Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
C armella
“Mommy, I want to go home. I want to see my friends.” Gabriel had tears in his eyes as he peered up at me. My heart nearly shattered into a thousand pieces seeing his bright, cherub-like face filled with sadness.
I wanted nothing more than to leave this prison, but that wasn’t possible.
“You have grape juice on your face.” I rubbed his cheek with my thumb, offering a consoling look. I was terrible at pretending to be anything I wasn’t.
And there was no chance I could convince him I was happy.
Up to this point, Gabriel had been accepting of the difference in surroundings, slightly overwhelmed by all the people he’d met, but compliant with the change in venue.
I’d sensed the night before when I’d tucked him into an unfamiliar bed that his patience had started to wane.
So had mine.
But that had occurred a couple of days before.
He giggled, but the tears remained, staining his handsome face more than the juice.
The two of us had been stuck inside Alejandro’s condo for close to three days. Yes, the murder of the couple had stunned me even though something in the back of my mind had known there was a possibility. They’d been decoys after all. But being held prisoner wasn’t helping anything.
While the view of New York City was beautiful, the stark setting wasn’t anything like either Gabriel or I were used to. My son missed his swing and I missed my practice. I’d come to realize I’d taken for granted being able to walk out on my deck whenever I’d wanted, enjoying the fresh air and blue skies while drinking coffee.
Or a glass of wine.
I missed the sounds of nature. Being cooped up with guards at the door with no ability to open a window had felt more like a prison than anything else. Granted, Alejandro had done everything in his power to make us feel at home, including filling the room provided for my son with toys and books.
But it just wasn’t the same.
Even New York pizza and Chinese takeout hadn’t appeased either one of us. “But this is fun, right? A new adventure.” How many times had I said something like that? Too many. This wasn’t an adventure. This was a nightmare.
He shrugged and lowered his juice box, the tears remaining.
At least after returning from our nonexistent honeymoon and taking up residence at the condo, my husband hadn’t attempted to force me into a passionate moment. It was funny how being threatened dulled the senses.
I thought once again about the couple who’d been murdered in our place and rubbed my arms. They’d lost their lives to protect ours. It was still unfathomable to me what lengths some asshole would go to in order to gain territory or power.
Another reason I hated this world.
“Well, we’ll be able to go home soon.” The worst thing I’d done was lie to my son. We’d never be allowed to return to my beautiful house or my practice. The ache for my loss continued to grow.
“Can I have a puppy when we do?”
“A puppy?” I swept him off his feet, spinning him around. In doing so, he almost dropped the half full juice box. My latest evil thought included wondering how Alejandro would react to having a purple stain on his lush white rug. What mafia man condoned white carpet?
“Yes! And I’ll name him Moose. No, Bwazer!”
At that very moment, I wanted nothing more than to head to one of the local shelters and select his new best friend. Another pang of guilt and anger slammed into my heart. “Well, then I guess we’ll have to see what the birthday fairy can do.”
“Realwy?” At least his little eyes were now lit with excitement.
“Yes, realwy. Now, why don’t you go and finish watching your favorite movie? Maybe we’ll make some popcorn tonight. Would you like that?”
Gabriel wrinkled his nose. “O-tay.” Which translated into ‘not really.’ I was losing all my tips and tricks on keeping him entertained. He needed fresh air and sunshine.
Damn this life.
Damn my father.
And damn Alejandro.
He’d spouted off his desire for us to work together, but he’d left me entirely alone. I wanted to scratch out the man’s eyes.
I let Gabriel down, watching as he scampered off to his beautiful but cold room. Love added the warmth. Yes, I loved my son dearly, but I couldn’t be the mother I wanted to be. Not here.
When he was out of sight, another wave of sadness and loneliness became overwhelming. I wasn’t a woman to fall into dramatics, but I was now the one ready to burst into tears.
I yanked out my phone and walked toward the ridiculously large window fronting the city.
“Lupini Pediatric Clinic. How can I help you?”
Hearing Zoe’s voice was heartwarming, yet fed the despair. “How are things at my clinic?” I laughed in an attempt to try to disguise the tone of my voice. I knew it was hollow, devoid of any real emotion. I’d told myself the best thing to do was to shut down.
“Dr. Lupini! Oh, my God. I saw your beautiful pictures on Instagram. You were insanely gorgeous and you looked so happy.” Zoe was far too excited. Her using my professional name meant there were patients nearby. A good sign.
At least I’m managed to fool the social media crowd how happy I was. Maybe that meant our enemies sensed we were in love.
Our enemies.
What the hell did I know about the latest, greatest mob?
“It was a beautiful ceremony. How are things there?”
“They’re fine. Dr. Winger is very nice. A little stuffy, but we’ll break that habit.”
At least she made me laugh. “I am certain you will. No issues?”
“Other than Mrs. Martin’s granddaughter made a fuss about seeing a new doctor so you know how Mrs. Martin acted. Geez.”
“A true meltdown.” The poor girl was chronically sick with colds and bronchitis. “Just remember to give her a lollypop when she comes in. She sucks on it and is happy for at least twenty minutes.”
“Little Ashley?” She sounded surprised.
I laughed. “No, Mrs. Martin. The Tootsie Roll Pops in cherry are her favorite. Calms her right down.”
“Oh,” Zoe chuckled. “I forgot all about that. See? That’s why we need you back here pronto. When are you coming back?”
I almost used the same lie of ‘soon,’ but it was getting old even to me. “I just don’t know how it’s all going to work out.”
“That sucks. But remember what I told you. Be you. Don’t let them win.”
Sadly, they already had. “I won’t. Call me if anything comes up.”
“Will do. Try and enjoy that sexy new husband of yours.”
“I will.” I resisted another shiver just thinking about Alejandro. There was no denying my body had responded to him with fire churning inside, but after all the pomp and circumstance, reality had dragged me back to Earth. I held the phone to my head, closing my eyes and envisioning my house.
After that, I heard an email popping in. Maybe it was Derek since I’d finally become so angry I’d sent him a nasty email. It was childish, but I’d had a lot of time to think while pacing the condo. And a lot of time to hate.
When I pulled up the message, I was confused.
Don’t worry, Carmella. I will leave you alone. You can call off your goons.
What the hell?
A cold chill swept over me. Alejandro had threatened him.
“You should be careful making contact to the outside world.”
Hearing Alejandro’s voice made me angry, but there were also tingling sensations. I hated myself for it. “You threatened Derek. Didn’t you?” I turned around to face him, but remained right where I was.
He wasn’t expecting me to challenge him. I could tell by the look in his eyes. “I’ve already told you, no one is allowed to mistreat you. I simply had a nice chat with him. When did he tell you?”
I don’t know why, but I held out my phone. “Since I’m perfectly capable of handling my life all by myself, I sent the jerk a nasty email. He finally sent one in return telling me I could call off my goons. You.”
Alejandro was amused, but more than that, I noticed his expression was full-blown possessive.
“You fucking asshole. Did you beat the man to a pulp?”
He chuckled and I was even more furious with him. “No, I did not, Carmella. He is the biological father of your handsome boy. I had a talk with him. Nothing more.”
I sighed and shook my head. Maybe a small part of me was happy with what he’d done. Maybe. “By the way, you didn’t forbid me to reach out to the people working for me. I do have a business to run.” Yes, there was a heavy bite to my tone. He’d mentioned rules more than once, but I’d yet to hear them.
I shoved my phone back into my jeans pocket. If he believed he was going to cut off all contact to the outside world, the man needed a lobotomy and I’d be happy to give it to him.
He flanked my side without looking at me. His hands were shoved into his pockets and he was staring out the window. “I remember the first time I came to New York. I was a kid, maybe nine or ten. I thought the place was incredible and vibrant. It was winter, not too long before Christmas and my parents took me to Rockefeller Center to go ice skating. I think I was happier than I’d ever been in my life.”
It was obvious the memory was a decent one. I wanted to ask questions and in a typical relationship, this would be the perfect point I could ask him more about his past. But this was anything but typical.
“And now? What are your thoughts?” I asked. Why did I care?
“Dirty. Ugly. Greedy. Needy. Expensive. That’s what I think about the city. I dread every day I come home.”
“You could always come live with me in my house. It’s small, but not so much you feel cramped. There’s a front and back porch, a swing set out back for Gabe and one on the front porch for adults. It’s my favorite place to sit, read, and drink a glass of wine. I redid a lot of the kitchen myself with my two little hands. It was a big deal to me being able to do so. Plus, the backyard is incredible. I have almost two acres and at least half is filled with huge oak and maple trees. I think you’d like it there.” Gah. Why was I bothering to share anything about myself?
He still wasn’t looking at me, but I could easily tell he was reflecting on the image created in his mind. “Sounds amazing. A little like where I grew up. I bet it’s perfect for Gabriel.”
“Yes, and he just requested a dog. I wondered when that was coming.” I laughed, instantly loathing the bitter sound.
He grinned in a loopy way. “Every little boy deserves a best friend.”
“Yeah, they do. He was asking when we can go home. All his things are there. His friends. And believe it or not, he adores his preschool teachers. Why couldn’t we live there? It’s a little more than an hour away from the city.”
“If only we could, Carmella.”
“Why can’t we?”
Alejandro wasn’t the kind of man to do anything without reason. I’d determined that early on. “Because it’s too dangerous. I can’t expect my soldiers to uproot their lives for me to move out of town.”
“Oh, but you and everyone else expect that I would have no issue doing that to myself and my son. I see how this game works.” I was determined to get as far away from the man as possible. But he wasn’t interested in allowing me.
He snapped his hand around my arm, tugging me closer. The heat in his face and the fire in his eyes took my breath away as it had done several times before. “Don’t be that way, Carmella. You know what happened to the couple posing as us. You know what could happen now. Do you honestly think I’d allow either you or Gabriel to be placed in harm’s way?”
“Why should you care? Aren’t we a meal ticket to your giant leap up the ladder?”
I could instantly tell I’d irritated him, but I was so flustered and uncertain of everything that I just didn’t care.
“Because believe it or not, Carmella, I can care about another human being. I care about you. And Gabriel.”
I would have laughed had it not been for the sincerity in his eyes. “I can’t live this way, Alejandro. This isn’t right.”
“I can’t live this way either. Which is why I found a house I think both of you will love.”
“A house? Let me guess, some fucking mansion in the Hamptons.”
He pulled me closer until I was standing on the tips of my toes. Our lips were far too close, his scent far too masculine.
“Nothing like that, my lovely wife. But you can approve or deny. The choice will be up to you. Grab your things and Gabriel. Why don’t we find out?”