Tearing Down Walls (Love Under Construction Series Book 2) (60 page)

“But at least we know the truth now,” Nikki said.

Vic nodded, then turned to Laura and said, “So you realize . . . this had absolutely
nothing
to do with you. You were just handy, and what he was trying to accomplish still didn’t happen. I’m so sorry, sweetie. I wish there was something I could do to make this better.”

“You already have,” Laura said and smiled at Vic. Looking around the room, she said, “You have no idea how much I appreciate everything all of you have done for me and to try to help get to the bottom of this. I’m lucky to have such good friends.”

“So, that’s that.” Peyton closed his notepad. “No restitution, no satisfaction, but at least we know why this all took place. Funny, POTUS has called for an investigation into all of the sexual assaults taking place in the military now and that have taken place during the Iraqi conflict, but this has always been going on. I don’t understand why it took so long for anyone to sit up and take notice while military personnel, primarily women, were being assaulted and raped on a daily basis.” The longer he spoke, the angrier he got.

Steve took a deep breath. “So you guys can go on your trip and know that we’ve done just about all that we can,” he told Tony and Nikki. “And have a good time. I expect to see some pictures.”

“You may wish you’d never said that!” Nikki laughed. “We’ll cover you up in them!”

But Tony wasn’t paying any attention to what was being said. Something was tickling his brain, and he’d have a chance to work on what he was thinking about while he was on their trip. If he could pull this off, it might have bigger ramifications than anything else anyone had done for Laura.

“You okay?” Vic asked Laura when they slid into bed that night. She’d been very quiet since they’d come back from Steve’s office.

“Yeah,” she murmured, curling into his side with her head on his chest. His arms wrapped instinctively around her, warming and protecting her, and she felt safe there with him.

“Anything I can do for you tonight,
farfalla
?” he asked her.

“Yeah. Just hold me. I’m still trying to figure out how I’m supposed to feel about everything I heard today, and I don’t have much experience with that,” she said, swirling her fingers in the patch of hair on his chest. He stroked the side of her face, then kissed the top of her head.

As his body warmed her, Laura asked herself,
Could I do this forever?
She smiled.
Yeah. I think I could.

Vic and Laura watched Tony and Nikki disappear into security, and within minutes they were gone, bound for Italy. This time it wasn’t just Vic who felt it; Laura noticed the huge vacuum where they’d been, and the woman who’d just started feeling things after years of numbness was sad that two people she loved were gone.

“It’ll be weird without them here,” Vic whispered when he and Laura had gotten into the car.

“I know.” Laura was fighting tears. “I love them so much.”

“I do too. I hope they have a good time. I asked Tony to ask my nonna about my modeling money. We didn’t bring it with us when we came to the states, and I don’t know where it is.” Vic started Tony’s Yukon in the airport lot, but it made a noise and died. “What the hell . . .” He got out and looked around the SUV, then noticed the fuel tank door open, and that’s when he saw it – white powder around the edge of the gas cap. His guess was flour. He looked around but didn’t see anyone, then he opened Laura’s door and helped her out.

“What’s wrong?” She could tell he was angry.

“Let’s just go rent a car to get home and I’ll have this one towed.”

“Was it . . .”

“Yeah. I think so. I’ve got to get this taken care of.”

“So I have no idea what to do.” Nerves on edge, Vic was bouncing his heel as he sat in Steve’s office.

“I own the club, so I think I should talk to her. Her safety is my responsibility, but so is yours, and I think she’s putting you at risk, not to mention the risk to your relationship with Laura. I’ll look her up in the database and get in touch with her, maybe even call and ask her to meet me here.”

“I think that’s a good plan. I’ll even come here for a meeting if necessary.”

“Not yet. Let’s see how it goes when I try to handle it. You stay as far away from her as possible. That means no Dom responsibilities for now. By the way, what do you see as your role now?”

“I’ll be glad to provide discipline, but I just can’t go any farther than that. It wouldn’t mean anything to me, but most people can’t understand that, and I think Laura would be devastated if she thought I was having sex with anyone at the club.”

“Can I ask you a question?” Something was niggling at Steve.

“Sure. Ask away.”

“That’s not the first time I’ve heard you say that the sex wouldn’t mean anything to you. I get that to an extent, but do you really feel a complete disconnect between the sex and your emotions?” Steve could feel the gears turning, and he thought he might be onto something.

Vic thought for a minute or two. “I’ve never thought about it, but maybe. I like the women I have sex with, but nothing more. I feel more of a connection to Evie than any of the others, and I’ve never had sex with her; our relationship is different. So I don’t know how to answer that.” Steve noticed the odd look on Vic’s face as he thought about it, and Steve found it somewhat disturbing, that blankness and lack of investment.

“What makes the relationship you have with Laura, that you had with your last girlfriend, different?”

“I don’t know. I just feel some sort of connection, I guess. I have no idea.” Vic’s face was a blank canvas. Listening to the conversation, Steve felt some kind of alarm; he wasn’t sure what, just something amiss. He made up his mind to talk to Tony privately and they’d try to get to the bottom of it before someone took a wrong turn.

Tony had made changes to their travel plans that would take them to Angelina’s town first instead of Rome. The urgency in Vic’s voice as he asked about his grandmother made Tony want to get there to talk to her as soon as he could.

“Zia Angelina! E ’passato così tanto tempo! E ’così bello essere qui.”
Tony hugged his father’s sister when he and Nikki arrived at her house.
“Questa è mia moglie, Nikki. Nik, Zia Angelina Cabrizzi,”
Tony said as he introduced the two, and Angelina hugged Nikki.

“Sono così felice che tu sia qui!”
Angelina said to Nikki as she held the younger woman back to take a good look at her.

“She said she’s glad we’re here,” Tony told Nikki.

“Um,
sono così felice di conoscerti
,” Nikki responded in faltering Italian.

“Parli italiano?”
Angelina asked, smiling. Nikki looked at Tony, bewildered.

He laughed.
“Questo è tutto quello che le ho insegnato. Non voglio che sempre più intelligenti di me!”
Angelina laughed, but Nikki looked incensed.

“Don’t get mad, baby. I just told her that’s all I’d taught you because I didn’t want you to get to be smarter than me,” he grinned at her and kissed her on the forehead.

“Gee, thanks,” she snarled, but she was smiling when she said it.

Once they’d gotten settled in the bedroom Angelina had shown them to, Tony told Nikki, “We need to see Mrs. Moretti as soon as we can. Vic is anxious to know that she’s okay. I’ve already decided that if he and Laura wind up getting married, a trip here will be our wedding gift to them. Input?”

“I think that’s an excellent idea. By the way, how is her name Cabrizzi? I thought she was your dad’s sister.”

“She is. She married my mother’s cousin. ’Round and ’round.” He laughed. “Bunch of inbred Eye-talians!”

“I see!” Nikki giggled. “So let’s rest a little before your Zia Angelina whips us up some of that scrumptious Italian cuisine I hear so much about.” The way Nikki kissed him told him that he was going to be very glad he’d brought her on a honeymoon.

“La signora Moretti? Io sono Antonio Walters, cugino di Vittorio – Il figlio di Raffaella?”
Tony told Mrs. Moretti when she opened the front door in Segonzano, the tiny little community where Vic’s father had been born.

Her face lit up like a Christmas tree and tears started to roll down her face.
“Sì! Lode a dio, non vi è notizia del mio Vittorio? Mi manca terribilmente. Ti prego, ti prego, vieni dentro!”
she cried out, motioning for Tony and Nikki to come inside.
“Angelina ha detto che venivi.”

“Sì, sono qui con mia moglie, Nikki, per la nostra in viaggio di nozze. Vittorio – Vic a noi – ci ha chiesto di venire a trovarti. Gli manchi terribilmente troppo,”
he told her, then translated for Nikki that he’d explained to her that Vic wanted them to visit her and missed her terribly. Nikki nodded as the old woman smiled at her, took her hand and patted it, then gripped Tony in an enthusiastic hug.

After Mrs. Moretti had offered both of them a glass of her homemade wine, she and Tony sat down to talk, and Nikki sat patiently. If he’d had any idea what he was about to hear, Tony would’ve asked for something stronger.

“So Vittorio is doing well?” Mrs. Moretti asked Tony.

“Yes, quite. He works for our family construction company, and he’s the president of the branch he runs. He’s done very well for himself, has a nice home, a couple of cars, and a big family to love him,” Tony told her, smiling as he thought about his big cousin.