Gambler's Folly (Bookstrand Publishing Romance) (3 page)

The noise from her destruction must have alerted someone. Soon, the door opened once again, to admit Mr. Leone and his guards. Kari threw a decanter at his head, which he caught and set back on a surviving end table.

“Restraints,” he said once again.

“Liar! All lies to make me cooperative. You never meant for him to live through the night after he left. You bastard!”

With Karianna once again restrained, Mr. Leone approached her shaking his head. “If you like restraints so much, simply ask. You needn’t try to kill Marco or Paolo every time they enter the room.” Seeing the news on the viewer he added, “Cara, I’m so sorry the news has upset you. Trust me when I say I had nothing to do with it.”

“Liar! Who else would have done it? First you take away everything he has, and then you take his life.”

“Karianna, where do you suppose he got the ticket for Earth?”

“How should I know?” she replied angrily.

“Well, he had no money and nothing to sell or pawn. He’d lost everything he owned, including his ticket. I was not the only one he owed money and I knew it. I bought him the ticket, with the instruction never to return to Gambler’s Folly.”

“Really. And why would you do that?” she asked.

“To save his life. He was a bright young man. If he could have quit gambling, he could have made something of himself. But now…”

“But now, what?”

“Now he’ll never have the chance I tried to give him. At least you were spared, cara mia. And that is one reason I brought you here. With him alive, you were a pawn to be used in this game. Once he signed away his rights, you, at least, were safe. Especially with me. Few are foolish enough to anger me.”

“You really expect me to believe you had nothing to do with Trae’s death,” Karianna said skeptically.

“I am a man of my word. In my business, I have to be. I cleared his debts with me and gave him a way out. The fact it didn’t work is nothing to do with me. I swear it.”

Still angry, not believing what Mr. Leone told her, she did what first came to mind. “Bastard! Liar! I hate you!” she shouted and spat in his face.

Both bodyguards stepped forward, but he waved them off. Ever so carefully, he removed a handkerchief from his pocket and dried his face. Once he’d replaced it, he stepped closer to Kari and quietly said, “Never will you do that again, cara. Do you understand? Never.”

“Yeah? And why not? It’s what you deserve.”

“This behavior will stop, Karianna, and it will stop now.
I understand you are upset, but you will stop.
And if you ever spit in my face again, I will leave welts on your back with my belt.
Capisce
?”

“You wouldn’t dare,” she challenged.

“You think not?”

“I think not. You’re a bully and if it weren’t for your hired muscle over here, you’d never have made it to where you are today—head bully of the underworld. You say you’ll leave welts, but not without help from your muscle over there.”

“Cara, cara, you are so silly,” Damiano said. Removing his jacket, he laid it across the back of the sofa. Tie removed, sleeves rolled up, he walked back over to Karianna, another apple in hand.

“Would you like to retract anything you’ve said, cara? We don’t have to do this. I’m willing to accept your apology, considering the circumstances.”

In answer, Karianna gave him a hateful look and spit in his face again, just to make her point. Putting his apple down, he dried his face.

“Very well,” Damiano said. Walking around her, he released one hand and twisted it behind her. The other one swiftly followed and then they were both restrained behind her back. Releasing her ankles, he blocked the kick she aimed at him.

“Now, since you want to fight,” he said, as he released her hands again, “go ahead.”

She whirled around and aimed her fist at his face, missing as he leaned back just enough. Her kick was blocked expertly and several other attempts were deflected or missed reaching him altogether. Pretty soon she was tiring and her strikes were further and further from the mark.

“So, cara, have you finished?” he asked quietly. She threw one more punch at him, but instead of blocking it to the side, Damiano caught her arm in midpunch and did something she didn’t understand, which left her completely under his control. Arm behind her, wrist painfully bent and locked, he forced her over the back of an easy chair.

“Now, Karianna, have I made my point?” he asked as he held her there, motionless, for several moments.

“Yes, Mr. Leone. Point taken.”

Damiano pulled her to her feet, pushed her around to the front of it, and shoved her down to sit facing him. Looking up into the twin pools of darkness of his eyes, she saw his shirt wasn’t even wrinkled. Not one drop of sweat, not one hair out of place.

“Cara mia, that was a warning. I know you are upset, so I let you off lightly. Next time, I will not,” he told her, adjusting his tie and putting on his jacket. Apple regained, he took a bite and chewed thoughtfully for a moment. “I hope you have this out of your system, because you have a lot to do in the next few days and weeks. I am a patient man, but you push too far. There will be no more, cara. Do you understand?”

Still in shock, she nodded her head. She was stunned by the ease with which a beating could have been accomplished. She had seriously underestimated the man.

“Yes, Mr. Leone. I understand. I don’t believe you, and my opinion of you hasn’t changed, but I understand,” she acknowledged.

“Good. We’ll go now and let you have time to calm down. Tomorrow we’ll talk about your future with me.”

* * * *

“Damiano,” Marco began as they walked back to the office, “is this a wise move? She could be used as a lever against you as well.”

“Don’t worry, Marco. It’s just a business arrangement, a convenience to save her life. Once our current troubles are finished, she can have an apartment of her own, if she wishes, until the contract ends. Besides, she is a beautiful woman, no? And she shows no fear, though she knows my reputation. Such a woman, Marco. Perhaps she’ll begin to love me after a while.”

“Beautiful, yes, and strong. But I still think you are playing a very dangerous game, Damiano. Especially with what we have going now, everything coming to a head. Be very careful,
amico
.”

“Have you ever known me to be otherwise?”

Karianna managed to sleep, in spite of the circumstances. A particularly raucous noise woke her in the early hours of the morning. Looking around groggily, she finally located the phone. It was the front desk with her 0630 wake up call. Wake-up call? Yes, madam, they informed her. Mr. Leone had left a wake-up call with them.

Now she was awake and irritated. Why in the world did she need to be awake at this hour of morning? But since she was, she got comfortably dressed and wondered how to order some coffee. She needn’t have wondered. Just about fifteen minutes later, she was startled when the door opened to let in the wondrous smell of coffee, fresh bread, and jam.

“Doesn’t anyone knock around here?” she asked the room service girl, irritably.

“Sorry, madam,” the girl apologized. “Shall I make a note of it?”

“Whatever,” Karianna said.

“Is there anything else, madam?”

“No, thank you. This is fine.”

After the girl left, Karianna poured a cup of rich, black coffee, and tore off a piece of the fresh hot bread, spreading a bit of the jam on it. The jam was unfamiliar but wonderfully sweet and spicy. Hungrily, she finished what was on the tray. She took another cup of coffee over to the sofa and curled up to relax, wondering what her day would be like.

She must have drifted off after she finished her coffee. The chuckle behind her slowly cut through the fog, as she tried to figure out where she was.

“So sleepy, cara. But come, it’s time you met your trainer.”

Angry again, Karianna glared at Mr. Leone and asked, “Doesn’t anyone around this damned place know how to knock on the door?”

“But, Kari, why should I knock on my own door? As for everyone else, when I’m here, I prefer they just come in, do what they have to do and leave me alone. If I don’t want to be disturbed, I leave word.”

“So where’s this trainer?” Karianna asked. Mr. Leone was the only one in the suite with her.

“He’s in the gym, cara. Where else? Come.”

“Sit. Stay,” Karianna added.

“Sit, stay, what?” Mr. Leone asked, confused.

“Never mind. Let’s just go.”

First time out of the room since arriving, Karianna followed Mr. Leone down a hallway to another identical door on the same side of the hall. White polished marble gleamed on the floor of the richly decorated foyer. Crossing through several equally dazzling rooms, they finally reached a private gym which would have done a health club justice.

Leaning comfortably against a weight machine, the tall, blond, and blue-eyed young man straightened as they approached. In appearance, he was the exact opposite of Mr. Leone. The two men shook hands before she was introduced.

“Cara, let me introduce to you Carl, my trainer and now yours. Carl, meet my lovely wife, Karianna. We’re not trying for anything radical, just a bit of toning and conditioning. It’s nearly beach time and you know what that means for the ladies.”

“Very good, Mr. Leone. We’ll get a baseline on her conditioning today and then tomorrow we’ll get started.”

“Wonderful, Carl,” he told the trainer. “Ciao, cara. I’ll meet you after your workout,” he said to Karianna, and then startled her with a kiss on her cheek, stroking her under the chin with his finger.

“Mrs. Leone,” Carl began.

“Please, call me Karianna,” she insisted. She couldn’t deal with “Mrs. Leone.”

“There are some workout clothes in the changing room, if you’d like to change. It’s going to be a bit tough today, so I can see what you’ve got.”

Carl was right. An hour and a half later, soaked completely through, she was shaking where she stood, wondering if she could make it to the shower. “You did very well today, Karianna,” Carl said, just as Mr. Leone came through the door.

“I thought she would,” he added, as Karianna glared accusingly at him.

“Now, cara, I think a shower is in order, and then some lunch, yes?”

“If someone can show me back to my room, a shower is more than in order. It is a necessity.”

“But cara mia, there is a shower here. Let me show you.”

“See you tomorrow, Mr. Leone,” Carl said as he left.

Through the dressing room, where she’d left her clothes earlier, there was indeed a shower room. Walls of shining stone tiles, stone floors, left rough so as not to be slippery, the whole thing from top to bottom was tile and shining brass. Soft lighting twinkled off the fixtures and a hint of exotic scent teased her nose.

Tired though she was, Karianna’s mouth dropped open, and she stared around her at the understated opulence. If this was the shower room for the gym, what must his personal bath be like?

“Come, cara, let me help you. Carl can be a cruel taskmaster.”

Strong, warm hands on her back gently slid her shirt over her head before she had a chance to figure out what he meant.

“Mr. Leone, what are you doing?” she asked, moving away and beginning to be concerned. Alone with this dangerous man, who now claimed her as wife, Karianna wasn’t sure what to expect.

“Mr. Leone?” he asked with a smile. “I think my wife could be allowed less formality. Please, my name is Damiano. A few of my very close friends call me Dam.”

“Damiano,” she tried nervously. “What are you doing?”

“You are tired, so I’m trying to be kind. Please, turn around.” Hands on her shoulders, he turned her around again, her back toward him, unfastened her bra, and laid it aside. In shock, she did nothing to prevent it.

“Was your late husband not kind to you?” he asked quietly, his hands now sliding her shorts and panties down to her knees. Without thinking, she finished kicking them off.

“Yes, Trae was kind. He just never undressed me in the shower room.”

“No? Well, maybe he had too many worries to be considerate. Now, fairly warm, yes?” he added, as he turned up the water.

The shower was marvelous. The warm water came from two overhead fixtures, as well as the front, back, and one side. Damiano put shampoo and gel within her reach and it frothed into luscious, thick foam scented with roses as she scrubbed.

“Later you can buy something you prefer,” he told her.

As she showered, Damiano leaned against the wall and watched.

“Um, why are you watching me?” she finally asked, uncomfortably.

“It’s not like I’ve never seen you naked, cara, or at least nearly so,” he replied. “You are a beautiful woman, and quite delicious to contemplate, with the bubbles caressing your skin.”

This did nothing to calm her nerves. She washed her hair, rinsed off all over one last time and turned off the water. Now, where was the towel?

Captured steam escaped through the shower door and into the room, as a hand emerged through the fog with a small towel.

“For your hair, cara.” She thanked him and dried her hair before wrapping it into a turban.

The next thing she knew, she was enfolded in a warm cloud of softness, held in place by strong arms. Not afraid, yet not quite comfortable, she struggled and said, “Please stop! I’m not ready for this.”

“I’m so sorry, Kari. I should have realized,” he said, sounding like he really meant it. “Once you’re dressed, we’ll have something to eat and talk about your role in my house.”

Damiano walked out of the shower room, leaving her to dry off and dress alone. What was she going to do? This man was powerful, dangerous and on the wrong side of the law. People who defied him disappeared from the face of the planet. Those who were merely an irritation wound up in the hospital, never truly whole again.

Now, he claimed her as his wife. Whether it was true and legal or not, going against him would be suicidal. Hadn’t Trae already died because of him?

Trae. Yes, he had been her husband, legally, but the love had gone out of their marriage ages ago. She had consulted a solicitor about a divorce before they came to Gambler’s Folly. Why she’d agreed to this “vacation” she would never understand. Just wishful thinking she supposed. Gambling had been Trae’s drug of choice. The high he got from it was what he’d lived for. And what he’d died from, eventually.