9. Lia
Chapter 9
Lia
After settling into the motor cruiser and having a shower, I pull on my pajamas and meet Milly on the deck.
The warm, tropical breeze caresses my skin as I take in the view of the Whitsunday Islands.
It's beautiful. Its full glory spreading out before me like a postcard. A picture-perfect vista of crystal clear, turquoise water, countered by the distant, verdant peaks of the North Queensland mainland and the glow of the lowering sun.
And then I see Milly, staring into space, deep in contemplation.
"Hi," I say as I take a seat opposite her, noticing she is chewing the inside of her cheek.
She still hasn't murmured a word. It could be the gentle rocking of the motor cruiser lulling her into such a relaxed state that she's fallen asleep with her eyes open.
“Earth to Milly,” I say into my watch as my sister now gnaws on her bottom lip.
She rips her gaze from the crystal clear ocean and stares at me. “Sorry. I can’t believe he dumped me.”
I laugh. “Your ego is a little battered. You’ll get over it. Just buy a vibrator and keep away from men for a while.”
“I don’t think I'll ever get over him, though. Not Romeo.”
It must be love when she doesn’t respond, not even a single chuckle at my suggestion.
Milly leans back in the ivory leather chair, her legs tucked underneath her bottom, her brow furrowed as the sun sets behind her, casting a golden hue on her rose pink hair. “How can I get over him when I still love him? He’s going to be a hard one to follow.”
“He’s a mafia heir, Milly. They kill for kicks. They extort money from businesses. They…” My shoulders sag as I swallow back the words I want to tell her.
“Con should’ve been the first son. He’s the one who does all that. Romeo doesn’t.”
Con is Romeo’s much eviler, but younger brother, and Milly is deluded if she thinks he is worse than her now ex-boyfriend. They’re all as crooked and evil as each other. They are all Contis.
Shaking my head, I sigh. “He does. They all do. He’s hardly going to tell you.”
I shoot her a concerned look. I thought it was our step mother marrying into the de Luca family that brought danger into our lives, but now I know the truth. I can only hope Milly and Amara stay away from men like Romeo.
“He’ll already be betrothed to another. The marriage will go ahead.”
“But he loves me.” She sighs.
Strangely, I feel so sorry for her. The one I thought no man could tame.
Milly doesn’t normally fall in love. No man has ever stuck before. She’s still young, but prior to Romeo she flicked all her boyfriends off her like they were a speck of lint she needed to brush off to make her sparkly again.
She’s the wild one of the three sisters, and I'm happy with that. But I want her future men to be as far removed from mafia men as possible. It's bad enough I'm involved as deeply as I am.
“Milly, he’s dangerous.”
“I know he is.” She runs a hand through her windswept hair. “And I know you’re just looking out for me. But he can be so caring and romantic when it’s just the two of us...”
If only I could tell her how I know it’s for the best that he let her down now. That dealing with the Conti crime family is like dancing inside a nest of venomous snakes. Instead, I tell her only what I can. “His family is neck-deep in all kinds of illegal activities. You’re better off without that drama in your life.”
“I can put up with it.”
I exhale deeply. “He’s a Conti.” There’s poison in my tone because I remember I’m a Conti, too.
Her eyes are on me as I lift my bottle of water and gulp the cold liquid. She picks up her glass of wine, takes a sip. “Have a glass of wine.”
Shaking my head, I say, “I can’t.”
Shock fills her as her eyes widen in response. “Are you pregnant?”
I want to tell her the truth, but for now, it’s best for me and the babies that my secret stays that way for a little longer. Because if Eduardo Gallo has a hit on my head still, it means he won’t be agreeing to anything Antonio says.
I rub my hand over my aching thigh and say nonchalantly. “I’m on medication.”
Silently, she steadies her gaze on me as she takes another sip of her wine. “I’ll make him jealous,” she says. Not asking about my medication or why I was rubbing my leg. “That’s what I’ll do. I’ll make the fucker jealous.”
“Milly…” I warn. “Don’t be putting anyone’s life in danger. That’s a disgusting thing to do.”
“Not if it’s another mafia son.” The smile on her face is so wide and perfect, you’d never believe she had an evil streak.
“Oh. My. God. What the hell are you thinking?” I shriek.
“It’s fine. I know the perfect guy. Enzo has been super nice to me lately. Especially since he and Con had a massive argument.”
I wave my hand in the air dismissively. “I can’t keep up.”
“Apparently, they had a thing…” She lifts her eyebrows like she wants me to read between the lines.
My eyes open wide. “Con? No way. Daddy Conti will not be happy about that.” Then I think about the tattooed monster that is Mateo Conti and shake my head. “There is no way on this earth that man plays for the other team.”
She scoffs. “They aren’t gay. They just use each other's bodies.”
Use each other.
“Fuck! That’s hot.”
“I know. I’d love to watch.” Milly bursts out laughing. “Or maybe I can get them back together and be the sandwich filling.”
This time, I chuckle. “And where does Romeo fit into that picture? You know, the guy you’ve been crying over since we got here.”
“He can watch as punishment.” Her voice drifts away and I lose fun loving Milly once again.
“I’m going to drive back. I need to talk to him.”
“No way. You’ve been drinking, and it’s a ten-hour drive.”
“I’ll leave my car here and fly back. You can drop me at the airport,” she says. “And you can drive the car home when you’re ready.”
“I’m not going anywhere, and you can stay the night and drive home in the morning.”
“You’re not?” All the time considering me. Her fingers tapping on the side of her wine glass rhythmically before she asks, “Why did you move to the Gold Coast if you’re so adamant we need to get away from it? From Dominic, and the Syndicate?”
“I can’t tell you. Not yet.”
Her chin lifts in the air. She doesn’t probe me, which is surprising because Milly normally never lets up when she wants to know something. I suspect that’s something to do with Romeo.
“What’s going on with Amara?” I ask, changing the subject. “She seems distant at the moment.”
“She has a lot on her plate with her studies and dancing classes.”
“Dance classes?” My voice lifts. “Since when?”
Milly laughs. “Since just before her birthday. She’s very secretive about it.”
“Mm.” I remember her wanting to talk to me about something, but I’ve been so caught up in my own troubles I forgot to go to her.
Just when I’m about to take another sip of my water, my phone chimes. I recognize the sound. “One minute.” I tell my sister as I take my cell and stride inside the boat.
“Hey. Have you got any news for me?” I ask Jove.
“Your inheritance is ready. I’ve sent you an encrypted link to everything. You know the drill and how to open it.” He hesitates for a moment. “Five hundred and twenty million dollars…”
“Sorry! Say that again.”
“You heard right. You’re worth just over half a billion dollars. US, not Aussie.”
“Wow,” I interrupt him. "And my sisters."
“They have less than you, but enough for them to never have to worry about money ever again. But I can’t release their money. It’s best that your sisters remain oblivious.” He clears his throat. “There’s something else.” He pauses again. “You have a house in Switzerland and another in the Bahamas. If you ever need a safe place to go, I can organize it.”
“Wow.” That's all I can mutter right now. I’ve gone from being a virtual pauper to having more money than I can ever imagine.
“Indeed,” he replies in his polished English accent.
My hand reaches to the place at the back of my neck that I suspect my tracker is. “Can you turn off the tracker or have someone remove it from me?”
“I can’t. That’s not within my jurisdiction.”
“Oh, come on Jove.”
“Sorry Lia. If I do anything to that tracker, I’m dead.”
I groan. There’s no way I want his death in my hands. “If I order you to tell me where it is, will you?” My voice is calm, but full of authority. This is one way to determine who’s in charge here.
“No.”
I sigh. “Okay, I’ll take myself to a veterinarian and get scanned.”
“Now you’ve told me that, I can tell you, but I have to inform Antonio.”
“Fine. Tell me where it is.”
I blink a few times and glance at my back in the mirror again, trying to find a trace of a bump, but I can't see a damn thing.
The door to my stateroom on the yacht cracks open. I catch Milly as she narrows her eyes and says, "What are you doing?"
"If I told you, you'll think I'm crazy," I say, reaching out for my sundress.
"I've been dating a mafia heir and somehow had it in my head he'd not go through with his arranged marriage because he loved me too much." She shrugs her shoulders. "Who's crazy?"
"Finally! I was imagining you jumping up and screaming when the Priest asked if anyone knows of any…"
"I know. I know. And no. I'm not."
"Good."
"But if he thinks I'm going to hide away, he can think again."
I roll my eyes and shake my head. "Don't get revenge. He's not worth it."
"It's not revenge." She smiles. "Enzo's quite cute, really."
"Milly…" I warn her. "You're playing with fire."
"No, Romeo is the one who is going to burn … with rage. And then I'm going to throw gasoline on him and make him hurt."
"Dramatic. Much!"
She smiles. "He's already texted me twelve times and tried to call me around the same amount. So I know he wants me."
"Ah. That's the Milly I love. The one who wants to do the hurting."
"Yep. That's the one. Anyway, what were you doing?"
I can't tell her I'm looking for an implant around the size of a grain of rice, so I say, "I feel like a spider or something has bitten me."
"Argh! No way. On this boat."
"It would be hard for a spider to get on a boat. It was probably a mosquito." I shouldn't have mentioned the spider when she can't even walk past a golden orb without shivering, thinking it's about to pounce. "Can you run your fingers down my back, each side of my spine, and tell me if you feel anything?"
Her eyes scan around my stateroom before she tentatively steps forward. "Start at my neck and run your hands down either side of my spine and stop if you feel anything different."
"There's no sign of a bite," she says.
"Good. It's definitely not a spider."
She visibly relaxes and finally does as I ask. "Nothing," she says when her finger reaches my waist.
"Press harder. There is something underneath the skin on my back. It feels weird." I lie.
"It's your imagination."
"Milly, just do it." I hardly get the last word out when she presses two fingers on either side of my spine, lowering slowly down the sides of my spine.
"Fuck, you're right. I think whatever bit you laid eggs. Ugh!"
"Keep your finger on the spot while I reach for the marker pen," I say, waiting for her to press, and I gently lower myself to grab the pen, handing it to her. "Squeeze it and mark the area, and tell me when you're done."
"Done." She steps back and grimaces. "You've got eggs in your body."
"Rub some of this cream over the spot." I hand her my numbing cream, and when she's done, I count to thirty before I take the knife from the cup of hot water I boiled to sterilize it and say, "Now squeeze the lump between your fingers so it's as close to the skin as possible and nick one end to pop it out."
She gags dramatically. "I can't. I might have baby spiders running over my hands."
I'm not listening to her balking or muttering about something growing inside me, not when I'm going to ask her to cut it out.
I turn and face her. She's pale and I think she'll faint. Sighing, I say, "It's a tracker, and I need it out of my body."
Her eyes widen with shock. "What the fuck? A tracker. Why?"
"I could make up a lie right now. Instead, I'm going to ask you to keep it a secret. Nobody can know about it. But it was placed there after I was sexually assaulted, because Dad thought I was in danger of being kidnapped."
It's a half truth, but enough for Milly to turn me around and stare at where she marked my back.
"Why do you want it out?" she asks. "I mean, if it's protecting you."
"Would you want to be tracked permanently?"
She sighs and shakes her head. "Okay, I can do it. Give me the knife."
"The smallest nick, Milly. A Band-Aid nick, not a hospital visit slash."
She laughs like an evil time lord.