12. Hurled Back in Time
CHAPTER 12
HURLED BACK IN TIME
A ntonio
I spend the entire car ride watching Serena as she regards me with a bored expression. I underestimated her before, and it wouldn’t happen again. I thought that sprained ankle would slow her down, or perhaps the blatant warning about her beloved cousin would make her more tractable but she’s proven otherwise.
Now I’ve made the threat official, and I only hope she’ll behave. Somehow, I’m certain that won’t be the case.
Which is why I spend the nearly two-hour trip to our summer home in Lago di Como with one eye on her despite the ever-looming presence of my guard, Otto. Pietro rides up front with my driver Nero, and his obnoxiously loud snores infiltrate the backseat. Otto keeps his good eye on her despite the pain each blink clearly costs him.
He’s a good man, and I regret that he got caught in the middle of this mess. He’s been with our family for as long as I can remember and is no stranger to the risks of our world but losing an eye would require him to step down. It would be regrettable, indeed.
We turn the corner of the cobbled street lined with towering cypresses, and our family villa takes shape silhouetted by the warm glow of the setting sun. For the first time in hours, I take my eyes off Serena to take in the home I haven’t visited since Mamma ’s passing. It didn’t belong to the Ferraras, it was passed down from my mother’s side of the family, the Domenicos. As such, few know of my tie to the property which is what makes it the perfect spot to hide the lovely Serena Valentino until my demands have been met.
Nero maneuvers the limo up the drive, delicate olive trees framing the property, and I’m instantly transported to my youth. To running with my brothers through the orchard, picking lemons and oranges from the groves behind the house.
The pastel-colored villa sits along the edge of the lake, sprawling terraces overlooking the sparkling waters and Alps in the distance. I’d forgotten how beautiful it is. My breath catches as I take it all in, at the onslaught of memories that exist only within the parameters of this property.
All the hate, the anger, the thirst for revenge begins to wane at the sight.
“Nice place.” Serena presses her nose to the tinted window. “I hope I get a lake front room.”
A rueful chuckle builds in the back of my throat, but I’m hesitant to release it. I should keep her in the basement. It would be the most secure location for a hostage. I tell myself it’s the guilt from that twisted ankle that’s making me reconsider her accommodations for the next few days.
The limo pulls to a stop in front of the marble fountain my mother chose. A trio of rotund marble cherubs spouting water from puckered lips. She said it reminded her of her three sons.
Dio , she’d be so disappointed .
Nero slides open the partition between the front and back seats. “Ready, capo ?”
“Just a minute.” I uncross my legs and move to the opposite bench between Otto and Serena. Turning to my beautiful captive, I don the mask of the savage prince, the new heir to the Ferrara empire. “Before Nero unlocks the doors, I simply want to remind you of our deal, tesoro . If you try to escape, your cousin’s life will be forfeit. Capisci ?”
“I already said I agreed on the plane,” she hisses.
“Good girl. Now, just so that we’re very clear, be aware that there is nowhere for you to run. The closest villa is half a mile away and with that ankle, you won’t get more than a few meters before I catch up to you.”
“I got it,” she grits out.
“Very good girl.”
She snags her bottom lip between her teeth as she regards me with furious, narrowed eyes.
My hand snakes out, fingers clamping around her chin before I can think better of it. Giving it a gentle tug, I free her swollen lip. “Don’t do that, tesoro , I have little restraint when it comes to a beautiful woman pouting.”
Her shoulders tremble, and I’m certain it’s not from fear. No, Serena Valentino isn’t the slightest bit afraid of me. Which is oddly exciting.
I tip my head at Nero and the lock disengages. Serena throws the door open and jumps out of the car, or at least she tries, until she’s thwarted by that ankle.
“Can we go inside already?” Goose bumps pebble her skin as the cool evening air drifts off the lake.
She’s still in that scandalous romper, and I only hope I can find something of mine for her to wear until I can send Mariuccia into town in the morning for more suitable clothing. I should have thought about it sooner. When I called the housekeeper to ready the villa for our arrival, I hadn’t considered women’s clothing. I’m sure I had something of my ex’s in my apartment in Roma.
Otto trudges by Serena then climbs the steps to the front door, his good eye locked on her now freed hands. He wasn’t pleased by the development, but he knows better than to question me. He has the door unlocked and swung open in seconds, holding it ajar for us to enter. Serena limps forward and judging by the wincing, her ankle appears even worse than before.
“Is Elena on her way?” I snap at Pietro over my shoulder. He’s at the trunk of the car removing our measly luggage.
“ Si, capo , she should be here within the hour.”
I glance at my watch, and a scowl twists my lips. It’s nearly midnight in Manhattan already. I had hoped to speak with Dante tonight, but perhaps I should wait. He may take the news of his daughter’s capture better and be more amenable to negotiations after a good night’s sleep.
Marching between the towering columns on the front landing, I barrel by Otto and follow Serena into the foyer. A wave of nostalgia surges over me as the familiar sights and smells of the old villa overpower me.
How could a room possibly still smell like her after all these years?
The light powder scent fills my nostrils, and I’m instantly hurled back in time to our last visit here. Papà thought the fresh air would help combat the debilitating effects of the chemo. It didn’t. She died days after we returned to Roma. A piercing ache assaults my insides, claws of pain tearing at my heart, no, at the heart of a young boy who lost his mother.
“Is this you?” Serena’s voice propels me back to the present. She stands in the middle of the foyer, pointing at an ornate gilded frame hung on the wall. Five strangers stare back at me, smiling, eyes filled with so much hope I barely recognize that version of my family.
Tearing my gaze away from the painful past, I meet her curious eyes. “That hasn’t been me for a long time now,” I mutter.
Her lips twist, but she doesn’t say a word as she takes another unsteady step into the living room and continues to scan the opulent surroundings. Unlike Papà , my mother had come from money, but my father was much too proud to take any of it. He insisted he would rather live in poverty than take a penny from the Domenicos. We did at first, until the business began to flourish, but Mamma was dead by then and the success felt hollow.
Quick footsteps echo down the hallway, and a familiar figure appears from the shadows. Mariuccia’s pale gray eyes light up when they find me. She gasps, her hand resting across her heart. “ Non lo posso credere .”
I can’t quite believe it myself. I never thought I’d return to this home, let alone to find the woman who had been our nanny all those years ago still living in the area. I wrote to her for years when I was a kid after Mamma passed. She was like a second mother to me. Then after everything went to hell with Raffaele and Papà , I sent one final letter. I just didn’t have it in me anymore.
“Tonio!” She springs for me and wraps her warm, substantial arms around my stiffening form. I can’t remember the last time someone hugged me. The feeling is awkward and comforting in the same instant. I can’t seem to push her away, not when I can feel the joy in her embrace. The last time she saw me I was just a boy.
Mariuccia chatters on in Italian, never quite releasing me as she catches me up on thirty years of her life. All the while Serena watches, her gaze heavy on me from the corner of my eye. I have to put a stop to this, or she’ll lose even the tiniest bit of fear she may have of me.
I finally push free of my former nanny’s embrace and stiffen my jaw. “Thank you for coming in such short notice.”
“Anything for you, Tonio.” She pinches my cheek, and I barely restrain from wincing. Serena does nothing to suppress the eruption of laughter.
I spin on her, shooting a narrowed glare and my best scowl. It does nothing to tame the wild cackles. Merda . As if this woman wasn’t proving to be enough of a problem.
Pivoting back to Mariuccia, I decide to dispense with the pleasantries. “This is Serena Valentino, she is our guest, but she is not permitted to leave the property, do you understand?”
Her silvery brows furrow, but she nods all the same. “ Certo, signore .” Word of the infamous Ferrara family stretches across the peninsula of Italy. Surely, she must know who I’ve become and what I’m capable of.
“Please accompany her to one of the guest bedrooms.”
“Lakeside, per piacere ,” Serena interjects.
This time, I don’t suppress the eyeroll.
“I’ll be right behind you,” I warn in my most severe tone. “Don’t try anything.”
“Of course not, I’ll be a perfect little captive.” She shoots me a grin, and as I’m shaking my head, I meet Mariuccia’s disapproving glare.
Wonderful, just what I need. Another rompicoglione , another woman to bust my balls.