by Penelope Sky
After we said good night, we got into my car and drove back to Florence.
Carmen sighed in the seat beside me, her gaze focused out the window into the darkness surrounding us. “I’m sorry my father was so difficult.”
“It’s alright, Carmen. Not your fault.”
“I don’t know if he’s ever going to be okay with this…”
He would have to be, even if I had to force him. “We’ll figure it out, Beautiful.” I held her hand on the center console.
“What did you guys talk about when we were doing the dishes? I didn’t hear any yelling.”
“Same old shit. I told him I loved you. He said that wasn’t enough.”
“Then what is enough?” she asked.
“He’s just scared that you’re going to get hurt because of me, because of my tenure at the casino. I understand his concern because he’s just protective and wants to make sure nothing happens to you. But what he doesn’t understand is you’re in danger no matter who you’re with. At least with me, I can save you.”
“That’s a good point. Did you say that to him?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think he’s gonna change his mind.”
She sighed. “He will in time. I’ll make him change his mind, or my mother will. If my mom is on board with this, then he should be too.”
“I love your mom, by the way. She’s pretty amazing.”
Carmen smiled. “I love her too. She really balances out my father, erases his intensity.”
It reminded me of Carmen, how she balanced out my flaws with her endless good qualities. I squeezed her hand before I brought it to my lips for a kiss. “We’ll get through this—together. Because I’m not giving up on you, Carmen. I’m not gonna stop until you’re Carmen Roth.”
“Carmen Roth…” She stared at our joined hands as a small smile stretched across her mouth. “I like that.”
18
Carmen
I walked inside the gallery and approached Vanessa from behind.
Her bodyguard watched me like a hawk.
“Vanessa.”
My cousin turned around at the stern tone in my voice. “Yes? Something wrong?” She’d just finished placing a new painting on the hook, another Barsetti masterpiece that would fetch hundreds of euros. She’d become so popular in the city that her prices were steadily rising. “Griffin told me your dinner last night didn’t go too well.”
“That sounds about right…since Griffin knows everything about my personal life.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
She grabbed both of my wrists and pinned them down to my sides. “Okay, enough with the attitude. What’s your problem?”
“My problem is that Griffin told my father about Bosco weeks ago, and neither one of you told me. After everything I did for you guys in the beginning, this is how you repay me? I felt like an idiot when my father said he already knew.”
Judging by the bewilderment in Vanessa’s gaze, she genuinely had no idea. “Griffin never told me he told your father. He kept that a secret from me too. I’m just finding out about this now.”
Vanessa would never lie about anything, so I believed her. “Oh…then I apologize.”
“Damn right. I would never betray you. You know that. That’s probably why Griffin never told me—because I would betray him quicker than I would betray you.”
When she said that, my shoulders relaxed, and I felt a smile emerge. “You’re right…I’m sorry.”
“So, if your father already knew, then that must mean the interrogation was a little easier. You know, since he wasn’t caught by surprise.”
“You would think…but, no. We went to dinner there last night, and my father turned into an asshole.”
She shook her head. “Just like my father…”
“I’m not seventeen. I’m twenty-five. My father needs to dial it down…but I don’t think he can.”
“It took six months for my father to come around. Just the fact that your father invited Bosco over for dinner is a drastic improvement to what I experienced. So that’s something to be thankful for.”
“I guess…”
“Our fathers are just overprotective. Nothing is ever gonna change that.”
“You’re right.”
She patted me on the shoulder. “At least Bosco is willing to put up with it. He could just find someone else if he didn’t love you so much. Watching a man fight for you like that is actually pretty sexy.”
Watching my father and Bosco rip out each other’s throats was not sexy. I just wanted them to get along. “I want what Griffin and your father have now. I want Bosco and my father to respect each other and like each other. Bosco and I aren’t getting married tomorrow, but I would like to know that possibility is in our future. I like the idea of living down the road from them with our four children.”
She rubbed her stomach. “I still can’t believe you want to have four of these. I’m not even finished with one, and I’m telling you, it’s no picnic. You’re hungry all the time, nauseous all the time, your clothes don’t fit anymore—”
“Your husband wants to have sex with you all the time, wait on you hand and food, and gets even more protective because he loves both of you? No, that sounds like exactly what I want.”
Her hand stilled on her stomach, and she smiled. “Yeah…that part is pretty great.”
I always knew I wanted to be a mom. It was more important to me than my shop and anything else I wanted to do with my life. Having a big house filled with kids sounded perfect to me. I had two cousins and one brother, and having four kids would make that tradition continue.
“Just keep holding on,” Vanessa said. “Something’s gotta give eventually. Your father will cave. You can’t fight love with hate. It’s just not possible.”
“I hope you’re right…because Bosco is the one.”
She gave me that soft smile she only showed once in a great while. It was reserved for the people she was closest to, an intimate look outsiders rarely got to see. “Then giving up isn’t an option, Carmen. You fight for him until you win.”
19
Carter
I made a snack for Luca when he came home from school, and we sat together at the kitchen table doing his math homework. Math was his worst subject, while reading was his greatest, but since engineering was completely based on math, it was my strongest talent. I walked through the steps and did the best I could to teach him—not do it for him.
He was halfway done with the sheet when he lost interest. “Can I watch TV now?”
“Are you done with your homework?”
“No…”
“Then, no.” I liked being a father to Luca because he was a great kid who took after his mother. He had so many of her features, and that made me love him the second I laid eyes on him. His heart was just like hers, strong and full of forgiveness. But times like these, when I had to discipline him and be the bad guy, weren’t the moments I loved the most.
He rolled his eyes.
“Luca.” I gave him my stern tone. “Don’t roll your eyes at me.”
“We’ve been at it for an hour.”
“And we would be done by now if you concentrated. The sooner we’re finished, the sooner we can do something else. Trust me, I don’t want to do this either. Now, try again.” I pressed my finger against the sheet, hitting the problem that he needed to start. “Think about everything we went over. You should be able to do this one.”
Luca didn’t roll his eyes again, but he sighed loudly. “Whatever…” He started working out the problem with his pencil.
I watched his work, pleased that he was doing it right. When I gave him some tough love, he got his act together and concentrated. Fortunately, I’ve never had to discipline him for anything worse because he was a good kid. All Mia had to do was whistle twice, and he got his act together.
She was a good mom.
And that made being a stepfather a lot easier
, especially since I hadn’t known anything about kids until Luca came into my life.
The sound of the opening garage reached my ears, and I knew it was Mia. She’d gone to the grocery store to pick up a few things, and I picked up Luca from school.
“Keep working on that while I help your mom unload the car.”
“Alright.” His pencil kept scratching away.
I went outside and watched Mia open the back end of the SUV. “Hey, sweetheart.” My chest filled with happiness any time I saw her. Even though I’d seen her that morning, it seemed like it’d been a lifetime.
Her eyes mirrored mine. “Back at you.”
My arms circled her waist, and I kissed her in the garage, kissing her hard because our son was inside and couldn’t see us. I backed her up against the bumper and dug my hands into her hair.
She kissed me back with the same desire, wanting more now from her husband than she did when I was just her love. Her diamond ring was on her left hand where it always stayed. I never took mine off either. “You missed me or what?” she said against my mouth.
I pressed my erection against her stomach. “You can’t tell?”
She chuckled. “Oh yes, I can tell.”
“Mom?”
I broke apart from her right away, embarrassed Luca had caught us in the act.
His voice came from the front of the car, so he probably hadn’t caught the details of our embrace. “Did you get me those candies I like?” He came around the bumper, seemingly oblivious to what was just happening.
I grabbed two of the grocery bags and pretended nothing had transpired in the first place.
“Depends,” she said. “Is your homework done?”
Luca dropped his head in sadness. “Mom!”
“Finish your homework, and I’ll give them to you. But I also got you another treat.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “Because I know you’ve been working so hard to bring up your math grade, and I’m proud of you for not giving up.”
Luca lifted his head again. “What is it?”
“You’ll have to wait and see. Show me your homework when you’re finished.”
“Alright!” Luca ran back into the house.
I turned back to Mia. “You’re so good with him.”
“He’s a sweetheart, so it’s pretty easy.”
“I think he’s a sweetheart because you’re a sweetheart.” I gave her a quick kiss on the mouth then walked away.
I was in my office when Luca came inside. “Dad?”
“Hmm?” I looked up from the schematic I was examining, the dimensions of the new car we were sending to the factories.
Luca stood in the doorway. “Mom says dinner is ready.”
I’d gotten used to hearing him call me dad, but it still filled my heart with warmth every time he said it. I’d grown to love that little boy like he’d always been mine, like that other asshole had never existed in the first place. Sometimes I felt bad for the guy…because he missed out on the most amazing kid in the world. “I’ll be right down, little man.”
“Alright.” Luca shut the door and left, running down the hallway to the stairs.
I turned back to my paperwork to make my final notes.
Then my phone began to ring.
It was the last name I expected to see on the screen, the very last person in the world I was thinking about. I pictured his blue eyes, stern features, and the Russian accent that emerged from that harsh mouth before he even spoke.
Egor.
Frozen to the spot, I didn’t know what to do.
It kept ringing.
Why would he call me after all this time? Mia had been mine for over a year now. Was he still thinking about her? Did he spot her in town somewhere? Or did he want to discuss something else entirely?
I wanted to ignore the call, but I would be haunted by curiosity. I’d rather face him and know what he wanted than wonder if my family was in trouble. I cleared my throat and took the call. “Long time, no speak.” I kept it casual, like I still had nothing to hide from this man.
“Too long.”
I waited in silence over the phone, waiting to see what he wanted without giving myself away. I had to be casual, indifferent. After all, I had nothing to hide…at least, that was how we’d left it.
When I didn’t speak again, he did. “I wanted to catch up, Carter. How have you been?”
The strangeness of the conversation told me my worst fear had come true. There was no other explanation for his random call. When we spoke before, he always got straight to the point because he was a busy man. “Busy. You?”
He chuckled. “Yes, I know you’ve been busy, Carter. You’ve been busy being a father and a husband.”
Fuck.
I didn’t say a single word because there was nothing I could say to help myself. It would only make it worse.
“Luca is a cute boy.”
My hand immediately tightened into a fist at the mention of my son, the boy who was off-limits.
“Doing pretty well in school…except math. Doesn’t take after you, I guess.”
My pulse was so loud in my temples, I couldn’t hear my own breathing. My eyes moved to the window, as if I expected twenty pairs of headlights to break down the gate at the front of my property.
“And your wife…exquisite as always. I would know…since I’ve fucked her so many times.”
I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw, furious and heartbroken by the comment. I didn’t care that Mia had been with other men—but I cared that she’d been fucked by another man against her will. I should have killed Egor when he least expected me. I should have put him in the ground so this conversation wouldn’t be happening now.
“Carter, I’m disappointed in you. I had such a high opinion of you…but now I know you’re just a thief.”
I tried to think of a plan. The first thing I would do was contact my father and uncle. Griffin would be next. I would need to organize as many men as I could if I hoped to match Egor as an opponent. I wasn’t letting this man hurt my family—not again.
“Have you nothing to say?”
I couldn’t hold my silence forever. “I’m willing to settle this like a man.”
“Really?” he asked. “Good. I was hoping you would say that. If you’re an honorable man, you will return the stolen good—along with the boy.”
Over my dead body. “I’ll do you one better. I’ll buy her from you.”
“How can you buy something from me when I don’t have it?” he countered. “And we both know that’s not what I want.”
“A hundred million,” I offered. “And we’re even.”
“Oh, we’ll never be even, Carter. I expect you to pay a fee for your actions—in addition to giving her back to me.”
Never. “Egor, that’s not gonna happen. You know that.” I would rather die than let him take my wife and son. I would take a bullet in the heart to spare them. “I say we find another compromise.”
“Carter…be very careful.”
A stretch of tense silence ensued. His threat was audible, but I had no idea what it meant.
“This is your last chance. Give Mia back to me, along with her son. Or there will be consequences you can’t afford to suffer. Trust me on that…”
The fact that he wouldn’t tell me specifically what it was terrified me, but there was nothing more terrifying than giving up my family. “I don’t want to fight you, Egor. I want to settle this. But I’m not going to—”
“That is your final decision?”
Fuck.
“Carter?”
“Yes…it’s my final decision.”
“I figured it would be. Alright, then. Let me tell you a little story…”
I wished I had another phone to call my father and relay all this to him.
“I’m sitting in the back seat of a black car. I’m in Florence. There’s this beautiful woman walking down the street, brown hair, green eyes…gorgeous figure.”
No.
“If you won’t give me Mia, then I’ll take something else—your sister.”
“You fucking piece of—”
“Goodbye, Carter. When I fuck her, I’ll think of you.” Click.
I dropped the phone as I launched to my feet. I snatched it back off the desk and pulled up my father’s number. My hands were shaking so much that I nearly dropped it again. I finally got the phone to start ringing and placed it against my ear. “Pick up!”
It rang twice before my father answered. “Son—”
“Egor is going after Carmen right now. He’s in Florence. She’s walking. He sees her. We’ve got to do something.” Words tumbled out of my mouth like vomit. I probably didn’t make any sense over the phone.
But my father got it. “I’m leaving now. Stand outside your front gate. Crow and I will pick you up on the way.”
“Hurry.”
Click.
20
Carmen
Bosco had to work that night at the casino.
Apparently, Ronan needed the night off.
Just one night without him was torture. I couldn’t wait until the casino was officially in the past and he wouldn’t be gone during the night anymore. No more cigar smoke, tits, and Ruby.
It would be a quiet life for the two of us.
And I loved the home he’d bought. I wanted to see the inside of it, but I didn’t want to get ahead of ourselves. My father still didn’t like him yet.
I’d been skipping work a lot lately, so I decided to get a ride down there to do some bookkeeping. The guys dropped me off, and I looked through my paperwork in the back. I tallied up all my expenses for tax purposes, and a few hours later, I left.
I decided to pick up a pizza from my favorite local place a few blocks away, and it seemed pointless to call for the car, so I walked the few blocks and turned left. I pulled out my phone and called the order in, getting a Margherita pizza with extra cheese.
I liked extra cheese.
I got a call from one of Bosco’s men when I was done.