Fire Bound

  Lissa was thorough, scrubbing off Patrice's makeup and carefully applying Lissa's. Everything Patrice went into a duffel bag with her papers, ID, passport, cell phone and charger. Lissa braided her own hair and donned a long skirt and elegant blouse. Her boots were soft leather and matched her wide belt. Her jacket was short and fit snugly, emphasizing her lush curves.

  Lissa tossed her purse onto the passenger seat of the little car Luigi always had available to her and drove out of the private storage garage. Luigi owned the facility, so there were no cameras set up anywhere near the building reserved for her. She even had her own private entrance, kept for Luigi or someone from his estate.

  She drove all the way to the road leading to the Abbracciabene property and then she had to pull over, fighting for air. It wasn't a panic attack, but her chest hurt so much she thought her heart would shatter.

  She dragged her cell phone out of her purse and dialed a familiar number before she could stop herself.

  "Lissa!"

  Lexi's delighted voice nearly brought her to tears. She hadn't considered that she would turn into an emotional storm. The burning in her eyes and the lump in her throat were evidence that she shouldn't have reached out. Not now. Not when she needed to be strong. She was going to face Luigi, and she couldn't go with red eyes and a face swollen from crying.

  "Hey, girl."

  There was an instant silence. Then Lexi's voice came again. Soft. Loving. So Lexi. "What's wrong? Do you need me? I can get a flight out tonight."

  There it was. Exactly what Casimir had told her not even an hour earlier. She had family. They were chosen, not blood, but they were family all the same. She heard the love in Lexi's voice and knew it was genuine. For her. For a moment she had to bite down hard on her lower lip to keep from bursting into tears.

  "No. No, I'm all right. I just needed to hear your voice."

  "Gavriil wants to talk to you." Lexi sounded dismayed, as if she didn't believe Lissa.

  "Come home." Gavriil issued the two words as a command. "You don't have to do what you're doing for this family, Lissa. We'd much rather you be home with us and safe. Come home."

  She knew he didn't want her going after Kostya and Uri Sorbacov. He had no idea about her uncle and his betrayal. Still, it was nice to hear a badass like Gavriil wanted her to come home. He was totally wrapped up in Lexi, not so much in the rest of those living on the farm. He hadn't been there long and hadn't developed his relationship with the others yet. Lissa did feel a connection with him. He saw her when no one else had, and that had meant something to her. She had trusted him with her past, and that meant something to him.

  "Not yet, but don't worry about me. I'm well taken care of." That was to assure him his brother was looking out for her.

  "Lissa..." Gavriil began.

  "I have to do this. I have to. I'll explain things when I come home."

  "Just see that you do. Come home, that is. If you need me for any reason, I'll be on a plane. Give me the word and I'll come."

  She closed her eyes again and pressed the phone tight against her ear as if she could hold Lexi and Gavriil close to her. Gavriil would be risking his life getting on a plane and coming to help her, but he still offered and she knew he would do it if she asked. "Thank you. I needed to hear you say that, Gavriil. I have to go. Just take care of Lexi for me. I have to know all of you are safe and when I get home, you'll all be there."

  "We'll be safe," Gavriil said gruffly. "You'd better be the same."

  She hung up quickly before Lexi could get back on. She knew if she heard Lexi's voice again she'd break down and cry and nothing would stop her little sister from getting on a plane and coming to her. Probably all of her sisters would come. And then all the Prakenskii brothers would come. She found herself laughing instead of crying, because that was what true family did, they made life so much better, no matter how bad the problem was.

  Lissa set the car in motion. Chances were, Luigi wouldn't be home yet. He wouldn't come back until he knew for certain she'd done the job. He would pretend he was still ill in his wing of the house, and that gave her a little respite and time to decide just how she would face him.

  9

  Luigi's cell phone rang as he sat down to dinner. Angeline scowled at him. "Don't answer, honey, we haven't seen you for weeks and this is our time together."

  "Shut the fuck up, Angeline," he snapped. "Business doesn't wait while you sulk. You like spending money and living in a fancy house." He glared around the table at his sons. "I work all the time for her. She spends money and goes to her fancy-ass places and still she gives me shit."

  The boys glared at their mother, and she ducked her head, picked up her fork and pushed the food around on her thousand-dollar plate. With another curse, Luigi flung himself out of the chair, sending it crashing to the floor, snapped open his cell and with long, angry strides, left the dining room.

  "This better be important," he growled. "I'm eating my fucking dinner." But he'd seen the caller ID and he knew exactly who it was and why she was calling. He knew, and elation swept through him. His niece had struck again - successfully. She was a torpedo: once unleashed, unstoppable.

  "Luigi. Luigi."

  Hysterical sobbing. Luigi held the phone away from his ear, his smile widening. Yeah. His niece was a damn fine tool. He wished he could figure out a way to keep her alive. She was a better asset than any he had, but she was intelligent, unlike the idiot moron sitting at his dining table. He would kill one slowly and with extreme happiness. The other would be quick and with reluctance.

  "Luigi. You have to come. Right now. He's dead. My Cosmos is dead and I don't know what to do. You have to come."

  Of course he had to go see the new widow. His body stirred in anticipation. He rubbed his crotch. "You call anyone else?"

  "No, no one else. I know to call only you."

  Cosmos had trained the little bitch. She couldn't move without direction, but when directed, she did whatever she was told. Carlotta was beautiful, absolutely beautiful, and in his stable of women, she'd command a huge price every fucking time. His grin got even wider. He absolutely loved his niece.

  "What happened?" he asked tersely.

  More sobbing.

  "Shut the fuck up and tell me what happened," he commanded.

  "He fell over the cliff. He just fell. He was drinking wine. I found the bottle by the cliff. His body was on the rocks, but it went out to sea. I don't know if I can get him back to bury him..." She sobbed more.

  "I'll be there as soon as I can make it." He snapped the cell shut. He didn't want to hear her crying, not when he wanted to dance around the room. He raised his voice. "Arturo. With me." When Giacinta was in town, he usually left Arturo behind, but he'd forced him to come to his home because Angeline complained about him not having a bodyguard. And he knew the widow would call...

  Arturo would be glad when it was over. He hated going back and forth between the towns when Luigi had to play sick. He had an aversion to Angeline. Luigi smiled again. He was a master at manipulation. Angeline's sons regarded her as unimportant, an idiot they all put up with. They even felt sorry for their father for having to put up with her. Over the years he'd even managed to subtly turn her father and brother against her. They didn't realize, but they began to treat her as if she didn't have a brain too. She had retreated more and more into her world of shopping, which only gave him more ammunition. When she was gone, his boys would accept her passing quickly.

  He stuck his head in the dining room. "This is important. I'll be gone for a couple of days. Look after your mother, boys." He sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. "Go get that diamond bracelet you wanted, Angeline."

  She looked up, her face lighting up. A smile curved her mouth and her gaze clung to his. He was very, very good at push and pull. Push her away and pull her back. She fell for it every time.

  "Do you mean it, Luigi? Are you certain?"

  He softened his expression, nodding. "Yeah, baby. I'm
sorry I have to be gone so much, but the boys look after you properly, don't they?"

  She didn't dare say otherwise. She nodded her head vigorously. He blew her a kiss, already anticipating the evening. He would go see the lovely widow, take care of business, retreat to his wing of his other home, stay a day and then recover enough to see Lissa and give her the last and final assignment - the one that would make him boss of both families.

  The elation was so strong he thought his heart might burst out of his chest. He'd begun planning when his brother ascended to the Abbracciabene throne. Marcello might have been older, but Luigi should have been the natural successor. He was very, very good at what he did. That was when the plan had come to him.

  He stared out the window as the car sped toward the town Cosmos resided in. It was nearly an hour away. He had plenty of time to anticipate what the good widow would be doing for him and all the money he'd make off of her after. Seventeen years of waiting was coming to an end, and the nearly euphoric feeling was almost better than when he was finally told his brother and sister-in-law were dead.

  He really wanted to go see Aldo before he sent his best weapon after him. Smug, little Aldo who ruled his empire and treated Luigi as a poor relation. Luigi shook his head, a small smirk playing around his mouth. He could see his reflection in the window now. He was young enough to rule both empires for a very long time. He would have it all. Power. Wealth. Women. He enjoyed playing chess with other people's lives. And he'd won. He'd nearly toppled the king. It was his own little pawn that was going to take that king down.

  He burst out laughing. "We're so close, Arturo."

  "You got that right, boss," Arturo said, elation in his voice as well. "She came through again, didn't she? She always does."

  The smile faded from Luigi's face. It wasn't that he had affection for Lissa. He didn't feel emotions like affection, but he definitely regretted having to kill her. He'd sent her to the States to get her away from him. She was too damned intelligent to keep around on a daily basis. She would have figured the entire plan out by now had he allowed her to stay close.

  Angeline had been with him seventeen years and she hadn't figured out a damn thing. Not. One. Damn. Thing. She believed he loved her. He gave a little snort of derision. He despised the bitch. She claimed to love him, but she didn't know the first thing about him and she sure as hell didn't do anything to show him. She hated him touching her. She found sex too messy. She lay under him, the only position she'd go for, completely unmoving while he rutted like an animal. It was never fun, and she always had a look of distaste on her face afterward.

  He'd given up long ago trying to make something of his marriage. In the beginning, he thought to keep her alive, but after the first five years he'd changed his mind. Once he had sons he could mold into what he wanted - and needed - he left her alone. Well, unless he was seriously pissed at her. Then he got drunk enough to make sex last a long time and he forced her to do her duty, just because he enjoyed punishing her that way.

  Arturo pulled the car onto the private drive leading up to the Agosto mansion. It was a mansion, nothing less. This would be his as well. He pushed all thoughts of his wife away and looked forward to what was to come.

  Cosmos's wife, Carlotta, stood anxiously waiting in the doorway. She was seriously beautiful. Her face was perfection and the flow of wavy, black hair tumbling around her soft, delicate features only accented her classic bone structure. Her eyes were enormous, dark and surrounded by thick, long lashes. She'd been in countless magazines, famous for that face and body.

  Cosmos had dictated that his wife keep her body through diet and exercise, and she had obeyed him. He'd managed to make her submissive in a way Luigi had failed with Angeline, but that was all right, Luigi was going to reap the benefits of Cosmos's training.

  He walked right up to her and took her into his arms, holding her close while she wept. She wore a skirt and blouse. Cosmos didn't like her in pants or underwear. When they went out, he liked showing her off and her clothes bordered on scandalous. Even now, her blouse was low-cut and thin, the material see-through to show her black bra, the one that lovingly pushed her breasts up so that the shadow of her nipples showed.

  Luigi patted her back, moving her into the house, Arturo right behind him, closing the door. "I'll take care of you, Carlotta," he assured. "You saw the body?" He put her from him gently, smiling down at her.

  She tipped her face up, nodding. "He fell just at the cliff. I didn't call the authorities. I didn't know what to do, so I called you. I knew you'd come, that I could rely on you."

  "You did the right thing. First, I need you to show me where Cosmos kept his safe. He had important papers he wanted me to deal with in case of his death."

  "He had the safe in the bedroom, built into the wall."

  He took her hand, again, quite gently, turned up her wrist and kissed the soft skin there. "Show me, bella. You have the code to open the safe." He made that a statement.

  She beamed when he called her beautiful, eagerly nodding her head. "He made me memorize it just in case something like this happened. He said the papers were important."

  He nodded solemnly as he followed her into the bedroom. Arturo trailed behind. Carlotta didn't seem to notice. She pointed to a picture on the wall and stepped back.

  "Cosmos had a lot of enemies," Luigi said, pouring concern into his voice. "Did he explain that to you? Enemies he worried would harm you."

  She nodded, her hand going defensively to her throat. She was tall, nearly as tall as Luigi, but slender and delicate looking.

  "He wanted me to look after you." Luigi spoke to her, as he swung the picture aside. It opened like a door. "Tell me the code."

  She did and he pressed the numbers she gave him. Already, Arturo crowded close to her. He and Arturo had a way of having a very good time with women. It mattered little to them whether or not the woman had a good time.

  "I want you to look after me, Luigi," Carlotta said. "I need you."

  He glanced over his shoulder, his gaze sweeping over her body. He turned back to the contents of the safe, dismissing her. "I don't know, Carlotta. I have a big territory and a demanding wife. What do I need with you? What can you do for me in return for my protection?"

  He glanced over his shoulder again and saw her twist her fingers together. She looked deliciously anxious. He pulled out the heavy stack of papers from the safe, quickly sifting through them, looking for the journal Cosmos had kept of their pact together. He found it, scanned it and slipped it inside his jacket pocket.

  "Please, Luigi. I don't know what I can give you in return, but anything." She sounded close to tears.

  "Come here, bella." Luigi's voice was gentle. Loving even. "Right now, Carlotta." He pushed a little command into his tone, just enough that her submissive nature would demand she obey. That and her fear of being abandoned. She already looked at him with hope.

  When she approached cautiously, he reached out, caught the front of her blouse and gave it a vicious yank. The material parted and he threw the scraps aside. "You know what to do to please me. Cosmos said you were very good at showing him how grateful you were to him for giving you this home."

  She stood there, looking shocked, afraid, and a little uncertain. Arturo grabbed her hair in his fist and yanked her head back so hard she nearly fell over.

  "You heard him, bitch. Get rid of the clothes and crawl to him. Show him you're thankful for his protection." He kept his hold on her hair with one hand and with the other he produced a knife. "Don't move yet. Stay very still. Luigi doesn't like blood. I don't mind it, but he likes a woman's body without a blemish." He slid the blade of the knife flat along her cheek and then down to the swell of her breasts.

  Carlotta kept her eyes on Luigi. He smiled and winked at her. "Arturo won't hurt you, not as long as you behave. And you will behave, won't you, bella? You'll do whatever I ask."

  "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, Luigi, anything for you."

  The knife
cut the straps of the bra and then slid along the side to cut the material, freeing her breasts to their sight. Arturo slipped the blade into the waistband of the skirt and shredded that as well. She wasn't wearing panties, and she stood completely naked between the two men.

  Luigi went back to looking through the papers as if dismissing her again. Arturo applied pressure until she was kneeling, and then on all fours. "Crawl to him," he snapped. "Show him how grateful you are."

  She did, and the closer she got the more Luigi moved back, forcing her to follow him. Arturo laughed. "She's a well-trained bitch already, Luigi. I don't think it will take much time to get her into shape."

  Luigi smiled at Arturo. "I think she's very cooperative." He stopped moving so Carlotta could catch up to him. He made certain it was in the center of the room where they could have plenty of room to do whatever they wanted with the woman.

  "Luigi, I'll do whatever you want," Carlotta said.

  Arturo's belt landed hard on her naked butt. She screamed. "You don't call him Luigi. He is no longer your friend. He's your protector. Show some respect."