Stolen Wife

by Carina Blake

  “What?” both detectives say simultaneously.

  “Yeah, and that guy was his partner.” He pointed to the one who dropped the cyanide tablets in my decanter. “His car number was 9176. I only remember because it’s the opposite of mine, 6719. And I think his name was Vincent.” He points to the guy distracting the other guy.

  “Do you swear you don’t know them?” Detective Morel asks Romo.

  “You can check everywhere. I’m on the up and up. I can’t stand the Marchetti family, especially Rafael Sr.,” Detective Romo says.

  “We have something in common,” I remark. “If you cross me, I’ll suddenly become the killer they accused me of being. I will do whatever I can to come out of this war alive.”

  “Understood.” He chuckles to himself as if he’s thinking of something funny. “Now I know why I was put on this one.”

  “Why?”

  “I was married to one of his mistresses five years ago. I hate the prick. He started screwing her to get at me on the force. He wanted me to lose it and get myself fired or dead.”

  “I’m sorry about her. He’s a piece of shit.”

  “Frankly, I’m hoping his wife got away. From what I learned, she came from the Avanti family and there’s rumors that they dabble in the underage human trafficking business. The Feds are handling the matter and don’t want us interfering in their sting, so it’s only rumors on my end.”

  “That’s my take on it.” I’m not going to tell him shit. I still don’t trust him at all. “Enough about that. What about my place? The whole place needs a scrub down after your men spent thirty minutes tearing through it.”

  “Sorry. Take it up with the department with a bill. You obviously aren’t going to want us in your home again.”

  “Damn right, I don’t.” I don’t want a single cop anywhere near my property if I can help it.

  “Excuse me. Can I have a word with you, Mr. Marchetti?” Morel interrupts. He grabs me by the bicep and tugs me gently. I follow him to the side away from the rest of the officers. “I’m sorry, but I have some questions about your friend.”

  “Go ahead and ask.”

  “Do you have an idea who did this?” Okay. Why couldn’t he ask me that in front of the others? It’s a simple question unless he truly doesn’t trust Romo either.

  “I don’t know who, but I was more than likely the target.” It’s an honest answer.

  “For a man proven innocent, you’re in a lot of trouble lately.”

  He has no idea what the past few days have brought, much to my chagrin. “Yeah, well. I went away because they wanted me out of the picture.”

  “You know. You look so damn familiar to me,” he says, rubbing his chin.

  “Maybe you saw my trial on TV or some shit.”

  “No. It’s not that. I’m thinking of a murder victim.” I cock my brow at him. “He worked for your father a long time ago.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes...and he was married to your mother.”

  “What? What the hell did you just tell me?” I bite out in a hushed whisper.

  “Listen. I can’t give you more details here.”

  “Fine. Let’s go down to the police station and you can fill me in.”

  “Sounds good.” I walk over to my security, telling one of them to follow us in my vehicle. I’m not that naïve to trust some random-ass cop especially after the past two years.

  I let him take me in his unmarked car and we go to the station.

  About halfway there, the silence gets the better of me. “So tell me a little more.”

  “I’d just joined the police force when the call came and was the first on the scene. I didn’t have any experience, and he’d been the first death I’d ever seen. I felt sick to my stomach, so as soon as the detective arrived, I’d been told to move along.”

  “What did you do after?”

  “I took the report and typed it up. They sent me out to canvas the area the next day, but with business offices in the vicinity, most people had already gone home before the shooting occurred.”

  We arrive at the station and I can’t help but turn my head in every feasible direction to check for danger. I’d look crazy to anyone else, but Morel is looking around as well. Several officers are staring at us as he leads me to an interrogation room. “Would you like anything to drink?”

  “A bottle of water would be good.”

  “Okay.” I wait in the room for about twenty seconds when he hands me a water bottle and then excuses himself. “Give me five minutes to get everything together.”

  I nod and twist open the cap, guzzling it down in one long drink. I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was until I took the first drink. It’s been one hell of a day, and I have so many questions floating through my mind.

  My mind races while he’s gone. I’m anxious for news on Dimitri. I send a text to my guards at the hospital. They reply a minute later. No change yet.

  When he comes in, he’s holding a new manila folder. “The case is closed, so you can keep this copy.”

  My hands are shaking as I open it up. The first picture I see is my mother posing with a man who looks just like me. This answers the question of my paternity that I planned to ask my mother about.

  “Do you think my mother knew?” She looks so happy in the photo, but she married the guy who might have been the one to kill him.

  With a negative shake of his head, he says, “No. See, he was an accountant and got mixed up with your...well, Marchetti’s business.” I nod as I listen. “You were born a few days before he was gunned down. Your mother was devastated and because of the way it happened, she thought it was Marchetti and told us so, but then it led us to one of the D’Angelo family members, so we prosecuted him. Two years ago, he was shivved in prison.”

  I’m listening to him, but my brain is trying to comprehend what he’s saying, “I don’t know what to say.”

  “I’m sorry, but when I saw you, I knew I had to bring it to your attention that I remembered your father’s case. I just didn’t realize you didn’t know anything about it, including that Marchetti wasn’t your biological father.”

  “You’ve solved a riddle for me. I’ve been trying to figure out why they would want to bring me down, and now I know that it has to do with my parentage.” I look for his name. Santino Benedetti.

  “Holy fuck!” My blood boils. I’d been named after a man I knew nothing about. It breaks my heart. There’s no way I can let this go, and my mother has a lot to answer for. I slam the folder closed and stand, sending my chair backward, too damn frustrated to sit still.

  “This doesn’t mean you can go after him.”

  “Then what the fuck did you give it to me for?”

  “Because you deserved to know.”

  “I need to get out of here.” I rub my hand over my face. I’m fucking losing it and I know that the only thing that can make it better is answers and Marchetti’s head on a fucking platter. I scoop up the file and walk to the door.

  “Wait. I have a bunch of questions about Dimitri.” Shit—the whole reason Morel came to the hospital in the first place.

  Frustrated, I pull out my cell phone, pull up the text messages, and slide it across the table. “Look at these. I got them seconds after the shooting.”

  He catches my phone and scrolls through the messages. “Damn it. Wow. Okay. I need a copy of these.”

  “I’ll screenshot them and send it to you.” He spits out his cell phone number and I send over the images.

  “Do you have anything else besides these?”

  “Not about Dimitri, but I recorded a call with my father where he threatened to kill my mother if I didn’t take a meeting with him minutes before the bullets started flying.”

  “Do you have it on you?”

  “I do.” I play it back and then send the recording to him.

  After an hour, he’s made some calls and returns with news. “I want you to go home and get some sleep, but I’m planning to call you in
ass early. We’re going to issue a warrant for the arrest of Marchetti for the threat on you and your mother. I’ve gone to a judge I know can’t be bought.” I smile, knowing shit’s about to go down.

  We shake hands and I follow him out to my security who is waiting for me.

  “Let’s go home. I want to be back here as soon as we can.”

  When I get home, I eat something small because I’m fucking exhausted and just want to sleep, but first I have to call Joey to find out about Giada.

  “How’s it going there?”

  “Things are getting dicey. Your prized cow has been bullish. She’s ready to run out of the barn every few minutes.” Oh God. Giada would lose her mind if she knew we were referencing her as a cow. It’s not cool, but I have no choice. I wanted to keep them off her scent as long as possible, and just in case someone was listening in, I didn’t want them to figure out it was her.

  “Well, soon she’ll settle down. When the calves come. How is your family?”

  “They’re not much better than the cow.”

  “Sorry to hear that.” I inform him of what happened to Dimitri before calling it a night. Tomorrow, I’ll tap into his security cameras and see my woman. It’s all I can do at the moment. Soon, I’ll be claiming her for sure.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Santino

  As he left to handle the arrest, he adds, “Your brother is going to be brought in for questioning as well.”

  I’ve been waiting in the room for two hours when Morel comes back in. “We’re separating them right now. We’ll bring in Mrs. Marchetti and then you can speak to her.” My anxiety kicks in and I’m out of my seat, ready to get this all over with.

  I tap my fingers on the file that holds secrets, lies, and a man taken too soon. The door opens, and my mother smiles widely. “Santino, my baby.” She throws her arms around me, but this time I don’t hug her.

  “Mother.” She backs off, tilting her head in curiosity. I feel like a bastard for hurting her, but I’ve been through hell and my life has been nothing but one fucking lie after another.

  “What’s wrong, mio figlio?”

  “What’s wrong is that for thirty years, I believed that bastard you’re married to was my father, but you hid him from me.” I open the file to their picture and lift it so she can see.

  Immediately she breaks down in tears, collapsing onto the chair. Taking the photo from me, she says, “God, I still miss him so much.” Her voice cracks and I finally notice the frailty of my mother. She brushes her hand over his face as tears continue to fall. She closes her eyes, bringing the picture to her chest, cradling it. “He’ll kill me now for sure now that you know.”

  “Who are you talking about? Your husband?”

  It takes her a few minutes to calm down enough to speak. She looks around the room and sees the camera. “I don’t know who’s watching, but it’s best I tell you the truth either way.” She takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “Thirty-three years ago, I met your real father in Sicily where I grew up. He was handsome, just like you, although he was shy and well, we fell in love. He was only there for a business trip and had never been there before. It was wonderful. He asked for my hand and my father agreed. We were poor, and he saw the promise in your father’s eyes when he said he’d take care of me. We were married about two months later and then I came back to America with him.” She breaks down again, sobbing into her handkerchief.

  “I loved him so much. It took a while for us to get pregnant with you, but we felt so blessed. Then one day, a new client came into your father’s office and wanted his services. Even though your father turned him down, he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Your father was beaten badly and had gone along to protect me and our unborn baby. He couldn’t wait to see your face. He loved you so much, but we didn’t realize that I had captured the eye of the up-and-coming boss of the family, Rafael. At the time, his father had run the operation. When he saw me, he made passes at me, but I refused him always. I’d never betray your father. Things were quiet until two days after you were born. Your father had to finally go to the office and handle some things, but he never made it home. He was gunned down right there.”

  “And you still married that bastard.”

  “I didn’t know it was him, but I had my suspicions. Then they pinned it on the D’Angelo family almost immediately. The arrest was made that night. I cried for days on end, so much so I was sent to the hospital. When they were to release me, I learned that the state had taken you away from me. I had to find a way to get you back, but it wasn’t that easy. By losing my mind over your father, they believed I was an unfit mother. That’s when Rafael made me a deal. If I’d marry him, he’d get you back for me.”

  “I didn’t want to, but they already had you living with another family. I needed my sweet boy, so I agreed. The day of the wedding, the papers were signed to bring you back home. It took a few weeks, but you were mine. I got to hold you and love you every day.”

  “Did you know it was him who killed my father?”

  “It was the day your brother was born. We had been fighting like crazy because I was still in love with the ghost of your father. I’d been ready to leave with the both of you boys, but he beat me so badly and I went into labor early.” I slam my hand down on the metal table. She pats my hand. “Calm down, Santino. I can stop if you want.”

  “No, please continue.” I’m already picturing what I want to do to that son of a bitch.

  “Rafael didn’t take me to the hospital right away, though, because he wanted to make sure none of the bruises were visible. I only had a red mark on my face that cleared up before he allowed me to go. Your brother almost died, and he blamed me for it. Then after they put him in the NICU, he came up to me and said, ‘If my son dies, I’ll kill your little bastard like I killed Benedetti.’ He laughed and said, ‘God, I looked him right in the eyes and told him that I was going to enjoy his wife and I sure have.’ I suffered in the hospital for three more days, hemorrhaging. The only thing that kept me alive was the fear that he’d harm you because God knows how much I ached to go to your father.”

  I can’t even explain how angry and sad that makes me. Fuck, I’d never hurt a woman, especially a pregnant woman. “Is that why you stayed with him all these years?”

  “Yes. When you were leaving to start your own life outside of his organization, I told him that I was going with you. That nothing could stop me. The next day he had you arrested for murder. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. Everything wrong in your life is because of me. Your father’s death was because of me.”

  He trapped her like an animal, using me as the bargaining chip. I can’t stop myself. I pull my mom into my arms. “No. It was because of him. If you never married him, I’m sure he would have forced you. He just tried to butter you up. In all these years, he’s loved the control he’s had over you. I never wondered why you stayed. I knew you feared him. I just didn’t know it was because of me.”

  She pulls back and caresses my cheek. “When I saw Giada, I just knew she needed to get out of there.”

  I cut her off with another hug because I can’t let on that I have her, at least not with ears everywhere. “You’re coming with me.”

  She pulls away and stands. “He’ll kill you.” She’s petrified of him, but I’ll never let him touch her again.

  “He’s already tried several times. Rafael and his father think I took Giada.” I made sure I said that loud enough for the camera because I want them to believe that I don’t have her. Someone on their team must be watching, but my guys are also watching, and my phone has been recording it all.

  I pull back and say, “He’s been arrested, and we’re going.”

  I grab her hand and the file and head to the door. My gun is under my coat, and I’m ready to use it at a moment’s notice. Morel opens the door and says, “We’re going to drop you off under a police escort. He’s locked up, and Rafael is in questioning right now.”

  “Good, but
they have eyes everywhere.”

  “Speaking of, we picked up that officer. One was an actual officer out of the 9th district who is being questioned as well and the other was his thug cousin who works for the D’Angelo family.”

  “The D’Angelo family?” What the fuck do they have to do with it? Could they be looking for revenge over one of their own taking the blame for my father’s death?

  “Yes. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m guessing this is more tangled up than I believed.”

  I ARRIVE AT THE HOUSE with Martin meeting us. “Sir, the house has been cleaned, swept for bugs again, and any food items they were near have been tossed just for safety precautions.”

  “Good. Now, please prepare a room for my mother. She’s going to need a guard with her all the time.”

  “Get some rest. I’ll speak to you in a little while.” She nods.

  “Can I have this?” She’s holding his picture.

  “Of course.”

  “It’s been so long.”

  “This is Andrea and Matteo. They are best to look after your mother.” I nod and shake their hands. “Please make sure nothing happens to her.”

  “Understood.”

  “Excuse me, but she looks like she’s going to crumble. Maybe you should bring her some food and drinks.”

  “Thanks, Andrea.”

  “Martin, please have Rita prepare something light.”

  “She’s already getting started. She had to sanitize her entire kitchen. She’s been freaking out, and Jasper went to get her all the groceries she needed to calm her down.”

  It’s the first time I can truly smile. “That sounds like her. Thanks, Martin.”

  “Please excuse me.” I go into my office, needing to breathe. My thoughts go to Giada, and it strikes me how I’m doing the same thing. I intend on killing my brother and taking his wife. “Fuck,” I grumble.

  I read through the documents to see if there’s anything that can lead to my stepfather as the killer. I’m going to kill him.

  My phone rings, and it’s Rafael. I smirk, knowing this was coming. “You better bring back my mother.”