand at the window overlooking the pool instead. I ignore the seat I was born to fill, preferring to stare at the freedom of the world outside this room.
They wait for me to speak and I turn and stare at them long and hard. If they are nervous, they make a good show of disguising it as they wait for me to speak.
“It has come to my attention that you have designs on the Moretti empire.”
Lucian nods. “We are expanding, Lorenzo. Business is good and we need to capitalize on that. As you know, there are four of us and it’s time to use our resources to expand. Word is, Tobias Moretti has lost interest and is strengthening his legitimate businesses over the family one. It would be foolish of us to allow another family to step in and take what could be ours, so we have decided to make them an offer.”
Romeo laughs. “We just haven’t decided which one of us gets the prize.”
I glare at him with menace in my eyes and he looks interested. Dante shakes his head. “Enough, what we need to know is why you’re back, Lorenzo? You walked out of here three years ago and turned your back on this family. You left us to pick up the pieces and now you arrive back with the woman we want the most. What’s your plan?”
They all look to me and I shrug. “I don’t have one. Sophia Moretti turned up at the place I live, running from this very problem. She refused to go back with her brother because Carlos Toledo told her the only way she could prevent a war between our families was to marry one of us. I thought it best to bring her here and settle it once and for all.”
“And that’s it, you really expect us to believe that?”
I stare at Romeo with a hard look and he throws it right back at me. Slowly, I move off the window I lean against and head toward him and say in a dark voice, “You got a problem with that?”
Dante jumps up. “Enough. We’re family, we don’t fight among ourselves. He’s got a point though, Lorenzo. What is this, are you ready to take your place, or have you not finished playing soldier yet?”
The mood is deteriorating fast and Lucian says roughly, “Enough. We’ve been in the same room for five minutes and we’re already fighting. Now, we are brothers—family and that counts for everything. Miss. Moretti is our key to her brother and taking over where he no longer wants to be. She needs to marry the two families to prevent a war. It’s up to each of us to persuade her it’s in their best interests.”
Dante shakes his head. “If Lorenzo agrees to return, he gets first choice, it’s only fair as he’s the eldest.” He turns to me and says coolly, “This is your rightful place at the head of the family and the only way you can be considered is if you agree to take it. If you pass, it falls to Lucian as next in line to step up and marry the girl.”
I feel as if I’m being slowly strangled to death. On the one hand, I have Sophia who I would die to protect but the price is one I am unwilling to pay. Will I sacrifice my freedom to save her? I knew this was coming and I brought her here, anyway.
My brothers look at me awaiting my answer and I feel as if I can’t breathe. Fucking mafia, how I hate that word and everything it stands for. If I marry Sophia, they drag me back to a place I hate with a passion. If I don’t, I lose her to my brother.
Hobson’s choice. Whatever happens, I lose.
A knock on the door interrupts our meeting and Lucian says tersely, “What is it?”
The door opens and the woman, who glides into the room, has us all to our feet in an instant. She looks at me and the tears in her eyes bring a lump to my throat as I whisper, “Nonna.”
She moves toward me, her arms outstretched and as I wrap mine around her, she cries in my arms. “Lorenzo, mio angelo.”
“It’s good to see you, Nonna.”
As I hold my grandmother in my arms, my heart beats a little faster. She’s the one remaining part of our past left and the only person alive who would dare interrupt us. She has always been there, a light in a raging storm. She has seen and suffered so much and of everyone here, she is the one I have missed so hard it hurts.
“Come, Lorenzo, I want to look at you.”
She pulls back and looks me up and down critically and shakes her head. “Too thin. You need to eat more, mio angelo.”
My brothers roll their eyes because I could be obese and she would still want to fatten me up. It’s what she does, care for us, and I’ve missed her cooking so much.
“Come my angel, I will cook for you. You can see your brothers later at dinner.”
Thankful for the easy escape, I follow her outside and she winks as the door closes behind her. “There, now you can breathe, no?”
I laugh softly because she’s a wiley one and I know that whole performance was to get me out of an awkward situation.
As we walk, she holds onto my arm and whispers, “It’s good to see you, Lorenzo. I have missed you, we all have. Now, tell me about the Moretti girl. Is she pretty, does she look as if she could provide an heir? Does she have good manners and is she feisty?”
Laughing, I stop and hug her hard. “Oh, how I’ve missed you, Nonna.”
Her eyes soften and she says softly, “You may not believe me but we have all missed you, Lorenzo. When you left, you unsettled the throne of power. Lucian is a hard man, much more ruthless than you ever were. He lacks your balance and makes a good warrior but is no diplomat.”
Thinking of my younger brother, I have to agree. He was always the one most fond of battle. Hard, cruel and merciless. He would think nothing of ending a man’s life, even if there was another way. Of all of us, he is feared the most and I hate the fact he controls the empire that should rightfully be mine.
“What about Romeo, is he still fooling around?”
“You know him, what do they call it, oh yes, still a player? More interested in the women and what they can offer him, than settling down with a nice girl and giving me a reason to stick around.”
I laugh as her eyes soften and she says, “Dante has missed you. He has been lost and struggled to find his place. He tries but I know he is lost ever since…”
She breaks off and I squeeze her hand. “Still no word.”
“No, they keep on looking but she has disappeared from earth itself. He can’t move on until he knows what happened.”
Thinking about my younger brother, I feel a sharp pain in my heart. Dante is the most serious of my brothers and his feelings run deep. A few years back, he fell in love with his childhood sweetheart. She got pregnant and he made plans to marry her. Then one day she was gone and nobody knew where. He looked everywhere, but there was no sign. It was as if she disappeared off the face of the earth and he has never stopped looking. My one regret was that I left him to live with his pain alongside my two unfeeling brothers. He would have struggled and I was so intent on saving myself, I turned my back on him.
We stop outside the kitchen and nonna smiles. “Now, go and fetch your friend, I want to look at her and make my own mind up. You will find her in the yellow room.”
It’s only when I’m halfway there, that it strikes me I’ve been set up. Nonna could have sent one of the maids to fetch Sophia, but she has given me the opportunity to spend some time with her without anyone else around. As I quicken my pace, I hope to God she’ll let me in.
23
Sophia
Lorenzo Romano, fucking liar. I am so angry I almost can’t breathe. He knew. He always knew who I was and the minute I told him my secret, he was no better than Carlos and fucked me and then rejected me. I thought I knew him; it turns out I did. Will I ever meet someone who loves me for the girl I am and not the position I sit reluctantly in? It doesn’t appear I will because it’s proved to me one thing—I am never safe. Even in a place I thought they could never touch me.
For a moment I consider calling Tobias. I would feel like such a fool. I should have gone with him that night. I should have told him immediately about the war coming and allowed him to prepare the troops. Why d
id I think I could make it all better? I’m nobody. The typical mafia princess who is used in another way by her family. Marriage. To another family—a worse family than my own because the Romanos are way more to deal with than the Moretti’s. Four times more fear, four times more pain and four times more of a problem and he is one of them.
I don’t unpack. The kind maid showed me to a very pretty room decorated in yellow. It is welcoming and the sunlight that bathes the room lights up any shadows and brings warmth to a cold prison. But I’m not staying—how can I? I will not be delivered to the enemy as a willing guest. I need to make a stand and show that I’m not going to play by their rules—but how can I without leaving the same way my brother did when he was returned home to us?
A gentle knock distracts me and my heart starts beating fast—it begins.
I watch the handle turn with a morbid curiosity. Who will they send?
As the door inches open, I look away as I see Maverick enter the room and look at me with a tortured expression.
I don’t want to know.
I feel him approach the bed where I sit on the edge, straight backed and unfeeling, and feel it sag as he sits beside me and takes my hand in his. Quickly, I snatch it away and move to the window, turning my back on him and trying to blank him from my mind—he has other ideas.
Moving behind me, he crowds my personal space and grips my waist, drawing me back into his body and it strikes me how well we fit. But then again, I know we are the perfect fit, or at least I thought we were.
Leaning down, he whispers, “I told you to trust me, you must hold that thought above all others. I warned you what to expect and by the end of this, you will hate me and rightly so.”
Spinning around, I make to slap him hard across the face and he catches my hand and his eyes glitter with a danger he keeps well hidden.
Broken Beauty Page 9