It got me thinking about the small fact that neither me nor my team were able to dig up any information about the feud between the Frasers and the DeLucas. We came up blank, but I will find out, although it won’t be from Maria. She really has no idea and I believe her. So, the information will have to come from Giovanni. That’s a conversation for him and me at a later date, once the air settles.
I also believed Giovanni last night when he said Tony’s death was nothing to do with him or Maria. But that now brings me back to having an unsolved murder investigation.
I know Maria might not have said the questions that were running through her mind, but Giovanni and I were both thinking the same. It was in his eyes when he looked at me.
Who killed Tony and why did they keep Maria alive?
And after everything that has happened to her, I believe we all know who is responsible for Tony’s death.
Pete Jamieson.
Pete wants Maria all to himself. He claims he loves her, but I think he just wanted what Tony had. He’s a dangerous man and I believe he’ll be hatching a plot to get back at Maria, and that scares me. Especially now that he knows about us. But I’m not about to stand back and let him destroy her, because I’m certain that is what he’ll set out to do.
Now, we just need to find him and get enough evidence to put him behind bars for a very long time. Because the assault on Maria isn’t enough to do that. He’d probably only get a couple of years for that which doesn’t seem fair after the brutality of the attack on her.
But who said anything about our justice system being fair?
If it was fair, Tony Fraser would’ve been behind bars before someone had the opportunity to murder him, but, oh no. God knows who he was paying off. Someone’s pockets inside the police force were being well and truly lined. Someone on a much higher pay grade than me.
But I’m going to try not to think about that. Not at the moment. I’ll investigate that at a later date. For the next few days, I’m hoping neither of us is going to talk about anything to do with the investigation. I’m anticipating a few days away will do us both the world of good.
Maria’s hand moves slowly from my shoulder and down my chest. I take a deep breath as her hand inches lower, moving over my abs. I can’t take this. I stop her, taking hold of her hand. She giggles.
“I see you’re awake,” I say.
She lifts her head, fluttering her lashes and finally looking at me. “Yes, I’m awake, but I could easily fall back to sleep.”
“Well, do that. Nothing is stopping you.”
“No, because then it would be a waste of our time together.” She has a very valid point. I don’t want to waste our time together either, but not at the expense of her health.
“How about I make us some breakfast and we can eat it in bed?”
“Anyone would think you’re trying to fatten me up.”
“Never. I just want you to look healthy again.”
“Go on then. I’m going to call Joe and ask him to pick me up some clothes from the flat.”
“I’m not sure I want Joe rummaging through your underwear drawer,” I say, unsure about another man picking up her knickers.
“I’m not that keen on that either, but my only other option would be Lou and I’m not ready to bring her here. I need to tell her about us on neutral territory.”
“Okay. Now, do you want to get away for a few days?” I ask, hoping that she does.
“I’m not sure, and please don’t think it’s anything to do with you. I feel as though I’d be running away and hiding, and that’s not who I want to be. I don’t want to play a victim. Not anymore.” I listen to her words and I know she wants to be strong, but I want her to know that she doesn’t have to rely on her own strength. She has me and she’ll never have to cope with anything on her own. Never again.
“Jack, I’m not opposed to spending a few days here with you. I want to speak to Lou at some point today, and if she doesn’t take my news well then it won’t look as though I’ve run off.”
Always thinking of everyone else. I smile. “I’m more than happy to spend a few days locked up with you here. You and me, no disruptions. Oh, I can see lots of possibilities as to how we will spend our time.”
She shakes her head and smiles. “Go and do whatever you’re going to do. I’ll call Joe.”
With a kiss to her head, I get out of bed, throwing on a T-shirt. With a look over my shoulder, she already has her phone in her hand. I leave the bedroom with the biggest grin I’ve had on my face in such a long time.
We might not be going away for a few days, but Maria has agreed to spend time with me here, and yes, I’m reading all sorts into that. I’ve told her I love her, and she hasn’t run for the hills. I’m not expecting any big declarations from her. Not yet, anyway. Because the funny thing is, I know she loves me. I can see it in her eyes and she’ll tell me those words when everything settles down. When she’s able to take back control of her life.
She’s a woman who might always have looked strong and confident to the outside world for years, but the reality is, Tony was always in control. And now Pete wants to do the same. I want her in my life, but not like that. She has to be my equal. I don’t want to control her, only protect her. There is a huge difference.
She’ll get there. I know she will.
I switch the kettle on and open the fridge door. There’s not much inside it. I should go shopping today, stock up. Buzzing distracts me until I see my phone illuminated at the kitchen table.
“Giovanni, what can I do for you?” I say.
“Morning, Detective.”
“Please, just Jack.
“Sorry. Not sure I’ll get used to that.” I can almost hear him smiling. “I just wanted to call and thank you for giving me time with my sister.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“No, but I wanted you to know I appreciate it.”
“You’re more than welcome. I was hoping to take Maria away for a few days, but she wants to speak to Lou today.”
“That’s a good decision. Lou has to find out about the two of you from her, not someone else.” There’s an edge to his voice as he speaks of Lou.
“Agreed. Maria is going to stay here for a few days,” I tell him, hoping that he’ll give his blessing to what I’ve just said. There’s a long pause.
“Fine, Jack.” He sighs. “I’m not going to pretend that I’m happy with this situation, but I do know you’ll look out for Maria. Your relationship will cause problems…”
“I’ll stop you there. I love your sister and I won’t hide that from you. I’ve also told you that I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. And at the moment, here with me is one of the safest places. The other is with you. If she decides that she feels safer with you, I won’t hesitate. It will be me bringing her to you.”
“I know you will. But with you is probably safer, although when you’re working, I’m not sure.”
“When I go back to work in a few days we can sort something out.”
“Okay. I’ll let you go. Speak to you soon.” He ends our call and I stand, looking out of the window into the garden. I’m taken back to the night when I was broken into. She’s safe when I’m here, but I can’t leave her here alone.
Not when I know Pete knows where I live.
Where the fuck is he? We need to find him. Sooner rather than later.
Toast. I’ll make us some tea and toast, then when Joe brings around some clothes for Maria, we can go food shopping together.
I grab the tray my mother bought years ago from the cupboard. I remember thinking at the time, why the hell would anyone need this? Turns out it’s perfect to serve breakfast in bed. I don’t remember her ever using it, but then again, there are a lot of things in my house that belonged to my mum that she never used. I just couldn’t bring myself to part with most of it. I was never a mummy’s boy growing up, but when you lose the one person who has always loved you and been there for you, you want
to hold onto them in any way you can. That’s why my house is filled with lots of her stuff.
I wasn’t prepared to let her go. Just like I’m not prepared to let Maria go.
Setting everything on the tray, two cups of tea and some toast, I carry it up the stairs. Maria is sitting up in my bed, flicking through her phone, and I have to admit, seeing her there sends warm shivers through my body. She belongs there. She looks heavenly.
“What are you staring at?” she asks, taking me away from my thoughts. I walk into the room and set the tray down on her lap.
“Just you. And thinking to myself I’m one lucky man.”
“Yes, you are,” she says, grabbing a slice of toast and taking a bite. I sit down on the bed beside her, take a drink of my tea, and watch her. Even first thing in the morning, she looks perfect. “Can you stop it?”
“Stop what?”
“Looking at me like I’m breakfast.”
“You for breakfast would be heaven.”
She sighs. “I need some time.” I know she does and I’m more than happy to wait.
“You can have all the time in the world.” I lean over and press a kiss to her lips, licking off the crumbs of her toast.
Neither of us says anything else as we sit back and eat our toast in a comfortable silence. There’s a loud knock, or more like banging, on my front door. “That’ll be Joe,” she says.
“I’ll get it.”
“I’m going to grab a quick shower then, if that’s okay?”
“Of course it is. My home is yours, so treat it as such.” Her smile takes a moment to reach her eyes, but when it does, there’s a warm glow on her face. I kiss her before leaving her alone, satisfied with the fact that she’s accepting me in her life.
I walk down the stairs and open the front door. It’s not Joe standing on my front doorstep. It’s a woman with her back to me, holding a bag. And I recognise her hair. She spins around. “Detective.” I hear the venom in her voice. She knows.
“Lou, come on in,” I say as she walks past me into the house, throwing me the dirtiest look I’ve ever seen. I guess I’m in the bad books. But why the hell is she here? I thought Maria called Joe.
This is going to be interesting.
Chapter Nine
Maria
I stand with only a towel wrapped around me and stare at him, not believing what he’s just said. “Hold on. Lou is downstairs? Why?”
“At a guess, bringing your clothes.” He holds up the bag before putting it on the bed. “Get dressed and come downstairs, please, and speak to your friend, because she sure as hell doesn’t want to talk to me.”
I hear the pleading tone of his voice. He doesn’t want to be left alone with Lou. If her mood is that foul, I’m not sure I even want to see her.
He leaves the room and I sigh heavily. I’ll kill Joe for this. Although, I’m sure it won’t be his fault. I know how demanding Lou can be, especially when she feels out of the loop. I quickly dress, pulling on jeans and a t-shirt. My hair is soaking wet, but with Lou downstairs, I have no time to do anything with it. I grab a hairbrush from my bag, brush it through, and tie it back. With a glance in the mirror, I leave the comfort of Jack’s bedroom. I still look like shit, but I look better than I have in recent weeks.
Jack is coming from the kitchen as I get to the bottom of the stairs. “Are you okay?” he asks, his voice laced with concern.
“Yes.”
“Well, then you may as well get this over with.”
He’s right. I walk into the sitting room. Lou is pacing the floor but stops, turning. I come face-to-face with her. There’s a tightness in her expression, one I’ve never seen before. Her eyes are cold as she looks at me.
“What the fucking hell, Maria? You and I are meant to be friends and you’re keeping this from me?” she shouts, pointing between me and Jack. My eyes fall to the floor and I’m not sure I can look at her. “And as for you, Detective, you won’t get off lightly either. You must be breaking all sorts of rules. I’m sure this, whatever this is, could cost you your job.”
“Now, hold on a minute. This is my house, and while I appreciate you’re pissed off, you can appreciate that if you keep shouting I’ll be removing you. Maria doesn’t need to listen to your bullshit,” Jack says, taking my hand. I offer him a smile, but even I know it’s weak. “It’ll be okay,” he whispers.
I finally lift my head and walk over to the couch and sit down. If Lou wants an argument, I need to be seated.
“This might be your house, but can you at least understand why I’m angry?”
“Of course I can, and that’s why I’ll be in the kitchen, letting you two talk alone. Having said that, if I hear your voice raised, I will not only ask you to leave, I’ll throw you out.”
“Fine,” Lou huffs, not looking at me but focusing on Jack as he smiles at me and leaves Lou and me alone. I’m starting to feel bad. This is Jack’s house, and yet again, he’s making himself scarce. “Right, you. Tell me what the fuck is going on. And was it his baby you lost?”
“How bloody dare you! No. It wasn’t his baby. It was Tony’s, and I’m glad I’m no longer pregnant.”
She gasps at my venomous words. “That’s an awful thing to say.”
“No, it’s not. I never wanted a baby to grow up in the world we’ve lived in. You should understand that more than anyone. Just look at your girls. They don’t see most of it, but could you imagine a child of Tony’s not following in his footsteps?” She frowns and lowers her head shamefully. Lou doesn’t know the half of what’s gone on. “The way in which I had a miscarriage, I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy, but it doesn’t change the fact that I didn’t want Tony’s baby.”
She sits down beside me and takes my hand. “I know, and I’m sorry you had to go through that. But I’m confused. You and the detective? It doesn’t seem that long ago since my brother died and now here you are in someone else’s arms. Just when I think I’ve made sense of your relationship with my brother, something else pops up, leaving me questioning everything including my own sanity.”
“For you it won’t seem that long, but for me my marriage was over a long time ago,” I say, my voice filled with a certain air of sadness. Not because of Tony, but because I now have to tell Lou some of the truth and I’m not sure she’ll believe me. I’ve never wanted to hurt her.
“Tell me. Help me out here because I’m struggling with the enormity of everything going on around me.”
“Okay,” I say softly, looking into her eyes and seeing a deep sadness spread over her face in preparation for what I’m about to tell her. “Our relationship hadn’t been great for months, maybe even longer. I went to the club a few months back and couldn’t find Tony anywhere, so I wandered down the stairs into the cellar where there was lots of shouting and crying. Pete was torturing some young guy he had tied to a chair, but there was a young girl and…” I stop and take a deep breath to steady my building nerves. “She was pinned against a wall and Tony… well, I watched as he ripped her underwear from her body and then unfastened his trousers. Or maybe it was the other way around. I can’t remember now. Pete or Tony told the guy that he would have to watch as they both raped her.” Lou’s hand shakes uncontrollably in mine and her tears run slowly down her face. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear about your brother and I’m sorry I have to tell you. The night of his death, he came home smelling of another woman and yet he still wanted me to satisfy his needs. He wouldn’t take no for an answer and I ended up giving in, letting him do what he wanted.”
“He raped you?”
“It wasn’t the first time. More fool me for not leaving him. At one point, yes, I loved Tony, but when he died, I was relieved that I wouldn’t have to put up with all his crap anymore.”
“I don’t know what to say except that I’m sorry he put you through that. Is this why you want Mark out?”
“Yes. Lou, you and the girls deserve so much more. Think of the life you could have if you weren’t mix
ed up in all this criminal activity. No looking over your shoulder. Not having to worry if some gangster will suddenly do something stupid that involves the girls.”
“Where does the detective fit in?” she asks, her eyes cautiously looking toward the door.
“Jack will give us space. I don’t know how we ended up together, but I’m finding myself falling for him a little more with every passing day. I don’t know what else to say. I love you, and you’ll always be family to me, but I’ll understand if things have changed for you.”
“I still love you too,” she says through her tears, and I move closer, wrapping my arms around her as we both cry. “You were my friend before Tony and you’ll always be my friend. I’m mad as hell with you for not telling me what was going on. I’m mad at myself too, because I’ve always known what Tony was like. He was my father’s son, that’s for sure. I had hoped that he would change over the years with you. If you had told me, I could’ve helped you.”
“How could I tell you what he was doing? He was your brother.”
“You should’ve. Just like you should’ve told me about your dishy detective.” She pulls back from my hold, wiping her eyes, and smiles. “He is dishy, and I said that way back in the hospital.”
“Yes, you did. Now what?” I ask, wondering how we get past this.
“Now, we try to move on with our lives. Protect ourselves and my girls. Ensure they don’t grow up in the same circles as we did.”
“I’m with you on that.”
“What about you? What are you going to do now?”
“I’m going to stay here for a few days with Jack. Then I’ll be back at the club, working. And James is sorting through paperwork and bank accounts to get everything legitimate for me.”
“I’ll call him tomorrow and he can sort out things for me and Mark. It would be good not having him disappear whenever Pete summons him.”
“Has he been in touch?” I ask.
“No, and I’ve enjoyed having Mark with me these past few weeks. Does Pete know about you two?”
Love and Truth Page 5