Victorious Vice (Bellamy Brothers #6)

32. Vinnie

32

VINNIE

M y parents’ housekeeper— my housekeeper—Phyllis, meets me at the door when I return home by nine a.m.

“Mr. Gallo,” she says, “it’s good to have you home.”

“Where’s Daniela?” I ask.

“She’s upstairs with our guest.” She thins her lips. “Miss Serena had a rough night.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“She’s not ill or anything, but she slept fretfully,” Phyllis says. “The nurse will be here soon. She texted me to tell me she had caught traffic and will be a little late.”

“See about finding a live-in nurse,” I tell her. “Serena is elderly, and she has been treated poorly. I believe she needs round-the-clock care. I don’t expect Daniela to do all of that.”

“Daniela is quite good with her,” Phyllis says, “but I understand.”

The intercom buzzes by the door.

“That’s probably the nurse,” Phyllis says. “Would you like me to take care of it?”

“Yes,” I say. “Send her up. I’m going to go up and see how Serena is doing.”

I ascend the curved stairway to the second floor.

This is the home where I grew up. Where I spent my first eighteen years, as the older son of Vincent Gallo Senior and his wife, Caroline Bianchi Gallo.

Funny. I’ve been back for a couple of months now, and I still feel like a stranger here. I spent nearly half of my life out of the country, away from this home.

I knock softly on the guestroom door where we’ve settled Serena.

“Yes, come in.” Daniela’s voice.

She looks up when she sees me. Serena is in her rocker. She looks good. Still too thin, and her face is wrinkled, but her eyes brighten when she sees me.

“Vinnie,” she says in her crackly elderly voice. “I’m so glad to see you.”

This is the second time she’s called me Vinnie. She’s making progress, no longer calling me Mario.

“Good to see you too, Serena. I have a surprise for you. You’re going to have round-the-clock nursing care.”

She frowns. “I don’t need that. I’m perfectly fine.”

“Serena, you were held captive for over fifty years in Colombia. The doctor says you’re in decent health, but you’re weak, and you need care.”

She swallows, her eyes sullen. “Only the first couple years were bad, Vinnie. After that, they left me alone. They fed me.”

“They kept you locked in a room.”

“Yes, but believe me. I learned to be grateful for that.” Her breath hitches. “Especially after those first years.”

“I’m not going to ask you what they did to you.” I turn to Daniela. “Did you know she was in your father’s home?”

“No, I didn’t. I was just a kid for most of that time.”

I rub my forehead. “Right. Sometimes I forget you’re only seventeen years old. You seem much older.”

“I was forced to grow up quickly,” she says.

I don’t press her on that. I know too well what she’s been through.

God, both of these women have been through so much.

“Has she been able to move by herself today?”

Daniela crosses the room and takes Serena’s hand. “Yes, she can walk, but it’s difficult. She’s going to require a lot of physical therapy to strengthen her bones.”

I’m not sure how much a physical therapist can do for an eighty-year-old woman who’s been kept in captivity for God knows how long, but we can hope.

Phyllis stops at the open door, and behind her stands a young woman wearing dark jeans and light-pink scrubs.

“This is Renée Erickson,” Phyllis says. “The nurse.”

“It’s good to meet you, Mr. Gallo,” Renée says, holding her hand out.

I shake her hand quickly. “This is your charge. Serena.”

Renée enters the room and walks to Serena’s chair. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Serena.” She holds out her hand, and Serena takes it in her bony one.

“You look like a lovely young woman,” Serena says, “but I don’t need nursing care.”

“Well, I’m here, and my services are being paid for,” Renée says cheerily, “so let’s get to know each other.”

Serena cracks a small smile. “I’d like that. I won’t say no to company.”

“Why don’t I get the two of you a snack?” Phyllis says.

“That would be great, Phyllis,” Daniela says. “Thank you.”

Phyllis leaves, and I make sure that Renée is situated well with Serena. Then I nod to Daniela. “I have some business to attend to in my office. That’s where I’ll be if you need me.”

“Thank you. I understand.”

I haven’t yet told Mario that Serena is here. I was able to get her home without Mario knowing. My first call is to my attorney.

“Morgan and Fort,” the receptionist says.

“Hello, this is Vincent Gallo Junior. I’m calling for Brian Morgan.”

“Of course, Mr. Gallo. One moment please.”

I hear her typing and pressing buttons on the phone, and then the ringer goes again.

“Vinnie,” Brian Morgan says into the phone.

“Hi, Brian.”

“What can I do for you? I’m not sure why you’re calling a divorce attorney.”

“There’s a simple answer to that. I need a divorce.”

“What?”

“Actually, an annulment would be my preference. I’ve only been married for about two weeks, and the marriage hasn’t been consummated. She’s not yet eighteen.”

“Please tell me she’s at least seventeen.”

“She is, and we were married in Colombia with her father’s permission. She’s not an American citizen. But as I said, the marriage hasn’t been consummated, and it won’t be consummated. It was all part of a…deal.”

“Understood. I won’t ask too many questions. The less I know about any of your deals, the better.” I hear papers shuffling and keys clacking in the background. “Here’s the deal. In Texas, there are several potential grounds for getting an annulment. The key point is the non-consummation of the marriage. In Texas, that alone is a solid ground for annulment. Since you’re telling me that you haven’t had a sexual relationship with your wife since the marriage, we can use this as the primary basis for your annulment request.”

“Great. And the fact that she’s underage isn’t an issue?”

He pauses. “Assuming that parental consent was given for the marriage in Colombia, which complicates things slightly, it doesn’t remove your right to an annulment based on non-consummation.”

“Great. Let me know what else you need from me.”

“Just the certificate of marriage. Send it over when you can. I’ll get the paperwork filed. I’m pretty sure we can get this moved along pretty quickly.”

“Good.”

“But about your wife… If you’re not married to her, she won’t be able to stay in the country.”

“Wait… What?”

“When a marriage is annulled, it’s legally treated as if the marriage never existed, which could have implications for any immigration benefits she may have been seeking through that marriage.”

“Shit. A divorce then?”

“Immigration law isn’t my specialty, Vinnie.”

“She wanted to come here. That’s part of why I agreed to the marriage. She’s an intelligent young woman, and she wants to go to culinary school. She doesn’t have those opportunities in Colombia.”

“They don’t have culinary schools in Colombia?”

“No. It’s not that. Her…family. They don’t believe a woman should be doing anything except pushing out babies to seal deals with other families.”

He pauses again. “I see.”

“How can we get her legal status here in the US?”

“Does she have another form of legal immigration status? Like a work visa or student visa?”

“No. This all happened very quickly. I brought her here as my wife.”

“A divorce may be a better option for you, then. Though immigration status could still be affected. We have an excellent immigration attorney here at the firm. You should probably talk to her. I think maybe your best bet is to wait until she turns eighteen, have her apply for residency and a green card. Then instead of an annulment, get a divorce.”

“Crap.”

“What’s the issue? So you wait a year or so.”

I rub at my temple with my free hand. “The issue is that I want to marry someone else.”

He pauses again. “That is a problem. But if you’re not sleeping with your wife, you can still have the relationship that you want. I’ll confer with my partner, and we’ll find a solution for you.”

“Much obliged.”

I end the call and sigh. That throws a kink into things.

But I don’t have time to dwell on that right now. I call Mario.

“Hello…son,” he says into the phone.

His voice makes me want to throw up. “I’m not going to call you Father. Or Dad.”

“Grandfather’s fine,” he says.

“I don’t like that either. None of it is true. I’ve decided I’m going to call you Mario.”

He chuckles sardonically. “Have it your way. I got word from Agudelo in Colombia that you disappeared. With his daughter. Without sealing the deal.”

“Yeah. About that… When were you going to tell me that Diego Vega wasn’t dead?”

“There was no reason to.”

“Who the hell is buried on the Bellamy property?” I demand.

“There’s a reason why Diego was demoted,” Mario says. “It’s not something I can talk to you about over the phone.”

“Good. I need you to come to my parents’”—I clear my throat—“I mean my house. I’m sure you’ll want to meet my lovely bride.”

“McAllister’s not happy.”

“McAllister doesn’t need to worry. I’m working on getting Daniela legal status so she can stay here, and then we’ll be divorcing.”

“Are you sure? She’s a lovely little thing. Tight, I bet.”

God, he makes me want to puke. What a dirty old man. I have half a mind not to tell him about Serena. He might know anyway, if he’s spoken to Agudelo. Besides, I’m convinced Serena is the real reason he sent me. Mario couldn’t care less about Puzo’s deal.

“You’re disgusting. I haven’t slept with her. I don’t sleep with children. I don’t plan to. This marriage is one of convenience only.”

“You may as well take what’s yours, Vincent.”

“She’s not mine. She’s a person. She’s not an object.”

“Did she refuse to sleep with you? She doesn’t have that right.”

“To the contrary, Mario. She didn’t refuse. She offered herself to me up on a platter. I’m the one who said no.” I grit my teeth. “But for your information, she does in fact have the right to refuse to sleep with me. Or anyone else, old man.”

He scoffs. “God, your father ruined you.”

“Yes, he certainly did,” I grit out, hoping he understands what I mean.

“So what is it you need me to come over about?”

“I believe you already know,” I say. “And we have a lot to talk about.”