Page 14

CHAPTER 14

M assimo

I never take a life unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Today, it was.

I would have given them everything in the Jeep and everything in my pockets if that would have made them leave. But they wanted more. They wanted Lea . I don’t know if they just wanted to ransom an American girl or if they had something planned much worse than that. Either way, I wasn’t going to turn her over to them, even if it meant I got to walk away. They picked the wrong tourists to rob.

I tried to shield her from it all. The best I could, at least. If I hadn’t been concerned about her, there would have been more than one body on the ground. There wouldn’t have been any warning shots. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that. I took one life and gave the rest of them an option to run. They chose wisely.

Now Lea is safe, but she’s not okay. I get that. I remember how it was for me. I had nightmares for months, and saw that traitor’s lifeless eyes every time I closed mine. Saw the horrific things my father did to him, before he was allowed to die. My father isn’t as ruthless as my grandfather, but he’s still a dangerous man. I learned that at a young age.

As I got older, I began to understand his weaknesses. The way he coddled Emilio. The way he gave him chance after chance that nobody else would have gotten. But that’s not my problem anymore. I’ve made my choice.

Or I had… until Lea made it a lot more complicated.

“We can wait a day to swim with the sharks, if you’re not ready,” I offer, squeezing her hand once I park the Jeep.

“That might be a good idea,” she sighs. “Let me see how I feel tomorrow morning. Right now, I’m just… I don’t know.”

“Let’s go inside,” I say, patting her hand and letting go.

Lea waits for me to open her door, and I help her out of the Jeep once I do. She clings to my arm as we walk into the hotel. I don’t think I have to worry about her running away anymore. That seems like the last thing on her mind. I lead her into the elevator, swipe my card, and put an arm around her after the door closes. I pull her into an embrace and she squeezes tighter.

“We can also forget about the spanking tonight,” I say. “Tonight, we’ll just have dinner, wine, and put all of this behind us. How does that sound?”

I’d love to have her over my knee again. Love to watch her admit she enjoyed being spanked, so I can taste her. But things are different now. She may not be in the right headspace for it. Taking care of her is my priority.

Lea slowly lifts her head and looks up at me. She looks so beautiful right now. All I want to do is hold her close, kiss those pretty lips, and tell her everything will be okay. But those words would be hollow. They wouldn’t be true. I’m letting her get attached to me, and I can’t offer her all of the things a woman like her deserves.

“I-I don’t want to wait,” she whispers, her green eyes flickering. “We don’t have that much time together.”

“I know,” I sigh, looking away. “But it’s supposed to be enjoyable. Today may have been a little too traumatic for you to enjoy it.”

“If I don’t enjoy it, then you don’t get to spank me again,” she says, biting the inside of her bottom lip. “I’m not going to lie and say I’m perfectly fine, but I understand why you did what you did. And I’m grateful for it. You protected me.”

“Like I said, you’re always safe with me, bambina ,” I tell her gently, squeezing her tighter.

Those words are as hollow as the ones I can’t bring myself to say. Always safe with me, like I can keep her safe for the rest of her life. The rest of mine, sure, but that promise isn’t worth much. My days are numbered. I won’t make it off this island alive.

“Thank you,” she whispers, leaning against my chest.

I feel an ache when the elevator doors open, because I have to let go of Lea. I love the way she feels in my arms. I didn’t realize how much I missed that kind of closeness. That kind of vulnerability. Nobody could ever replace Layla, but if the circumstances were different, Lea could heal me. Her beautiful smile and gorgeous green eyes could melt all the malice inside me. She’s already the antidote to the poison I thought would linger forever.

“Any preference on wine?” I ask, putting the basket down and walking to the mini-bar.

“Something stronger than wine, please,” she whispers, sitting down on the couch.

Yeah, that makes sense. Harsh poison. That’s what I turned to, when I was eager to devour as much as I could so the pain would go away. Except it doesn’t work. It’s just more toxin to mix with the venom you didn’t choose. Still, it’ll take the edge off. We both need that right now.

I fill two glasses with whiskey and discard the bottles from the mini-bar. I don’t normally add ice, but she might need it, so I make them both the same way. I walk over, hand Lea her glass, and sit down on the opposite end of the couch. Lea clutches her glass before lifting it to her lips. As soon as she sips it, her face twists into a scowl and she gags.

“Oh, god, that’s a lot stronger than wine,” she groans.

“Never had whiskey before?” I ask.

“I had a shot of vodka once,” she sighs. “I really don’t drink much. I’ve drunk more since I got to this resort than I have in the last year.”

“Would you like me to fix some vodka instead?” I offer.

“No.” She shakes her head and takes another sip. “This is fine. I had such a nice buzz from the wine, too. I was happy before…”

“Before you slapped my ass and I had to spank you,” I tease, even though I know that wasn’t the reason.

“I didn’t hate that part,” she says, a tiny grin moving the edges of her lips.

“I must admit I liked you like that. So carefree and happy.” I down some of my whiskey. “It seemed like your natural element.”

“I don’t know about that.” She sips her whiskey again and grimaces. “This isn’t my natural element. I’m on vacation.”

“Because you’re directionless, right?” I ask. “Maybe you were born to be directionless. There’s nothing wrong with it. Life doesn’t need direction to be meaningful.”

“I think I need one, Massimo,” she sighs. “I don’t like feeling lost. After I get back home, I have to figure out what I’m going to do. Probably go back to school, and find a major I like.”

“Or forget about that and see the world,” I say. “Experience life, without the burden.”

“I don’t want your money,” she reiterates. “I’ll figure things out on my own.”

“Okay, bambina ,” I sigh. “I won’t bring it up again, but if you change your mind, my offer stands.”

She nods, sips her whiskey, and puts her glass down. Then she moves closer to me on the couch. I put my arm around her and pull her into a warm embrace. Not as tight as on the elevator, but enough to comfort her. It seems to work better than the whiskey. “There’s no way to get you to change your mind, is there?” she whispers. “I know you said faking your death isn’t really your style, but wouldn’t that solve the problem?”

She’s not wrong. Faking my death would be easy enough. My family would grieve—or celebrate. A mixture of both, I presume. But I know how that would go, just like I know how it would go if I went to war with my brother.

“It’s more complicated than that, bambina .” I casually trace my fingers along her arm while I speak. “I could disappear, but what I do is a part of me. If I fake my own death and things don’t go well after my brother takes over, I’ll feel obligated to step in. The only way I can walk away is if it’s permanent—and the only thing that makes it permanent is the grave.”

“It’s so unfair,” Lea sniffles, and I realize she’s crying.

“Don’t cry, Lea,” I plead. “Especially over me. The last thing I deserve is your tears. I’m the villain, remember? The scary guy on your best friend’s Mafia true crime wall?”

“Oh, god, Sarah,” she groans. “I bet she’s tried to call me.”

“I texted her last night,” I tell her. “Told her the date was over and you had nothing for her podcast. Although, I did say you might call her today…”

“Sarah will freak out if she doesn’t hear from me,” Lea says apprehensively.

“Then let her freak out,” I say. “You’re on vacation.”

“No, you don’t understand.” Lea pulls away and I see the concern in her eyes. “She’s obsessed with true crime. She assumes the worst every single time. If she doesn’t hear from me, she’ll call the hotel. She’ll call the cops. She might even get on a plane herself. And she knows your name.”

“Shit,” I mutter, realizing I may have underestimated Lea’s best friend. “If I give your phone back, can I trust you?”

“You still have to ask if you can trust me?” she questions, looking slightly offended.

“No,” I concede, getting up from the couch.

I trust her. Probably more than I should. But Sarah is a problem. She wouldn’t be the first armchair detective to poke around, and my family would handle her if necessary, but now isn’t the time. There’s too much at stake and too many lives on the line.

I walk into my bedroom, open the safe, and remove Lea’s phone. It needs a charge, but her screen is full of messages from Sarah. I take the phone into the living room without reading them.

“Okay. Here is your phone,” I bark, handing it to Lea. “But choose your words carefully, bambina . Make it clear you are not in any danger. You’re on vacation, remember? You don’t have time for her foolishness.”

“I understand,” Lea replies, swiping her finger across the screen.

I sit down and watch, but I reach for my drink and sip it while Lea reads the text messages. I can tell by the look on her face that she’s concerned by what she reads.

“I need to call her,” Lea sighs. “She’s been alternating between are you okay and call me all day. Only way I can get her to settle down is to call her.”

“That’s fine.” I nod in understanding. “I trust you, so if you want privacy, you can go to your bedroom.”

“No, that won’t be necessary.” Lea hits a button on her phone and puts it to her ear. “Hey, Sarah. No, I’m okay. Things didn’t go very well last night. I’m sorry I couldn’t call.”

Lea isn’t a liar. She looks uncomfortable telling half-truths. Or maybe she’s just getting an earful from her best friend. That’s what it sounds like, but I can’t make out everything.

“There’s no story. I asked and… there’s nothing. His wife was killed, but he didn’t have anything to do with it.” Lea pauses, glancing at me with discomfort in her eyes. “I could tell. Like you said, it’s a cold case. If the cops couldn’t figure it out, you’re just wasting your time.”

I don’t care if Sarah makes a podcast about my wife’s murder. There are no sources that will talk to her. Speculation is all she will have, and there is plenty of that to go around. Speculation won’t get the attention of my family.

“I wish I could have been more helpful, but I’m just going to enjoy my vacation and forget all about Massimo Morandi.” Lea glances at me and there’s a half-smile on her face. “I’ll call you soon and give you all the details. I promise.”

They say their goodbyes and I let out a sigh of relief. One problem solved. I wish all of them were this easy.

“All set?” I ask.

“Yeah, she’s disappointed, but she’ll be okay,” Lea sighs. “She’s been investigating your wife’s murder nonstop since I talked to her. She gets a little obsessive, but there’s no information out there for her to find, right?”

“No,” I confirm. “But I’m a little worried.”

“About what?” Lea’s eyebrow shoots up with concern.

“Well, you said you were going to forget all about me,” I chuckle. “You don’t get to do that until the end of the week.”

Lea looks down and shakes her head. “I’ll never forget you, Massimo, but I had to tell her something.”

I smile and motion to her glass. “Ready for another?”

“No,” she answered, biting her bottom lip. “I’m ready for my spanking.”

“Oh, really?” I laugh, feeling my cock twitch. “You sure about that? You don’t want to have dinner first?”

“I don’t want to wait,” she says, and I can tell she’s trying not to grin.

“Alright, then. Get up, bambina .” I motion to her, scoot to the middle of the couch, and point to a spot on the floor between my feet. “Stand right there.”

If she wants a spanking, she’ll get one.

But this isn’t punishment and we’re both going to enjoy it.