Dario crossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow. Would his brother fess up? Neither he nor Martina are without blame for splitting up shortly after Jasmin was born, but Ante should snap out of his life-is-a-party attitude and accept that raising a child would test his limits.
“We broke off the engagement.” Ante’s face soured. “I hope we can work out issues someday soon.” Irena clicked her tongue and the corners of her lips dipped. “Sorry to hear that. How old is your little one?”
Ante flashed a lopsided grin. “Jasmin will be four this summer.” He tweaked his head, a Cheshire cat smile beaming on his face. “She’s my pride.”
Well, well, what do you know? Years of harping seemed to have worked. As the saying went, constant dripping hollows out the stone. There was hope for his brother’s future with his woman and the child they’ve created.
Irena patted Ante’s chest. “That’s the winning attitude.”
Ella took her mom’s hand, pleading in her round eyes. “Please, Mom, can I go with Uncle? I’ll be extra careful, I promise.”
Deep lines appeared on Irena’s forehead. “Oh, I don’t know, baby. It’s not safe.”
“Come on, Irena. Why wouldn’t it be safe? We won’t be gone for long.” Ante extended his hand to Ella and waved her to him. “Let’s go, your mom is overly protective.”
“Wait! I…you can go, but first…” Irena hurried to the front door where Ante had piled up their bags. A
sound of zipper sliced the air and she rummaged through the contents. “Here,” she said, pulling out the nun-chucks. The two-foot-long smooth wood pieces swayed on the chain draped over her fingers.
Dario exchanged a worried glance with Ante then pointed at the oriental weapon in Irena’s hand. “Does she know how to use that?”
“She’s an expert.” A proud smile lit Irena’s face and she wrapped her arm around her daughter’s shoulders. In the next instant, her smile vanished. “Still, be careful. Check and re-check your rear-view mirror and surroundings. Pay attention to anything unusual.” She kissed Ella’s forehead and embraced her as if this could be the last time she’d see her daughter alive. “Take care of your…uncle.”
“Mom, you’re exaggerating and not to mention scaring Dario and Ante.” Ella took the nun-chucks from Irena’s hand and tucked the weapon inside her jacket.
Ante stood frozen at the bottom of the steps. At Irena’s throat clearing, he jerked and scurried up the stairs. “We’re all set then. I have nothing to fear.”
“You’re well protected.” Dario placed the unopened beer bottle back in the fridge. Obviously, Ante planned to spend the night with them, as he often did when he cared for Jasmin and Martina partied on town. Dario didn’t mind them, but tonight would be a special for him too. Still, he hadn’t in his heart to turn his brother and his niece away.
The click of the penthouse front door jerked him back from his reverie. Irena stood at the bottom of the four stairs, staring at the door. He closed the fridge and approached her. “Ella will be fine, you worry overmuch. Besides, I need to talk to you. I’m not sure I can do this with her present.”
Irena brushed her fingertips down his cheek, sending pleasant vibrations to his chest. “I need to talk to you too.”
He took her hand and kissed her palm. She moved closer, pressed her lips to his neck and trailed kisses over his collarbone. His mind clouded with the ache in his loins as the urgency to make love to her stiffened him. Now, what was he gonna do? He lost his train of thought as she molded her body to his. Talk, that’s it. Their lips met, a quick peck at first, then longer contact as she parted hers welcoming his tongue. He slid his hands into the back pockets of her jeans and gave her tight buttocks a firm squeeze.
He had to stop before Ante burst inside with the impressionable young girl in tow. As usual, by the time his brother reached his car, the dolt would realize he’d forgotten something, like his keys. Irena’s soft moans hardened Dario, but he pulled back. She leaned forward to capture his lips again with hers. He placed his fingers on her chin, stopping her.
“What about that talk we need to have?” “Later,” she whispered, attempting another kiss.
He indulged her with a peck to the corner of her mouth. It was typical of her to avoid hard questions by distracting him with her body. “No, now.”
How he kept his voice and composure unyielding he would never know. Smoldering desire vanished from her eyes and deflated his ardor. With a long sigh she trudged to the couch then dropped on the cream cushions. She closed her eyes and drew in another long breath. What could be hidden behind her knitted brow?
“There’s so much to tell.” Her gaze stayed on her laced fingers.
“What happened fourteen years ago, after I walked you home at the crack of dawn?” He huffed and ran a hand through her hair.
“I got cold feet once I saw my packed suitcases in the hallway. I ran away and walked the city streets. I wanted to go to your house, but couldn’t. Kept reminding myself how I’d be nothing but a burden to you and your parents.” Her voice shook and grew fainter.
He lowered to the thick glass top of the coffee table, facing her, and took hold of her fidgeting hands. “Babe, you were always welcome in my home. You know that.”
“Hanging out at your place on occasion wasn’t the same. If I moved in, things would change fast. I’d be yet another mouth to feed. With only a high school diploma and no connections, could I hope for a job?” She wrapped her fingers around his, her gaze still not meeting his. “My dad would not let us be. He would cause all kinds of trouble for us and your family. He knew people in power who owed him favors, and he threatened to cancel your dad’s social security checks if I disobeyed him.” She shook her head, fluttering her hair. “I couldn’t allow that. Me noncomplying with their plan would destroy your family.”
“They made sure you obeyed.” He swallowed against the dry throat. Poor girl had not been left a choice. “Then what did you do?”
“Somehow, I found myself in front of your house. My feet just took me there.” Her breath hitched, sadness filled her beautiful blue eyes when she finally granted him the look. “Your dad sat in his wheelchair in
front of the house. He said you left three hours ago, maybe longer.”
“Oh, babe. I had a bus ticket for the noon departure, but I couldn’t sit and wait. My buddy drove me to the port the ship I boarded was anchored at. We must’ve been miles away by the time you arrived. Had you found me at home, I never would’ve left.”
She nodded, gazing over the condo. “Perhaps it had to happen. If we weren’t torn apart, would you have anything you have today?”
“That day I vowed to get my ass out of the gutter and make my fortune. I guess I needed the good kick to get me going.” He swallowed and placed a kiss on her trembling fingers. Had he never have boarded the ship, his life would’ve stayed on the same path of poverty. In a strange way, her parents gave him the chance he wouldn’t dare to take had they let him have their daughter. The long voyages on slow tankers would mean months of separation. The impatience would cause him to jump overboard and swim back to her.
“Can you get me another drink? All this talking is making my throat dry.”
“Sure,” he said, getting to his feet. He’d let her go on with her story. The burning question about Ella put at the back of his mind. “Would you like a glass of wine?”
“No, the mineral water is good.” She joined him at the kitchen island. Her hand glided over the onyx marble top. “I didn’t know what else to do, so I went home. My dad raised his hand to slap me for coming home so late, but Fred stopped him. He would have some hard questions to answer at the passport control if my face was bruised.” She snatched the glass from
Dario’s hand and gulped the clear liquid. Her lips glistened in the low-hanging light, inviting him to kiss her. He cupped her chin and brushed his thumb over her lower lip. She closed her eyes as he placed a soft kiss to the corner of her lips.
Irena traced her finger over the shapeless forms on the counters. “But he promised to give me a good beating once we’re in Canada. My dad seemed satisfied with that.”
Rage burned in Dario. Though the events she divulged took place fourteen years ago, he wished he could wrap his hands around her father’s neck and squeeze the living daylights out of the weasel. By all that was holy, he would get his hands on both men.
“Did Fred keep his promise to your dad?”
She shook her head. “He never touched me; he had his hounds to do the dirty work for him.”
Okay, his relief was premature. Fred’s name got bumped to the top of the list of men he’d love to beat to a pulp. “Coward in any case, and those who work for him.”
Her silence rattled him. By her tight expression, she had more to tell. Her gaze wandered to the ten-foot window, as darkness slowly replaced what little daylight they had today.
Dario straightened. “Ante has this theory. Fred needed a wife to ward off rumors about him being a gay.”
Her slow nod was barely noticeable. “And to play his dutiful wife whenever his parents visited. Visit? Pfft…what am I talking about?” She dismissed the notion with a wave of her hand. “They came in for an inspection. His mother opened the cupboards and drawers and ran her finger over the furniture to see if I dusted since her last scrutiny.” Irena braced her hip on the kitchen island and crossed her arms over her ample chest. “Each time she’d ask at the door if I was with a child already. Once I announced my ‘delicate’ condition, she stopped asking. You can’t imagine how much I disappointed her by giving her a granddaughter.”
Damn it.