Her Dark Dragon (18 page)

"So, what happened? What don't I know?" Danni tucked her legs up under her as she turned to look. He caught a slight wince as she sipped the brandy and it touched her lip. "Well?"

"All right, it was no great feat to keep me away from Robert. He was already behind bars when I got there." He shook his head, knowing he'd lost a chance. Nico knew this wouldn't be over until he and Robert had a long talk. Not one he'd tell Danni about, but they'd have a confrontation when the time was right. Instead, he continued, hoping to soothe Danni. "I wish you could have seen him, Danni. Cowering and
hung over. When you threw him over your shoulder, you dented his ego!"

She laughed aloud, then winced. "Go on, tell me more. I wish I could have dented other things!"

"I think for now you've done enough. He's realized the game is over for him. He kept asking for Felice, but she didn't show up."

Danni just shook her head. "She'll want nothing to do with him anymore. The money is gone, and he's got no real potential that I'm aware of. I wouldn't be surprised if they separate soon. That's just how she is, superficial and money-hungry. It will be interesting to see whose bank account will soothe her. By the time this buyout is complete, she'll have everyone thinking she's been duped by Robert. The belle being too trusting led her to this point! Felice will claim she needs a strong man to protect her."

Danni paused and sipped from her glass. "I realized this afternoon I've been calling her Felice these last months. It felt odd to call her Mom or Mother. She gave me the impression we were strangers and I was infecting her world. I suppose that's how she felt for the last twenty-five years. God, I was so stupid. I know other mothers are different. I always assumed I'd done something to make her hate me. I hadn't realized being born was the catalyst." Danni moved closer to Nico, and his arm automatically dropped over her shoulder to pull her closer. "Is this okay?"

"This is much better." Nico kicked off his boots and drew his long legs up to rest his feet on the coffee table.

"I haven't really let myself think too much tonight, Nico. I know the next few days are going to be difficult. I just want you to know how much I appreciate your help."

"I'm always here for you, bella." Danni sighed and snuggled closer to his body.

"Tell me the rest."

"Why not let it go for tonight? Tomorrow morning I'll take you downtown so you can give your statement. That's soon enough to rehash all this."

"You couldn't have prevented this. I made my own situation when I emptied the safe deposit box. I'll admit I figured we'd yell a lot. I didn't ever imagine either one of them would get physical, especially Robert. But I was wrong. It was my decision, and it wasn't an ideal one. I can't go back, and neither can you. Let it go or the anger will eat you alive." As if Danni knew Nico would take responsibility no matter what she said or did, she continued to drive her point home to him. "Niccolo, I need to be in control tomorrow. I need you to help me with that. I can't have you spitting tacks at Robert or Felice for now. So, please, let the anger go. Revenge will be so much sweeter." She laughed, her normal light, lilting laugh.

"All right," he finally grumbled. Nico dropped a kiss on her forehead and shifted out from under her. "I'm going to take a quick shower. Relax, I wouldn't be long."

"I could keep you company…" She saw his look and added, "I'll wait for you here." He left before he could change his mind and carry her upstairs with him.

* * * *

A lot of things went through his mind as he showered. Anger and loathing came first. Second came the realization that she could have been hurt much worse. And finally, he let his emotions flow freely with the shower turned up high. "Damn," he said aloud, hating that he was actually crying. Niccolo Severino knew he'd loved Danielle Cirillo for years. Their age difference made any kind of romantic overtures out of the question. But now, seeing her as a woman, he knew if he lost her, he'd never be the same again. He dated and had companions, never giving any woman a real chance. It was simple enough. He had been biding his time until Danni came home to run Cirillo. Only that plan backfired in his face several times now.

Her scent was still around him in the bathroom. A scent he didn't want to lose. He pulled on sweats and hurried downstairs, not wanting her to be alone. She was still on the sofa, curled into a corner, her head resting on her knees. She'd been crying. There was an assortment of used and mangled tissues around her and on the table. As soon as she realized he was back, she tried to pull herself together.

"Sorry, just giving myself a bit of a pity party." She dried her eyes and gathered up the debris around her. He added a few logs on the fire and stirred the ashes until they caught. Then he turned, walked straight to Danni, lifted her up against his chest, and sat back with her across his lap. She didn't protest, instead snuggled closer. "I guess I didn't manage to stay out of your way, did I?"

"You were never in my way, bella. If you stayed away, I'd have found an excuse to come bother you."

"What a pair we are, Nico, so similar, yet so different. I've always had a crush on you of some sort, some years were worse than others. I've loved you since I could understand what the word meant. And I accepted you didn't want me as a part of your life. But here I am…"

"Thank God, Danni. You'll never know how hard it was to turn you away all those years ago. Beyond improper, it wouldn't have been right for you. You still had school and dreams."

"While you've always stayed here on Severino land. She's your true mistress, Nico. The strange thing is I can understand why."

"Danni, do you have any idea how crazy you drove me all these years? So close, but so far away at the same time." He scrunched deeper into the sofa and brought her with him. "Stay with me, Danni. Marry me and we'll have a good life here. It's like we were meant to be all these years. Time finally caught up with us."

"Once I would have been able to tell myself I believed you. And I do believe you love me, Nico, in your own way. But you're not
in
love with me. And that's the one thing I truly needed from you. To know you loved me from your heart, not convenience." He started to object but she silenced him with her fingers to his lips. "Now, I suppose I don't belong to anyone, just myself. My name, my home, my childhood, my schooling is all a lie. I don't know who I really am." His arms banded her closer to him.

"Danni, after you settle down and process all this information, the end result will still be the same. Ultimately we belong together—you and me, the land, this house, and the wine, no matter whose name it reflects."

"I suppose I should stop defending the Cirillo label like it was mine. It never really was. Just an illusion dangled in front of me to keep the money flowing for Robert and Felice. Now I'm of age, I don't have a clue as to who I truly am or what else I might have wanted to be."

"You are Danielle Cirillo, no matter who gave birth to you. You've spent your life in those fields; nurturing the vines, learning everything Matteo and Antonio have taught you. If Felice hadn't told you about being adopted, what would be different?"

"I don't have a clue, Nico. It's all such a jumble inside my head. I'm fighting for something that never really was mine."

"No, Matteo did his best to make sure the land would be here for you."

"In one of her tirades this afternoon, Felice told me it was in Matteo's trust agreements that I not be told about the adoption, ever. Only she figured since the label is dead now, it didn't matter. That's why she told me, because she knew how deep it would hurt." Danni straightened on his lap. "Do you think Maria would know more about my adoption?"

Nico stalled. Now wasn't the time to drop the bomb about her father and his mother having an emotional affair for years, even if it had never become physical. "She might. She'll be back next week in time for the turnover. Ask her then. Now that Felice has told you, there's no secret for her to keep." His hands slid along her back in a rhythmic motion, feeling her relax against him. "Just rest, tomorrow will be what it becomes. You being exhausted wouldn't help."

He knew the moment she fell into a deep sleep, her sigh against his chest letting him relax under her. They slept until early the next morning. He awoke to find himself stretched out on the sofa, coffee brewing, and Danni gone. A short note on the kitchen table told him she'd gone back to Cirillo to shower and change. It also said she wouldn't mind company this morning if he could get away.

* * * *

Danni was just coming down the steps as he arrived. She offered him coffee, but they both knew it would only turn to acid. The drive to court was quiet. They spoke with Sam Parkins and Danni gave her statement. Then the district attorney came in and they all went over the situation again. By two o'clock, they were seated side by side in the courtroom, Danni's hand firmly in Nico's grasp. They listened to the arguing from both sides. Neither of them knew the fancy lawyer that was there to defend Robert on these "bogus charges." While Danni wanted to scream, Nico's hand on hers kept her centered. Ultimately, Felice came up with enough money to bail Robert out. An order of protection was granted. Neither was allowed back on Cirillo land. Next week, when the final turnover was completed, would be the next time they saw each other.

* * * *

The same woman who had handed Danni her glass the night of her birthday party as if she were the hired help was there to attest that she gave Robert and Felice a roof over their heads, since their ungrateful daughter had twisted the truth. Nico felt himself being held back by Danni at that statement. Outside, Danni was glared at by several unfamiliar faces. Nico pulled her tighter to his side until they made it to his truck. Danni saw the disappointment and hate in those looks. Nico and Sam where her only friends there.

"What would you like, Danni? Home? Food? How about a drive in the country?"

"No thanks. I need to get back to Cirillo and start packing my personal belongings." He didn't answer, instead drove in that direction. "I'm not sure what belongs to me anymore." She didn't cry or yell, rather turned her head to lean against the window, closing her eyes. "Nico, thanks for today," she said as they pulled into the Cirillo driveway. "Don't be upset, but I need to be by myself for a while. I've got a lot to get done."

"I could help."

She understood her next statement startled him. "Thanks, but now it's up to me. I have to deal with the buyout and say good-bye to friends. Mostly to the land I'll never own again. I have to figure out what to do with the rest of my life."

"That one's easy, bella. Marry me and make Casa Maria into a home with lots of children running around."

"First I have to figure out who I truly am." He had no comeback for her statement so he kept quiet. At the front door, she let herself out of the truck. "I'll see you around, definitely at the turnover?"

"Absolutely, Danni, you're not alone. I love you, and I want you to be with me. Think about that, too." She gave him an odd smile but closed the truck door and watched him drive away. It was several minutes before she walked up the stairs to the front door. This building, once so familiar and comfortable, was no longer anything to her. None of it mattered. None of it was truly hers. If Matteo had lived, things would have been different. She knew that deep inside. But he didn't. He'd tried to protect her as best he could, but Felice had found a way around his best intentions.

She changed clothes and saddled a horse, taking a leisurely ride around the fields. Her cheek and mouth still hurt, the bruises were turning a deeper purple, but she didn't care. Danni wasn't sure what she should care about anymore. Two things kept coming back to her, Nico and going as far away as she could get.

The three of them sat around the table, strong black coffee before them. There was a fruit plate and cheese and crackers. The evening had long turned into darkness, the stars reflecting brightly on the clear sky. What was supposed to be a relaxing supper turned into a history lesson for Niccolo and Danielle.

Maria returned from Italy a changed woman. Her hair was cut short, and her makeup was different, both making her look years younger. Even her wardrobe had changed. She had gone to Severino in Italy for vacation and came back metamorphosed. She had no words for these changes and ignored any reference made about them. Maria blatantly refused any information about her evenings out, telling Nico if there was a problem to call her cell. He wondered if Coy Addams had the same nights off, but didn't ask.

Tonight, Danni sat at their table, digging into a bowl of Maria's pasta with passion. It was the first time in weeks Nico had seen Danni truly eat a meal rather than pick or push it aside. They both listened to Maria's accounts of her trip, and when coffee was poured, it was finally time for the crucial question. Only Maria began the conversation without prompting.

"What we say here tonight, I expect to remain between the three of us." She waited until Nico and Danni nodded. "Then we start at the beginning, and maybe you'll both understand."

Nico looked at the woman he'd loved as both aunt and mother. The differences were many. She looked younger, happier, all but brimming with life. The aunt he'd put on the plane to Italy eight weeks earlier had left a sturdy woman who saw no need for pretense. Her long, graying hair had always been tied back in a bun. Her normal wardrobe consisted of dark colors—blue, black, and grey. She'd never worn any makeup but lipstick that he was aware of. The woman he watched now had transformed. She'd blossomed at sixty, leaving Nico to wonder what the catalyst had been.