Charmed (16 page)

“The ambulance came and my mother was treated as best they could. But my father refused to pay to have the bone set properly. It had shattered and required special surgery. Even Fiorella begged him.

“I can still remember his words: ‘She deserved it.’ And she didn’t press charges for abuse. She knew no one would believe her. Eventually, she could walk again. But
the limp will always be there.

“When my father left and I began supporting my mother and sister, I sent her to a specialist. But the bone cannot be fixed. The injury is too old; the repair would have needed to be done at the time. To fix it now would cause other issues.

“I’m helpless in that regard. My money does nothing to fix the damage Claudio did. It’s irreparable. All because I went surfing the day he specifically warned me against it.”

Ella had tears in her eyes. She wasn’t sorry she’d asked. She wanted to know everything about Adam; wanted to share his joys and his pain. Never again did she want him to be alone. Always she would be there for him to shoulder any burden, to fight together. They would defeat Claudio. She knew it. They had to.

After they got home and ate the food Eli prepared for them, Ella booted up the laptop to check email while Adam called Joel Santos, head of sales and marketing for AB Software, Inc. The “AB” was for “Adamo Bianci,” and it was the first time she’d heard his company name. Adam always worked from his home office and handled most things through phone and email. Since she’d been there he hadn’t attended meetings. It was his style, he told her. Developing and writing new software was a solo activity. What he needed his sales team for was to arrange profitable deals.

It was just as well. Ella couldn’t imagine him dressing in business suits and going to an office every day. His wardrobe of board shorts and cotton shirts suited him much better. But office or not, she did have to leave him alone so he could get some work done. Knowing she was a distraction, if a welcome one, she took the laptop out to the patio and read emails under the designer lights scattered through the landscaping. Scanning her inbox, she found a reply from Julianna, and was glad to hear she was fine and now working in a local art gallery while going to school.

Then Ella recognized a subject line from Kaiyla. “Got the phone—calling you tomorrow at six.” The time on the laptop was nearly ten in the evening. With the time difference between California and Rio, the call would come in any minute. Ella raced inside and grabbed her own phone out of her bag.

It was a disposable phone, just like the one Adam had sent Kaiyla. Not only was the phone untraceable, the frequency was coded. It should have been red, not the standard black, Ella thought. The tiny phone was her hotline to Kaiyla. She was always with Adam so didn’t need it to call him.

Walking out to the patio, she could hear Adam talking loudly. Must be something important, she thought, and went outside again, closing the door. Holding the phone in her hand, she waited for the call, anxious to speak with her friend and be sure she was okay. She didn’t have to wait long. The phone rang within minutes.

“Kaiyla,” she said.

“It’s me, hon. You sound like you are right here, even though you are in a different country.”

Being called “hon” was heartwarming. She missed her friend and it was so good to hear her voice. “I’m here. How are you? What’s happening?”

“I should ask you that. Since when do unknown men in dark clothing follow me around? You’ve made my life a little too exciting, Ella.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. Adam has some stuff going on over here.”

“Uh, no kidding. But are you all right?”

“Oh yes. Adam is looking out for me.”

“Right.”

“No, really. You wouldn’t believe the number of guards he has around here. They follow us everywhere, especially Nico, his head of security. It’s like a fortress. There are cameras around the perimeter and motion detectors, and who knows what else.”

“Wow, I know the feeling. You should see this apartment. It’s tighter than Fort Knox. Lucky I can remember my pass code to get in here at night, or I’d set off an alarm and find myself at the precinct downtown.”

Kaiyla’s humor over the circumstances told Ella that she was faring well. “So is that weird guy still following you?”

“Don’t think so. The two bodyguards assigned to me with more pounds of solid muscle between them than I care to think about was probably a deterrent.”

“I’m so glad you have protection.”

“Really, Ella, this is you and me. Who’d ever think we would be followed around or need to be guarded. Us?”

“Believe me, I know. It’s a bit unreal to me too.”

“So did Adam annoy the wrong people or what?”

“You could say that. It has to do with his father, Claudio. Not just his father, I guess he’s hooked up with some sort of underworld here in Rio and it could get messy.”

“I’m afraid for you.”

“Don’t be. As long as I’m with Adam, everything will be fine.”

“Oh, I feel a lot better.”

Ella smiled. “So, how’s Steve?”

“As drop-dead gorgeous as ever. He wants me to move in with him. At first I thought it was just because he was worried about me. Can’t blame him with all the security following me around. But really, he just wants to be together. He is a romantic, you know. And it really doesn’t make sense to have two places. I have to keep driving from one to the other. Plus, there is no need for this apartment if you aren’t coming back.”

“Even when I do come back to Newport, I’ll be with Adam. You should move in with Steve. You’d be safer. And besides, I know you are crazy about him.”

“Some things don’t change. I love that guy. I’ll talk it over with him and let you know. I might give notice here and live with Steve. I want to. I think I’m ready for the commitment. Heck, I never thought you’d be living with a guy before me.”

Ella laughed. “You have a point. How’s everything else?”

“My mom is still talking about moving out here, so we will see. She grew up in Texas so moving would be a big change for her. For selfish reasons, it’s good to have your mother close.”

Ella was quiet.

“Uh, I mean my mother. Your mother is a different story. Have you contacted her yet?”

“Nope. No reason to. She’s busy with…uh…whoever it is this month. Anyway, I have more pressing issues here.”

“Yes, that’s an understatement. Oh, I talked to Cameron. We exchanged phone numbers when you were in the hospital with that bonk on the head. You never know when we might have to team up and rescue you,” Kaiyla said.

“Very funny.”

“Anyway, he’s pretty serious about that girl he’s hanging with…Lori…ah, Lori Cooper.”

“Yes, Cam started dating her just before I left. And before I forget, get his email address for me so I can stay in touch. I should have asked for it before I left, but I was kind of preoccupied.”

“Sure, I have it. I’ll send it to you. Anyway, the relationship seems to be working out. We might double date next weekend, so I’ll get to meet her,” Kaiyla said. “Oh, and Zoe’s been asking about you. Cameron just told her that you’d arrived and things were going well. Not much else he could tell her. He mentioned she’s expanding the bookstore, adding a coffee shop. Books and coffee go together, you know. Should be good for her.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m happy for her, and Cameron too. By the way, I’d keep all this scary stuff between us. No need to involve anyone that doesn’t need to be.”

“Oh sure, my lips are sealed,” Kaiyla promised.

“Now that we have this phone, we will be able to talk. I really miss you.”

“I miss you too. When you figure out what’s going on with Adam’s dad, fill me in, okay? I’d like to know why my life’s at risk.”

Ella laughed. “Sure will.” They talked for a while longer. Kaiyla told her some funny stories about customers at the salon, and about a new, shorter hairstyle she was tempted to try out. Ella told her about Adam’s family, describing Fiorella and Serena and Adrian. She told her about the food, about the beauty of the country, and tried to describe all the hand gestures they used when talking. And she told her in great detail about the surfing and paragliding in Floripa, including Adam’s gift, the custom surfboard.

They finally hung up, promising to talk again soon. Ella felt better after reconnecting with her friend. A sense of reality was restored by talking about normal things. She regretted that Kaiyla was involved in the intrigue that was part of her life now, but relieved to hear her voice. The call reassured her that Kaiyla was fine—for now, anyway.

*****

The next day Adam retreated to his home office to work on a project he needed to finish. Ella worked on her novel for a couple of hours. Then Miguel drove her to the Bianci residence to visit. Fiorella had invited her over, and she’d readily accepted.

True to Adam’s instructions, Nico went everywhere with Ella. She appreciated that he followed in the car behind, giving her some space. Miguel could probably protect her, but she’d heard Adam tell Nico that she was his responsibility. That was all the instruction he needed. If anything happened to Ella it wouldn’t be because of Nico’s negligence, she knew that for sure.

Fiorella greeted her at the door, wearing a sleeveless shell and a print skirt falling to mid-calf. Her reddish hair was pinned up on one side with a rhinestone comb, and she wore rhinestone-studded sandals to match. “Ella, come in.”

“You look lovely. I wasn’t sure how to dress.” Ella pulled at her white shorts, wishing she’d worn a blouse instead of a blue cotton T-shirt. Some habits didn’t die easily.

“You look fine. Shorts are perfect for this warm weather.”

Ella relaxed, knowing Fiorella meant it. Adam’s good-hearted sister was never pretentious. She was one of the easiest women to be around, always friendly and warm. Ella had been surprised how quickly they’d become friends, considering her usual reserve around anyone new.

Holding her hand out, palm down, Fiorella flexed her fingers back and forth in a motion indicating Ella should follow her.

“I think I’m starting to read the hand gestures all of you use,” Ella said.

“Oh, yes. We do flail our hands around all the time when we talk. Although, Adam is kind of messed up now. He’s been in California too long. He does the ‘come here’ motion upside down with his palm up, like they do in America.”

“I think you guys are upside down,” Ella teased.

“I’m sure we are. What would you like to drink?”

“I’d say a tangerine caipirinhas because it was delicious. But the cachaça was a stronger liquor than I expected. I bet
ter stick with something more wimpy.”

“More what?”

“Oh, wimpy, it means weak…something weaker.”

“Sure, that’s a good word. I’ll have to remember that. I speak fluent English but I’ve never been to your country. All the expressions you use throw me off. I’m not familiar with them.”

“I can teach you. I grew up in California. It will be just like learning a language. You catch on when you are around people who speak it.”

“Perfect. You speak California slang around me, and I’ll learn it.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Fiorella laughed. “So I’ll make you a fizzy soft drink called guarana, made from that fruit from the Amazon. We love it here.”

“Sure, I think I can handle that.”

Sitting in the cozy kitchen, they drank their soft drinks and nibbled on jelly-filled biscuits. Ella bit into hers and asked, “What are these? I’ve never had anything like it.”

“Goiaba biscuits.”

“What’s goiaba?”

“It’s Portuguese for guava.”

“Ah, I thought I recognized that flavor. You must like guava in this country; you even put it on pizza.”

“Yes, we use it a lot. Our tropical climate is good for such fruits. You’ll find them used in many dishes.”

“Adam says you are going to open a restaurant.”

“Yes, I hope to, with his help. It’s not easy to open an establishment here, but I love creating many types of dishes. Even as a young girl I liked to cook. Adam has been a great help to me. It could be that my dream of having my own restaurant will come true.”

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“Sure.”

“Will you teach me to cook?”

“You mean Brazilian dishes? You want to learn something different than the American cooking?”

“Actually, all of it.”

“American too?”

“That would be good.”

“Didn’t you learn from your mother? That’s how I learned; my mother passed on traditional recipes and I added my own touches.”

“My mother…teaching me to cook? No, she…well, you don’t know my mother.” Ella was at a loss about how to explain her mother. All Fiorella had ever known was the love of Serena. Surely it would be hard for her to imagine a mother who was uninterested in such things as home and children.

Fiorella didn’t say anything for a moment. Then she winked at Ella. “I will be pleased to teach you all that I know about cooking. Won’t Adam be surprised?”

“He really will. He has Eli, so it’s not like I need to cook, but I enjoy all these amazing dishes and I’d like to learn to make some of them.”

“Okay, we will do it. Let’s start now. For dinner, I have planned feijão com arroz, which is rice and beans, a Portuguese-African bean stew. It’s a Cariocas favorite.”

Ella noticed she pronounced it “fay-szao” and said it a couple to times to etch it into her memory. “What’s Cariocas?”

“Those of us that are natives of Rio are called Cariocas. Actually, these days most residents of Rio consider themselves Cariocas, whether they are natives or not.

“It’s the spices that make the dish. I add fresh garlic, turmeric, and the juice of a lime. When I serve I arrange slices of fresh lime on the plate. You can slice the limes and make the rice. I’ll show you how.”

Standing at the cutting board, slicing the limes, Ella felt a new kind of happiness, one she hadn’t experienced before. Looking over at Fiorella who was dicing fresh garlic cloves with a sharp knife, she said, “Thank you.”

Fiorella stopped. “For what, amica mia?”

Ella smiled. Fiorella calling her “my friend” in Italian made her feel as good as Kaiyla calling her “hon.” While away in Floripa, Ella had been practicing some Italian with Adam, wanting to speak his language, and was proud that she understood the expression of affection.