Gambler's Folly (Bookstrand Publishing Romance) (22 page)

Karianna, paced the floor for a few minutes, then sat down to wait for Damiano’s meeting to finish. She heard angry voices every now and then, but nothing she could understand. What could be going on? First there was Nagi the night before, and now some other were-stranger who was not a friend, apparently. It seemed to her that Damiano’s business was getting a little personal.

She must have dozed off in the chair, as the sound of the door closing awakened her. Damiano stood over by the door, an intense look on his face. “Dam, what is it?” she asked.

“Cara, I’m so sorry to have disturbed you again with business.” He paced the room.

“Dam, this one didn’t look like a friend. What is going on?”

“One of my business competitors thought to sway my opinion on a business proposition which has come up. Let’s say I didn’t like his method.”

“Where is he now? What will happen to him?” she asked.

“Don’t worry, cara. Marco and Paolo will take care of it. I’ve given them their instructions.”

“Dam?”

“It’s alright, cara. You’re safe with me. Dante is still here, also. Unfortunately, we will need to leave today. But later, after we have some lunch I think.”

“Sure, Dam. We were going to leave tomorrow anyway.” Still not understanding the whole thing, she agreed it might be safer if they went home.

They fixed some lunch, got everything cleaned up and began to pack. They didn’t actually make a start until halfway through the afternoon.

“It’s fine, Karianna,” he told her. “We will drive part of the way and stop for the evening. We’ll take the long way around, so you can see the countryside. It really is beautiful.”

The drive was lovely and Damiano drove at a leisurely pace. Since they hadn’t planned to leave until the next day, there was no rush. Damiano was quiet for the first few miles, and then he opened up and began to tell her about the places they were driving through. He seemed to know an awful lot about the place.

“Some of the properties have been in my family for a long time. Of course I know the area, cara. Do you like it?”

“It’s gorgeous, Tiger,” she told him. The purple mountains in the distance framed the plains, with their acres and acres of grasslands. They were currently skirting the edge of a lovely lake, with grass coming up to one side and trees enveloping the other.

After a while, he looked at her as if he had something on his mind. “What, Tiger? Cat got your tongue?”

Chuckling deep in his chest he answered, “No, but if you’re not careful, this cat will have yours.”

“No seriously, Dam, what’s on your mind?”

“Cara, have you ever had any training in self-defense?”

“You mean like karate or something?”

“Maybe not something that formal, but anything to protect yourself.”

“No, not really. I never really thought about it before. Why?”

“When we get back, I will have Carl find a trainer for you. I think it best if you know a little bit, anyway. Just some simple things, cara,” he added at her skeptical look. “You don’t need to be a master, just know a few things. It will make me happy.”

“If you think I need to, then I will. Is this to do with your visitor earlier?”

“Partly, yes. You are vulnerable in a way I am not. I can always change, and not too many can deal with me in that form. But you have no defenses at all. It concerns me.”

“And I can be used as leverage,” she added.

“Yes, cara. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t change anything which has happened between us, for any amount of fame or fortune, but this is why I never sought a mate,” he replied. “Not because of the leverage someone can bring to bear against me. I don’t push worth a damn, but because of the danger to you, cara.”

“I’m sorry, Damiano. If I’d known…”

“Why are you sorry? I’m not. You are a part of me now, one I will not give up. You make me whole in a way I was not before. Never be sorry, Gattina, bene?”

“Okay, Tiger. Now, what do we do to take care of this?”

“You go and learn to fight. Me? I’ll go hunting.”

Just a few short days after their return, Carl brought a new trainer into the gym to meet Damiano and Karianna. Not much taller than she was, the man was well muscled and exuded confidence seemingly out of proportion to his size.

“Signor Leone, meet Chase Dawson. He’s a martial arts instructor I’ve known for several years.” The two men shook hands and exchanged greetings.

“So Chase, what style do you teach?” Damiano asked.

“I’ve trained in several styles: karate do, tang soo do, capoeira and jiu jitsu. They all have good self-defense aspects.”

“This is my wife, Karianna Leone,” Damiano continued. “I would very much like it if you could get her grounded in some good self-defense. Nothing fancy, just effective.”

“I’d be glad to, Mr. Leone. Anything in particular?”

“I’ll leave that up to you, once you’ve had a chance to work with her and Carl. Mainly, it needs to be simple and effective for now. Later, if she likes this sort of thing, you may do more.”

“I can do simple and effective. Do you want to keep the focus on effective escape?”

“Yes, I want her to have the tools to escape, but also to disable someone enough so they can’t follow.”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Leone. We’ll start today if you like.”

“I’d like that very much.” He turned to kiss Karianna’s cheek. “Ciao, cara. Don’t worry. You’ll be fine.”

Chase and Carl had conferred earlier. She would do her usual workout today, so Chase could see how she moved naturally. This would give him a basis for his training. After forty-five minutes, she took a break.

“Well, your stamina is great,” Chase told her. “Have you ever done any gymnastics or dancing? I see a natural grace in your movements.”

“Not too much. I did the obligatory beginning ballet and jazz when I was younger. As a teen, I took a year or so of ballroom,” she told him.

“Well, it still shows, which should make it easier for you to learn some defensive moves. Want to get started?”

They began with a couple breakaways, which seemed awfully simple once she’d been shown. “This is so natural a motion. It’s ridiculous to have to be taught how to do it.”

“Yes, a lot of basic self-defense is simple, which is good. As long as you remember it when you need it.”

They moved on to some strikes: open-hand strike to the eyes, punch to the throat, a breakaway followed by a back fist to the face. It was all fairly easy.

“As part of your training in defense, to help you learn to be alert and use your skills without having to think about it, there will be no time, here in the gym, when you cannot be the subject of an attack. One of us will attack you without warning, just as a real attacker would,” Chase told her. “You must be able to do these simple things without having to think about them.”

“Won’t we be training?”

“Yes, but I want you to experience using your defense when you’re not prepared for it. While training with me, you know I’m there, or Carl is, and we are going to take hold of you in a certain way, so you can practice. This does you no good outside these four walls.”

“Okay, I guess I understand.”

“I’ll be back three times a week. Remember, practice.”

Damiano was home a little later than usual and seemed tense. She asked if everything was alright and, smiling, he said yes, it was just business, before biting viciously into a large red apple. The more tense he became, the more apples he ate.

“Tiger, I don’t want to pry, but is your business losing money or something?”

“No, cara, nothing like that. It’s just that my business can be quite competitive, in a physical sense, as well as a commercial one.”

“Like the guy in the woods?”

“Yes, he was sent by one of my competitors, to use a little persuasion.”

“Are all of your competitors were-folk?” she asked.

“No, no, Gattina. Most are not. But some of them hire our kind for enforcement purposes.”

“Is there anything I can do to help? I feel useless these days, with you tense and not sleeping well. I don’t even know exactly what it is you do.”

“No, cara, there is nothing. You don’t have the knowledge base to understand my business right now. And now is not the time to learn.”

“Are things always like this?”

“Not usually. And once this particular deal is finished, everything should be back to normal for most of the time. But until this deal goes through…”

“It’s alright, Dam. We’ll be alright.”

“Just make sure you learn your self-defense for me, bene?”

“I am, trust me,” she answered. She told him a little about her training for the day. He chuckled, finally, while listening to her explain her struggles to get everything right.

“It sounds like you’re having fun, anyway.”

“I hope it keeps on this way. Tomorrow we’re doing tumbling.”

As her training progressed, she began to feel more confident in the techniques she’d learned. The sudden attacks before, during, and after classes kept her on her toes, too.

“Remember, always look before you move,” became the mantra. “You must know who is there, before you strike.”

She was a natural at shoulder rolls, from her tomboy days growing up. Cartwheels were another matter. She’d never managed those properly, and could still do them only on one side.

Ground fighting left her battered and bruised. Chase and Carl both assured her that the only way to learn properly was for everything to be as much like a real attack as possible.

“If we just let you waltz through, you’ll never know if it would have worked on the street,” they said, which was true enough.

When Damiano teased her about her bruises one night, she glared up at him and said, “If I were you, Tiger, I’d watch what I said. Or I’ll tell everyone you beat me.”

“And do you think they’d believe it?” he quipped back.

“I don’t know. You do have a certain reputation, but I’ve never heard anyone say you were abusive.”

“Not me, cara. I prefer to make love, not war.”

This sounded very odd, coming from one of the strongest men in the syndicate.

“No, cara. I take no joy in dealing with problems. And if something must be done, I do it quickly and efficiently. Why prolong the matter?”

Since Karianna was getting on so well with her self-defense, she asked if she could learn one of the styles Chase taught. Damiano had no objections, so she dived in with enthusiasm.

What she really liked about what she’d been learning was the flow of the movements. When done properly, the energy from the attack came in and was simply redirected away from her. Now, with the new training, she was learning what Chase called kata, or forms. They reminded her of floor routines in gymnastics. Their purpose was to practice putting different techniques together, learning to use them in combinations.

After a couple months, Damiano came down to watch her train. At first, she was nervous having an audience, but once she focused on her work, she nearly forgot he was there.

“You are doing well, Karianna,” he told her afterwards as she showered off. “Much better than I would have hoped. Do you enjoy it?”

“Yes, I do,” she answered, shampoo streaming down her face. “It’s fun, relaxing, in a way, and useful. What’s not to like?”

“As long as it makes you happy, cara, it will make me happy. I was afraid you would hate me for putting you through the training.”

Wrapping the fluffy towel around her and drying her face with one corner, he said, “You’re getting stronger, too. Maybe I should be careful, no?”

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Tiger,” she admitted. “You’re just naturally so big and strong, I can’t imagine I would ever be a threat to you.”

“Well, I’ve trained a little bit, here and there. Of course, being a leopard has its compensations.”

Whatever deal it was which worried Damiano, it was getting much closer to completion, and the closer it came, the more tense he became. And until it was finished, they would both be in a little danger. Paolo, Marco, and Dante were always in evidence whenever they were out of the suite. She occasionally caught glimpses of Carl or Chase around as well.

She had wondered recently how long she had been on Gambler’s Folly. Things had been so strange and rushed, she couldn’t remember exactly when she’d arrived on this world or found herself married to Damiano. Since leaving Earth, she’d barely had time to catch her breath, but surely it had been nearly a year since her life had been turned upside down.

Waking to the smell of coffee a few days later, she was surprised to find Damiano’s side of the bed empty. They usually got up around the same time and had coffee and croissants before getting started on the day.

As she sat up on the edge of the bed, one of the room service girls came through the door with a large breakfast tray, followed by Damiano, fully dressed and carrying a huge flower arrangement.

“Carissima! Happy anniversary!” he said proudly, as he handed her the flowers and enveloped her in his arms.

“Tiger! You shouldn’t have!” she cried in amazement. “You know, I was just wondering a couple days ago how long we’d been together. Has it been a year already?”

“See how time flies when you’re in love?” he said, helping himself from the breakfast tray as he got comfortable on the bed. “And today, no workout. We’re going on a little trip. Not much, but at least a change of scenery. Bene?”

Trying to decide where to start, Karianna’s eyes perused the food in front of her. From the cheese-filled crepes and fruit compote to the sliced cheese and fresh strawberries, it all looked fabulous.

Choosing one of the crepes, she asked, “Really? Where are we going?”

“No, you don’t, Gattina. It’s a surprise. We won’t go far, but it will be nice and, above all, safe.”

“We’ll see about that.”

After finishing the last of the coffee, Karianna stretched, got up and went in to turn on the shower. Stepping into the steamy enclosure, she foamed her hair with the luscious shampoo. After a final rinse, and a scrub with exfoliating shower gel, she dried off and went to find some clothes for the trip.