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Stolen Wife

Page 3

by Carina Blake


  She pops back into the room, setting the plate down again. “If you’re serious, I’ll look into it.” She smiles brightly, rubbing her hands together.

  I pointedly stare at her and say, “Dead serious.”

  “Okay. I’ll start looking around. Anything else in particular regarding the dogs?”

  “I prefer young adult Dobermans if possible. Female or male doesn’t matter to me.” She’s grinning from ear to ear and looks giddy, as if I told her that her food was the best I’ve ever had.

  “Fantastic. I’ll get on it.” She leaves the room with an air of enthusiasm that is hard to not share, but the dogs are a stark reminder that my father and brother have a debt to me that’s long overdue.

  I call Joey. “Joey, prepare to depart in twenty minutes.” I end the call as soon as he says yes. I need some time alone. It’s funny that that’s all I’ve had in my cell, but instead of resenting it, I find it helps me think. Solitude is my fondest friend.

  I sit back in my leather, handcrafted chair from Italy and stare into space, thinking about the time that has passed. I’m thirty years old now, having let my golden birthday pass in prison with nothing more than a happy birthday from those who feared me or kissed my ass, figuratively.

  The little debate I just had with my Rita reminds me that I’m back in the free world. I don’t take orders, I give them. The world is my oyster, as they say, but I’m not looking into the distant future with plans that don’t include a whole shitload of retaliation and retribution.

  I roll the glass around, swirling the amber liquid. It’s only eleven in the morning, and I’m already on my third drink. I can’t make this a habit, but I have to gain control and muscle down my hatred in order to get to the people I need to get to. I have a game plan full of strategy and time. I want my moves to be calculated and unsuspecting. There’s no way I want to be caught before my revenge is had.

  I check my watch again for the third time, tossing back a long swig of cognac while staring out of my office window on the second floor of my home. I should be outside, enjoying fresh air, but despite being locked up, I had gotten sunshine and fresh air every single day. I worked my body to the bone day in and day out, getting strong and ready. Ready to send someone to the grave.

  My first full day back in the real world and I’m already itching to get a one-way ticket back in. Years, two fucking years, I’d been behind bars like a fucking animal. I want the head of the bastard that put me inside with a burning passion so strong that I can’t think of anything else. I slam the glass down on the three-hundred-year-old wooden desk that had belonged to an Italian count before I purchased it at an auction right before I ended up with my freedom taken away. The sound reverberates through my ears.

  Damn. I still remember the sound of the gavel hitting the wooden base and the prison bars slamming closed. That was what happened when a man stayed clean instead of giving in to the natural order of things. I’d been put away for a murder I didn’t commit. Even with the truth out, I’m certain that many will still believe that I’m a hitman for my father’s organization disguised as a wealthy businessman.

  Time to go meet with my father and decide his fate along with everyone else in my family. I denied the life of crime only to let them suck me into a world where my name was dragged through the mud. I don’t know how many of them were involved and if it went all the way up to my father, but I know he resented my choice to leave the family to live on the legal side of the law enough to send me to prison.

  A knock at the door drags my attention from the window.

  “Come in,” I say, standing and gearing up to leave.

  Martin, my oldest ally, enters and says, “Signor Marchetti, your car is ready.”

  “Thank you, Martin.”

  In a moment of solemnness, he says, “It is so good to have you back.” I nod and shake his hand. Martin has been one of the few who spent his time working to free me. He and my lawyer made quick work of getting me out, although people would see two years a long time; I sure as fuck did. However, when it came to the court system, that was just a blink of an eye. I slip on my sunglasses and walk out to the waiting car, a blacked-out black sedan, with Martin at my side.

  “I don’t mean to push, but do you think you should go to see them alone?” Martin’s one of the few people I trust, and he’s one of the only people who know that the setup was an inside job.

  “I’ll be fine. I’m not alone. Plus, they don’t know that I know the setup came from someone inside the family, and I doubt Diego would let slip that he ratted out Rafael.” I won’t be visiting again unless it’s to deliver my revenge.

  “Okay, but remember that you’re to remain composed. Don’t let on that you know.” I smile because he’s serious, as if somehow I’m going to forget my plan. I’ve been waiting two years to strike down all those involved, and none of them know I’m coming for them.

  “I won’t. I’m going to talk a little shop and see what’s going on. I do have a call with my board of directors tonight so two hours after my arrival, send a text to remind me.”

  “I will. Be careful, please.” He’s afraid that my release was expedited so that they could time my death to their schedule.

  I slide my tall frame into the back seat, popping the button on my suit jacket and adjusting it to get comfortable. It’s been two years since I’ve worn a nice suit. I loved a quality-cut suit. All of mine were custom made and thankfully, Martin came in and took my measurements when they learned I’d be getting out and had my tailor working overtime to get me two suits by my release day and a dozen within the next week.

  I take off my sunglasses and lower the divider to talk to my driver and friend. Sitting in a sixty-thousand-dollar car with Italian leather seats should feel like heaven, but the burning rage in me made the world hard to enjoy.

  “Joey, take me to my parents’ home.”

  “Yes, sir.” I love being Italian and everything that it means, or at least what it used to mean, but nothing is better than loyalty, even if my right-hand muscle is Irish. He has his own code of ethics and family. I trust him with my life. Hiring Joey was an easy choice because I secured his loyalty after saving his ass, literally, from some boy-pussy-hungry inmates. They never fucked with him again.

  Despite knowing Rafael and someone else in the family betrayed me, I refuse to be anyone else’s pawn. Big, hardened, and strong as fuck, I proved my street credit in prison while still remaining calm. My goal is still to return to my clean life, but I have a few bodies to drop and then it’s all clear from there. Finding those I can trust to take out the trash has been few and far between.

  The drive from my home in Scarsdale, New York to Greenwich, Connecticut takes longer than I’d hoped, but I’m just in time to see my asshole brother drive away. Good. I don’t want them together. I want uncoached answers when I speak to them about my imprisonment.

  We pull up to the gate after Rafael’s a good distance away. “We’re here to see Mr. and Mrs. Marchetti,” Joey says with his extremely thick Boston accent.

  I roll down my window and smile at Anthony. My father’s main guard is completely surprised to see me, but he doesn’t let on whether it’s a good thing or not.

  Gathering himself, he says, “Signor Marchetti, your father and mother will be so pleased to see you.” He opens the gate and lets me in. We take the quarter mile up the driveway quickly, hoping to keep him off kilter. Seconds after we put the car in park, my father comes to the door, but it’s my mother who comes running past him. She moves faster than I ever remember with a smile so wide it takes me by surprise and I smile too.

  “Mi figlio mio. Mi sei mancato.” She hugs me tightly. I can sense the pleasure and fear in her eyes.

  “I missed you too, Mama.” I kiss the top of her head.

  “Come inside, the both of you,” my father whispers his command harshly, looking around nervously as if someone’s going to take us out. I don’t know all the details of what’s going on, but he looks sc
ared.

  “He can wait there,” my father says pointedly referring to my driver. I nod to Joey. I’ll let him have that little bit of upper hand if he thinks it’ll help. Joey can drop every single one of my father’s men in a matter of seconds.

  Looking around at all the guards and then up at my father, Joey says, “Are you sure, boss?”

  “Of course, Joey. I’ll be back soon.” He nods with a smirk. I know he’s not going to sit there wasting his time. I give an discreet tip of my chin to him, and then I walk up the stairs, holding on to my mother’s hand.

  My father claps my face, kissing my cheeks. “I have missed you, my son. You have grown a lot in the past two years.” His words are hollow, but I don’t let on that he’s not giving an Oscar-worthy performance.

  “I’m so glad they were forced to let you go. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there, but I won’t risk your mother’s life.” God, how I survived living here is a damn surprise.

  “Thanks. It’s good to be free,” I remark with a smirk. My goal is to play the grateful son. “Have you learned who set me up?” I question the second we’re through the front doors.

  “I have not. I have men looking into it, but it seems they’ve covered their tracks well. I’m not putting it past the Avanti family.” There were some things I learned in prison, and some things I learned growing up. One was when my father was lying to me, and he’s doing it right now. That pisses me off more than I thought it would. Is he covering for my brother, or does this lie directly at his feet?

  After what I learned, he’s had to live with the kid he didn’t create. I look at my mother, and I doubt she could cheat on him. Hell, he would have killed her for that alone. I wish I could ask her today. My mother wasn’t allowed to visit me in prison without my father, and that visit only came once because it was a hassle to get to the prison. Her letters were always sweet but vague because I’m sure he read through them before she sent them. One thing I’m going to do is set her free if he’s had anything to do with my imprisonment.

  “Please come in. There’s much you have missed,” my mother says. The warmth from her smile takes the edge off my revenge. I know her heart is good. It’s always been that way despite my father’s intentions to destroy the goodness in her. Maybe it was payback for all of his betrayals.

  “Where’s Rafael?” I ask, knowing that he just left.

  “He had some business to attend to, but you know he’s married. You have a sister-in-law now,” my father says with a tinge of gloating in his voice. I can’t wait to meet the whore he chose for his wife. She’ll be on my chopping block too.

  “Wonderful.” I can’t contain the annoyance. I know they wanted me to meet and eventually marry one of the daughters of the Avanti family, but that was when I broke off from the family and a few days before I ended up in cuffs, so he ended up with her.

  “Don’t be like that. She’s a sweet girl.” She swats my arm, scolding me like I’m a child. Something about that genuine feeling gives me the warmth that I didn’t know I was missing. It’s so wonderful to see my mother again. If she’s a good girl, then my brother has probably ruined her. If she’s sweet, she’s stupid for getting involved with Rafael to begin with.

  “Excuse me.” My father briefly steps from the room and returns a moment later. “I’ve called for Giada to join us.”

  I look between them and make my apologies. “I can’t stay long. I have much to do. My company needs my attention, but I had to come see you first.”

  “Please don’t tell me you’re leaving so soon.” My mother looks as if she’s going to cry, and it’s the only thing keeping me here.

  “At least stay for lunch. We were about to eat. Besides, there is some business I would like to talk to you about.” He looks for the distaste in my expression, but I’ve learned a few tricks while incarcerated.

  “Sure. Sounds good. I have some matters to discuss as well.”

  “I will inform the cook,” my mother says, leaving the room for a moment.

  “My boy, it is good to see you, but I can see how you’ve been hardened. You are better than your brother and I ever were. Don’t let the past get in the way of your happiness.” He’s a fucking liar and he does it so smoothly that if I didn’t know better, I’d get caught up in his praise.

  “Let us hope that the past stays that way,” I say, biting my tongue and leaving out the part about how those who did this to me will pay, and how I know he’s not my dad and that’s a part of my past I don’t want in the past.

  “How about a drink?” He waves a tumbler toward me from his sideboard.

  I put my hand up to refuse. “No, thanks. I haven’t had more than a drink in two years, and I’ve had three today.”

  Before he can respond, my mother comes back into the room with a grin. “Okay. It’s all set. The cook is thrilled you are here as well.”

  “Thanks, Mama.”

  My father’s phone vibrates and he lifts his finger, asking us to give him a minute as he excuses himself. “Sorry, I really have to take this.” I nod, letting him know I’m okay with this.

  Once he’s gone, she says, “You mustn’t worry. Cook loves you and the food is safe.”

  “What makes you think I’m worried?”

  She tilts her head the way a mother does when she knows better than you do even when you try to bullshit her. “I know you. No matter how angry and vicious you may be now, you’ll always be my sweet angel. I love you so much. I only wish you had met Giada first.”

  “Why?” I grumble. Any woman that would marry my brother is good for nothing in my eyes. Unless it’s to bend her over with five fucking condoms on. Shit. I don’t want anything to do with my brother’s leftovers. Never have and never will.

  “Because your brother is not good to her, but there’s nothing I can do for her.” Each word out of her mouth rings of pain and regret.

  I’m trying not to feel sorry for this girl, but the plea in my mother’s eyes is hard to argue with. “It’s a shame. She married him.”

  “It wasn’t her choice.” The tension in her voice tells me that she probably didn’t have a choice either when she married a Marchetti, but I want to hear that from her. Unfortunately, I’ll never get her alone long enough to answer that question unless he’s dead or in prison.

  “Ah. One of those. Why didn’t he marry that prostitute he wanted so much?” I’m starting to understand a little more about my new sister-in-law. The Avantis must have made a sweet deal unless Rafael had something on them because there’s no way anyone would force their daughter to marry that piece of shit.

  “Because your father doesn’t approve, and the deal went well for the right price. You both deserve more. Here. This is their wedding photo.” She hands me the framed photo and then takes a seat on the loveseat. I hold in my hands the image of the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and she’s married to my brother. The features on their faces scream pure love. I hold the frame harder than I should, but I can’t stop myself from the instant desire and pain at the same time. I take back every damn thing I just believed a minute earlier. My heart’s thumping out of my chest.

  I continue to stare at it as she comes back to my side and whispers, “If you get a chance, I want you to rescue her. Neither of you deserve the cards you were dealt. And her bedroom is your old one.” That immediately pisses me off. He purposely did that. We have at least fifteen bedrooms in this home, and he gave her the one that belonged to me so he could bang her in there. I’m so damn disgusted, I don’t know if I can hide it.

  “Relax, Mother. I will.” In a whisper, I add, “Tonight.”

  She would have been mine had I not been locked up. I may not have wanted to be a part of the family, but I would have taken one look at her and knew our lives were meant to be spent together. Luckily, I’m facing the corner wall near the fireplace mantle where my father can’t read my expression or see the arousal between my legs when he enters again. Thank fuck for the heavy wooden doors that let me know he’s back
.

  “Ah, your mother showed you your brother’s wife. Beautiful. She will bring many handsome children to the family.” A burning pain engulfs my lungs as if I’ve been poisoned. I can’t describe the acidic taste in my throat as I want to lose my insides, knowing he’s been the one to make her come, the one to worship her beauty. The thought of her carrying his baby instead of mine tears me up inside. We haven’t even met, and I can’t express how much I need her.

  He probably takes her for granted as nothing more than a gorgeous piece of arm candy to show the world. Then again, maybe not. If she were mine, I’d hide her from the world so no one could steal her from me. This is the first picture I have seen of her as if she’s never been spotted out before even though people have been clamoring for one. She’s fucking stunningly beautiful.

  While I get my desire under control, I hear an angry yet very feminine voice outside, followed by a grunt. My father opens the door, but I can’t even face her yet. She enters the room, and I use the reflection of another picture to steal a glimpse of her. My mind goes a million miles an hour as I think of ways to feel her under me. Our eyes meet, and I know that I’m not the only one. A hint of surprise mixed with lust shoots from her caramel-colored eyes. It’s wrong how badly I need to fuck her, and yet so right. Revenge will be sweet. Now for proper introductions.

  Chapter Four

  Giada

  I’m completely transfixed on the man before me. His body is the complete opposite of his brother’s. Hell, everything about his appearance is the polar opposite of Rafael. Well, except the fact that they’re both criminals. That one fact cools my desire and reminds me that we’re not alone.

  Quickly, I gain control of my reaction before I give the wrong impression or maybe even the right one. Santino closes the distance in a quickened but elegant pace. Suddenly, I’m a little lightheaded. I steady myself and greet the prodigal son. “Mr. Marchetti, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” My heart’s beating a million miles an hour. I’m surprised I manage to get any words out.

 

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