Chapter 18
Donatello
“Are you ready to confess your sins, Ms. Prince?”
My question was met with a laugh. “My sins. What about your sins, Mr. Giovanni? Shouldn’t you be headed to confession or something? Although I would assume walking into a church could present a problem for you.”
“How so?” With my jacket unbuttoned, I had my hands in my trouser pockets as we walked slowly down a crowded sidewalk.
Emmeline moved in front of me, walking backward as she answered, obviously curious as to my expression. “Given your evil deeds, aren’t you worried about bursting into flames?”
Every time she laughed, every muscle in my body tensed.
“Well, the last time I checked, my penchant for bloodshed wasn’t to ingest after licking my sharp fangs, only to spill on the streets. However, since I haven’t been to confession since I was a child, you’re right in that the priest would likely ask me to leave after an hour of his time.”
She arched her eyebrows. “Yes, you are a bad boy. So what else am I supposed to confess? You know all my dirty little secrets, it seems. At least so you say.”
“Why are you so nervous about whatever is on that sim card?”
“What are you talking about?” I didn’t need to see the color of her face to know she’d turned a lovely shade of rose.
“You seemed very interested in what the photographer might have captured on his lens the night before you left.”
“Nothing worthwhile.”
I pushed her against the side of the building, planting my hands on either side of her. She slouched against the stone, even being daring by propping one foot on the surface. “You’re lying.”
“Now, why would you make such an accusation?”
“Because,” I said as I ran my finger under her chin. “As you said yourself, I know almost all your dirty little secrets. So confess.”
When she tried to slide under my arm, I prevented her from doing so. The frustration on her face was adorable. “Fine. I did a little strip tease.”
“What?”
“Don’t rub it in.”
Rearing back, I rubbed my jaw, a strange feeling of true jealousy disturbing. “For a man you didn’t know?”
The little brat tried to turn her head, which I captured with my fingers, forcing her to look me in the eyes. “You’re impossible.” But this time, she didn’t try to pull away.
“Noted.” By the fact she suddenly couldn’t look me in the eye brought a laugh. “You thought I was outside.”
“Well, you were. Weren’t you?”
“That’s beside the point.”
“Is it? No wonder Peter Kendall was fully aroused when I found him, and very angry when I’d snatched his camera.”
“He was not.” Huffing, she managed to push me hard enough I was forced to take a step away, still laughing.
“Trust me. He was.”
“You are so infuriating. You had better make sure those pictures never see the light of day.” She stormed off, even cursing under her breath. This time in French. A little habit when the Prince family was flustered.
“I’ll do my best. But remember, princess, you’ll owe me a favor or two.”
“Over your dead body. You’ve never learned any manners.”
Teasing her brought me great joy since she’d been the mistress of doing so for years and I’d been hesitant in what was said back to her. No longer. I fell into step with her, remaining quiet.
After a few seconds, she finally tossed me a look. “You really are terrible.”
“So you’ve told me. But you’re wrong about one thing. I did learn manners. My mother was insistent. She was the one who inflicted punishment, which is why I know discipline can work.” If she caught my insinuation, I couldn’t tell given the volley of curse words.
We walked in silence while she fumed, her steps finally slowing. I dared put my arm around her, more to annoy her to no end, but she didn’t fight me. We settled into a rhythm, enjoying the nightlife, the sights and sounds of the city.
“I’m sorry about your parents.”
Hearing the sadness in her voice had a calming effect on me.
We’d spend the day together, pretending as if we were a couple taking a vacation.
We’d gone to the beach and other than the day before when I’d found her lounging in the sun at a popular resort, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d enjoyed spending time in the sun let alone doing so beside the ocean waters.
She’d even dared me to come into the water with her, teasing me relentlessly until she’d managed to pull me under just as a wave swept over us.
While she’d laughed, I’d experienced a moment of frustration, which of course had driven her into another rush of laughter that had encouraged me to tackle her into the surf. Kissing her had been the only thing I could do.
Now I had my arm around her waist as we headed down the crowded street, the festival-like atmosphere surprisingly relaxing. Maybe that’s why I didn’t mind sharing what had been one of two painful moments of my life.
The death of my brother the other.
“They were good people, very loving.”
“A car accident. Right?”
I allowed a deep stream of air to release, maybe one I’d been holding deep within my lungs since hearing the news. At this point, the sound was far too bitter to hide anything. “They were murdered.”
She stopped in the middle of the road where we were crossing over, causing two drivers to honk their horns.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” My demand was far too angry as I pulled her out of harm’s way. The thought of losing her gutted me. I’d never had this kind of reaction with a woman before. Not once.
Her grip was firm, her gaze imploring. “Wait. They were murdered?”
Until I had her safely on the sidewalk, I didn’t answer. “Yes. They were shot, which was why I left Sicily.”
“I’m confused. That’s not what I was told. What does that mean, the reason you left your home?”
“That means,” I answered as I placed my arm around her once again.
As crazy as it sounded even to me, keeping her close grounded me.
“My father was a target of some very bad men he’d gone up against in the government.
They didn’t like what he had to say so he and my mother were eliminated on their way home from a dinner reception. ”
“Oh, my God. Did the authorities catch who did it?”
“Are you kidding me? The government was and likely is as corrupt as the gangs of criminals and the Italian Cosa Nostra. Perhaps more so. At least with the mafia, you knew their position. There was no hiding behind laws.”
“That’s just… How old were you?”
“Old enough to know I couldn’t stay. My father was smart enough to teach me how to care for myself and my brother, including training me what to do if anything should happen to him. That included forging papers so I could leave the country with my brother.”
“That’s why you came to the United States.”
“Yes.”
“Given how your parents died, why did you even consider joining the Prince family?”
Now I laughed because the reasoning would likely sound ridiculous.
“I’d had no intention of doing so. Believe me.
But I had a younger brother to feed and care for and finding work even though my identification said I was eighteen didn’t come easily.
After not being able to find anywhere decent to live, what few possessions we’d had stolen one night, we ended up on the streets. We were discovered by your father.”
“I had no idea.”
“Your father was a very private man. Not the kind to air his dirty laundry, especially when discovering two scrawny kids on the street had succeeded in swindling his wallet. Did you honestly expect a welcome wagon or for him to share in his weak moment?”
Her smile was wide as she shook her head. “Hell, no. I’m surprised you’re breathing. What did my father do to you?”
“He put us in a home owned by one of the soldiers. He fed us, clothed us. Since I was the thief, I was required to work off my crime.”
“That was my father for you. He preferred teaching lessons.”
“I was bitter and angry at first, refusing to cooperate. But he was both patient and strict with me and with my brother. But in the end, he inspired loyalty. He even paid for our education, which he didn’t need to do.”
“That’s when you became more like family.”
“In a way. He treated me with respect and I felt I owed him.”
She stopped once again, only a block away from the rental house. “I think you paid off your debt several times over. You don’t need to feel like an indentured servant any longer.”
Maybe this was the point where I was supposed to take back all I’d said to her, the possessive demands I’d made. That wasn’t going to happen.
“I don’t. Don’t you understand, your family became my family.”
“I can understand why.” Her features softened, yet her eyes remained imploring.
We started walking again, taking our time to enjoy the beautiful, warm night.
“When my mother and father were alive, one thing my father instilled in me was that family was everything. No matter the circumstances of the life we found ourselves in, as long as we stuck together we could get through anything.”
“You’re trying to instill guilt for leaving the way I did. Aren’t you?”
Shrugging, I offered a salacious grin instead of answering.
“Well, it’s not working.”
She pushed me away gently, taking long strides ahead of me. I allowed her to walk away, keeping my eye on her with every step, surprised when she didn’t turn around. Did she know that I would follow her? Of course she did because that was part of my job.
What she didn’t anticipate was how aggressive my needs were. When she was mere feet away from the steps leading to the house, I grabbed her wrist, yanking her backward and around to face me.
Her look of pleasant surprise was coupled with her trying to keep a distance between us, her hand strategically placed on my chest.
“Do I frighten you, sweet Ambrosia?” I asked, sensing a slight annoyance in my continual use of the name she’d selected for herself.
“Quite the opposite. I’m not afraid of anything, including men determined to kidnap me.”
“Now, how am I kidnapping you when you left of your own accord?”