Chapter 30
Bella
Flowers.
I loved them, more than I’d realized. I’d almost felt silly cutting a basket full of them from the small flower garden I’d found hidden on one side of the property. Maybe that was because not one, but two soldiers had gone with me, acting as if monsters could jump out from behind the bushes at any time.
I laughed softly as I finished the arrangement in the gorgeous vase I’d found in the living room. When I placed the last vivid stem, a bright pink poppy, into the mix, I was thrilled with bringing a little color to the rather drab kitchen. It was expensive but lacking any color. At least I’d fixed that for the time being, even if I’d wiped out a solid twenty percent of the flowers in the small landscaping pad.
Nothing his landscapers could handle.
I backed against the counter, grabbing the second mug of coffee for the day. The night had been sweet, which I doubted was a typical word in the powerful man’s vocabulary.
I’d dared watch the news, longing to learn about Jonas’ funeral. My best friend’s name hadn’t even been mentioned, but his father was still on a roll, more determined than ever to take down every crime syndicate in the country. I’d been disgusted, wishing ill things on the man until I forced myself to turn off the news.
In my mind, I blamed the man for Jonas’ death. Irrational? Maybe but that’s how I felt. Was I mourning the loss of my father? In truth, no, but I hadn’t known him. What would be terribly hard was letting my mother know. I had a feeling she’d blame me for his death like she did everything else. It was time I came to grips with that.
There was no such thing as an easy life for anyone.
I took another deep breath, hating the ugly vibes. At least the amazing fragrance of the flowers brought a smile to my face. Seconds later, a cold prickle rushed down my spine and I slowly turned my head toward the kitchen door. Finding him with his feet crossed at the ankles, staring at me intently wasn’t a surprise. But seeing his genuine smile, mischievous look, and the fact he appeared less like a panther and more like a relaxed lover did.
“The flowers are lovely. Where did you get them?”
“Lo and behold, you have a garden, albeit sinfully small.”
He laughed, his upper lip curling at the edges. “So you need a larger garden?”
“Yes, along with more color in this house. It’s too… stuffy.”
As he slowly walked in, I could see an envelope sticking out of his jacket. “So, now you’re a decorating expert.”
“Well, if I’m going to live here, I do deserve some say in the matter of design, furniture, artwork. The whole deal.”
“My, aren’t you demanding?”
“Why, yes, I am.” I was being playful, but I had a sense he was taking me slightly seriously. “Were you out hunting people?”
“Mmm… Not this morning.”
“You should turn your hunting grounds into a lush garden full of flowers and shrubs, water features and other locations for animals to find food and safety.”
“You want the hunting grounds to become a peaceful sanctuary?”
“Sounds good to me.”
He took a deep breath, narrowing his eyes. “I’m curious. What if I asked you to consider running the art facility the Creed family is building? You could establish the various dance, music, and art programs while still performing as often as you’d like.”
“Are you serious?”
“I never joke about business.”
“I’d say…” I gave him a heated look. “I’ll consider it.” Actually, I was more excited than perhaps I should be but it would be an awesome transition when I could no longer dance as I was able to right now.
“Good. Now, what if you were handed millions of dollars. What would you choose to do with it?”
“Is that a trick question?”
He walked even closer until he was only a few inches away. I found myself swooning. “I don’t do that either, perfect dancer.”
“Then I’d say I’d set up scholarships for arts of all ages to be able to work with your brilliant facility to provide them with awesome opportunities.”
“Very noble.”
“I try to be.”
“And what if that money came from less than reputable sources?”
“Now, I know you’re asking trick questions,” I told him as I pressed my hand against his chest. “You?”
“You already know I’m a very bad man. I’m talking about someone else.”
“Okay, now you’re losing me. Exactly what are we talking about?”
I could tell he was hesitant but there was still a twinkle in his eyes. “When you read this, I’m going to ask you to take a step back and allow me to make some recommendations as well as filling in some of the blanks.” He pulled out the envelope and I felt a little flutter in my heart.
“O-kay. I can do that.”
He placed my hand around the envelope, giving me a nod before walking away.
When I opened it, I wasn’t certain what to expect but it certainly wasn’t what I found.
There was no telling how many minutes had passed or how many times I’d read over the information but when I finally lifted my head, locking eyes with Creed, I had a slightly better understanding of his world.
Especially since my own flesh and blood had wanted me dead.
“How do you feel about a trip to New York?” he finally asked. “I assure you there’s nothing like the element of surprise.”
I thought about his question and sighed. But the answer was easy. “When do we leave?”
Creed
I wasn’t in the habit of laying low nor had I ever been interested in playing games of any sort. However, the three days since I’d provided Bella with some interesting documentation had been necessary, mostly to get our ducks in a row. Walter had proven himself to be quite the attorney after all, the two meetings we’d had with him more than helpful.
We understood the laws in New York, the requirements for various transfers of funds and what would need to happen to aid Bella in her takeover. Through it all, Bella had remained strong. I grinned from the seat beside her, the subterfuge hiding the necessary time spent on putting everything into place.
While at first, she’d been a little doe-eyed, which was certainly understandable when you learned you were worth several hundred million dollars, she’d shown the kind of backbone few men could in her position.
Most shocking of all was the hardening I’d seen her do in such a short period of time. She’d absorbed everything I’d told her, relishing the conversations. Far too much so in my opinion, which is why I’d set a few things in motion to try to soften her sudden foray into the darkness.
After everything that had occurred, I didn’t want her becoming jaded or more like me. I needed the light that encompassed her. I craved the joy I’d found from sharing food and a good laugh. I wanted more of it. In fact, I’d almost insisted she remain at the hotel, but the strong woman was having none of it, insisting I take her shopping, which I had.
The outfit she’d chosen to wear on this day had my mouth watering. For a young woman of twenty-seven, she looked more sophisticated and beautiful than a princess. And very businesslike for someone about to come into her inheritance.
“Is everything in order, Walter?” I asked. He’d enjoyed the thought of taking the trip with us, especially since the New York attorney handling the Marcello estate was an old rival of his.
“All set. I confirmed the time and no, they have no clue we’re coming. Oh, and your reporter friend is on the up and up.”
“Good to hear.” I wasn’t in the mood to kill the reporter at this point anyway.
“The police are standing by as well.”
“You have wonderful connections, my friend,” I told him.
He laughed from the front seat. “It pays to play golf, Creed. That’s something you should keep in mind.”
The driver had been instructed to pull into the underground garage of the high-rise building. As soon as the driver rolled under the concrete entrance, I reached out, taking her hand into mine.
For the first time since learning of the news, I heard a shimmer in her voice. “I’m worried.”
“Don’t be,” I told her. “This is just business. Nothing else.”
“I know. So you’ve told me. I was thinking. I’d like to accept your offer.”
“Which one is that?”
She tipped her head, gazing at me intently. “I’d love to be the director of the art center. But we need to select a name.”
I grinned almost like a kid, happier than I could explain to her. “We’ll do that after this business is complete. Deal?”
“Deal.”
The driver let the three of us off in front of the underground elevator. I took her hand, leading her toward the steel box. Once inside, I leaned over, whispering in her ear, “Elevators will always be my favorite place to fuck.”
She giggled for the first time in three days, elbowing my gut.
We remained quiet the rest of the way as the elevator powered its way up to the top floor. When the ping could be heard, she sucked in her breath and adjusted her wide-brimmed hat, which matched the red suit perfectly.
I led us down the short corridor, opening the door and immediately heading toward the man’s office.
Yes, the receptionist did her best to stop us, but it was a frail attempt at best. Once outside the man’s office, I gave my perfect dancer a look, our plans of how we’d handle this predetermined. When I opened the door, heading inside without knocking, Walter on my heel, I garnered the surprise I’d hoped to find.
“What the fuck is the meaning of this?” The attorney appeared shaken while the man sitting opposite him had yet to fully stand.
“Alexander Scott. It’s been a long time,” Walter said.
“Walter. What are you doing here?” Alexander was none too happy to see the man and obviously recognized me from my dazzling photographs a few nights before.
I stood a few feet away, allowing Walter to handle the initial shock factor. Why not? He’d done a lion’s share of the investigative work after all.
“I’ve come to serve you with an injunction.” Walter’s answer was concise.
“For what?”
“You’ll see.”
I could barely contain myself and already sensed that my lovely dancer was getting antsy.
Alexander took the injunction, spending almost three minutes looking it over. His client had just been prevented from locking down the funds or entering into my business without Bella’s agreement. I could swear his face lost all its color. Finally, he glanced at his client then back to Walter before settling his angry gaze at my face.
His client finally reacted, snatching the paperwork from his attorney’s hand, hissing as he flipped from one page to the other. “What the fuck is the meaning of this? You’re behind this, Creed?”
The asshole spoke my name as if he knew me, which he didn’t. Except for his attempts to have me killed along with someone he utterly despised. I glared at Giovanni for a few seconds, allowing the information to sink in. He looked remarkably like his father, but I sensed the man was even more volatile than Armand had been.
“I’m the only fucking living relative my father had. This is bullshit.”
“Sadly, bullshit isn’t the word since you had your own father murdered to claim his legacy.” I issued the words casually.
Almost immediately, Alexander acted as if he was ready to throw in the towel with his client.
“My father was killed by Nico Romano. It was a tragic loss.” He almost looked forlorn.
“That’s what you wanted the world to believe, but sadly, it’s not true. You killed your father because of greed. You managed to lure Gregor into your twisted fold, which surprises me given he’d been friends and business associates with Armand for years. You’ve ruined the South American trade at this point because you became determined to own everything in the Romanos’ territory, even working with Antonio Salvatore as if the two of you were really going to be allowed to take over several powerful crime syndicates. Tsk. Tsk. You bit off much more than you could chew.”
Giovanni grinned. “That’s certainly not something you can prove, Creed. Besides, it no longer matters. I’m the rightful owner of the Marcello Empire.”
“That’s not correct, Gio, but I think I’ll let someone more knowledgeable explain that to you.” I moved toward the door, opening it and winking at the most beautiful woman in the world. “Knock ‘em dead, sweetheart.”
Bella held her head high as she walked in, the high heels she’d demanded wearing making her long and lean. I was more than impressed. I was having a damn good time just watching her.
She took a few seconds, studying the men in the room before turning to face Giovanni. As discussed, she said nothing at first, allowing him to struggle with the news.
Then she smiled as only she could do. “Hello, brother. It’s so amazing to meet you. What a shame we won’t be able to spend any time together since I’ll be running my father’s empire from here on out while you’re spending the rest of your life behind bars for his murder, the two attempts on my life, ordering the hit on several of Creed’s men, and a sundry list of other atrocities.”
I could see the tension on her face, but I gave her all the credit in the world, especially as some of New York’s finest entered the room, immediately heading toward Giovanni.
It had been about retaliation all along, except nothing I’d officially dealt with. His hatred for his father having an affair with Carmine had festered over the years, especially after discovering he had a sister. And the fact his father’s will had listed Bella as a majority shareholder of his funds, which his stockbroker had turned into close to a billion while he’d served his time. From what I could tell, Armand had done everything in his power to provide for both Carmine and Bella but couldn’t afford to provide funds for fear of it being traced.
I’d learned a long time ago that dark secrets held in a family were as dangerous as they were ugly, but in this case, the light seemed to return to Bella’s eyes.
As Giovanni was arrested, she turned toward me, miming words I’d never thought anyone would say to me.
I love you.
And in those few moments as her brother threw out accusations, I realized how much love I felt for her as well.
Was it unconventional? Hell, yes. Somehow, I doubted either one of us could tolerate it any differently.