Months later…
Talia waited until they were a few feet away from the nursery before she spoke. “You know you don’t have to come back to Boston with me.”
Carrie pouted. “How can I not? You’re my best friend, and I love you.”
“But you love him too.”
She nodded with a heavy sigh.
Who would have thought Carrie and Angelo would fall for each other? They were complete opposites with nothing in common. He was always serious, and Carrie was only serious at work, the rest of the time Talia always wondered if she was auditioning for court jester.
But their friends with benefits relationship that had begun when she was in a coma, knowing Carrie maybe before—Carrie had always used sex to forget situations that scared her, ever since her parents’ died in a car accident—had blossomed into a serious relationship. They were genuinely happy together. And that was to end just bec
Talia felt sorry for her. The woman was caught between her husband’s crime and her son’s revenge. She hadn’t deluded herself as to think Rafe would let it go just because she’d asked him to. She knew he was up to something, just not something so extreme. But it shouldn’t shock her. When he thought she’d cheated on him with Renaldo and Alex, he’d left her destitute. He’d taken everything except the house which she’d just finished paying off with half of her savings.She knew Rafe’s wrath when he was wronged, all too well. She didn’t envy them.“Why is Gabriella here?”“Alex is my brother,” she responded with a maliciously satisfied look on her face.Talia took a deep breath to calm her. She still had nightmares about him. She could hear his voice, as he taunted her, promising to do disgusting things to her. Each time, she woke up with Rafe rocking her in his arms, and
Rafe walked into his home feeling very pleased with himself. His revenge was finally complete, and soon the Rossi and DeLuca names would be nothing. They would disappear like an unfounded rumor. And then he’d rebuild the DeLuca name clean of all his father’s evil. He patted Angelo on the back. “Come cugino, let’s celebrate!” Angelo shook his head. “Rafe, there is nothing to celebrate—” Rafe raised his hand and cut him off as he walked towards the bar sitting at the far end of the living room. “Not now, Angelo. You can be my conscious tomorrow morning after I’ve drunk my scotch, kissed my sons, and made passionate love to my wife.” “I can see the first two happening, but I’m not sure about the last.” Rafe turned to his wife’s voice with a smile. She looked lovely leaning against the doorway with a radiant smile on her face. He couldn’t believe the same woman had almost died two months ago. How am I so lucky? He beckoned her with two fingers and she strutted towards him. When she
Rafael DeLuca looked out the window and watched as the beautiful city of Boston came up to meet him as the plane made its descent. The city’s night lights sparkled like diamonds. As the plane got lower, he could see those very lights dancing in the ocean water. He’d never seen anything more breathtaking. He smiled to himself. Truthfully, he did. It was even more beautiful than Italy, his home.He sighed heavily. He would miss his home, his yacht and his weekend sailing trips, the best parts of his week, but he’d been promised he’d be able to do the same here. Hence why he had chosen these offices to inspect.He’d been looking forward to this trip more than anyone could understand. Rafe unbuttoned his shirt to the mid of his chest and pushed the sleeves higher around his elbows, relishing the freedom. He’d barely made it onto the plane with his sanity in check, and now, thousands of miles away, he still felt suffocated. But that would soon change.Restlessness crawled through him and v
Talia McKenna stood on the airport tarmac next to the driver, her arms wrapped tightly around her shivering body. Her mouth opened with a long loud yawn. She couldn’t smother that one, unlike the hundred others that came before, she’d been able to hold in. Who would arrive in the dead of the early morning night and expect a greeting party? A DeLuca of course. And not just any DeLuca, the DeLuca.Talia was still having a hard time believing that she’d been appointed as a glorified tour guide to Rafael DeLuca II. Nobody called him junior and, from what she’d heard, it was akin to calling a shark cute and cuddly. Unlike his father, Rafael DeLuca Senior, who was cold and ruthless and with questionable business ethics, baby shark here was on the up and up and sadly for everyone else, not easy to read nor predict.He had come out of nowhere, surpassing his father in a blink of an eye and with a company that had been long declared and widely considered dead for almost a decade. A blow to Sen
She nodded, stifling a smile, and turned back to look at the plane that had slowed down as it was coming to a stop. “Gotcha.”“How do you not know that? You reserved one for him just a few hours ago.”Ha? Talia turned to Joe a little shocked. This was the first she had heard of it. “I did?”He nodded slowly with an even more incredulous look on his face.She definitely didn’t, but she was sure it was one of his army of assistants. She sighed, an army she was now an honorary member of.“Well then, at least we’re sure he’ll like it.”She made a little cheer when the plane came to a stop around a hundred feet away from them. After a few minutes, the door opened, and a step of stairs appeared as it lowered. Someone who looked like a pilot stepped out first. Following close behind was a man holding something in his arm pressed against his chest as he descended the steps.“What are the chances he came alone?” Talia asked as she watched the man approach them.“Not a chance. From what I heard
Talia groaned from under her pillow and cursed at whoever was calling. Once in the cab with Enzo, heading to his hotel that he’d been so kind to inform her the name and location, she’d shot her bosses an email with an update and, with much restraint, requested the morning off. After dropping Enzo off and heading home, she’d never felt so excited to go back to that tiny one bedroom apartment. Shaking, almost frozen stiff, she’d quickly changed into her pajamas and burrowed under her thick duvet and waited for warmth to thaw out her frozen limbs. It was the best morning sleep she’d ever had.Correction, she thought with a groan as the persistent ringing grew louder, it was almost the best morning sleep.Back at home she pressed the pillow against her ear and pleaded with her phone. “Just die. You always die on me when I don’t want you to. Now I want you to.”The ringing stopped and Talia smiled with contentment, emerging from under her pillow. She should check the time—No! I want sleep.
Talia followed, thinking she now owed Joe a coffee and a box of donuts for saving her twice. And that idiot holding the itinerary hostage as some sort of prank, he or she was going to get it once she found out who it was. After a three minute walk on the wood walkway—she had no idea what the right name was—they got to DeLuca’s boat—yacht. His was parked, or tied last on the third and last row coming out of the main column. The place was beautiful and so were the vessels, if she put the immediate danger of drowning away from her mind.Once he pointed it out to her, she thanked him and watched him walk away for a few seconds before she turned back to the boat—yacht. It was pretty and big. How one person piloted this thing without help was beyond her. But who knew, maybe he didn’t go anywhere, and who said he was alone? For all she knew, this yacht was how he got laid.But that was all none of her business. She moved closer to the back of the boat—yacht, super aware of where the walkway
“Carrie!”Immediately as Talia got to the office she went in search of her friend. Being fellow International Relations Officer, they sat opposite each other, their backs to each other. Their curved cubicles made a nice private horseshoe enclosure around them, great for a midday nap.“Carrie I’ve got something juicy for you!” Talia said as she dropped into her seat and swiveled around to face Carrie. But her friend still had her back to her, and her head was on her crossed arms on the desk. Talia grabbed the back of her seat and forcefully turned it around, making Carrie sit up with a pained moan.Talia reared back, surprised, when she finally saw her friend’s face. “Why do you look like death walked all over you?”Carrie’s eyes were red and puffy, her caramel skin tone looked two shades lighter and she gagged like she was about to barf. Talia pushed her chair back until it hit her desk, curbing her escape.“Don’t you dare!” Talia warned, holding a finger up to her.With one hand Carr