Quiet Wealth, page 16
“Not one of our guys would risk such a thing.” My father shook his head.
“Yet this happened.” Niccola shrugged. He had a very valid point.
“We have twenty-nine cameras and eight more in the parking lot.” Francesco cleared his throat. “Did we check all the footage? Because one of those should have picked up something.”
He was right, and we knew it. We went back to playing the game and kept the conversation light for the rest of the evening. Every so often, I’d check my phone, but there was no word from Sienna.
I lasted until a little after eleven before I couldn’t get my head off the tapes. I gathered my winnings and left for my office.
I fell asleep on my couch that night, running through the endless footage of my dockyard, and woke to someone shaking my shoulder. In a heartbeat, I jammed my weapon in that someone’s face.
“Easy.” Mama pushed my hand to move the aim of the gun away from her. “Why are you here?”
“Jesus, Mama, I could have killed you.”
“Why are you on the couch?”
“I fell asleep watching the footage.”
She gave me a worried look as she clicked off the TV on the wall.
“I want to talk about Sienna.”
“Okay.” I sat up and massaged my sore neck.
“I’m really worried about her being with Mariano. He’s reckless, and from what your father said last night, he was out with some woman, and then Anna told me she is going out with him tonight? Do you know if they are…?” She trailed off and waved her hand. “I need to keep remembering she’s not ours anymore.”
The cold rush that burst through me was chilling.
“I’m working on that, Mama.”
“Good.” She kissed my forehead and stood with a smile. She seemed pleased about how the conversation went.
I sighed, leaning back into the couch, not at all sure I could do anything about Sienna.
“Son, we had to push her away, but somehow someone had other plans. You either fight for our girl now, or you will lose her forever this time. Third chances are like finding the end of a rainbow.”
“I know, and I am working on it.”
I flopped my head back when she left and knew I needed to get myself together before I headed out for the day.
It wasn’t until three in the afternoon that she finally called me.
“Good afternoon, Sienna.” I quickly moved away and held up a hand to silence Donatello. The man in his hold wiggled and bucked, which only excited Donatello more, but he caught my drift and pulled the guy back toward the far wall and stuffed a rag in his mouth.
“Hi.” Her voice seemed off.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes,” she cleared her throat, “and if the invitation still stands, I would be happy to join you for dinner this evening.”
I couldn’t help the smile that raced across my lips, and I kept my back turned away from the men. I felt like I was a young boy again standing on the edge of the pond waiting for her to agree to visit my home.
“All right, I’ll pick you up at six?”
“Sounds good. What shall I wear?”
“Something nice.” I grinned harder, loving the idea of being alone with her.
“That’s incredibly helpful. Glad I asked.” Her sarcasm made me chuckle.
“Wear a dress.”
“Thank you.” She sighed with relief. “I’ll see you at six.”
“It’s a date.” I couldn’t help myself.
“It’s dinner,” she reminded me, but I could tell I was working my way through her barrier.
I was tired of what was happening here and gave Donatello the word to finish the man off himself. I needed to get home. As I strolled across the dockyard toward my car, I fell into a deeper thought.
I seemed to be killing off a man a day. Since this hit was linked to Stefano and not one of my own, it wasn’t a hard decision to make. Still, I wasn’t any closer to learning why my dockyard had suddenly become attractive, and I still hadn’t figured out what the hell the numbers meant. My ships were arriving on time, and none of my oil was being touched or tampered with. Were they trying to distract me by driving my attention there so they could make another move somewhere else? That was a very real possibility that worried me.
“Elio.” Niccola addressed me as I came into the kitchen. He wore a pissed off expression as he looked up from the newspaper.
“What’s on your mind, Niccola?” My oldest cousin was just shy of two years younger than I was, and we had become quite close since we moved to Tuscany.
“Mariano and Anna are already into the grappa, and they haven’t even left for the evening. I don’t want to be a witness to your mother’s actions, so here I am.”
I rolled my eyes and bet my parents wished they never implemented the open-door policy for their house.
“Lucky for them, I hid the pistols from her.”
“Mm,” he chuckled, amused. “Where are you off to?” He peered at my signature black attire. The jet black with a pop of gray just spoke to my soul.
“I have a date.” I dropped my wallet in my breast pocket.
“With who?”
“Sienna.”
“Oh, please, let me be there when you drop her back off at Mariano’s place?” He laughed darkly as he pulled out his phone. “Vinni needs to hear about this.”
“I don’t think Mariano will even notice she’s gone.”
“Either way, text me, and I will pull up a chair for the performance.”
My phone rang on the counter, and I flipped it over to see the caller ID.
“Dammit.” I took a deep breath, not wanting to deal with work shit right now. I answered it quickly. “What?”
“I think I may have something for you,” Donatello grunted.
I squeezed my eyes shut and cursed again. “It will have to wait.” I hung up and rushed out the door. I was certainly not going to be late.
“Vinni.” I pointed to the car, not wanting to drive tonight. I didn’t want to be spotted in the city any more than necessary. I didn’t need to tell him why I was leaving; his brother had already filled him in. “Mariano’s.”
“Yes, boss.” He opened the door for me, and I slipped inside. Vinni was a lot younger, but he was a damn fine shot and always had my back. He loved to drive and had worked his way up from being my driver to a caporegime. However, I don’t trust anyone else behind the wheel, so he still continues to drive for me. Cousin or not, we all earned our place and our keep here. Plus, Vinni was the last person you’d ever think would have ties to the Mexican Cartel. The fact that he did had come in handy a few times.
“We will be eating at the E Lucevan Le Stelle Bar Bistro,” I let him know as we pulled up in front of Mariano’s house. As she stepped out, she nearly took my breath away.
A silver silk dress clung to her body, and when she took one of the steps, I saw her long leg reach out from the slit in the fabric. My hands twitched to feel that skin. Her breasts were half tucked into scraps of fabric, and her hair was long and wavy. I pressed my hands against my thighs to settle my legs then gathered myself and stepped out of the car.
“Ciao belle,” I whispered as she came closer.
“Elio.” She gave me one of her sexy smiles as she looked up with hooded eyes.
Be good, I had to remind myself as she walked past me and I caught sight of the thin ties that zigzagged across her back and joined in a bow at the bottom.
Vinni mouthed a “wow” as I climbed in behind her.
“Hungry?” I nodded at Vinni to get moving.
“I am.” She smiled up at me, and memories started to flood my head. I had to chase them away so I could focus on the here and now.
My phone rang, and I saw it was Donatello again. I wondered if the news was good.
“Please don’t let me stop you from taking that.” She glanced at the ringing screen.
I tucked it away, not wanting any interruptions.
“He can wait.”
I noticed her lips twitched. She was happy with my comment.
“Andrea came by this morning.” She filled in the silence, which she was always so good at.
“Oh, did she?” I lifted my arm and rested it behind her, wanting to be closer.
“Yes, she asked me if I wanted to come stay up at the Hill House for a while.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at Mama’s attempt to make sure she had her daughter back under our sole protection.
“And your response was…?”
“I can’t impose on your family again.” She kept her answer light, but I knew she was holding us all at arm’s length.
“You were never imposing, Sienna.” I curled her hair around my finger.
“Well, I still couldn’t. You have so many people there as it is.”
“We’re Italian.” I chuckled. “If the house wasn’t full of people we loved, we’d be lonely.”
“Still,” she shrugged, “her offer was kind, and I appreciated it.”
“It was.”
When we finally arrived at the restaurant, she reached for the door handle, and I quickly reached for her hand, holding it in a firm grip. I smiled, wanting to explain myself.
“Please wait a moment. Allow me to get out first.”
“Why?” she challenged me, and I blinked back at her words, still not used to a woman questioning me.
“Because I would want to take the first bullet.” I smiled to try to lighten the moment.
“What?” She laughed, but it trailed off when I didn’t join in on her laughter. “Um, all right.”
Vinni opened my door, and after his quick scan of the property, I joined him and did the same. I leaned down and offered my hand to her. Gracefully, she exited and glanced at both of us.
“Where are we?”
“One of my favorite restaurants.” I placed my hand on the small of her back and urged her inside as two other cars arrived.
“Mr. Capri,” the host greeted me and said a pleasant hello to Sienna. “We have your table ready for you.”
“Thank you.” I let Sienna walk in front of me, and I couldn’t help but drink in her curves as she moved. Some of the staff glanced her way in appreciation, and I fought the need to keep one hand on her.
“Oh, my,” she gasped as we stepped out onto the balcony that boasted a stunning view of this part of the city. The downward sweeping vista drew the eye, and the expression on her face was worth every penny.
“Your waiter is ready whenever you are.” The hostess placed our menus on the table and let us be. The orange glow of the evening sun picked out the subtle highlights in her hair as I came up behind her.
“Where is everyone else?” She didn’t turn around, but I knew she could feel me behind her, and her shoulders relaxed as I found my lips ached to kiss the delicate curve of her neck.
“When I dine here, I get the patio to myself.”
“Why?”
“Because,” I brushed my lips by her ear, “I can.”
“Must be nice getting everything you want.”
“It comes with a cost.” I pulled away, knowing if I kissed her neck it would be my undoing. “Would you like to have a drink before we order?”
“Sure.” She waited a beat before she joined me.
Everything inside tugged me in Elio’s direction, everything but my heart. I wanted him to work for it. He pulled out my chair, and I eased onto the velvet fabric.
“Would you like a glass of wine to start, or would you like an aperitivi?”
“Either is fine, thank you.” I pulled my napkin on my lap and hesitated with the menu.
“What’s wrong?” He picked it up and started to read, and I hid my delight that I was allowed to order on my own, unlike when I was with Mariano.
“What’s good here?” I avoided his question.
“Everything, so order anything that interests you.”
“Mr. Capri.” An older man came over and offered a hand. “It’s lovely to have you back. I do hope everything is up to your standards?”
“It always is.” Elio glanced at me. “I would like you to meet my date for the evening, Sienna Giovanna.”
“Ciao belle.” He offered me a hand. “I’m Gusto.”
“Lovely to meet you, Gusto.” I returned his warm smile.
He suddenly snapped his fingers, and a young sommelier who looked nervous but excited held up a bottle of wine.
“A new batch just arrived, sir, and when we heard you were coming, we thought we’d offer you some.”
“Would you like to try it?” Elio asked me, and the sommelier turned the bottle so I could see the label. Gattavecchi Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano.
“I’m sure it will be wonderful.”
Elio motioned with his hand, and the young man opened the wine to give us both a taste to make sure we were happy with it. We both agreed it was delicious, and I did notice they both sighed with relief as it was set aside to breathe. We soon placed our food order, and as Elio thanked Gusto, I leaned back and let myself relax.
I found myself watching Elio. He had two very strong sides to his personality. One was the boy I had fallen madly in love with, and the other was much darker and commanding. I was pleased to see that for the most part he was the same boy I once knew, but oddly, his dark side piqued my interest in the most arousing way. One I hadn’t seen coming.
“What are you thinking?” His raspy voice shot right to the center of my stomach. While I blinked, trying to recall his words, he tilted his head and smirked. “You have a face when you’re thinking naughty thoughts, Sienna.”
“Is that so?” I licked my lips and reached for my water. He watched me, and his eyes wandered down to my throat and dipped low on my chest. He fingered his cufflinks, looking relaxed as one hand absently stroked his chin. Not wanting to give away my private moment, I decided some answers were going to have to be given tonight if I was going to be okay with Elio being in my life again.
“Is Gusto the owner?” I changed topics.
“He is.”
“And you get the entire patio whenever you bring your dates here?”
“Whenever I come here, yes.”
“Seems like a lot of lost revenue for them.”
He looked away for a moment. “I make it worth their while.”
“Do I want to know what you do, Elio?”
His gaze darted over to mine, and I felt my stomach tighten. He held me in his gaze until I finally broke his hold. “I’m not sure yet.”
“Fair enough.” Why wasn’t I running away? Normally, there would be a burned path out the door, but for some reason I just knew I was going to be okay, because it was Elio. I absentmindedly reached for my necklace and rubbed the pendant he had given me.
“Why did you leave without a goodbye?” came flying out of my mouth, and I could see the fear that raced across his face. “Wait.” I held up a hand, feeling a sudden panic sweep over me. “Don’t answer that.”
“I will answer that question, I promise you, Sienna, but can we address that one another time?” His face told me it wasn’t the time or place. I gave a curt nod, hating that I wanted to run from the answer.
“Can I ask you a few questions?” He kept his voice soft.
“All right.” I swallowed hard and wondered where he would go with this.
“Tell me about your life now.”
That was not what I was expecting.
“Yes.” I shook off the unneeded stress. “I share an apartment with my best friend, Wyatt. He’s from the States.”
“What part?”
“New York.”
“Lovely place.” He nodded at me to keep going.
“He’s there right now. I was going to join him, but I’m here, so…” I trailed off and quickly realized that might have sounded bad. “It’s his sister’s wedding, and, well, that’s just pure entertainment if you knew the groom’s family.” I laughed as I thought about them.
“Tell me about Wyatt.”
I found my face stretching into a huge smile as I thought about my crazy friend.
“How much time do you have?” I chuckled. “We met when I was living on the streets. He helped me get a job, and later we moved in together. We are both journalists, work at the same company, share basically everything. One would think we’d be in constant competition chasing down stories and leads, but it was never like that. Instead, we work together and co-write a lot.” I smiled to myself. “He’s crazy, wild, fun, exciting. He’s really the polar opposite of me.”
“Seems to me you weren’t always tame, my belle.” Elio made a dive motion with his hand as he arched an eyebrow, and I knew he was referring to the time I jumped off a thirty-foot bridge on a dare one summer.
“Things change.” I lowered my voice as the waiter returned with our food.
“Yes, they have.” He cleared his throat and thanked the waiter. “Do you enjoy your job?”
“I do. I can’t stand my boss, Georgio. Oh, don’t get me started on him.” I laughed. “I’ve met some interesting people, which has been fun, and I get opportunities like this.”
Elio took a moment to sip his wine and music suddenly started to flow from below us.
“I love this song.” I closed my eyes and listened to the sweet melody of Primavera, by Ludovico Einaudi. We ate in silence, listening to the music and enjoying each other’s company, not needing to make a lot of small talk. When dessert was served, I was almost too full to take another bite, and I was swept up in the music and the thousand twinkling lights below us.
“Do you really think Mariano is right for you?” He finally spoke, and I kept my gaze on the scenery, trying to place my true feelings.
“No,” passed softly over my lips.
“Then, what are you doing?”
Slowly, I swung my gaze over to him. “Living.” I felt my shoulders stiffen. “I’m trying to let myself live. I want to let go a little, have some fun for a change.”
“Have you kissed him?”
“It’s interesting to me that you think we’re dating.”
“It sure seems that way. I just wanted to know if when he kisses you, do you burn to kiss him back more deeply, or do you feel like you want to pull away because it doesn’t feel right?”
