I grab a few articles of clothing and haul ass back to the car. “I need you to make arrangements for the rest of my things to be removed from the penthouse. Have them delivered to a storage unit. I don’t want my name in connection with the marina. Have the team gather your belongings and have them delivered at the same time. And be very diligent to make sure you’re not being followed. I don’t want you stepping foot in the Ritz-Carlton again.”

  “Where to now, sir?”

  “My father’s office.”

  I take a few calming breaths before I press the phone to my ear, calling Noa.

  “Hey,” she answers sweetly.

  “I miss you already.”

  “The feeling is mutual.”

  “What are your plans for the day?”

  “There’s not much of the day left. I’ll spend a few hours with Sofia when she gets home and then tuck myself in early.”

  “I wish I could be there to tuck you in.”

  “I wouldn’t get any sleep if you were here,” she laughs.

  “True, but you’d be in my arms.”

  “I hear Sofia’s keys in the door. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Sweet dreams.” I hang up, and Luca cuts his gaze to me. He’s sporting a cheesy smile.

  “She’s good for you. Your mother would be proud.”

  “I have a lot of things to change in order for her to have been proud of me, but I plan on making it happen.”

  “If you’ve cut ties with your old man, why am I taking you to his office?”

  “I need him to think I’m crawling back to him in order to get the proof I need that he murdered my mother.”

  His mouth falls open. “You think he killed her?”

  “Yes, and I’m going to prove it if it’s the last thing I do in this world. She didn’t deserve to die at his hands.”

  “Let me know what I can do to help.”

  “My father needs to think he has the upper hand. Whatever you hear about me, play along so he doesn’t get suspicious. I’m going to rent two apartments not far from his building. I’ll put one in your name and one in mine. Park your vehicle there at night. Go in the front of the building, and then walk out the back. I’ll have another car waiting for you in a parking garage on the corner of the block.”

  “What are you going to do when you find the proof you need, sir?”

  “I plan on destroying him and everything he’s worked to build. It will be far worse than killing him with my bare hands.”

  He pulls up to the building and parks. “I won’t move a muscle,” he says.

  “Do you have the gun I gave you?”

  He taps the center console.

  I nod and jump out, swinging open the doors and taking the stairs to my father’s office.

  He glances at his watch when I walk through the door. “You had one minute to spare.”

  I sigh and sit. “I’m here.”

  “I presume with your tail between your legs. I knew money would speak to your cold heart.”

  His is as icy as they come. “What do you need me to do?”

  “That’s more like it.” He unlocks a drawer and hands me a file. “There’s a piece of land with a rundown warehouse on it. I want you to purchase it for me for a steal.”

  I look over the information. “It’s on the docks. It will be very expensive.”

  He scribbles on a pad of paper and pushes it toward me. “This is what you’ll offer.”

  I chuckle. “You’re out of your mind. No one would accept this offer.”

  “You’ll offer it, and he’ll take it.”

  “Or what?”

  “Or you’ll threaten his twin daughters.”

  I close the file and toss it at him. “That’s not how I operate.”

  “Then you’ll start.”

  I grit my teeth and keep my mouth shut.

  “Your brother and Victor are working on another piece of property that I’ll be acquiring, and it’s worth its weight in gold.”

  Poor unsuspecting person who he’ll be strong-arming. “Anything else?”

  “Once you’ve proven to me that you can handle this and that you're on board, I’ll have plenty for you to do.”

  “Fine,” I say and walk out of his office. I look over my shoulder to make sure he stays put and duck into an empty dark office, tugging my phone from my back pocket. “Luca,” I keep my voice low. “I want you to drive off. I’ll text you where to pick me up.”

  “Yes, sir,” I hear him start the engine.

  I don’t have to wait long before I hear my father come out of his office. I peek through the slit in the blinds and watch him turn out the lights. I wait until the elevator pings and the doors close behind him.

  Creeping out, I fast-pace it to his office and go to turn the doorknob, but it doesn’t twist. It doesn’t surprise me. He always locks his door every time he steps outside of it, even if it’s just to get a cup of coffee.

  I take out a credit card and place it between the lock and the doorjamb. Keeping my hand on the knob as I slide it into place, it pops open. Shutting it, I stare through his blinds to make sure he hasn’t returned. Walking around his desk, I remove the large painting of Italy off his wall to get to the safe behind it.

  I turn the knob, trying a few combinations, but it doesn’t open. “Damn it.” I open drawer after drawer to search for numbers and look under each one of them. “What else could it be?” I scratch my head, then it hits me. I dial in my mother’s birthday, and it opens. “Son of a bitch.”

  Taking out his journal, I place it on his desk and turn on the small gold desk lamp and sit in his chair. I spend the next several hours reading accounts of every transaction he’s ever made with a list of names. Flipping the pages, I search for the date my mother was killed. My heart thuds when I see a name written in blue ink followed by a dollar amount with my mother’s name in the memo. Balance to be paid when the job is completed. Scrolling down the page, there’s an addendum. Paid in full.

  “I knew it!” I slam my fist on the desk. Hot tears spill down my face, snapping pictures of the journal. I place it back in its place in this safe and shut it, carefully positioning the picture exactly where it was hanging. Once I’ve checked to make sure all his drawers are closed, I lock his door and shut it, pinging Luca as to where I’ll meet him.

  15

  Noa

  “I hope that’s my sister making all that noise in my kitchen.” Sofia stalks into the room. “Or else I may have to shoot you.” She laughs.

  “Hey.” I walk over and hug her.

  “You got some sun.”

  “I did.”

  I drop my arms, and she strolls around me, taking down a glass from the cabinet. “Are you going to tell me what you were really up to? I know you didn’t go to Essex,” she glances over her shoulder.

  I take a seat at the bar and scoot the salad I made in front of me and pick up my fork. “I spent the weekend with Ever.”

  “I thought you said that was a onetime thing?”

  “It was supposed to be…”

  She whips around. “You have that look in your eye.”

  “What look?” I scrunch my nose.

  “You really like him.” She points.

  I can’t keep from smiling. “I do. For the life of me, I don’t understand why Drake or Bruno have a problem with him.”

  “Are you sure you’re not blinded by hot sex?” she snickers.

  “The sex is amazing, but I’ve gotten to know him, and he’s charming, smart, and romantic. He has his secrets, but so do I. I haven’t been an open book with him either.”

  “You don’t have secrets. You have trauma. There’s a difference.” The ice clangs in her glass as she fills it from the fridge.

  “He’s had his share of trauma too. You should see the scars on his back.”

  “Scars?”

  “Crap, I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

  “Well, you did, and now you have to give me details.”

  “The only thing he told me was that his father caused them. He didn’t say why or how, and honestly, something that painful, I wouldn’t discuss either. I don’t talk about the night Drake was murdered.”

  “I see your point. I don’t think, per se, that Drake had an issue with Ever. I don’t believe he started coming around until after Drake was gone. It’s the men he keeps company with that are the problem. Have you asked him about them?”

  My finger taps my lower lip. “He gave me a nonanswer as to who they were. He did, however, give me good professional advice on how to negotiate the terms of our loan. I’m going to call tomorrow to set up a meeting.”

  “What are you going to do about Drake’s son?”

  “I was going to go there before I came here, but I changed my mind. I want to meet them in a public setting, so I called Gia and asked if we could have lunch tomorrow and to bring her sister along.”

  “Why does she think you want her sister to join you?”

  “I told her that I knew she had interned with my husband and with her recent graduation, that I’d like to celebrate it since Drake isn’t here to do so.”

  “Ah, smart girl. Do you think you should confront her in front of Gia?”

  “I think she should know. She and Bruno loved my husband very much. I’m not a saint. I want some sort of payback since I can’t contend with the issue of my husband’s adultery to his face. I’ll have to live with the fact he cheated and bore a child. But, I’ll be damned if she gets to keep his son’s identity a secret.”

  “I’ll be there to support you.”

  “Thanks. I’m going to need it.”

  “Enough serious shit. Did you do it on the beach?” She waggles her eyebrows, and I roar in laughter.

  “Don’t you have your own man?”

  “As a matter of fact, I don’t. At this moment, I’m living vicariously through my baby sister.”

  She comes from around the bar and drops her arm around my shoulder. “It’s fantastic to see you smiling again.”

  “It feels good.”

  “So, what happens when you’re done with your missions in New York? Are you considering staying for a while?”

  “My stay will be extended long enough for me to sell my apartment. Speaking of selling, did you speak with your loan officer?”

  She expels air with force. “I can’t get enough to finance the restaurant, and I’m not going to let you sell it for next to nothing. Drake worked hard to build up his business, and you deserve fair market value for it.”

  “Then I’ll put it on the market with a contingency that you manage the place.”

  She scoots out the stool next to me. “I’ve been giving it some thought. I’d like to open my own place. Nothing on the grand scale of The Italian Oven. More of a mom-and-pop type joint.”

  “Here in New York? Not to be discouraging, but the market is fierce.”

  “Well, if you’re not moving back to New York, I don’t see any sense in me staying here either. Essex doesn’t have any great authentic Italian food. In fact, I was thinking maybe we could be partners.”

  “That’s not a bad idea.”

  “You’ll think about it?” She raises her brows.

  I stick out my hand. “There’s nothing to think about. I’ll foot the money from the sale of the restaurant, and you can have cart blanche to run it however you see fit.”

  “Yes!” She squeals and almost knocks me off the stool, hugging me.

  “I can’t breathe,” I wheeze.

  “Oh, sorry. I’m just so excited. I didn’t think you’d go for it.”

  “It’s the change I need. No more moping around. I miss Drake, and I always will, but for the first time in two years, I feel alive inside by what life has left to offer me, and I’m going to take the bull by the horns and run with it.”

  “And, by a bull’s horn, you mean Ever’s.” She jabs me with her elbow.

  “You’re naughty,” I howl.

  “What I am is exhausted. I’m hitting the shower and then bed. Do you need my car tomorrow?”

  “No. I’ll manage without it.”

  “Good, because I have to leave at the butt crack of dawn. Our chef is out with the flu.”

  “I’ll lend a hand after my lunch with Gia and Angelica.”

  “Night.” She waves over her shoulder.

  I scarf down my salad and wash my dish and sit cross-legged on the sofa and scroll through my phone. I snapped a single picture of Ever standing on the deck looking out at the horizon without him knowing about it. His cheeks are sun-kissed, and his hair is a mess blowing in the wind, yet he still looks polished in his jeans and plain white T-shirt with bare feet.

  “How have I fallen for him so easily?” I trace the picture with my finger. “Please be the good man I think you are. You’ve awoken the woman in me that’s been drowning in sorrow.” I close my eyes, recalling every detail of our weekend. I could’ve stayed on that yacht for a lifetime with him, escaping the reality that faces me. Even if our lives never cross paths again, I’ll always be grateful for our short time together.

  As if he knows I’m thinking about him, his number flashes on my phone. “One of your talents must be mind reading. I was just thinking about you.”

  “I couldn’t end my evening without speaking to you again.” His voice is deep, with a hint of sadness to it.

  “Are you alright?”

  He clears his throat. “Yeah, just a rough ending to my day, but now you’ve fixed it.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “What I want to do is hold you.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Parked in front of your sister’s apartment.”

  I jump to my feet and look out the window. He’s leaning against his car with his feet crossed at the ankles peering up with the phone crushed to his ear.

  “Do you want to come up?”

  “Yes.” He disconnects, pushes off the car, and saunters to the building.

  I stand with the door open waiting for him. I don’t want to disturb Sofia. The elevator pings, and the doors open. His hands are tucked in his pockets, and he looks like a lost boy.

  “Come here,” I say, opening my arms.

  He doesn’t hesitate to fold me into his.

  “I know you said you’re alright, but your eyes are telling me a different story.”

  “I’d like to spare you the details and just hold you.”

  I take his hand and lead him into my bedroom, shutting the door behind us.

  “Take off your clothes,” he says. “I want to feel you against me naked.”

  By the look on his face, I can tell it’s something he needs from me. I strip and climb into bed. He removes his clothes, and the mattress dips with his weight crawling next to me. He positions me so that my back is to his front, and he cradles me in his arms.

  “Everything is good now,” he whispers, kissing the back of my head.

  I don’t ask him any more questions. It isn’t long before I hear his breathing slow down and feel the soft rise and fall of his chest. Whatever is eating at him, I’m happy that I could bring him comfort like he does me.

  Yawning, I stretch and feel the empty bed next to me. “Ever,” I say softly. His clothing is gone, and for a moment, I think I dreamed him being here until I cuddle with his pillow, breathing in his scent. Glancing at the time, it’s nine in the morning. This weekend must have really worn me out. I never sleep this late. Slipping on my clothes, I meander to the coffee pot. There’s a handwritten note from Sofia.

  * * *

  I’ll make sure I have time to sit with you at lunch today.

  Love you, sis.

  * * *

  “I could use the support. I’m dreading facing the woman that slept with my husband and gave him a child,” I mutter to myself.

  Pouring a strong cup of Joe, I dig the number out of my purse that Kip gave me and dial it.

  “Leone Enterprises, how may I direct your call?”

  She should answer, Mob Family, what can we take from you? “Hello. My name is Noa Sutton, and I’m the owner of The Italian Oven. I’d like to speak with Mr. Leone about an urgent matter.”

  “Hold, please,” she says, and music blares in my ear. I pace the floor for five minutes before someone picks up.

  “What can I do for you, Ms. Sutton?” The way he says my name gives me the creeps.

  “Is this Mr. Leone?”

  “He’s my employer and has asked me to handle the situation.”

  I clear my throat. “I understand my late husband borrowed money from the Leone corporation.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “I’d like to renegotiate the terms.”

  “It’s nonnegotiable like we advised Mr. Oliver.”

  “You’re a businessman. Everything is negotiable. I’m willing to give you half now and increase the interest rate for the additional monies owed for another five years.”

  “I guess you don’t understand we won’t be making a deal.” His laugh borders on evil.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

  “I didn’t give it.”

  “Perhaps you could pass on my offer to your employer.”

  “I’ll entertain your request only because you are a striking woman.”

  My lungs fill with air, and I feel like my chest will explode. He knows me?

  “Don’t be so shocked, Ms. Sutton. I make it a point of knowing everyone who is in default of their loans.”

  “I’m not in default.”

  “You will be soon. I’ll contact you after Mr. Leone has a good chuckle at your offer.” He hangs up.

  My blood boils. I hit Kip’s number wanting to give him an earful.

  “I’m glad you called. I hated the way things ended between us,” he answers the phone.

  “You won’t be glad. I’m furious that you got Drake involved with the Leones!”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18