Irena brushed her fingers over the weather-beaten stones of the remaining walls of the ancient Roman Forum. A slow smile crept onto Dario’s lips as fond memories flooded him. As many evenings during their teenage courtship, they ended their stroll through the old city huddled in this secluded corner of the long forgotten world. It had taken a week of hard training and promising they’d be safe until he convinced her to step outside. She’d put him through some tough workout sessions, in the rec room and bedroom, but his skills were returning in both. And after two days of stiff muscles, he would never scoff at yoga again.
Though he had not seen anything out of the ordinary during their sightseeing, he stayed vigilant and suspected anyone they cross paths with. Damn Fred, this was how fear-mongering turned people against their friends and neighbors.
She turned her head, longing reflected in her gaze. “Our little nook hasn’t changed one bit. As if time hadn’t passed and we’re here to carry on as always.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and she snuggled her back against his chest. Her citrusy scent overtook his senses and the flawless skin on her neck beckoned him to kiss her. A cold wind whipped at his back and he lowered onto the slab of stone carved with Roman numerals, pulling Irena onto his lap. “Time doesn’t seem to touch this spot.”
She shifted to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him. Shivering, she sat up straight and scanned the walls covering the square. “Ella is having fun jumping on the walls, I don’t have the heart to pull her away from here, but I’m frozen and my feet are killing me. Can’t remember the last time I walked this much.”
Ella’s careless laughter bounced off the high walls of the nearby church. Dario’s insides melted. It had been hard, but over the week he’d pulled her out of her brooding over Irena’s cancellation to explore the city. “She was worried you would never change your mind.” “I disappointed her, but she understood it was necessary. Growing up, she’s had so little to be happy about. We had each other, and that was enough.” Irena lowered her gaze to her gloved hands. “My mother thinks our lives in Canada were grand, but that’s a lie. I thought of running away from Fred and back to you all the time.”
“I know, babe…” He squeezed her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles, taking a hard swallow against the lump forming in his throat. “You’ve been through a lot.”
“So have you.” She cupped his face and tilted his head back, then her pale-blue eyes locked with his and sucked him into her world. In a slow motion, he seized her full lips. Her mouth opened and their tongues met.
“I thought I lost you for good.” He slid his hand under her short jacket and fumbled with her shirt tucked into her jeans. When the heat of her skin met his fingers, he let out a throaty groan craving more.
“No.” She whispered against his lips and he pulled back. Her smile and saucy wink reflected a promise of a rain check. “We shouldn’t get carried away with Ella around or in public.”
Ella jumped from the shoulder-high wall to their left. “Wow, Mom, this is great.”
He ran his hand over his mouth, making sure to wipe all traces of Irena’s lipstick. “Told you, you’d love it, didn’t I? But I think your mom is getting cold and tired, and so am I. Hungry too.”
“And cranky.” Irena tapped his shoulder, then rose. “My feet are so sore. Ella, honey, did you have enough skipping over the stones of the Roman Forum?”
“How can anyone have enough of it? Ancient Romans built this, Mom. Their hands chiseled and carved and laid these stones, paved this street in front of the shops they kept. I wish there was a replica of what the Forum looked like back then. No, I don’t think I can ever have enough of this.”
“Ella, honey,” Dario intercepted. “Forum’s been here for over thousand years, it’ll be here tomorrow. We’ll come back. If you’re so fascinated with Ancient Rome, we should visit Pula’s Arena or Diocletian’s Palace.” At Ella’s widening eyes, Dario continued. “He was an Emperor who retired in the town today called Split.”
“I know who he was.” Ella threaded her arm around his. “I haven’t heard of the arena. Was it built for gladiatorial fights?”
“Originally, yes, until Honorius banned them in the early fifth century. Since then the arena was used for theatrical performances.” He laced his fingers of his free hand with Irena’s and nudged his girl forward. “Do you know which Emperor banned women from competing in gladiator games?”
“Septimius Severus.” She giggled. “Funny name sounds like a fancy name for sewage.”
Dario nodded, joining in her chuckles. “Mom said you’re smart and I see you’ve got a sense of humor. There’s so much to see in this country even the biggest history enthusiast such as you would get sick of sightseeing. Come, it’s getting late and I don’t feel like cooking tonight. So. Your choice, pick up a pizza on our way home or stop and eat at a restaurant.”
“Pizza.” Irena and Ella said in unison.
“You don’t want to stop by Mezzaluna to see the damage?” Irena’s distraught tone stung his core. She still blamed the incident on herself, despite his reassurance.
“Not without Ante. He’ll be back tomorrow and I’ll need him to record everything. The damage is estimated at about fifty thousand euros.” He pulled them toward the nook in the wall. The smells of fresh oregano and baked dough set his stomach on a rumble. “It doesn’t look like much, but trust me, this is the best pizza you’ll taste. They make everything from scratch here. What kind of toppings would you like?”
Irena chewed on her bottom lip, staring at the assortment of vegetables behind the glass, but going by her fast blinking she was fighting to keep tears at bay. He wrapped his hands around her shoulders and turned her to face him. “Babe, if getting my restaurant burned down is the price to have you back in my life, then so be it.”
She shook her head slowly. “Yes, the fact you have to go through that makes me upset. I’m so sorry. Don’t let him get your money too.”
“My money is deposited in a reputable bank outside the country. I wouldn’t trust these banks or their corrupt managers. I’ve learned from those who lost their life savings.” He nodded to the pizzeria’s staff who greeted him with a typical head nod to indicate it was his turn to be served. “Have you decided on toppings? I think the man’s waiting and we are holding up the line.”
“Any vegetables are good for me, whole wheat, extra thin crust and no cheese.” She turned to Ella, her eyebrow arched. Their daughter shrugged before her gaze returned to the panoramic photo of the olive tree covered island above the entrance.
Not his kind of pizza, but he’d agreed to eat lean to not to tempt her into consuming something that would upset her digestion. Not so easy to stick by to, he found reading labels and calculating fat contests tedious. The effort paid off, he noticed his waistline trimming down. He paid for their order and picked it up from the counter next to the cash register. Heat from the freshly baked pizza radiated through the bottom of the cardboard box. He lifted the corner of the lid and inhaled deeply.
The drive to his building on the outskirts of the city passed in relative silence. Irena kept checking side and rear view mirrors and set his nerves jangling. “No one’s following us?”
She exhaled loudly. “Fred couldn’t risk too many witnessing our demise if he couldn’t make it look like an accident.”
“Babe,” Dario lowered his voice to a soft whisper and checked Ella in rear view mirror. The girl stared out the window at the passing surroundings. “He could’ve cut my brake lines, run me off the road, pay a waiter to poison my food…”
She waved her hand in dismissal of his assumptions. “No, he’d have to come up with something new and unexpected. And I’m sure he’s planning out something.”
“I’m not asking you to let your guard down, but maybe you can relax for one evening.” Dario placed his hand over her fidgeting fingers.
“This is not the time to relax.” Her words deprived him of happiness but also deepened his determination to fight Fred and his cronies.
Silence fell over the three of them and Dario concentrated on the winding road ahead. But a worm of fear gnawed at his mind. Should he ask the question that had eaten at him for some time now? At least it would ease his fears and confirm his beliefs. “Did Fred ever try to buy Ella’s attention with expensive stuff?”
“No.” Irena’s firm voice told him she was sure of the fact. “He likes young boys. He wouldn’t pay for her basic needs just because I didn’t ‘gift him a son.’ The first year was hard. I often visited the Food Bank.” Irena gave his hand a reassuring and firm squeeze. “Thank God Ella turned out to be a girl or who knows what he would…” Irena glanced away and fell silent.
He clicked his tongue and felt his rage burn in his heavy exhale. Ella must’ve sensed his irate state and she slid behind his seat and rubbed his arm. “No point getting angry.”
“You mentioned you find out something about my dad?” Irena changed the subject in time or he would’ve turned the car around and drove up to Fred’s mansion to beat the crap out of the worm.
“Ana said he was sent to the hospital without his medical records. Do you think Fred could have anything to do with that?”
Irena shrugged. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he does. The more I think about his parents’ deaths, the more I’m convinced he’s got something to do with it. Both battled high blood pressure. For years Fred told them to ignore the doctor’s warnings all while bringing them a copious amount of food they should’ve stayed away from.”
From the corner of his eye, Dario gauged Irena. He drew in a long breath. “I don’t know what you’re feeling inside, I guess I should say that I’m sorry about your dad, but I’d be lying.”
Irena swallowed, once again facing the darkness outside the passenger’s window. “I don’t know. I always believed when the time came I’d feel something, but I don’t. There is no goodness in him. And he was bitter, bitter man.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s understandable you don’t feel much for your father.” Dario wanted to pull her into his embrace, but the gear shift and having to concentrate on the road prevented him.
“You’d think Grandma would want me and mom near her during these moments, but she told my mom to stay away and not disturb her.” Ella’s harsh tone pulled on Dario’s heart. No child deserved to be shunned by grandparents. Small wonders his daughter was disappointed.
“People deal with grief in their own way. Maybe Grandma prefers to be alone.” He hoped his explanation would ease Ella’s hard emotions, but he knew Mrs. Novak’s real reason for not wanting Irena
and Ella around. For such a God fearing woman, she couldn’t see her actions were sinful. “How about we change the subject? The smell of pizza is making my mouth water.” Dario drove slowly through the parking lot of his building, looking for any unknown cars. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Damnation, he was turning into a nervous wreck. Even his sleep had suffered. The Gypsy woman appeared in his bad dreams that woke him every hour. He and Irena should come with a plan not just become sitting ducks.
He pulled up in front of the metal arm blocking the entrance into the underground parking of his building and made an eye contact with Ella in the rear-view mirror. “We’ll make it a movie night.”
“You know how to make every day perfect.” Irena ran her fingers through his hair, a gentleness he could never get tired of, then she turned to her daughter and smiled.
“There’ll be plenty of perfect, ordinary days.” He eased his car into his designated parking spot. “Today was just a little taste of it.”
He wrapped each of his girls in his arms and led them toward the blue, metal door into the empty building’s lobby. The elevator carried them to the top floor while the smell from the pizza box wafted and made Dario wish they could move faster.
“You girls get comfy. I’m bringing plates and…would anyone need cutlery?” He kicked off his shoes and headed for the kitchen cabinets that stored the dishes.
Irena lowered onto the couch with a long sigh and slid the cushion behind her back. “No cutlery for me, but be sure you bring napkins. Oh, and I think I’ll have a beer with the pizza.”
Ella perused the DVD cases on the shelf, then pulled out a colorful box depicting a horse and its rider in a golden gladiator’s armor.
Irena reached for the box and pulled two slices on her plate. She popped the corner of her first slice into her mouth and chewed slowly. Her little moans as she continued eating her food, licking the sauce off her fingers, drove him wild as he imagined making those sounds during sex. God, how had the family dinner turned into some kind of foreplay with Irena’s murmurs and smacking of lips?
He popped the DVD disk into the player, shifting his mind out from the gutter. Though his dick still stood erect, he backed up to the couch, keeping his tented pants from Ella’s view.
With his legs crossed, he lowered to the couch. Irena sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and patted her mouth with a napkin. But her shaking shoulders told him she fought laughter and lost.
Ella snuggled up to him, pulling the blanket over her knees. About one-third into the movie, Ella’s head drooped and her breathing evened.
Irena moved up closer and worked the buttons of his shirt. “I think we lost Ella and I have no interest in this movie.” She got on her feet and closed the distance to the TV, then shut off the set, the screen turned black. “Prop the pillow under her head, she’ll be good here for the night.”
He pulled out the spare pillow stored inside the deep drawer of the wall unit and lowered his daughter to the couch, then kissed her forehead. “Sweet dreams, honey.”
Her lips stretched into a half smile, but she didn’t open her eyes. Irena waited at the foot of the stairs. A box of mint mouth strips in her hand. “I want to try something tonight.”
The longing in her voice and fire in her eyes caused him to gulp audibly. “What do you have in mind?”
She stepped closer to him, molding her toned body to his, wrapped one leg around his hips, and whispered with lust in his ear. “What’s the one thing we both wanted but never could achieve?”
He cupped her firm buttocks and ground his pelvis against her hips. “If you mean—”
“Shh.” She pressed her index finger to his lips. Then she released her hold on his hips and took him by his hand, starting up the stairs. “Let’s take this nice and slow in the bedroom.”