Chapter 22
Catherine
A fire.
It was eighty degrees of warm, wet, and humid outside, yet even the fire in the stone fireplace couldn’t keep me warm.
Huddled under a blanket, I tried nursing the drink, but I failed, sucking down two before I knew what I’d done.
It was Monday, or at least I thought it was, but time suddenly had no meaning.
The man I was falling hopelessly in love with stood in front of the fire, able to nurse his drink.
He was tense. We both were. I had no idea what the late breaking news meant or why it had been kept from me.
Other than the obvious.
That Vitelli Russo and his entire family were horrible people.
Then again, that’s what I’d thought about Alexander a few days before.
Before beginning to fall in love with him.
Impossible.
Disturbing.
Accurate.
I pressed my fingers against my lips to keep from laughing as I stared at the DNA test results on the coffee table.
My birth certificate meant nothing. Yet the man I’d known as my father had been listed.
Had he known about my mother’s obvious affair?
Or had something more sinister occurred?
Maybe that’s why after all the years he’d finally snapped.
No. No. No.
I refused to believe my mother would dare do something so terrible.
She adored my father, which was why his betrayal had nearly destroyed her.
God, I was sick inside, a knot so huge I could barely breathe.
No amount of alcohol would bring any peace, nor would it clear the haze that kept me so numb inside.
My life had been turned upside down by true monsters. How odd that Alexander seemed like one of the good guys after all.
Alexander sighed and checked his watch. He was waiting for someone to arrive.
“The bastard said he was coming to take me home.”
“Who?” Alexander growled as he turned toward me.
“The man in the club that you… saved me from. That’s what he said. What the hell does it mean?”
He narrowed his eyes, the intensity in them no longer terrifying. “Maybe your father decided being with me wasn’t in your best interest.”
“Why? Why would he do that? He had to know how you’d react.”
“You mean I’d hunt you down?”
Groaning, I nodded.
His sigh was as heavy as any I’d heard. “I went to visit Russo in the hospital the night before last hoping for answers.”
“Did you talk about me?”
“At that point, I had no idea you were anyone but who you said you were. My father had a meeting with him on the day he died. According to Russo, they’d agreed to an alliance.”
“Between mafia organizations.”
He lifted his head, nodding. “Not unheard of except Russo had tried an alliance years ago. A marriage between my sister and one of his sons. My father said no. After that, your biological father went after mine, almost managing through your father’s role as a prosecutor to convict him of a murder committed by my uncle. Talk about dysfunctional families.”
While he was emotionless on the outside, I sensed the vast array of them swimming in his mind. I had no idea what to think any longer. The insanity of what he was telling me shouldn’t make any sense.
Yet it did.
“You think the man I’ve always known as my father did so on purpose. Why? Wouldn’t he go after Vitelli Russo if possible given my mother’s connection to the man?”
“That’s a good question and one I will discover as I will about everything else.”
“You don’t trust me.”
“Yes, I do. In truth, more than certain people who’ve been in my life.” He laughed bitterly and took another swig of his drink.
He had every right to be angry.
So did I.
“What now?” I had to ask, although I doubted at his point he’d made some great plan. Maybe he did. I could tell by his eyes and his brooding demeanor he’d returned to the land of the dead. Now he was all about the anger and the need for revenge.
Funny how his Jekyll and Hyde personalities didn’t bother me nearly as much as they used to.
Maybe because I had some of that in me. More than I cared to admit.
That would make sense. I had the blood of monsters in my veins.
“I need to talk to my father’s Consigliere. He will explain everything.”
I had a feeling there should be an ‘or else’ attached to the end. “Consigliere. Mafia.”
He finally turned, moving closer, sitting down in the chair opposite. Leaning forward, he shifted his drink back and forth. “A trusted advisor. Your mother never alluded to you not belonging to your father.”
“Never. And my father never acted as if there was any animosity about my birth or my existence.”
“It’s possible she didn’t know.”
“What? That she had an affair with this criminal and didn’t remember? Then she married my dad?”
His sigh was heavy. “Unfortunately, my angel, there are some atrocities within our world where men of power believe they are owed something, including from women.”
“Like you?”
He took a swallow of his drink. “Much worse. But I told you I was a bad man.”
“You think my mother didn’t have a choice with Vitelli Russo.”
“I doubt she did.” He studied me carefully, taking a deep breath. “Is that the way you felt with me?”
Was it? He was truly asking, uncertain what my answer would be. Only I knew and it wasn’t something that was soul crushing or defied the woman inside. I wasn’t immune to the needs I’d felt or the burning desire that only he’d managed to satisfy. “No. If I’d told you no, you would have stopped.”
He half chuckled. “I’d like to think so.”
“I know and do you want to know why?” I shifted in my seat, tossing the blanket aside, leaning forward until I could feel his heated breath.
“Why?” Some light had returned to his eyes.
“Because I was able to peel away your layers, that thick armor you have. You admitted it and you can’t take it back.”
His eyes flashed in the fire and ice combination I’d come to adore. “I guess I can’t since the counselor spoke.”
“You’re thinking my dad might have been forced into attempting to convict your father.”
“If I had to guess, I’d say yes. Perhaps your dad was being paid very well to keep his mouth shut about you. Maybe he found out and Russo threatened to tell your mother. That’s the only thing that makes sense to me. But again, I will find out.”
“I’m a part of this.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Then we need to work together.”
The same eyebrow lifted. “Oh, yeah?”
Frowning, I realized we had a long road ahead even if we agreed to combine forces.
“You know I don’t mince words, Alexander.
You realize I need to get back to work for very important reasons.
Don’t you? I need to find out how deep this insane ruse has gone.
Only I can make certain connections. For example.
Why did the DA suddenly force me to take the case? ”
“You have a point. However,” he hesitated, reaching over the table and brushing his index finger down the bridge of my nose, “if I agree, we do so my way. Period. And you will follow every rule.”
“Or what?”
His eyes turned dark once again. “I think you know that answer.”
Footsteps suddenly interrupted our conversation.
“Mr. Prince,” one of his housekeepers said while standing in the door. “You have a rather insistent visitor.”
He lifted his head, studying the man behind her. “It’s fine, Maggie. Let him in.” He stood, moving toward the visitor, holding out his arm for a handshake.
Immediately, the man’s gaze moved toward me, his breath hitching. “Alexander. We need to have a conversation.”
“One that should have occurred days ago.”
“We should do this in private.”
Alexander’s sigh was one of annoyance. “What we discuss, we do so in front of Ms. Devereaux. Catherine, this is Jacques Cornwell. My father’s Consigliere and former friend.”
His emphasis on ‘former’ was caught by Jacques, a hint of fear in his eyes fading quickly.
“As you wish.” Jacques was as irritated as Alexander had become. In his hand was a manila file and I had every reason to believe whatever he was holding had everything to do with my past.
And my future.
“Have a seat,” Alexander directed. He remained standing.
Jacques did as ordered, obviously uncomfortable.
“Let’s cut to the chase, Jacques. As you know, I’m a very busy man. More so now that my family is facing a crisis.”
“I wouldn’t call it a crisis, Alex.”
Alexander glared at him, the look shutting the man up.
“My father made a deal with the devil. Didn’t he?
He entered a sordid contract with Vitelli Russo to seal my sister’s fate in an unwanted marriage, one that the entire family objected to years ago.
One that almost cost my father his freedom and subsequently his life. How am I doing?”
Before the Consigliere had an opportunity to interject, Alexander continued.
“I’ve been trying to determine why in the hell my father would go against his own family’s wishes to help someone he once called his enemy.
Other than taking a portion of Russo’s territory I’m still drawing a blank.
What I do know is that Russo has an enemy outside of our family and whoever they are, Russo has experienced difficulty defeating them.
Somehow, the proposed deal the two men agreed to leaked to this unknown party, which is why both men were gunned down and Lorenzo Russo was killed.
They wanted Russo to suffer for defying them. ”
He hesitated, his eyes pinned on Jacques, who was nervous. “You’re correct in that Russo had an enemy. He came to your father for help over a month ago.”
“You knew about this all along.”
“I knew enough, although he kept many of the details from me. I was sent a copy of the final deal just before the final lunch.” He continued to glance in my direction, just as uncomfortable with me being in the room as in dealing with the awkward situation.
“What does this have to do with me?” I asked, now sitting on the edge of the seat.
When Jacques didn’t answer right away, Alexander growled. “She knows who she is, Jacques. We simply need a few blanks filled and you’re going to do it for me. What was the incentive used for my father to sell his soul?”