Fire Bound (Sea Haven Sisters Page 16

  “I don’t think you’re going to be there,” the woman said softly. “You’re drunk and you’re very close to the edge of the cliff.”

  He felt a hand on his arm. The man again. He found himself standing, facing them, the wind coming off the ocean blowing cold air across his neck and back.

  “Do you know who I am, Cosmos?” the woman asked.

  He shook his head. The action made the world spin. He recovered, holding himself rigidly upright.

  “I’m Giacinta Abbracciabene. That little girl who followed you around and sat next to you at the table night after night when my parents invited you in for dinner so you wouldn’t be alone.”

  His eyes widened. That child had flaming red hair like her mother. This woman couldn’t possibly be her. She was dead, wasn’t she? He didn’t know what happened to her. He couldn’t remember, his mind working very sluggishly. He shook his head. The action sent the ground under his expensive Italian shoes rolling. She stepped closer and he stepped back – into air. Empty space. The space where other bodies had gone before his.

  He felt himself falling and knew it was too late to save himself. He didn’t understand what happened, but when he hit the jagged rocks below, he felt his body breaking into pieces, the bones smashed. He opened his mouth to scream in pain, but the waves smashed into him, driving salty water down his throat and into his lungs.

  Casimir indicated for Lissa to step onto the path out of the softer dirt. Meticulously, taking his time, he erased all evidence of the two of them being at the edge with Cosmos. He took Lissa’s hand and they walked through the riot of cheerful flowers, staying on the stamped path so as not to leave any shoeprints behind. No one was around. It was the gardener’s day off, just as Luigi’s intelligence had reported. He had been thorough. Cosmos’s wife was out of the house with her friends, getting her weekly pedicure and facial. There was no one around to see Cosmos Agosto drunkenly fall over the edge of the cliff he loved so much.

  Just out of sight of the street, Casimir stopped, pulling Lissa to a halt as well. He had to know she was all right. They had the confirmation they needed. Cosmos had told them everything they needed to know, the alcohol rushing through his veins loosening his tongue. Had he not gone over the cliff, he would have died from alcohol poisoning before he was discovered, but this way, no sharp-eyed medical examiner could discover the pinpricks on his skin.

  “Golubushka, look at me.” She had to be hurting. She had expected the confirmation, had already accepted that Luigi was guilty, but it was human nature to hold out hope. Just a tiny sliver of hope, but still, it would hurt when that was ripped away.

  “I’m okay,” she whispered. “Let’s get home and finish this.”

  “Look at me,” he repeated, standing directly in front of her. A rock wall she couldn’t move or get around. His voice was gentle, but there was command in it.

  She tilted her chin. Lifted her lashes. Met his eyes. His gut tightened. He leaned down, framing her face with both hands. “I’m with you every step of the way. Your real family is waiting for you back in the States. This is just another job we have to do. A job, malyshka, something to be done. Don’t feel one way or the other.”

  Her lashes fluttered. He loved Lissa’s red-gold tips, not Patrice’s black ones. He brushed his mouth over hers because there was no changing Lissa’s mouth – and just for one heart-stopping moment her lips had trembled.

  “Do you understand what I’m saying to you, Giacinta? That’s how you’re going to get through this. Hang on to me. To your sisters. To my brothers. We’re real. We’re solid. We won’t ever let you down. If you called right now, they would all be on the next plane. You know that. I’m not going anywhere. You have to put distance between yourself and this man who was supposed to be your uncle. He’s nothing but an illusion, and now he’s a mark. He made himself that. You didn’t put his ass there, he did. Do you get this?”

  Her gaze moved over his face, studying every line there. She slowly nodded. “I do, Casimir. I’ll put him where he belongs now. I have to sit down with him. Tell him it’s done. He’ll hand me my next assignment, Aldo Porcelli. Aldo supposedly was the one that got his father to order the hit on my family. He probably did. He believes Luigi is his friend. Luigi married his sister. Of course he would believe that. Aldo won’t suspect, and he’s the last obstacle before Luigi is head of both families. The Porcelli territory is large, much larger than the Abbracciabene territory ever was.”

  “I hope Luigi enjoys thinking about being the all-powerful head of both families, because he won’t have time to enjoy it,” Casimir said. “Are you going to be all right by yourself getting home?”

  She nodded. “It will be good for me, taking the time on the bus. You go be Tomasso, the faithful bodyguard. Keep an eye on Arturo.”

  He smirked. He couldn’t help it. He’d keep his eye on Arturo, all right. Especially when she was sequestered with her uncle in his study and she had an alibi – when there was no possible way Luigi would ever suspect his niece. Arturo was going to die. It was that simple. Arturo was every bit as guilty as Luigi. He had to know Luigi didn’t have multiple sclerosis. He knew Luigi was married and had a full life in another town. He also knew that Luigi planned to dispose of his niece the moment she finished taking out the key figures in the Porcelli family to leave the opening for Luigi. Arturo was living on borrowed time. He just didn’t know it.

  “What are you planning?” she asked.

  He smiled down at her. “Go, Lissa. Go now.” He glanced at his watch. “You have a bus to catch. I’ll shadow the bus until you get to your stop. If you have trouble, you know the signal. You’ll be on your own once you get to that stop. I’ve got to take the car back to the rental place and get my own transportation.”

  She nodded. “I’ve done this countless times on my own, Casimir. I’ll be fine. I won’t pretend I wasn’t holding out a little hope, but I knew. I was trained as a professional. He trained me. I learned a lot more on my own. He’s very old-school. He got lazy. Once I was working and he trusted that I knew what I was doing, he lost interest. I kept educating myself. He’s a very arrogant man and that can kill a man very easily.”

  He found himself smiling. Even his gut settled. His hand came up from the nape of her neck to sift through the strands of the very expensive wig she wore. He gave a little tug. “I get what you’re saying. I won’t let arrogance be my downfall.”

  “Have no worries, Casimir,” she said. “If you do, I’ll be right there to remind you.”

  Lissa left him, walking away from him as Patrice Lungren. She took the picture of his beautiful, masculine face with her as she rounded the corner of the garden and emerged from between two tall elegantly rounded bushes to step through a low, unlocked gate back onto the sidewalk. She ambled down the street, looking around her in the way an awed tourist would, occasionally stopping to snap another picture before moving at a little more brisk pace toward the bus stop.

  She stood at the little stop, trying not to feel restless. Patrice wouldn’t be restless. She was always calm and cool. Friendly. Easygoing. Lissa didn’t want to have time to think about having to face her uncle. She would do it, because she had to, but it wouldn’t be easy. She also didn’t want to dwell too much on the look on Casimir’s face. She had to walk a very fine line. If she allowed herself to be too upset and he knew it, he would definitely not wait to kill Luigi and Arturo.

  Casimir had learned to push down the fire roaring in him, just as she had done. But it was there, smoldering just beneath the surface, and it would come blazing to life if she did anything at all to fan those embers. She knew, with absolute certainty, that she was the only one who could make Casimir lose control. He wouldn’t wait to rid the world of Luigi and Arturo if he thought it would make her feel better.

  Life didn’t work that way. She had avenged her parents’ death going through the Porcelli soldiers who had carried out the attack. They’d died, one by one, over the years. Their dying hadn’t lessened
her grief even a little.

  The bus arrived and she climbed aboard, flashing Patrice’s friendly smile to everyone as she sank into a seat. She made a show of looking at all the pictures on her camera before putting it away and turning to make small talk with the older woman sitting in the seat next to her.

  She walked the three blocks to retrieve her car, changing directions several times to ensure she didn’t have a tail. She saw the moment Casimir believed she was safe and he turned down a narrow street to return the rental car and get back to being Tomasso. She kept walking until she came to the small storage facility. Patrice Lungren put in her code, stepped inside and immediately became Lissa Piner.

  Lissa was thorough, scrubbing off Patrice’s makeup and carefully applying Lissa’s. Everything Patrice went into a duffel bag with her papers, ID, passport, cell phone and charger. Lissa braided her own hair and donned a long skirt and elegant blouse. Her boots were soft leather and matched her wide belt. Her jacket was short and fit snugly, emphasizing her lush curves.

  Lissa tossed her purse onto the passenger seat of the little car Luigi always had available to her and drove out of the private storage garage. Luigi owned the facility, so there were no cameras set up anywhere near the building reserved for her. She even had her own private entrance, kept for Luigi or someone from his estate.

  She drove all the way to the road leading to the Abbracciabene property and then she had to pull over, fighting for air. It wasn’t a panic attack, but her chest hurt so much she thought her heart would shatter.

  She dragged her cell phone out of her purse and dialed a familiar number before she could stop herself.

  “Lissa!”

  Lexi’s delighted voice nearly brought her to tears. She hadn’t considered that she would turn into an emotional storm. The burning in her eyes and the lump in her throat were evidence that she shouldn’t have reached out. Not now. Not when she needed to be strong. She was going to face Luigi, and she couldn’t go with red eyes and a face swollen from crying.

  “Hey, girl.”

  There was an instant silence. Then Lexi’s voice came again. Soft. Loving. So Lexi. “What’s wrong? Do you need me? I can get a flight out tonight.”

  There it was. Exactly what Casimir had told her not even an hour earlier. She had family. They were chosen, not blood, but they were family all the same. She heard the love in Lexi’s voice and knew it was genuine. For her. For a moment she had to bite down hard on her lower lip to keep from bursting into tears.

  “No. No, I’m all right. I just needed to hear your voice.”

  “Gavriil wants to talk to you.” Lexi sounded dismayed, as if she didn’t believe Lissa.

  “Come home.” Gavriil issued the two words as a command. “You don’t have to do what you’re doing for this family, Lissa. We’d much rather you be home with us and safe. Come home.”

  She knew he didn’t want her going after Kostya and Uri Sorbacov. He had no idea about her uncle and his betrayal. Still, it was nice to hear a badass like Gavriil wanted her to come home. He was totally wrapped up in Lexi, not so much in the rest of those living on the farm. He hadn’t been there long and hadn’t developed his relationship with the others yet. Lissa did feel a connection with him. He saw her when no one else had, and that had meant something to her. She had trusted him with her past, and that meant something to him.

  “Not yet, but don’t worry about me. I’m well taken care of.” That was to assure him his brother was looking out for her.

  “Lissa…” Gavriil began.

  “I have to do this. I have to. I’ll explain things when I come home.”

  “Just see that you do. Come home, that is. If you need me for any reason, I’ll be on a plane. Give me the word and I’ll come.”

  She closed her eyes again and pressed the phone tight against her ear as if she could hold Lexi and Gavriil close to her. Gavriil would be risking his life getting on a plane and coming to help her, but he still offered and she knew he would do it if she asked. “Thank you. I needed to hear you say that, Gavriil. I have to go. Just take care of Lexi for me. I have to know all of you are safe and when I get home, you’ll all be there.”

  “We’ll be safe,” Gavriil said gruffly. “You’d better be the same.”

  She hung up quickly before Lexi could get back on. She knew if she heard Lexi’s voice again she’d break down and cry and nothing would stop her little sister from getting on a plane and coming to her. Probably all of her sisters would come. And then all the Prakenskii brothers would come. She found herself laughing instead of crying, because that was what true family did, they made life so much better, no matter how bad the problem was.

  Lissa set the car in motion. Chances were, Luigi wouldn’t be home yet. He wouldn’t come back until he knew for certain she’d done the job. He would pretend he was still ill in his wing of the house, and that gave her a little respite and time to decide just how she would face him.

  9

  Luigi’s cell phone rang as he sat down to dinner. Angeline scowled at him. “Don’t answer, honey, we haven’t seen you for weeks and this is our time together.”

  “Shut the fuck up, Angeline,” he snapped. “Business doesn’t wait while you sulk. You like spending money and living in a fancy house.” He glared around the table at his sons. “I work all the time for her. She spends money and goes to her fancy-ass places and still she gives me shit.”

  The boys glared at their mother, and she ducked her head, picked up her fork and pushed the food around on her thousand-dollar plate. With another curse, Luigi flung himself out of the chair, sending it crashing to the floor, snapped open his cell and with long, angry strides, left the dining room.

  “This better be important,” he growled. “I’m eating my fucking dinner.” But he’d seen the caller ID and he knew exactly who it was and why she was calling. He knew, and elation swept through him. His niece had struck again – successfully. She was a torpedo: once unleashed, unstoppable.

  “Luigi. Luigi.”

  Hysterical sobbing. Luigi held the phone away from his ear, his smile widening. Yeah. His niece was a damn fine tool. He wished he could figure out a way to keep her alive. She was a better asset than any he had, but she was intelligent, unlike the idiot moron sitting at his dining table. He would kill one slowly and with extreme happiness. The other would be quick and with reluctance.

  “Luigi. You have to come. Right now. He’s dead. My Cosmos is dead and I don’t know what to do. You have to come.”

  Of course he had to go see the new widow. His body stirred in anticipation. He rubbed his crotch. “You call anyone else?”

  “No, no one else. I know to call only you.”

  Cosmos had trained the little bitch. She couldn’t move without direction, but when directed, she did whatever she was told. Carlotta was beautiful, absolutely beautiful, and in his stable of women, she’d command a huge price every fucking time. His grin got even wider. He absolutely loved his niece.

  “What happened?” he asked tersely.

  More sobbing.

  “Shut the fuck up and tell me what happened,” he commanded.

  “He fell over the cliff. He just fell. He was drinking wine. I found the bottle by the cliff. His body was on the rocks, but it went out to sea. I don’t know if I can get him back to bury him…” She sobbed more.

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can make it.” He snapped the cell shut. He didn’t want to hear her crying, not when he wanted to dance around the room. He raised his voice. “Arturo. With me.” When Giacinta was in town, he usually left Arturo behind, but he’d forced him to come to his home because Angeline complained about him not having a bodyguard. And he knew the widow would call…

  Arturo would be glad when it was over. He hated going back and forth between the towns when Luigi had to play sick. He had an aversion to Angeline. Luigi smiled again. He was a master at manipulation. Angeline’s sons regarded her as unimportant, an idiot they all put up with. They even felt sorry for
their father for having to put up with her. Over the years he’d even managed to subtly turn her father and brother against her. They didn’t realize, but they began to treat her as if she didn’t have a brain too. She had retreated more and more into her world of shopping, which only gave him more ammunition. When she was gone, his boys would accept her passing quickly.

  He stuck his head in the dining room. “This is important. I’ll be gone for a couple of days. Look after your mother, boys.” He sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. “Go get that diamond bracelet you wanted, Angeline.”

  She looked up, her face lighting up. A smile curved her mouth and her gaze clung to his. He was very, very good at push and pull. Push her away and pull her back. She fell for it every time.

  “Do you mean it, Luigi? Are you certain?”

  He softened his expression, nodding. “Yeah, baby. I’m sorry I have to be gone so much, but the boys look after you properly, don’t they?”