Becca.Too much time had passed since Neal had been gone, and as the sun slowly crossed over in the sky, I became more and more worried about what was going on. I tried a few times on the satellite phone to get hold of him, and yet, there was nothing. Nothing, but ringing and my constant aggravation over the entire situation."Nothing yet?" Layla had asked me this at least a dozen times, and as I turned to her shaking my head with a sigh, I saw the disappointment in her eyes."I'm sure everything is fine," I muttered quickly, pushing a smile on my face. "They just got wrapped up in things. Had there been an issue, the men outside would have come to say something."No matter how often I tried to reassure her, I could tell she didn't believe me. She had already cried more than once today, and I felt terrible for it, but at the same time, there was nothing I could do. I was just as much in the dark as she was."Okay, I'm going to find something to make for dinner. The kids
Becca.I stormed past Layla and the kids, going to my room. Neal was right, I was lucky we had packed everything. I might have thrown things, otherwise.The door to the bedroom opened, however, before I could lock it."Becca," James said in a warning tone, "we really don't have time for this.""We're going to make time," I replied, folding my arms over my chest. "I can't believe you'd just show up here, thinking I'd f*cking prance away with you like some mindless bimbo."James took a deep breath. "I don't think you're a mindless bimbo. But I do think you're rather stupidly fighting with me right now when you should be getting yourself and the children out of danger. You want to scream at me? Hit me? Accuse me of God knows what? F*cking fine, Becca, but do it on the jet."I bit back a why-would-I-go-anywhere-with-you retort. James was right. We needed to leave before Neal's past came to our doorstep. I'd learned that the hard way with Xavier Michaelson in the grocery store p
James.My stomach dropped to my toes. "You want to leave and take the kids with you?" I inferred."Yes. They deserve a better life, a happier one, and not to mention, a safer life than you can ever give them. So whether it's New Zealand or somewhere else, I intend to make something pure and wholesome for them. Far away from you, from Neal, from Allegra, and your problems," Becca confirmed.I scowled. "Those are my child and my grandchild. You can't just take them away from me."Becca shrugged. "You're dead, and Tally gave custody of Alessandro to me, so, it would seem I can take them away from you. And I will.""I don't intend to stay dead. Everyone who wasn't supposed to know I was alive knows I'm alive. There's no point in hiding it anymore. Besides, I left witness protection the moment I left Japan," I said."Japan…" Becca's eyebrows drew together. Then her eyes widened. "You're the one who sent the box!"I inclined my head. "Guilty as charged. I wanted Dahlia to have
Becca.Italy was beautiful. There was no other way to describe it. History radiated off of every building, the Roman statuary and architecture were exquisite, and the weather was beautiful. From the moment we touched down at the Aeroporto di Firenze-Peretola, when I hadn't been helping Layla mind the children, I'd been glued to my window, staring out at the Tuscan city of Florence.We took several dark sedans. I was again sitting next to Layla in the back seat of one, a child each in our arms. James was the front passenger, and Tony drove again.My father and stepmother were in another car.The windows on all the sedans were heavily tinted, but that didn't mean I couldn't appreciate the view from my side of the glass."Having fun?" James asked from the front seat.I realized then he'd been glancing back from time to time, always seeing me pressing my face to the window like a kid outside a candy shop. "It's okay," I said indifferently.James chuckled at my answer. Both of
Becca.Layla and I were dictating to the housekeeper what we needed bought and brought in for the children when James arrived at the door to my suite. He leaned on the doorframe, just watching. Alessandro was on a blanket on the floor, blowing bubbles and kicking his little legs in the air.Dahlia was under a different, lighter blanket as I breastfed her."... Lightweight pacifiers, if you can find them," Layla was saying. "Alessandro won't take the heavier ones yet.""Of course, Miss Garcia," the housekeeper, Giana, confirmed. "We can get anything you need.""Don't forget about things you need for yourselves," James called, and Giana turned around and gave a slight bow."Yes, I was just getting to that, signore. But they have been terribly concerned about the children," Giana explained to him.I liked Giana. I'd never actually met a housekeeper who was in charge of a whole fleet of maids, but she was a no-nonsense woman in her sixties with gunmetal gray hair and a sharp
Chad.Paul's dad's yacht was the best place we'd ever partied. Partly because it was large and luxurious with all the amenities we could think of. But mostly because Paul's dad kept it stocked with high-end liquor, and Paul kept it stocked with babes and roofies. And cocaine.I did a snort off some blonde who was nearly bouncing out of her bikini bra. That and the Macallan scotch had me high and happy.When Paul's brother, Ted, came up from the lower decks with a revolver, most of us were too drunk to even register there was a gun on deck.The blonde I was snorting coke off of just giggled and pointed. "He's got a big gun.""Not as big as mine, babe," I snickered, pulling her into my lap."Let's play Russian roulette," Ted slurred, setting the revolver down on a table."F*ck, I'm in," Paul said, shoving a redhead off his lap and taking a seat at the table. "What about you, Chad?"I shrugged. "Sounds like fun." I smacked the blonde's ass to get her moving, then sat down
Becca.The compound should have felt stifling, but that wasn't the case. It was large, and airy, with beautiful gardens and many walking paths. Men with guns nodded to me politely as they did their perimeter patrols while I explored my gilded cage.Layla was taking the children down other paths on the other side of the compound. I'd offered to go with her, but she'd insisted I get some alone time. Between James and the kids, I hadn't gotten a lot of that since I'd been at the mansion.Over the past week, James had been trying to reason with me every day. Every day. I saw his point, of course, but I was over men lying to me "for my own good." OVER it.Surely there must be some solution he wasn't thinking of, something that could be done where Alessandro, Dahlia, Layla, and I could live somewhere quietly. Just a normal life. A life where Alessandro would go to school and make friends and perhaps play American football or international football and lead his team to victory. Join a
Becca.We sat on the terrace of La Loggia under a white umbrella, a light breeze tickling at the tablecloth and the fabric of the umbrella."The boys" stood close by, but I was starting to get used to their presence and allowed them to fade into the background."How is the fruit?" James asked me, pointing a fork at the item I'd ordered.It was some kind of tart, if I had to hazard a guess, but without the crust. "It's exquisite," I said. "And your… meat tower?"James burst out laughing. "My 'meat tower' is delectable, thank you.""Good." I blushed, but I didn't know Italian, and James had ordered for us, so even if there had been English subtitles, I wouldn't have seen them.We shared what I thought was flan for dessert, which was decoratively covered in sauce. It was almost too beautiful to eat, but James dug in with a fork and held a small bite to my lips before I could protest.It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious."Mmm," I murmured, closing my eyes.When I opened