Episode 85
Episode 85
Bad News - Part 1
GIOVANNI
“Why are we going to Joel and Faith’s penthouse if we’re meeting with his cousin Bruno?” Julianne asked as I held open the lobby door to one of the most prestigious buildings in downtown Manhattan. It was actually one building over from where I used to live. Which reminded me that I needed to connect with my realtor and put it on the market. Between the never-ending fiasco that was Bianca, and the fact that I was assaulted there, I had no desire to ever enter that building again.
I’d let my assistant Muriel hire a crew to clean it out. She would know best what things I’d want to keep and what I’d donate or sell. I’d already had most of my clothing and toiletries moved to Julianne’s place, now our current home, and there was little I could imagine needing from that location.
“No one knows where Bruno Castellanos lives. Not even his family. He’s an enigma and likes to keep it that way.”
“How mysterious. Do you think that means some of his work might be a little”—she pursed her lips and cocked her head from side to side—“shady?”
“Shady?” I chuckled.
She pressed the button for the elevator. “You know, sketchy, not on the up-and-up, dark and dangerous, possibly illegal?” Her eyes were wide and filled with excitement.
The door opened, and we entered the elevator. I entered the code we’d been given into the keypad and then pressed the button for the penthouse level.
“What I know of Bruno is he’s the best at what he does, which is high-profile security. Joel informed me that he’d served in the special forces. Also, according to Joel, Bruno shares very little of his everyday life, preferring to keep work and pleasure completely separate.”
“I’ll bet I can get some personal info out of him. People love to talk about themselves.”
I interlaced my fingers with my wife’s and smirked. “You could surely try, my love, but I don’t think you’ll get anything of value out of him. From my communications with him and what Joel has shared, he’s a fortress.”
“Fortresses are meant to be conquered. Should we make a little wager?” She grinned, her glossy pink lips distracting me.
“Hmm?” I asked, tugging her closer, those lips a hairsbreadth from my own.
“I said, should we make a bet?” she whispered.
“Sure,” I answered distractedly and nipped at her bottom lip, then hummed. I soothed the bite with my tongue and was surprised by a sugary flavor bursting across my tastebuds.
“You taste like candy and smell like cherries.” I tugged her lower body closer, my hand gripping her juicy ass. “Jesus, just you standing here looking at me with desire in your eyes—and that succulent mouth—is making me rock hard.”
The numbers on the elevator panel were already up to fifty-eight. Joel and Faith were on the seventieth floor, with a perfect view of Central Park.
“What is your wager?” I gritted through clenched teeth.
“If I get something personal out of Bruno today, you have to let me lead in bed.” She batted her eyelashes prettily.
“Jules…” I warned, not exactly against the idea, but not loving it either. I was still raw from the Bianca experience, and though I’d made love to and fucked my wife many times since then, I was still a tad gun-shy about giving over control.
Julianne pouted, reminding me how very much I wanted that mouth. “Just one night where I finally get to play with you, kiss you all over, trace your skin, and make love to you without you taking over.”
Images of a naked Julianne straddling my body while placing kisses along my chest, her nails scraping down the muscles of my thighs flashed behind my eyes. I ground down on my back molars. “Fine,” I bit out. “And if I win?”
“I’ll suck you off right in this elevator on the way back down.” She flicked her tongue along her bottom lip.
“Deal!” I said right as the elevator dinged, notifying us of our arrival.
Julianne backed away as I adjusted my blazer over my hardened shaft, willing it to go down. Just my wife merely standing next to me with her tight, body-hugging skirts, long legs, and gorgeous face made me ache on a good day. When she was using that sexy tone and teasing me… brutal . I cracked my neck and cleared my throat as she hooked her hand through my elbow, a huge smile on her face. She suspected she’d already won, and she hadn’t even entered the battlefield yet. I adored her confidence.
We exited into a large open entryway with marble floors and a glass circular table in the center. A massive pot of white orchids was perched on top, looking delicate and elegant.
The sound of children screeching could be heard through what sounded like a rock band playing on the stereo.
“Hello?” Julianne called out as we stood in the entryway.
Olympia, Joel’s mother, appeared from around the corner, wearing a bright yellow apron. “I thought I heard someone arrive.” She smiled in greeting. “Come on back to the kitchen,” she said in accented English while waving us to follow her.
I looked at Julianne, and she shrugged and started to follow the older woman.
When we reached the kitchen, I was shocked to see a bare-footed Joel and Faith wearing jeans and sweaters, an explosion of flour everywhere. The girls were in pajamas, their hands covered in what looked to be colored icing. Trays of flower-shaped sugar cookies were on cooling racks in three different places, proving they were deeply into this project.
Penny noticed us first and jumped down off her stool and came running at us with rainbow frosted hands. Before she could tag me, Joel had scooped her up, little legs still in motion. She howled with glee as he turned her around and plopped her booty right on top of the counter where the cookie mess had detonated.
“Hi, guys.” Faith waved, her own hands looked sticky with dough as she put balls on a baking sheet.
“Looks like you all have been busy baking,” Jules said with a smile.
“Wanna bite!” Little Eden held out her multicolored icing covered hands with a loaded to the brim frosted cookie on it. “It’s yummy!”
I shook my head. “No, thank you.”
Julianne shrugged. “I’ll take one.”
My woman wasn’t one to pass up a sweet treat, especially if it was being offered by a darling little girl that was nothing but smiles and good cheer.
Julianne walked over to where the girls were and pointed at a new cookie sitting on a cooling tray. “I’ll take a plain one with um…” She pondered the bowls of colored frosting. “White icing.”
“White’s boring!” Penny complained. “Are you sure you don’t want piiiiiiinnnnk,” she drew out the word as though it were far superior to the white.
“You’re right, what was I thinking? Pink is the only way to go.” She tapped Penny on the tip of her nose. “Will you make it for me?”
Penny nodded avidly as she reached for a spoon and plopped a huge glob over one of the plain cookies. The outside of it was covered with multiple-colored smudges, making it a bit soggy from the icing remnants on her hands. I couldn’t help watching the little girl with her tongue in the side of her cheek, trying really hard to cover the entire cookie. Once finished, she presented the ugliest cookie I’d ever seen to Julianne. Penny’s eyes were filled with sparkles and pride as Julianne took the treat. She inspected it and then smiled wide.
“It’s magnificent! The best cookie I’ve ever seen,” she gushed.
“Eat it, eat it, eat it,” Penny and Eden chanted.
Without so much as a thought, she opened her mouth wide and took a huge bite before closing her eyes and humming, confirming that what she was eating was absolutely delicious.
I fell even more in love with her at the sight of her going above and beyond to please two sweet girls.
“It’s perfection,” she cooed and finished chewing.
“Yay!” The girls squealed at the same time.
“Bruno is in the study,” Joel stated, while washing his hands. Once done, he dried them off and removed his apron before setting it on the counter. “Faith, we have a bit of business to tend to with Bruno and then I’ll be back to help clean up.”
She lifted her head from what she was doing and accepted the kiss Joel planted on her lips.
“Okay, honey. Don’t forget, we’re taking the girls to FAO Schwartz and then ice skating. You promised the girls.”
“And I have no intention of missing a moment of our family time,” he assured her.
“I’m sorry if we’re intruding on your Saturday,” Julianne was quick to apologize.
Faith shook her head. “Oh no, I’m not worried about you visiting. I just don’t want my husband to get caught up in something work related. He’s easy to distract. I have to keep him on his toes,” she teased.
“She tells the truth. When I’m in my study, I tend to get caught up. Alas, this meeting isn’t about me; it’s about you, so I’ll just get you settled with Bruno and then I’ll leave you to your meeting.”
“Excellent. Thank you. We’re very grateful for your help.” I reached out and Joel shook my hand.
“Of course. Anything for a friend.” He smiled and clapped me on the back with his free hand. “Be right back, girls,” Joel called out. “Save me the best cookie.”
“Okay, Daddy! Okay , Baba!” Eden responded in English and Penny in Greek.
We followed Joel through the living room and down a long hallway. He opened a door and gestured for us both to enter before him. A tall, dark-haired man in a pristine black suit was standing by the window looking over Central Park, his cell phone pressed to his ear. His hair was similar to mine in that it was overly long around the collar, but his had curling waves that suited him. He wore a beard and mustache combo that was very European, the mustache rather thin and his beard primly following the edge of his jawline meticulously.
“You’re sure? Fifty million dollars?” he clipped, his face contorting into an expression of extreme distaste. “Yes, thank you. Keep looking for a connection,” he barked and ended the call.
“Bruno, this is Giovanni and Julianne Falco,” Joel introduced.
I reached my hand out, and Bruno shook it and then turned fully toward my wife. He scanned her from her face down her body to her sky-high heels and back up again, before accepting her hand, dipping his head, and kissing Julianne’s on the top.
“Oh, wow, such a gentleman,” Julianne preened, her cheeks becoming inflamed.
“Yes, well, when I see a beautiful woman stand before me, my natural instinct is to put my lips on her, take in her alluring scent, and commit it to memory,” Bruno confided.
My instinct was to grab my wife’s elbow and tug her behind me as I stepped directly into Bruno’s personal space. “You may want to refrain from attempting to seduce a woman right in front of her husband, lest you prefer to accept the consequences of said action,” I growled in warning.
Bruno backed up a step and held his hands in supplication. “I mean no offense. An unearthly beautiful woman like Julianne should be appreciated as any magnificent piece of art,” he said conversationally.
“It’s Mrs. Falco to you, and yes, art should be appreciated…from afar. Touching precious pieces that belong to someone else is a dangerous way to live,” I stated flatly, my nostrils flaring as instant irritation replaced any rational reply I might have had under a different circumstance.
“I understand. I apologize for being forward. I forget American women and men culturally greet one another differently.”
“Mr. Castellanos, you called us here today because you had news on our situation. A situation I’m paying you handsomely to manage. One which does not include you ogling my wife. I’d prefer we get right to it.”
Bruno nodded curtly. “Again, I apologize for my forwardness. Please, have a seat; we have much to discuss.”
I walked over to a chair and pulled it out for my wife. Julianne kept silent and sat, crossing her long legs over one another. She smirked when our eyes met. She knew I was riled up, and though I’d likely get a talking to for acting rather rash about Bruno’s advances, a part of her liked my jealous side.
“I’ll leave you to your meeting,” Joel announced and then left the room, shutting the door behind him.
“Thank you both for meeting me here,” Bruno started.
“Why are we meeting you here, anyway? Do you not have your own offices in New York?” Julianne asked.
“I do my business in a variety of places,” Bruno responded.
“Do you live in the city?” she asked, wanting to win our bet and get something personal out of him.
“I live wherever my work takes me. Now, I have some bad news…”
“But,” Julianne tried, and I held up my hand.
“Jules, let the man explain why we are here.”
She let out a long sigh. “Please continue,” Julianne waved her hand, clearly annoyed with me interrupting her attempts at getting information from the enigma that was Bruno.
“As I was saying, I have bad news.”
“Please, feel free to be as candid as possible,” I ordered.
“I had my tech wizard do a full search on Bianca Cameron-Myers.”
“And?” I prompted.
“She doesn’t exist.”
“How so?” I frowned.
“Well, for starters, the marriage license she and Brenden Myers filled out and submitted to the court system wasn’t legal. Neither was the one you submitted several months prior to them marrying,” Bruno continued.
“Explain.”
“The marriage licenses are fake,” Bruno said coolly.
“What do you mean by the licenses are fake? I was there when Bianca and I filled one out. We went to the county recorder’s office and applied in person. I was standing right next to her. We both provided our IDs and birth certificates.”
Bruno nodded. “I think I’m using the wrong term. The documents and the marriage certificates themselves were real, they just aren’t legally binding.”
“Well, I know mine wasn’t to Bianca since we didn’t end up getting married. Brenden, Julianne’s brother, however, did marry her.”
He shook his head. “It’s not legal.”
“How is that possible?”
“Because Bianca Cameron doesn’t exist.”
“You said that, but I don’t understand what you mean by it, seeing as I was engaged to her and then assaulted by the same individual, which I assure you, was a very real experience. One I won’t be able to forget any time soon.”
“I mean that there is no record of Bianca Cameron before five years ago. It’s a fake identity. She made it up. And she has some of the most impressive forged government documents I’ve ever seen. Top notch. The best quality available on the black market. She would have had to pay an exorbitant fee for such work. I know of only a handful of people who could create an identity like hers out of thin air. All of whom I’m working on contacting for more detailed information.”
“So what you’re saying is that my brother and Bianca are not, in fact, married?” Julianne confirmed.
“Not legally, no. Though he likely has no idea. Which brings me to another major concern.”
“Besides the fact that Bianca is a con woman who’s taking my brother for a ride? I’ll strangle the bitch myself!” Julianne snapped, anger coating her tone.
I reached out and covered Julianne’s hand with my own, showing her that she was not alone. “We’ll handle this,” I swore and watched her bottom lip tremble, but then, as expected, the longer she held my gaze, the quicker she put herself back together. The shock turned into a fiery passion, making her eyes appear icy as she sat up straighter, transforming into a badass right before my eyes.
“Continue,” she said flatly.
“Before your canceled engagement, Bianca took out a life insurance policy on you with a forged signature.”
I frowned. “I wasn’t aware of that.”
“Don’t worry, it was canceled after she married your brother.” He directed his answer to me and then turned to look at Julianne. “However, she did take one out on Brenden Myers the same week they were married. His signature on that policy was his own so he knew about it. However, the same day she was released from jail, she upped his policy from five million to twenty-five million using a forged signature.”
“My God!” Julianne blurted and rubbed at her forehead as though all this information was giving her a headache.
“Fuck!” I swore.
Bruno closed his eyes and nodded, silently confirming what I didn’t need to ask.
This was way worse than I could have ever imagined.
“What does it all mean? To what end?” Julianne asked.
“It means your brother is in danger. Bianca is planning to off him in order to be rewarded with the twenty-five-million-dollar life insurance payout.” Bruno confirmed what I’d surmised.
Julianne covered her mouth as she gasped. “But she left town…so he should be okay.”
“Her being in town has nothing to do with what she’s capable of having done on her behalf. Which brings me to more bad news.”
“Jesus.” I ran my hand over the back of my neck and massaged the sudden tightness there.
“I can’t say for sure that it’s her pulling the strings, but there are men following all of you. I had my guys on Bianca, but without your knowledge, I had men on Brenden and the two of you, just to be safe. Unfortunately, there are two men tailing each of you and several on Brenden.”
“Do you know why they are keeping tabs on us?” Julianne whispered, her voice sounding small and frightened. The badass flew out the window once she found out we were being watched and her brother was in danger.
“In my experience, there are only two primary reasons to have someone watched,” Bruno shared. “One, because they’ve done something bad. Or two, something bad is about to be done to them.”