Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Tatiana
After lunch, I spend the afternoon with Noah and Jazz by the pool. The day is warm and sunny, so I changed into a bikini. Noah can swim, but I sit on the steps in the shallow end to keep an eye on him while he plays with a plastic boat.
Not being a big fan of water, Jazz sits on the side with her feet dangling over the edge. She’s changed into a flattering red one-piece. A huge sunhat and oversized sunglasses obscure her face.
I invited Emily to join us, but she said she wanted to make a roast for dinner.
Dante is discussing business in his study with a dark-haired man he introduced to me as Reino.
He said he wouldn’t work today, and I’m disappointed that he’s not spending time with us, but I know how demanding his business is.
When you’re running several illegal operations, unexpected emergencies are the norm rather than the exception.
I wasn’t surprised when he told me he’s managing Teszner Agglomerate.
It makes sense that I’d give him my shares.
I’ve never been interested in the business, at least not in that business.
What did surprise me was that my brother hasn’t called.
We’ve never been close, but you’d expect your only sibling to enquire how you were doing when you’ve disappeared for five days, especially in our world where kidnappings are at the order of the day.
Dante only told me Leander was incapacitated and that my brother isn’t to be trusted. They’re enemies now, which means I can’t contact him under any circumstances. I don’t miss him, but I do miss my mom. The grief isn’t raw and new. Instead, it’s persistent, like a constant ache.
Noah turns the boat into a submarine and watches it sink to the bottom of the pool. When I retrieve the toy and give it back to him, I sense Jazz’s gaze on me. I can’t see her eyes behind her sunglasses, but her concern is palpable.
“This is weird, right?” I say with a bright smile.
“You don’t have to make me feel comfortable. I’m supposed to do that for you.”
I lean back on my arms and straighten one leg, splashing water with my toes. “Is it the scars?” I’ve noticed the look on her face when I took off the cover-up I wore over my bikini before she had time to school her features. “You haven’t seen them.”
“You never wore clothes that revealed them before, not in front of other people.”
Shrugging, I grin. “I guess I forgot about them, excuse the pun.”
She makes a face. “That’s not funny.”
“Sorry.” I sigh. “I just don’t want to take anything too seriously right now.”
“You’re right.” She looks at where Noah is docking his boat on the other side of the pool. “You should take things easy.”
“They’re old.” I study her from under my lashes. “The scars.”
She nods, training her gaze on a point in the distance. “Older than Noah.”
“So you knew about them?”
“Uh-huh.”
I’m sure Dante briefed Jazz, Emily, and his men about what Dr. Chad had said. No one has brought up a word about my past since I returned home minus four years of my memory.
She removes the sunglasses and gives me an uncertain look. “Are you asking me what happened?”
“I’m not ready to hear that yet.”
I don’t know why, but my intuition is warning me not to go there, and I’ve decided to listen to that voice deep inside me for now.
I don’t want to start digging into a past my mind has suppressed out of self-preservation.
Sabotaging myself sounds like a very bad idea.
I want to wait until I’ve done a few sessions with Dr. Chad to work on controlling my anxiety.
I’m barely keeping my panic at bay. What happened to me is bad, I know that with a deep-seated certainty, but it will be so much worse if I fail Noah now.
My absence traumatized him, and it breaks my heart.
He woke up screaming from a nightmare last night.
When Dante and I went to console him, he made me promise that I wouldn’t leave them again.
Not wanting to dwell on those thoughts, which only threaten to drag me down, I push myself off the step and swim to Noah. “Want to race?”
We swim a lap and then float on our backs to catch our breaths.
The men must’ve wrapped up their business, because Reino exits the house and walks toward us. He’s dressed in a white T-shirt and black leather jacket paired with dark jeans and metal-tipped boots.
I don’t miss how Jazz’s back goes rigid or how she quickly slides the sunglasses back onto her face.
Mm. Am I sensing animosity or attraction?
“Ladies.” Reino nods at Jazz. “There’s a phone call for you.”
Her tone is catty. “How kind of you to take my calls. Have you been demoted to playing secretary?”
“It’s an agency.” He holds out a hand. “They’re calling about an audition.”
Ignoring his proffered hand, she gets to her feet. “Then it’s a good thing that you’re keeping my phone on.”
As soon as she’s said it, she glances almost guiltily at me. “Excuse me.” She ducks her head. “I better take the call.”
“Of course.” Excitement for her bubbles up inside me. “Maybe it’s a big shot producer who saw your portfolio and recognizes you’re the next big Broadway star.”
“I wish,” she mumbles, grabbing a sarong from a deck chair and tying it around her waist.
“Reino,” Noah exclaims. “Do you want to swim with us? We can play volleyball in the pool. Daddy bought a net.”
“Uh, no.” He shifts his weight. “I have work to do.”
Noah makes a disappointed sound. “Please?”
“We can play soccer later,” Reino says, looking anywhere but at me before he all but runs back to the house.
Frowning, I watch his hasty retreat. He seemed really uncomfortable around me. I hope not all Dante’s men are going to treat me like that.
Ignoring the unwelcome feeling settling inside me, I turn to Noah. “Want to play volleyball?”
He claps his hands. “Yay!”
I get the net from the chest with the inflatable toys in the pool house and play with Noah for a while. Spending time with him has a soothing effect on me, maybe because I’m completely present in the moment when I’m with him. There’s no place for the past when Noah takes up all my attention.
I’m pushing myself out at the deep end to fetch the ball that Noah has knocked into the shrubs, both of us laughing, when a pair of well-worn boots appear in my line of vision.
Poised in mid-air with my upper body supported on my arms, I look up into the face of a blond man with a square chin and sharp cheekbones.
He’s dressed in ripped jeans and a denim jacket.
His name is Kent. He’s one of the men in Dante’s inner circle, which means Dante trusts him.
Yet for some reason, he makes my skin crawl.
Maybe it’s the bashful look in his eyes that accompanies his cocky smile.
He hasn’t given me a reason to dislike him, but he’s not my favorite person in Dante’s employ.
I push myself out all the way and straighten in front of him. Instead of stepping back to give me room to maneuver, he obnoxiously remains in my personal space. I’m balancing on my toes with my heels hanging over the edge of the pool.
My hackles rise. I don’t give him the satisfaction of backing down by moving sideways around him.
Squaring my back, I stand taller. “Move aside, please.”
“Of course.” He takes one step back. “You’re the boss.”
I narrow my eyes. “Can I help you?”
“You need to use sunblock.” He juts his chin at my chest. “You’re burning.”
“If you’re concerned about the state of my skin, you should take that up with my husband.”
He chuckles. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I just came to see if I could get you anything.”
Why do I get the impression that he’s needling me, that this is some kind of test?
I know perfectly well what he means, but my question makes it clear that his offer is unwelcome. “Such as?”
The way he inconspicuously leers at my body makes me uncomfortable. I resist the urge to cross my arms over my chest. I won’t let him know he has any effect on me.
His smile stretches. “Something to drink. I thought Noah might be thirsty.”
I open my mouth to say if Noah is thirsty, I can fetch him a drink myself when I spot movement from the corner of my eye.
Before I can process the visual, Dante is next to us. He grabs Kent by the lapels of his jacket and not-so-gently shoves him away from me.
Dante’s tone is murderous. “I advise you to take your eyes off my wife before I remove them from your skull.”
I glance at Noah over my shoulder, worried about him witnessing the violence, but Dante’s words didn’t carry farther than necessary.
Kent raises his hands. “My apology. I was only trying to help.”
Noah, who has stopped testing how long he can hold his breath under the water, has spotted Dante and is already climbing out at the shallow end. “Daddy!”
“No running, Noah,” Dante says, not taking his eyes off of Kent. “The paving is slippery when it’s wet.”
“I know.” Noah walks to us with careful steps. “Mommy said if I run around the pool, I’m not allowed to swim anymore.”
“Your mom is always wise.” Dante lets Kent go with another shove and says under his breath, “Wait for me in my study.”
Kent makes a point of not looking at me. “Good day, Mrs. Morici.”
Dante glares after Kent until he’s disappeared into the house.
Noah hugs Dante’s legs, getting his jeans wet. “Are you going to play volleyball with us?”
Dante puts a hand on Noah’s head even as his attention remains fixed on me. “Sorry, buddy. Not today. Something important came up. Maybe tomorrow. Give your mom and me a moment. We have to talk.”
Noah squints at us. “About grownup stuff?”
Dante pats his shoulder. “That’s right.”
Recognizing the dark look that’s come over Dante’s face, I swallow. “Noah, please go fetch the ball. Just be careful of the thorns.”
“Okay.”
He runs over the lawn, pumping his little elbows. Since I’m back, he’s eager to obey and please me.