Love and Truth

by FRANCES, KAREN

  “Jack, what’s wrong?”

  “Mark, I didn’t want to say in front of Lou, but there’s a fire at your house. It’s out of control.” His body falls back against the wall and he looks done. He’s had enough and I can’t say I blame him. “Mark. I’m sorry.”

  “Everything we had is in that house. It’s full of memories. All the girls’ things, toys.”

  Giovanni puts his hand on his shoulder. “You will always have your memories, and as for the girls, we can get them everything they need. You’ve had a shock, but you need to pull yourself together for your wife and daughters. They’re going to need you, especially coming to stay in a stranger’s home.”

  “Giovanni, I can’t thank you enough for doing this,” Mark says, as I glance between the two.

  “Regardless of what’s gone on in the past, I’m not going to stand back and watch on from the side as that bastard destroys innocent lives. That’s not the man I am.”

  “No, and I see that.”

  “What about Maria? With me not being able to stay.”

  “I’ll leave two of my men with her and Joe, and I’ll take everyone else home.”

  “Thank you, and Mark, as soon as I know anything, I’ll give you the details.”

  He nods but his eyes are full of sadness and regret. Fuck, my heart is breaking for his family.

  * * *

  So much for me wondering what to do with my night. I pull into the street that is now cordoned off. Blue lights are flashing from all the emergency vehicles. I get out of my car and flash my badge to an officer before ducking under the tape and going in search of Craig and some of my officers.

  What a mess. Craig was right; they are struggling to control the fire. “Boss.”

  “What do we know?” I ask him.

  “According to a neighbour, the family left about thirty minutes before she saw the smoke. She thought they were going on holiday as she saw them with some suitcases.” I listen to his words and frown. “Do you know something?”

  “Yes. I’ve just left them at Crave. Both Lou and Mark had been getting constant calls from a withheld number today. They think it’s Pete. Then, before she packed up a few things, a brick was hurled through the living room window. Lou’s scared for her and the girls.”

  “Well, at least we know none of them were in the house.”

  I rub my head, tired but grateful that there will be no bodies. “Did anyone see or hear anything?”

  “We don’t know yet, but I’ve got officers doing door-to-door enquiries. Hopefully, someone will tell us information we don’t already know.”

  Watching everything going on takes me right back to the night of the fire at Maria’s home. My mind wanders, thinking about everything that’s happened in my life since then. Chaos springs to mind, and I smile.

  My smile is ripped from my face when I see a rush of activity. Paramedics rushing towards the still burning house with a trolley. There was no one in the house.

  “What the fuck?” A fire officer has someone or something over his shoulder and is walking towards them. “We need to know who or what that is.”

  Craig moves away quickly from my side and I look on, shocked. The house was meant to be empty, so who is that? From where I’m standing, I can’t see much, and maybe this time around that’s not such a bad thing. After a long five minutes, Craig walks back toward me, his face solemn.

  “Well?” I ask.

  “Whoever it is is dead, and they were dead before the fire. Looks like a gunshot wound.”

  “Do we not have any idea who it is?” I ask, and Craig can only shake his head. “I fucking hate this!”

  “You and me both.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Maria

  It’s late, like after four a.m. kind of late. I’ve done nothing but yawn since I got in the back of the car. Poor Joe; he’s tired too. At least I can sit here and try to relax, but he can’t. He’s driving me to my brother’s estate out of town. I’m not entirely happy about this decision that’s been made on my behalf. I thought I was past the stage of having my life dictated to me, even though I understand the reasons behind it.

  There’s a car following us; two of Giovanni’s men. They’ve kept themselves busy at the club. I don’t think my own security were happy about their presence, but I didn’t care.

  As we drive into the grounds of my brother’s estate, my body tenses. What the hell was he thinking having us all under the one roof? A recipe for disaster. Or will we be sitting ducks? Having us all together might not have been one of Giovanni’s best ideas. We’ll all be in the same place should Pete decide to make his move.

  My body relaxes a little when I see Jack’s car beside Giovanni’s. I wasn’t sure if he would keep his word and come here or just go home. I’m glad he’s here.

  “Maria, you look tired,” Joe says as he opens the car door.

  “Same could be said of you. It’s been a long day.”

  “That it has. Will you be discussing McGovern with Jack and your brother?”

  We walk toward the front door. “I hope not. That’s a conversation that will need to wait until I’ve slept.” There are too many things that have happened today, or yesterday, and I just want to curl my body into Jack’s and fall into a deep sleep, but I’m not sure that will happen either.

  Joe nods, opening the door. The two security men follow us into the house but go in a different direction to us. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here. A few years. Giovanni spends most of his time at his luxury flat in the city centre. He had this house built for him about twelve years ago. My parents owned the land it’s on. Their own house was and still is only about a five minute walk away. They all hoped I would build my own home out here, but Tony was never interested in doing that. Any time I brought up the idea, he refused to even consider it an option for us.

  The house seems quiet, really quiet considering Giovanni has staff and security living here and now an extra few unexpected guests. As I wander through the hallway, making my way to the kitchen, I hear light voices.

  Jack, my brother, and Mark are all sitting around the table. There’s a bottle of whiskey in the middle and a glass in front of each of them.

  “So, while some of us have been busy working, you three are having a little bonding session,” I say, stepping into the kitchen. All three heads turn and face me. I walk toward Jack but stop in my tracks. That smell. A smell I’ll never forget. “What’s happened?” I ask, looking at Joe. He shrugs.

  “Come and sit down, both of you,” Giovanni says, pulling a chair out from under the table. Joe takes that one and I cross the short distance to Jack and sit on his knee. The smell catches in the back of my throat and I try to take a deep breath to steady my breathing, but I can’t. Smoke and fire is all I smell and see, and suddenly I’m right back to the night that changed my life. Flames burning high into the dark night sky as I sink to the ground, watching everything I own disappear before my eyes.

  My body shakes.

  “Sorry. I forgot how bad I smell after being at a fire scene.” He strokes my back. He’s so in tune with me that he knows what’s going through my head.

  “Can one of you just tell me what the hell has happened? And why you three are actually spending time together?”

  I glance around the table. Under normal circumstances, none of them would choose to spend time with each other.

  “Shortly after Lou and Mark left their house, it was torched.” I gasp at Jack’s statement. “There’s nothing left but ashes, and a dead body.”

  “Whose body, and does Lou know?” And I thought our lives couldn’t get any more confusing. How wrong was I?

  “We don’t know. But whoever it was died before the fire from a gunshot wound. From what I’ve been told we’ll have to wait on dental reports unless something is found during the autopsy. And no, Lou doesn’t know yet,” Jack tells me.

  I glance across the table and Joe looks as shocked as I feel.

  “Can I get ei
ther of you anything?” my brother asks, pushing his chair back and standing. “I’m forgetting my manners.”

  “Nothing for me, except tell me where I’m sleeping,” I say with a yawn. I can’t take any more information in. My head is struggling to process everything it has in it at the moment.

  “Jack already knows. You have the farthest away room upstairs so hopefully the girls won’t disturb you in the morning when they get up. Joe, I’ll show you to your room when you’re ready.”

  I leave the comfort of Jack’s arms and walk around to my brother. “Grazie. I appreciate everything you’ve done for not just me tonight,” I say, giving him a kiss. “Goodnight, Joe, Mark. I’ll see you both later. Joe, could we rearrange my twelve o’clock meeting?”

  “Consider it done.”

  Jack holds out his hand and I take it even though the smell of smoke from him is turning my stomach. The walk through the house and up the grand staircase is quiet. Both the girls must be sound asleep. I hope Lou is sleeping too. She needs the rest because those girls of hers will want to go exploring as soon as they wake up. And there’s lots for them to see here on the estate.

  “Giovanni gave me a quick tour when I arrived. This place is mighty impressive.”

  “It is. It’s just a pity he has no one to share it with.”

  “About that. Was there something between him and Lou?”

  “Ah, you picked up on that,” I say as he holds open the bedroom door. “Yes, growing up they were really close. In their teens they even dated. But it was only briefly. Then Tony ensured Lou was never around him. I had always hoped they would find their way back to each other when I was younger. But it wasn’t to be when Lou met Mark.”

  I stop and stare around the bedroom and smile. It hasn’t changed much. Still how I remember it. I’m sure the rest of the house is the same.

  “What are you smiling at?” Jack spins me in his arms.

  “I designed most of the rooms in this house.”

  “A designer! I never knew that. It’s not too shabby.”

  “Hey, you.” I slap his arm away from me. “Stop with the teasing and please, for the love of God, go and shower. You stink.”

  He pulls me into his arms. “And now you stink too, so you’ll have to shower with me.”

  “That wasn’t in my plans.”

  “Maybe not, but it’s firmly in mine.”

  I shake my head, pull from his hold, and walk toward the bathroom, which is the size of my flat. Why my brother needs a house this damn big, I’ll never know, but in the wee small hours, I’m grateful it is. It means we won’t disturb anyone else in the house with our antics.

  Warm arms wrap around my waist. I sink into his body. Even though I’m tired beyond exhaustion, I still want him.

  “Now, this is a bathroom we could have a lot of fun in,” he whispers, kissing my neck. My eyes close and I take a moment to enjoy the feeling of being in his arms.

  A girl could get used to this.

  Opening my eyes, I spin around. “We could, but not until you do something about that damn smell of burning and smoke. It’s really making me feel queasy.”

  He studies me for a moment then suddenly strips and climbs in the shower. “Holy fuck!” he all but yelps as he turns on the shower. I can’t help but laugh.

  “Cold? Give it a minute.”

  I start to undress because I know by the time I climb in beside him, the water will be perfect. I watch him and see his body relax, and I know it’s warm enough for me. With a deep breath, I get in the shower and hand him the shower gel. He almost pouts like a girl. “Wash first.”

  “You’re bossy,” he says, taking the shower gel from me and opening the bottle. “But you get away with it because you’re very easy on the eye. More so now.” As his deep penetrating gaze falls leisurely over my body, my skin prickles. Warmth spreads quickly through me. I’d expected him to put on a show getting washed, but, oh no, not my man. I’ve never seen someone wash so fast.

  Standing under the warm running water I watch him discard the shower gel onto the floor. With his eyes on me, he takes a step closer to me. “Better?” he asks.

  I inhale deeply. “Much. And now that you smell clean, I want you.” I was tired, but it’s suddenly worn off.

  He traces my face gently with his finger. I all but moan at the contact. A slow smile plays on his lips. Lips that I want on me. I don’t have the patience to wait for him to make the first move, so I grab onto his shoulders pulling his naked, wet body closer to mine. His gaze flicks between my eyes and my mouth. And he doesn’t wait another second. Jack lowers his head. His soft lips find mine with the same sense of urgency that is racing through me. My heart pounds frantically in my chest, as it does in all moments we share like this

  Arms snake around me. Warm water rains upon us. Desire unfurls. My hands trail down his back. I’m secretly smiling and loving the fact that my touch has the same effect on him as his does on me. It’s the first time I’ve really noticed him shiver from my touch.

  His lips leave mine and he almost fights against me as I try to pull him back to me. “Sorry, sweetheart. You might’ve started this but I’m in control now. Turn around.” I do as he says. I now have my back to him and I’m waiting with bated breath on his next command. “Bend over. Hands on the wall.”

  I gasp when he slaps my arse. “This is what we both need and then I’m taking you into bed and I’m going to lie with you in my arms all night long. But for now, I’m going to fuck you.” He thrusts deep into me with his last words and all I can do is keep my hands firmly against the wall and hope that my legs don’t give way beneath me.

  Chapter Twenty

  Jack

  “Afternoon,” I say, entering Giovanni’s very modern and grand kitchen. The detective part of me wants to ask how he can afford all this. But there’s another part of me that says, who cares how he’s paid for it? It’s none of my business. Although, I do know their parents were wealthy and the restaurant is very profitable. I’ve had it checked out and everything seems above board. He, Mark, and Joe are all sitting at the kitchen table. The patio doors are open, and I can hear the girls outside playing. Lou is sitting outside keeping an eye on them.

  A chorus of ‘afternoon’ rings out. “Is my sister still sleeping?”

  “Yes. I thought I should let her rest.” I’m hoping she’ll be talkative after a good sleep. There’re so many blanks from yesterday that need to be filled in and only Maria can give me some of the answers. I sit down and Mark gets up, offering me some coffee, which I need. “Joe, are all Maria’s plans for today cancelled?” I ask, hoping that I have time to talk properly without her rushing away to attend meetings.

  “Yes. I’m trying to figure out how to keep her away from Crave tonight. And there’s a matter over at Exquisite that needs dealing with.”

  I’m relieved that she’ll be here with me, but I’m curious. “What matter?”

  “James and the accountant have been going through the accounts for both clubs and we have a few problems. Someone has it in for our Maria.” He has my full attention. “We think the manager of Crave has been putting money through the bank, but it would seem Exquisite isn’t as clean as Maria had hoped. The books there have the same problem. I know she’s considering selling it or just closing it down altogether. Shit. I know I’ve told you too much information.”

  “You haven’t told him anything I wouldn’t tell him myself.” We all turn as she enters the kitchen. So much for still being asleep. She pads across to me completely barefoot wearing black leggings and a white T-shirt. I could get used to seeing her like this. She leans forward and kisses me. “I need to deal with both the clubs and I don’t care what any of you say,” she says, sitting down in the chair beside me. “It’s not up for discussion.”

  “Sweetheart, none of us want to stand in your way, we just want to help you,” I say.

  “Maria, I have to agree with him. We all care too much to see all this happening to you. I know I can�
��t stand back and wait to see what happens next.” Giovanni leans across the table, taking her hands in his. “I think I can say, even in the present company, I’ll do whatever I need to do to keep that bastard away from my family.” He means me and my job. But he doesn’t need to worry about that. I nod in agreement with him because he’s not the only one.

  “So, we have a lot to talk about,” Maria says, but as one of the girls screams, her eyes dart outside. “Have they already been down by the stream?”

  Mark smiles as he answers. “Yes. We walked down there at nine this morning.”

  “Oh, dear. Maybe they’ll sleep tonight with being outside in the fresh air all day.”

  “We hope so. I better go and see what they’re up to.” Mark leaves the kitchen and walks outside to his wife and daughters. Giovanni’s eyes follow him outside, full of regret. Something I know all about.

  “Okay, so I know there’s lots you all want to know about the business, Pete, and my meeting with McGovern yesterday.” Maria starts talking but stops, turning to me. The smile on her face is weak. “Pete messing with Lou and the girls is not acceptable. He has to be stopped.”

  My eyes fall on Joe and then Giovanni and I know what is going through their minds, because it’s the same thing going through mine. I’ll kill him if I have to. I’d much rather put him behind bars and leave the other criminals in the system to deal with him. I know there would be many who would love the opportunity to get one over Pete Jamieson.

  “Joe, I’m sure my brother can spare you some security this afternoon.”

  She pauses and Giovanni smiles. “Of course I can.”

  “Perfect. I want you to notify all staff from both clubs that tonight they will be closed.”