20. Cassandra
Cassandra
Vincent and Cecilia Tariello’s home rivals celebrities’ mansions in the Hollywood Hills.
The Tuscan architecture and warm Mediterranean color scheme remind me of the portraits of the Italian countryside hanging on the walls of Mare Di Sicilia.
A wrought iron fence with sharp spires at the top surrounds the property.
Sadie’s mouth hangs open when we pull up to the security gate, her nose almost pressed against the glass of the back seat window. I giggle and slap her leg, hoping Sam and Adam don’t notice from the front.
One of the guards flags us through after checking Sam’s ID, even though they clearly know each other.
I’m comforted to see the security ramped up for Sadie’s shower.
I probably won’t need the derringer packed in my purse, but after the Pharaoh’s Temple gala, I’ve made it a habit to bring the small pistol everywhere, just in case.
We make it up the stone-paved driveway and pull in front of a three-tiered fountain. Sadie sighs as she waits for Sam to open her door. I roll my eyes. The girl is impressed by everything.
Waiting for us outside the arched glass doorway, Natalie waves, her pale-pink sundress accentuating her strawberry-blonde hair and fair complexion.
“You look so pretty,” I say, stepping forward and hugging her. “I love this.” I gently tug at the fabric of her skirt.
“Oh.” She blushes. “Thank you. Leo bought it for me last week. He took me shopping.” She adjusts her glasses as she glances down at the dress.
Natalie’s humility is one of the reasons I love working with her.
“Anyway, Sadie,” she says, turning to my friend.
“I want final approval of the decorations before everyone gets here.”
“Absolutely!” With enthusiasm, Sadie follows Natalie past the threshold and through the grand foyer, her ballet flats tapping on the marble floors as she walks.
I linger behind, taking gift bags from Adam before he escorts me into the house.
He tells me to have fun before turning toward the kitchen, where our bodyguards hang out during our visits to Cecilia and Vincent’s home.
While Cecilia is an amazing cook, she employs a caterer for large events.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say Adam has a crush on the thirty-year-old chef.
If nothing else, he’s obsessed with the food she regularly gives him to sample.
I meander toward the living room, where Sadie’s shower will be held. An elaborate arch made of blue balloons decorates the entryway, hinting at the scale to which Natalie took her duties.
As I pass under the arch, I hear Sadie’s exclamations of excitement as she spins in the middle of the room. Her flowing blue maternity dress spins out, highlighting her childlike enthusiasm.
“Natalie, this is absolutely amazing,” Sadie says. “It’s even better than I imagined.”
“Oh, thank God.” Natalie places her hand over her chest and blows out an exaggerated breath. “I was so worried you wouldn’t like it.”
“Are you serious?” Sadie laughs. “I love it!”
As Sadie continues to marvel at the custom “Welcome Baby” signs and the life-sized wooden stork cutout, the sound of tapping heels alerts us to another guest’s arrival.
Well, not so much a guest as the host of the party.
“Oh, girls, you’re here!” Cecilia Tariello looks as breathtakingly gorgeous as she always does, in a blue floral wrap dress and her hair in a French twist. The woman is consistent in her dislike of plastic surgery, so I have no idea how she still appears to be in her late thirties.
I would do anything to age as gracefully as Cecilia.
Her hazel eyes, the same color as her son’s, dance around the room as she remarks on the garland of baby onesies punctuated with blue bows.
“Natalie, you’ve outdone yourself!” she says before slipping into hostess mode and ensuring each of us has a drink in hand.
We settle on the couches, Natalie and I with peach Bellinis while Sadie and Cecilia sip on non-alcoholic white Sangria. We chat about babies and weddings and laugh about our men as we wait for the other guests.
Amanda is the first to arrive, carrying a box wrapped in light-blue, metallic paper. It’s so big she nearly drops it before Cecilia ushers her to the gift table.
Next are Whitney and Marisa, the latter of whom flew in just for the occasion.
Soon, the room fills with friends and family.
I’m thrilled to meet Sadie’s little sister and aunt, who made the trip from Arizona to celebrate with her.
Her aunt hugs Sadie tight and tells her that her late mother would be proud.
Everyone snacks on hors d’oeuvres, while Natalie begins explaining the first game we’ll play.
Each of us is supposed to cut a piece of yarn off a spool to guess how long it should be to fit around Sadie’s belly.
We laugh as the strings are put to the test, with Sadie’s sister ultimately winning the prize—a commemorative rattle wrapped in gauzy blue ribbon.
Right as Sadie begins opening her gifts, things take a turn.
“Miss Bain.”
Still laughing at the “Party, my crib, 2 a.m.” onesie Whitney gifted, I twist in my chair to find Adam lurking in the dining room doorway, his expression drawn as his eyes scan the party.
Attempting not to draw attention to myself, I slide from my chair and calmly walk past Adam into the dining room. Once we’re far enough not to be heard, I stop and turn to him.
“What’s going on?”
“Mr. Mancini just sent a text out to the organization.” He holds up his phone so I can read the message on the screen.
Threat at Vincent Tariello’s house. All available men report to the property immediately.
Ice runs down my spine as my breath hitches. Lucas wouldn’t send a text like that unless something were seriously wrong.
“Did he say anything else?”
Adam shakes his head. “We need to get you and the rest of the women into the safe room immediately.”
“Adam,” I hiss. “We have twenty people in there, at least half of whom know nothing about the Tariellos’ link to . . . well, you know. How are we going to not only fit them all in the safe room, but also explain a threat at a baby shower?”
“We can figure that out later. Right now, our main objective is to keep all of you safe.”
I sigh, glancing out the window as if the looming threat is in the yard waiting for me. “Fine.”
Trapping my lip between my teeth, I work to come up with a remotely believable excuse as to why we suddenly need to stop a baby shower to hide. But I don’t have to worry for long, because when I enter the room, Cecilia is coming back from conferring with her own guard.
“Ladies.” She claps her hands, drawing attention away from Sadie and her gifts.
“I hate to interrupt the party, but there has been a breach of the perimeter. Unfortunately, with my husband’s status, we sometimes have, well, lunatics attempting to cause chaos.
Not to worry, our guards will catch the perpetrator momentarily.
However, until then, our security team is requesting we take shelter downstairs. ”
A murmur runs through the group, while Sadie and Natalie share a wide-eyed look.
Slowly, the women begin to stand as Cecilia ushers them away, telling them to follow the waiting guards. Adam remains with me as I wait for Sadie and Natalie.
I take steps toward crossing the room to collect my purse, and the little gun which seems silly when compared to the weapons carried by the guards outside. I don’t care. I’m not waiting unprotected.
Struggling to get out of a plush armchair, Sadie scoots to the edge and braces a hand on the arm. Natalie reaches out to take Sadie’s other hand and pull her to her feet. As Sadie stands, her face contorts, and her eyes drop to the floor. A startled gasp escapes her before a panicked, “Oh, my God!”
“Sadie, are you okay?” Cecilia rushes over, taking Sadie’s free hand.
Halfway to the table holding my belongings, I freeze, because from where I stand, I can see exactly what has Sadie panicking. And truth is, it should have us all in a panic.
Sadie looks up, eyes watering. “I think my water broke.”
“Oh, God.” Natalie steps back, looking to the floor, color draining from her face.
“I think you’re right,” Cecilia says as she assesses the situation. I admire her ability to remain calm because I, for one, am freaking out.
“Holy shit.” I grasp at my hair as I cross the room and take over for Natalie, who looks like she’s about to vomit. “What do we do?”
“Well,” Cecilia says. “I think we need to get her to the hospital.”
Adam clears his throat. “Mrs. Tariello, that might be a problem.”
It’s then that we hear the unmistakable pops of gunfire outside.
Cecilia and I look out the window, spotting a man dressed in black, holding a rifle, and running through the back lawn. He only takes a few steps before an explosion of red surrounds his head, and he drops to the ground.
“Snipers,” Cecilia mutters.
“Right,” I say. Because how do you respond to that?
Cecilia turns to Adam, her mouth set in a firm line. “I know you have orders from my son and husband, but right now, I’m in charge, and I’m telling you we need to get this girl to a hospital.”
As if on cue, Sadie groans as a contraction hits her. “I’m too early,” she cries. “The baby isn’t due yet.”
“Only by a couple of weeks,” Natalie soothes, regaining her composure. “I was a full five weeks early, and I am totally fine.”
I smile gratefully at her as Sadie nods halfheartedly.
“Adam,” I say. More gunshots are fired in the background. “Go get Sam and the car. We’ve got to get Sadie out of here.”
Conflicted, Adam looks between Cecilia and me before groaning and pulling out his phone. “Sam, pull the car up front. Sadie’s in labor, and we’ve got to get her out of here.”
“Let’s go.” Cecilia wraps an arm around Sadie on one side while I grab the other.
Natalie follows behind and grabs Sadie’s purse off a nearby table, muttering that she might need it. I don’t worry about mine. I doubt the men storming the Tariello compound are looking to steal women’s wallets.