The Bounty Hunters: The Marino Bros.: Box Set (92 page)

“I should have never allowed her to marry that man. I should have not even considered it. But I was going to lose everything, and the Rasmussens, I owed them too. They were a good family I thought, so rich, respected. When Albert’s father approached me, it was a business deal. I did not think. I thought it was a step up, but I was wrong. I saw bruises on my daughter’s arms once and I almost killed myself.”

Gio stood back, shocked, and the old man’s words grew harsher. He was practically spitting the words out. Still he remained silent hearing the man out.

“That was about two years after Lisa married. But Celia, I could not tell her. I was mortified, and so ashamed. I am not a man. Then as Johnny grew up, and I recognized he was your son . . .”

“You knew?” Gio interrupted.

“How could I not? I watched you grow up son, and I was even more ashamed of myself.” He went on. “I never spoke my suspicions out loud. Celia, she was mad enough already at me for my gambling. To know her daughter was married to a man who beat her, had the son of her former lover, who she still yearned for, but had done this to keep a house over our heads, that was enough to bear. I could not tell her my suspicions.” The man held his hand up to his heart.

Gio was afraid the man would have a heart attack. He had to stop him. “Mr. Raphael. We all have our regrets. I have mine too. I know I wasn’t perfect. I made mistakes.” He sighed trying to think of what to say next. “I think we all need to just put the past behind us. Focus on the here and now.” He looked towards his house, where Lisa and Johnny played and laughed inside with family, and something clicked inside him. “We have all lived our lives for too long with regret. I think we need to stop regretting the past, and move on. What do you say?” he held out his hand and Mr. Raphael took it with tears in his eyes.

“Son, thank you. That would mean a lot. As many mistakes as we, I, have made, that would do my heart good. I love my daughters and my grandson. Your son. I am glad he is yours.”

“He is a fine boy. I’m glad too.”

“And son, one more thing.” He took hold of Gio’s arm once more as he was about to turn and head back inside. “You say you were not perfect, but you are. Perfect for my Lisa anyhow. I wish I had seen that earlier.”

The old man was smiling at him with tears still in his eyes. “You old fool,” Gio swiped the tears that had sprung from his own eyes, and pulled Mr. Raphael into his arms, and gave him a quick hug. The man was crying and laughing at the same time.

“Let’s get inside. I miss my family.”

“I do too, son. I do to.”

*     *     *

By eight PM
everyone had left. Johnny and Nikko were playing Xbox in the living room, and that left Gio and Lisa in the kitchen alone. They were putting away the last of the dishes and worked together well in companionable silence. Gio couldn’t help but let the words slip out. “This is how I always imagined it would be.”

Lisa stopped what she was doing and looked at him. Gio was looking at her strangely. She sighed. “Me too.”

Lisa was leaning up against the counter drying her hands on a dish towel.

“Yeah?” he asked and approached her. There was a glint in his eye. He stood not a foot away.

Lisa gave him a small smile. She knew that look all too well. “Yeah!” She took up the challenge.

“I enjoyed last night, Lisa.”

“So did I.” Her voice dropped to a whisper remembering how he had made love to her. She couldn’t call it anything else but that, even though he wasn’t ready for more, she felt something had changed despite the words he’d spoken that said otherwise.

He got closer. Not touching, but she could feel the heat emanating off his body.

“Lisa?”

“Yes?” Looking up into his eyes, she wanted to wrap her arms around him, but the ball was in his court. She didn’t want to push him away.

“Lisa, if . . . When we clear you, I want more of this,” he held out his hands.

“You do?” she asked, still not sure where he was going with this conversation. She was afraid to hope.

“Yes.” He put his hands on her arms, and pulled her to him, breathing in the scent of her he lay his head on top of her hair.

“I can’t say I . . . forgive, yet, I don’t know, but, carrot top,” he teased using his old nickname for her, “I know I’ve never wanted a woman more than I’ve wanted you. I’ve never loved anyone else.”

Lisa couldn’t speak. She just wrapped her arms around this man. She whispered in return, had to say the words, even if there would be consequences. “I’ve loved you since I can’t even remember, and I’ve never stopped, Gio. It’s only ever been you for me.”

“I know that now.”

“You do?” she asked, trying to twist so she could see his face but he wasn’t letting her go.

“Yes, and I love you too. You know that. I’m just afraid . . . still . . . that you’re so rash, you won’t . . .” He couldn’t finish.

“Never. Gio. Never. I promise. Please believe that. I’m done making decisions on my own that involve us, you, me and Johnny,” she cried. “Please believe it. Please give me another chance.”

Gio sighed. He knew from the moment he’d met his son that it would eventually come to this. He had to let go of the anger first, the past. And he thought he had, or could. “Okay.”

“Okay?” she twisted and was able to meet his ice blue eyes with her own.

“Okay.” He watched the light come back into her eyes. The gold flecks in the green made them glow in the waning light coming in from the kitchen window.

“Really?”

“Really.” He dipped down to kiss her. To seal his promise with a kiss. Inside, he hoped she didn’t disappoint him, and break his heart again.

La Vida Loca

M
onday flew by,
and Gio went back to following Connie around. She spent the morning indoors, the afternoon shopping in SoHo, and went to dinner with some colorful friends. She fucked a girl in the bathroom of the restaurant and then went home.

Gio had done some more digging on the girl, and it seemed she was just as sexually depraved as Albert. She had a multitude of partners, and from examining her bank statement he saw she received 10 grand the first of each month. He supposed she was on Albert’s payroll, but he had covered it well. The funds came out of a trust and as of yet Andreas was not able to find the source, even though they both suspected it had to come from Albert.

She went home in the evening and stayed in. Gio went home shortly after midnight.

*     *     *

Nikko called in
to report when Gio was on his way home. Hitting speaker phone he laid the phone next to him on the seat.

“What’s he up to tonight?” he asked.

Nikko reported, “Busy. He had dinner with friends, and then went to see his father again. I talked to the doorman, talkative fellow, and he said old man Rasmussen was on the way out. Hospice is there and life support has been pulled. They don’t expect him to last the night.”

“Hmm, wonder if anyone will care?”

“Yeah, not even Albert. After leaving his dad’s he picked up a hooker. He brought her to a sleazy hotel, was there twenty five minutes, and then went home. I stayed and saw the hooker leave. He pummeled the shit out of her face. Her left eye was swollen shut. But Albert was whistling when he left. Sick bastard.”

“Yeah, you don’t know the half of it.”

“I’m sure.” He heard his brother curse, then added, “Sorry man.” Nikko felt remorse for what Lisa may have gone through married to that man. He knew Gio probably wanted to kill the man.

“Yeah,” was Gio’s response. He was just pulling in to his driveway.

“Any calls between the two today?” Nikko asked.

“Hang on, let me check.” He picked up his phone and retrieved his emails. There was the report. He glanced down the list. “Yes, four.”

“Something is definitely happening tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I’m going to get on my laptop, and read the report from Alex, he was supposed to send over their most recent credit card statements, and I’ll let you know if I see anything suspicious. Then I’m calling it a night.”

“Okay, I’m outside Albert’s and you have Chuck on Connie for the night. If any of them move, we will let you know.”

“Thanks.”

“No worries.” Nikko yawned.

“Get a little shut eye. Whatever goes down will happen tomorrow night.”

“Will do.” I put a trip micro camera by his door, so if he leaves I’ll be alerted. Gave the doorman fifty bucks to use the restroom and ran upstairs and put the micro in place behind a potted plant.

“Good idea.”

“I have them once in a while.”

“Night.”

“Night bro.”

*     *     *

Gio was up
early. He climbed out of bed, and had to crawl over Lisa in the process. As much as he tried not to, he woke her, and he hadn’t wanted to do that.

“Good morning,” she smiled, and stretched. One rosy tipped breast slipped out from under the sheet. He couldn’t pass that up, and bent to suck it into his mouth.

“Oh, Gio. You devil,” she laughed arching into it.

These last two days with Gio had her heart soaring. Yes, the trial was getting closer, but all the leads coming in made her feel more confidant, but the best part of all, was Gio. He loved her, and showed her in the little time they had together. Her heart, so devoid, was beginning to mend. She knew they were meant to be together.

Soon Gio’s tongue played her like a violin, and she felt herself getting wetter and squeezed her thighs together, but his hand slipped down to open her back up. He slid one finger inside and stroked her, banking her fires. He then found her clit, and stroked it until she was panting.

He hadn’t intended to make love to her this morning, but her purring beneath him, had him rock hard. He urged her legs apart, and slid inside. He was home. He rode her slowly sliding his pelvis against her clit with each thrust until she was meeting him thrust for thrust, and when she came and trembled around him, he pumped in and out of her until he rode his own wave, then collapsed beside her. She curled into the crook of his arm, and wrapped one of her long legs over him, entwining their bodies together. She lay her head on his chest to listen to his heart.

Her fingers played along his chest, when she whispered, “I love you, Gio. Always.”

“Always babe,” he whispered back. It felt good to say. He picked up a tendril of her hair curling it around his index finger. “It’s me and you babe.” He recited the once familiar words.

“Against the world,” she repeated and hugged him tight loving that old expression. It felt even truer today than it had all those years ago.

She felt the rumble of Gio’s laughter before she heard it. “You know,” he laughed. “I was intending to get up, and get out here early today. You were always such a distraction. Do you how many demerits I got for being late when I started the force? Shit, they almost flunked me out of the police academy because of you.”

She laughed. “I remember. If it weren’t for Andy, they would have kicked you to the curb.” Andy was what close family called his older brother, Andreas.

“Yeah, and my dad.” Gio remembered how proud his father had been when he had joined the academy. He’d wanted all of his boys to follow in his footsteps.