Deadly Embrace

  “Spit it out, son.”

  He groped in his pocket for a cigarette and lit up. “You never really told me exactly what happened that night.”

  “What night would that be?” Vinny asked, squinting at him.

  “The night Mom was shot.”

  Vinny fiddled with the TV aerial. “What’s left to tell?” he said at last.

  “Plenty,” Michael said. “I need to know the details.”

  “Told you everything.”

  “No, you didn’t. I asked, an’ you never wanted to talk about it. Neither did Grandma.”

  “What’s so important that you wanna know now?”

  “I have my reasons.”

  “Dunno why I havta go through it all again,” Vinny grumbled. “Don’t want to. Don’t have to.”

  Michael placed his cigarette in an old tin ashtray on a rickety table, slid his hand into his pocket, and produced a wad of money. He counted out ten crisp hundred-dollar bills. “Here,” he said, offering Vinny the money. “Maybe this’ll help you remember.”

  “Where’d you get this kinda money?” Vinny asked suspiciously.

  “I robbed a bank,” Michael deadpanned. A beat. “Seriously, Dad, it’s legit. I got lucky in the stock market.”

  “Whadda you know about stuff like that?”

  “Plenty,” Michael said, getting impatient. “You want the money, or not?”

  Vinny couldn’t resist. After a moment’s hesitation he grabbed the money, shoved it in his pants pocket, and started talking.

  “I was in the shop by myself when two punks busted in an’ started shovin’ me around. One of ’em puts a gun to my head while the other one’s robbin’ the cash register.”

  “Go on,” Michael said, encouraging him.

  “Then Anna Maria comes walkin’ in,” Vinny continued. “She was supposed to be home. It was snowing, she had flakes of snow in her hair an’ on her coat. Anyway, when she saw what was happenin’, she threw herself at the one with the gun.” A long pause while he recalled memories of that fateful day. “I yelled at her not to, but she did it anyway.” Another long pause. “Then the bastard shot her.” His voice began to quaver. “I tried to save her. It was too damn late. They shot me, too, snatched the money, an’ ran.”

  “Tell me about the guys.”

  “What about ’em?”

  “Were they tall? Short? Fat? Thin?”

  “One was shortish, the other one was a tall bastard. I saw them well enough. Described ’em to the cops. They never caught ’em.”

  “Which one had the gun?”

  “The tall, skinny one with the crazy eyes an’ the long, thin scar down his cheek.”

  Damn! Vinny had just described Bone.

  “You’re sure?”

  “ ’Course I’m sure. I’ll never forget that night.”

  So Mamie was telling the truth for once. Bone was the shooter. Bone was responsible for both his mother’s death and Vinny being in a wheelchair. Christ! He’d shot the wrong man.

  “What’s all this about?” Vinny asked. “Why’re you dredging up somethin’ I’m tryin’ t’ forget?”

  “Remember your old girlfriend Mamie?”

  “Who?”

  “Mamie. She married Vito Giovanni. Turned up at Grandma’s funeral an’ pissed you off.”

  “Oh yeah,” Vinny said, scowling. “That cow.”

  “She was with them that night. One of the two men was her cousin Roy.”

  “You’re makin’ this up,” Vinny said, turning pale.

  “No, I’m not. It’s somethin’ I found out recently. Mamie was waitin’ outside the store. It was her set the whole thing up.”

  “That lousy, no-good cunt!” Vinny screamed.

  “Don’t worry—I’m takin’ care of it.”

  “How’ll you do that?”

  “Better you don’t ever know.”

  Dani—1972

  Vincent was a serious child, and gorgeous, with his long, silky black eyelashes and deep green eyes. He was smart too—by the time he was two he could recite his ABCs and count to one hundred in English and Spanish. Nando was also smart, quick-witted and very bright, but he refused to take anything seriously. He was into exploring, experimenting, and getting into trouble. The two of them balanced each other out. They were as close as brothers, and even though they were only seven, they exhibited a fierce loyalty toward each other.

  At school, Vincent excelled, while Nando lagged behind. Sometimes it worried Dani that Nando might be a bad influence on her son. She didn’t act on it; the boys were so close it would be unfair to try and separate them.

  Shortly after marrying Morgan, Gemini gave up her job at the Magiriano Hotel. Dani was upset. She knew she would miss the companionship of seeing her friend every night. “We’ll still get together during the day,” Gemini promised. “Except when we’re traveling. Morgan loves to travel, and I have to be available to go with him.”

  They’d made a deal that whenever Gemini was away, Dani would take care of Nando.

  Friday morning, Gemini and Morgan left for a long weekend in Chicago, dropping Nando off on their way to the airport.

  Later that day, Dani took the two boys to the children’s area in the park. She sat on the bench watching Nando show off as he attempted to stand on his head on the merry-go-round, while some of the smaller kids who were playing in the sandbox screamed with delight.

  The boys were getting too big for park activities; they preferred hanging out at the ranch, where they could ride horses and run wild.

  Dani didn’t notice the man approaching her until he was standing right next to her.

  “Excuse me,” he said, startling her.

  She glanced up. He was a slim man, dressed in jeans, a blue sports jacket, and a white shirt open at the neck. Quite attractive, he had dark blond hair that curled around his collar, a stubbled chin, and unfocused, faintly bloodshot eyes. He did not look American.

  “Can I help you?” she asked.

  “You’re Dani Castle, is that right?” he said in a hardly detectable foreign accent.

  “That’s right,” she said, thinking that he obviously recognized her from the show and was about to ask for her autograph.

  “You have something that belongs to me,” he said, cracking his knuckles.

  “I do?” she said, glancing around to see if there was anyone who could come to her assistance if he got crazy on her. Sometimes fans did—although this man did not seem to be a fan. “And what would that be?”

  “My son,” he said.

  “Your son?” she repeated.

  “I’m Moralis,” he said, his eyes darting around the playground. “Gemini’s ex-husband. I’m sure she has informed you what a bastard I am.”

  Actually, Gemini had said very little about Moralis—except that he was the son of an extremely rich man, that he’d abused her both mentally and physically, and that after their divorce was final, they’d both agreed to never see each other again. Now here he was.

  Uninvited, he sat down beside her and proceeded to tell her how he’d been searching for his son for the last four years, and had only recently—with the help of a private detective—discovered that Nando was in Vegas.

  “I . . . I thought you and Gemini worked everything out,” Dani said, not wanting to get in the middle of this.

  “After I paid her a fortune, she disappeared with my son,” he said bitterly. “Left my country without informing me where she was going. It has taken me all this time to find her.” He stood up. “Where is Nando? I must see him.”

  “You’ll have to wait until Gemini gets home in a couple of days.”

  “I don’t think so,” he said forcefully. “I came here to take my son, and that’s what I’m doing.”

  “You can’t,” she said quickly.

  “Who’ll stop me?”

  “I will.”

  “Oh, you will,” he said, almost laughing in her face.

  “Gemini has custody of Nando,” she explained, hopin
g he’d listen to reason. “If you want to share that custody you’ll have to go through the courts.”

  “Do I look as if I’m prepared to do that?” he said edgily.

  “Let me see if I can contact Gemini and ask her what to do.”

  “Do you understand what I’m telling you?” he said, getting angry. “She took my son away from me. In my country that is not legal. In my country a man has rights.”

  There was something unsettling about this man, and until she had Gemini’s permission, there was no way she was allowing him to take Nando.

  “Perhaps you can tell me where you’re staying, and I’ll be in touch,” she said.

  “I want my son,” he answered, an angry gleam in his eyes. “And I want him now.”

  “That’s not possible. Nando is in my charge, and I can’t release him.”

  “Bitch!” he said, suddenly snapping. “You fucking American women are all bitches. You’re as bad as the French ones.”

  Dani stood up. She was as tall as him and unafraid. “You’ll need a court order to take Nando, so go away,” she said firmly.

  “No, I will not go away,” he said, staring her down.

  Out of the corner of her eye she observed a police car cruising by. “If you cause any more problems, I’m flagging down that police car and you’ll be arrested.”

  “Are you threatening me?” he said, the anger in his eyes turning dangerous.

  “I’m merely trying to make this a pleasant experience for everyone concerned. I’m sure you want to see your son. However, you must understand my position.”

  “I understand shit,” he said abruptly. “I’m takin’ my kid.” And he marched toward the boys on the swings. “Nando!” he called out. “Nando, it’s your papa. I’ve come to get you.”

  Nando stopped what he was doing and turned to see who was calling him.

  Quickly Dani ran over and waved down the police car. Leaning into the window, she was happy to recognize one of the cops. His name was Burt, and he attended her show on a regular basis.

  “Hey, Dani—how’s it going?” Burt asked.

  “Not good,” she answered. “That man over there is Gemini’s ex-husband. He’s trying to take her son. Can you do something?”

  “Sure,” Burt said. “We’ll go have a word with him.”

  Burt and his female partner got out of their patrol car and approached Moralis, who by this time had picked Nando up and was swinging him around in the air. The little boy didn’t seem at all perturbed. On the other hand, he didn’t recognize Moralis—but hey, an adventure was always fun, and Nando lived for fun.

  “I’m your papa,” Moralis kept on repeating. “Remember me? Your papa.”

  “Can I talk to you, sir?” Burt said.

  Moralis was not in a good mood. “I’m busy,” he said.

  “Put the boy down, come over here, and we’ll talk,” interjected the female cop, a tough-looking redhead.

  “Screw you,” Moralis snapped.

  Vincent, who’d been watching all this, ran over to Dani. “Who’s that man, Mommy?” he asked. “Why’s he got Nando?”

  “It’s nothing, baby,” she said, quickly taking his hand.

  “Why’s Nando with him?” Vincent persisted.

  “He’s a . . . relative. We have to wait until Auntie Gem comes back, then we’ll sort everything out.”

  “Wanna get down,” Nando suddenly yelled at Moralis. “Lemme go.” And he kneed him in the stomach.

  “You little shit!” Moralis shouted, and went to slap the boy.

  Before he was able to, Burt grabbed his arm, Nando lost his balance, and a scuffle ensued.

  Dani didn’t wait around. She rushed over, grabbed Nando, and hurried the boys to her car. “Get in quickly,” she commanded. And without looking back, she drove them home, where her housekeeper informed her that a Mr. Sanchez had been around asking for his son, and she’d directed him to the park.

  “Never do that again,” Dani said. “Do not tell anyone where I am unless you know who they are.”

  She instructed the boys to go upstairs, ran to the phone, and called Gemini and Morgan in Chicago. They were not in the hotel. Next she phoned Dean in Houston. He was there. She relayed the story.

  “Don’t panic,” he said. “Drive the boys out to the ranch and warn your housekeeper not to tell anyone where you are. In the meantime, I’ll contact Morgan; he’ll know how to handle this.”

  “Thank you, Dean,” she said gratefully.

  “The guy didn’t threaten you, did he?”

  “No, but there was definitely something weird about him.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

  That’s what she loved about Dean. He was always ready to take care of anything she asked, even though she was still reticent about getting married.

  “We’re engaged,” she’d said to him the last time he’d asked. “Let’s enjoy that for a while.”

  “What kind of an engagement is it when you’re in Vegas and I’m in Houston?” he’d said.

  He was right, but she couldn’t bring herself to take the final step.

  “I’m not going to wait forever,” he’d told her.

  “I know, Dean. I promise—soon.”

  And that’s how they’d left it.

  When Gemini returned from Chicago, she cautioned Dani not to tell Morgan anything that Moralis had said, other than his request to take Nando.

  “I thought you’d worked everything out with him,” Dani said over lunch at the ranch.

  “Not exactly,” Gemini replied.

  “According to Moralis, you took off with Nando four years ago, and he’s been looking for you ever since.”

  “It’s a long story,” Gemini said, sipping iced tea. “I left a trail that ended in Paris. I thought he’d search Europe for a couple of months, then forget about us.”

  “Apparently he hasn’t.”

  “Moralis is full of demons,” Gemini said earnestly. “Look what you went through with Sam.”

  “That’s different,” Dani said. “Sam isn’t Vincent’s real father. Plus, Sam turned out to be a drunk—that’s hardly comparable to being filled with demons.”

  “I had to get away,” Gemini explained, her face clouding over. “Nobody has any idea how violent Moralis can be. When he loses his temper, he doesn’t care what he does. You’re lucky he didn’t attack you.”

  “I have a feeling he was about to. Fortunately, I saw the police car and waved it down.”

  “Do you think Nando remembered him?” Gemini asked.

  “He didn’t seem to.”

  “Thank God!”

  “Is he likely to come back?”

  Gemini shook her head. “With the police involved, I’m sure he won’t dare.”

  “Do you honestly think one little incident with the police will make him go away?”

  “When he finds out he can’t treat me the way that he used to, he’ll leave. I have Morgan to protect me now.”

  It crossed Dani’s mind that maybe Gemini had married Morgan for exactly that reason. An older, powerful, rich man who could protect her. Close as she was to Gemini, there were obviously things she didn’t know.

  “If you ever want to talk about it—I’m here,” she offered.

  “Thanks, Dani, you’re a good friend.”

  “I try to be.”

  Several weeks passed and there were no more Moralis sightings.

  Gemini was relieved. “Morgan says if he comes back again, he’ll have him arrested.”

  “Is that possible?”

  “Anything’s possible,” Gemini replied, secure in her marriage to a powerful man.

  Dani wasn’t sure that Moralis would give up so easily. She’d seen the look in his eyes; he was a determined man and an angry one.

  Dean flew back into town and began pressuring her again. Since she’d slept with him once, he expected she would do it again. She demurred, coming up with many different excuses.

  “Dani,” he
said to her one day, “are we doing this, or not?”

  “Doing what, Dean?” she asked, although she knew exactly what he meant.

  “Getting married,” he said flatly. “Because if we’re not . . .”

  “Yes?”

  “If we’re not, I have to move on.”

  Move on? What was he talking about? “Excuse me?” she said.

  “I have needs, Dani, and you’re not meeting them.”

  “Are you asking me to give you back your ring?”

  “No.”

  “Then—what?”

  “Love me like I love you. Is that too much to ask?”

  “I . . . I’m not sure I can,” she said hesitantly.

  “Why not?” he demanded.

  “I need time.”

  “You’ve had time.”

  She knew she had to make a decision. If she didn’t marry Dean soon, he would move on.

  She consulted with Gemini, who told her that Morgan had mentioned Dean was seeing someone in Houston. The news came as a blow.

  Dean was hers. Always there. Always faithful.

  Or was he?

  She waited until his next trip, and over a quiet dinner after her show agreed that they should set a date. Then she stayed the night at his hotel, cementing the deal.

  In the morning he was ecstatic. “You’ll never regret it,” he said.

  “Let’s do it next week,” she said, afraid that she might change her mind.

  He was surprised. “Don’t you want to plan a big wedding with all the trimmings?”

  “No,” she said. “If Morgan and Gemini agree, we’ll do it at the ranch.”

  “Whatever you say, my darling. I’m all yours.”

  The day before the wedding, Dani moved out to the ranch with Vincent to spend the night. She couldn’t believe it had all happened so fast. One day she’d said yes, and now, six days later, it was the eve of her wedding. She’d purchased a dress, given her notice at the Magiriano, sold her car, and leased her house to a nice young couple from New Orleans.

  Soon she and Vincent would move to Houston to live in a house she hadn’t even seen. It was crazy. Or was it? Dean was kind and caring, he genuinely loved her and Vincent, and if all went well, they would be extremely happy.