Baby V (Chianti Kisses #1) (32 page)

“
Do you know how much I love you, V? I mean, how much I need you
?
”

I angle my head, tilting my chin to answer.
 “
I do. Do you doubt that
?
”

He kisses my earlobe sweetly, brushing his lips over the area,
 “
No
.
”

I aim my lips up to kiss him over my shoulder,
 “
Good
.
”

His lips are sticky-salty just as
I’
m sure mine are. I breathe deep, as his lips move to my forehead.
 “I’
ll pour us some glasses. You go watch the sunset.
I’
ll be there in a sec
.
”

His arms squeeze me one last time for good measure before releasing me. I carefully step my way to the railing, leaning on it with the wind blowing my hair. I hear the pop of the cork, but it is muted as the strong breeze sounds arounds me. I hear Dom shout words over to me, but ca
n’
t make them out over the noise of the sea. I wait for him to repeat himself, but he does
n’
t, so I turn to ask him to.

My mouth forms the shape needed to begin speech but freezes in place. My eyes drop down to lock on his as he watches me from bended knee. His hand is closed, fingers protecting the secret treasure within.

My eyes widen, and the only thing I can think to say, is,
 “
What
?
”

“
I said... you once told me that you choose me, you choose this. I need to know if you still do. I need to you if yo
u’
ll choose to be my wife
.
”

My heartbeat pauses. My legs feel heavy as I move them to be closer to him, but like a magnet they are drawn in. I swallow hard. As sure as anything I have ever been in life, I am sure of what I want my answer to be. I stand before him, running my fingers through his hair, nodding.

“
I choose you, I choose this. And I will choose to be your wife..
.
” I see his eyes dance. I swallow hard, preparing myself for what those eyes may show me next
,
“
... but I need to know the secrets first, Dom. I wo
n’
t agree to be your wife unless I know
.
”

CHAPTER TWENTY

I sip from the hot tea set down before me. I
t’
s not a cold night, but my body is chilled. I pray the tea will warm me as I hold onto it, letting i
t’
s vapors snake around me. The trip back to shore will take more time than when we departed due to the weather conditions. The weather is turning on us, a summer storm threatening to brew around us. Is it coincidence or symbolic of the storm threatening to rage within.

The small galley kitchen is
n’
t stocked with much, as no one other than Brian has regular use of the boat, but there was tea. Dom started the kettle to brew us a pair of cups worth before he finished telling me of the sins of my family, of our families.

The stringent sting of the near-boiling water hits my lips but I do
n’
t recoil from it. The burning feels good, offering a painful distraction to the ache in my soul. I close my eyes and let it scald my mouth.

Dom does
n’
t drink his. Instead, he stares at the drin
k’
s rippling surface,
 “
I never wanted you to know, V. I had half a mind to not tell you just now. But, I ca
n’
t do that to you. You have just as much right to know as the rest of us do. Maybe more, because of what
I’
m asking of you
.
”

I exhale deep and slow. Methodically and controlled even though i
t’
s just for show.

“
Please say something
,
” he begs.

I begin to speak, but snap my mouth shut. The thoughts and feelings coursing through me have no translatable words to convey them. I take another sip, fortifying myself before I attempt to verbalize my emotions.

“
I
t’
s blood money, Dom. Everything. How... how
-
”

He rests his hand over mine to still i
t’
s shaking
,
“
No, i
t’
s not. W
e’
ve had more and more legal streams of revenue for years now, ever since John and I began to steer things. I
t’
s not like it used to be
.
”

My bloodshot eyes raise to his,
 “
He was a criminal
.
”

Dom shakes his head sternly,
 “
No. Tha
t’
s not how you should think of him, V. He was a good man who made some bad choices early on. Once things were set in motion, they could
n’
t easily change them. Tha
t’
s why they raised John and I the way they did. They knew w
e’
d have a lot on our shoulders one day, to straighten the company out and head in the direction they intended from the beginning
.
”

I roll my eyes, and exhale again, not buying what h
e’
s selling.

“
He loved you, V. He was a good father doing the best he could for his family. He tried everything he could to break free from it, short of starting a war between the five families. He kept us safe, and all of the people that would have died if he followed his heart and broke all ties with Rizzo. He was just buying time until we were strong enough to carry-on without them
.
”

I push my cup away, the contents spilling from the side,
 “
How can you romanticize it like that? They were some two-bit hustlers that got in deep with the mob to fund their pipe dream. How- how could they
not
  have known that they would get sucked in? Shell companies, money laundering, smuggling, I mean..
.
”

Dom sits back in his seat as the rocking motion of the boat intensifies.

“
They were young, V. They were stupid. They came here, to the land of opportunity and had door after door slammed in their faces because of the color of their skin, the accent on their words and the vowels in their last names. They saw an opportunity and they took it. They thought the
y’
d be able to find a way out of it later. They could
n’
t
.
”

“
And so they became thugs
,
” I add.
 “
Tell me, how much of everything is still wrapped up in all that
?
”

Dom shrugs his shoulders,
 “
Almost nothing. Once we set up alternate shipping routes in Miami, we severed the last of the ties. Tha
t’
s why w
e’
ve had so many hijackings. The
y’
re trying to sabotage us into staying. If they make us weak enough where we ca
n’
t stand on our own, w
e’
ll have to come back into the fold to stay afloat
.
”

“
Rizzo has setup a shell company of his own and h
e’
s been buying a lot of the ATH castoffs. He wants to continue with business as usual. If he brings us to our knees then w
e’
ll have to sell off more to him. H
e’
s like a vulture, just waiting to pick at our carcass. I know h
e’
s behind everything tha
t’
s been happening. I just have
n’
t been able to prove it, yet. Every time I change delivery schedules, dates, times, locations.... he knows. Nobody has that information except the five of us, V, and he uses it to hit hard
.
”

My insides are churning, with seasickness looming nearby.

“
Everything that was made from those things, V, has been sold off. Any money earned from those investments has been donated, or purposely lost in deals. W
e’
re legit. W
e’
ve all worked so hard to clean things up. W
e’
re not going down that road ever again...
I’
d die before I let that happen
.
”

I see the pain in his eyes. It was
n’
t only my father that disappointed him, it was his, too. Do
m’
s shouldered this all for both him and I, while working tirelessly to clean up our da
d’
s mess. He had not only a legacy to protect, but another one to correct. I let my head fall to its side, exhausted. Dom carefully reaches out and caresses my cheek, afraid I might push away. When he sees that I have
n’
t, he sighs his relief. We remain silent, both afraid of what the other will say.

~*~

The motion of the imaginary waves roll under me as I lie in bed. My ears still hear their crashing and roaring as if they surround me. I
t’
s welcomed though, as it drowns Do
m’
s voice replaying in my head, telling of how my father had to act ruthlessly at times to protect what he had built.
I’
m thankful he did
n’
t go in to graphic detail. I lost my father years and years ago, yet I feel like I lost him again today.

I feel so alone, so abandoned. I hold myself tight to keep from feeling the emptiness but it does
n’
t work. I stare at the bedroom door and the soft muted light shining from under it, knowing that Dom is on the other side feeling just as alone. I fight with myself, torn between loving him for telling me tonight and hating him for hiding it all these years.

My mind tells me to run far from here, from all of them... yet my heart tells me to run to his bed. I struggle with myself moment after moment before giving in and stepping out of bed and toward the one thing that will ease this pain right now.

The small lamp on his bedside table is lit, with an empty shot glass and a bottle of whiskey nearby. I turn the lamp off, and crawl my way to his side, where he instantly grabs hold and draws me in close. His hand reaches to soothe my head, petting at my hair. His strong arms hold me, protect me from anything outside the two of us. I feel the love in his soothing hands, and I let them hold me as I cry.

~*~

Jimmy, the doorman to Theres
a’
s building is signing for a delivery as I enter the main doors. Sh
e’
d left hours ago for the new summer house, to prepare for the event later tonight.
I’
d gotten a frantic call from her asking If I could stop by and pick up her handbag... sh
e’
d left it on the kitchen counter while packing. I had to stop into the office this morning to pick up the certified checks to pay the venders, so making a slight detour was
n’
t completely out of the question.

“
Hey Jimmy. How
 ‘
bout that game last night, hmm
?
”

I’
d found out through one of our short conversations that he and his son are both die-hard Yanke
e’
s fans, so I sent over a couple of tickets for them to last nigh
t’
s game. I know none of us would be using our famil
y’
s season tickets and I knew both he and his son would appreciate it a lot more than some random stranger given access to the available seating mid-game. 

“
I ca
n’
t thank you enough, Miss Lombardi. My boy had such a great time!
,
” he boasted.

I smile, glad I could help bring happiness to someone else. It helped ease my own pain just a little.

“
Not a problem. I have to get something from Theres
a’
s apartment. She left in a hurry and forgot something important. What else is new
?
”

Jimmy laughs. He must know as well as I do by now, that Theresa forgets things at home on a daily basis. Sh
e’
s always in such a rush.

“
I had a feeling she would. And her new gentleman friend asked her time and time again to think hard incase she needed to run back up for anything before they left
.
”

My eyes perk open,
 “
Oh, so you met him, did you? No one else has yet. Tomorrow will be the first time
!
”

Theresa met Josh a few weeks ago at the gym. W
e’
ve all heard about him of course, but h
e’
s been in and out of town on business. Tomorrow will be his first introduction to the family.

“
I sure did meet him, he seems like a real nice guy. He treats Miss D real well from what I can tell. Nothing like the last guy. Now that one... I could see trouble from a mile away. I just knew that one was gonna break her heart
.
”

He hands me the key but I slow down considerably while taking it from him. Last guy? When was there a last guy? Theresa had
n’
t mentioned anyone by name let alone introduced anyone to a guy since her high school sweetheart.

“
Oh, right...
that
one
,
” I play along.
 “
It seems like its been ages since he was around. Wha
t’
s it been now..
.
”

Jimmy looks up, carefully calculating time,
 “I’
d say less than a year now. Took the poor girl long enough to get over him though, with her sulking around all depressed-like
.
”

I smile.
 “
Well, h
e’
s gone and sh
e’
s moved on to the next one. What was that gu
y’
s name again?..
.
”

Jimmy takes the recently signed-for package from the shelf of the desk and places in a bin behind his desk
,
“
Some E thing. It was
n’
t a normal name
.
”

“
E.J.
?
” I hold my breath.
Please do
n’
t let it be E.J., please do
n’
t let it be E.J.

Jimmy nods,
 “
Yup, tha
t’
s the gu
y’
s name. Good riddance
.
”