High Stakes Seduction - Book 4 (8 page)

Chapter Twenty-One

My breath came out in clouds, and goosebumps rose on my skin. I couldn’t understand why it was so cold when the grass around me was green and a bright sun was beating down from the sky.

I looked around the empty clearing, trying to figure out where I was as I wrapped my hands around my body, trying to stay warm. But the temperature kept falling, faster and faster. I reached for the blanket that suddenly appeared before me, but the moment my fingers touched it, the soft wool turned to crystal. No. Not crystal. Ice, I realized, as my fingers touched the strangely frigid blanket.

I backed away, confused, and bumped into something behind me. I turned around to find a shelf of books. I brushed my fingers along the spines, recognizing my favorite books from childhood. As my eyes ran along the shelf, I recognized
Releasing the Artist Within,
the book by the artist, Thomas Markus, the author I’d met on the cruise. The book I'd bought for Maria, but was saving it for her birthday.

I smiled, recalling my conversations with Thomas. He and I had much in common, and we'd shared quite a few laughs over drinks.

I reached for the book, enjoying the memories, but the second I pulled it from the shelf, it turned to ice as well, slipping from my fingers to shatter on the floor.

“What’s going on?” I screamed in my dream, but only the chill wind answered me.

I turned and ran, slipping on the ice that covered the ground.

“Angela!” said a voice behind me and I drew to a halt.

“Tony?” I said, confused that he would be standing behind me.

“Cara,” came his voice, soft and low, “I’m so sorry.”

I didn’t even stop to think. I just turned and ran toward his arms. But before I could touch him, I saw the ice inching its way up his legs. I stopped, screaming, but he didn’t seem to notice. His smile hadn’t faltered as he whispered my name. And all the while, the ice slithered up, over his body, until he was completely encased in ice. A frozen statue of the man I loved.

I screamed his name, throwing myself at him. I banged my fists against his chest, trying to break through the ice, to save him, but it was no use.

Then the laughter came. The horrible, cold, high-pitched laughter that I would recognize anywhere.

I felt her presence over my right shoulder, the chill of her breath making my skin tingle with cold and alarm as she spoke.

“Everything you have, I will take from you. Everything you want to protect, I will destroy.”

I was paralyzed, frozen as if she had somehow thrown ice over me, too. I stared straight ahead, my eyes locked on Antonio’s frozen gaze as she moved around to stand before me. Instinctively, I gasped, taking a couple of steps backwards, stunned to see the witch in her true form. Her platinum blond hair, her steely blue eyes and blood red lips against the alabaster skin.

“But this,” she said, turning to slide a hand over Antonio’s frozen chest, and to run her tongue along his chiseled cheek, “is mine. Antonio Mancini will never be yours.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

The dream had shaken me. Seriously shaken me.

Dreaming about Antonio was bad enough, but to have Naomi invade my sleep as well?

This was madness. Total madness. I was through. I’d had enough of both of them.

Tapping my foot in the elevator, I watched the numbers blink. I’d decided when I woke up that morning that it was time to end this whole crazy arrangement with Antonio Mancini. But first, he had a promise to keep. Once he made the arrangements for Maria’s surgery, I would find the strength to walk away.

I hadn't thought much about what we'd do instead, but Maria and I had gotten along before and we'd figure it out again. Besides, I'd managed to squirrel away some money over and above expenses. He'd been generous with the salary; that was certain. And for that I was grateful.

The elevator announced its arrival at the executive floor with a ding. I wiped my damp palms on my skirt, waiting for doors to open. A voice in my head screamed for me to turn around and go right back downstairs and out the door, but I had to do this. Antonio had made an agreement with me, and I had held up my end. If I couldn’t follow through with any other arrangements between us, or deal with him on a personal level while he sauntered around the office with that bitch Naomi, this much I
could
do.

The elevator door opened and I stepped out, forcing one foot in front of the other.

“Hi Angela,” Hilary said, greeting me with a smile. “You can go right in.”

I nodded and thanked her, not really prepared for the usual pleasantries this morning. I took a deep breath, then opened the door to Antonio Mancini’s office.

…and was immediately struck with the memory of my dream the moment I saw Antonio standing by the window. The reflection off the glass gave him a silvery look that reminded me of seeing him, encased in ice. He was wearing his usual suit, this one a deep gray, cut to perfection. He ran a hand through his dark, well-coiffed hair and gave me a nod.

I avoided looking in his eyes, pushing everything from my mind and stomping on my emotions to keep them under control.

“Come in, sit,” he said, indicating the leather chair in front of his desk.

I closed the door behind me, but I didn’t accept his invitation. “Mr. Mancini,” I said, keeping my tone even.

“Angela,” he said, tucking his hands into his pockets as he walked round to lean against his desk in front of me. “How many times do I have to tell you, there's no need for formalities. Antonio is fine. You can even call me Tony.”

I tilted my head, meeting his eyes then. I still couldn’t understand why he was treating me as if we were only friends—as if nothing else had ever happened. Anger started to rise in me, but I pushed it back down. I couldn’t let this get to me. What happened on the cruise was in the past and I simply had to let it go. For the moment, I had to concentrate only on my immediate goal.

“Antonio. We need to talk about … our arrangement.”

He shifted, raising an eyebrow. “Which arrangement are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about my sister, Maria,” I said.

At that, he straightened, stepping toward me. “Angela, I know your sister is very important to you—“

“She is the
most
important person in my life,” I said, my voice rising. The words came out more harshly than I intended, but they were the truth.

“Maria means the world to me and I will do anything for her.
Anything
,” I said, emphasizing the word. “I have already fulfilled my end of the arrangement, have I not? Now I need to know if you’re truly a man of your word, Antonio.”

I had purposely not been looking directly at him, but his sharp intake of breath made me look up in time to see him wince as he turned away to gaze out through the windows again.

“Look, Angela,” he said, lowering his voice and turning back toward me. “I know this must be difficult for you to understand, but I promise I will explain everything to you when I can.”

He reached for my hand, but I pulled away. “I don't want any more vague promises from you, Antonio. You obviously have bigger things to worry about than me and my sister. I just want you to keep your end of the bargain and do what said you would do for Maria.”

Antonio took a step back, nodding slowly. “I am a man of my word, Angela. If there’s nothing else you can believe right now, I promise you that is truth.” He tucked his hands back into his pockets and turned toward the window once again. “I just need you to be a little patient while I work some things out. I will not let you or your sister down.”

There was a finality in his words that soothed me in some strange way. As the tension of holding my emotions in check drained out of me, I fought back the tears that welled in my eyes. “Thank you,” I said, unable to manage anything more as I left his office.

The elevator ride down seemed the longest I’d ever been on, but by the time the doors opened, I had come to terms with any remaining indecision.

As soon as Antonio fulfilled his promise, I was done here. I would look for a way to work off Dad’s debt, but I couldn’t do it here. I wasn't willing to keep compromising myself—or my feelings—any longer. I just hoped I could make Maria understand—and that she wouldn't be too disappointed in me.

Chapter Twenty-Three

ANTONIO

My hand drifted to my watch and I stared at the door for the longest time, knowing that Angela was not going to walk back through it.

It would have been easier to handle if she’d just slapped me,
I thought. Instead, she continued to show a strength and resolve that seemed beyond her years. She was so much more than I’d expected when she first showed up in my office not all that long ago.

I'd been only slightly surprised by her phone call, wanting to know who I was and why my name was on the insurance policy. I'd certainly have done the same thing in her position.

I grinned, remembering the young woman who had first walked into my office—slightly arrogant, her sternness covering a youthful vulnerability. I’d been taken with her right from the start, but it was more important for me to fulfill my obligations, so I'd pushed all that aside.

My heart twisted as I reflected on how much had changed since she'd finally agreed to come work for me. So much more than I had ever expected. 

I turned, staring out the window at the city skyline, my gaze drifting down to the busy streets. There were too many loose ends that needed to be tied up.

Behind me I heard Hilary's raised voice and a slight commotion at my door.

“You’re early, sir. Can you just have a seat and I’ll let him know you’re here.”

“No thanks, Hilary. I’ll speak to him now.”

I turned to see Lorenzo Cartoli standing in the doorway.

“Can I help you, Cartoli?” I said, knowing that my smile didn’t reach my eyes.

“You saw the paper the other day?" he asked.

I sat down in my chair, facing him across the desk, glad to have the distance between us. “I do keep up with the news. The photographer caught your good side.”

“None of your jokes, Mancini.” He frowned, pacing in front of my desk. “Things need to move forward, you know.”

I watched him carefully. I’d been stalling for too long, and he and the others knew it. If I wasn't careful, I would not only lose the advantage, but the opportunity as well.

And besides, there were other reasons for me to speed things up. Even if the process was likely to become unpleasant,
very
unpleasant.

“I’ll see what I can do. Maybe I can get some things started tomorrow, if everything goes right,” I said, rising from my chair to usher the man out the door.

"I think your Naomi could be a big help."

I did my best not to visibly cringe when he said that. She was hardly "my" anything. He was probably right, though. That was the reason I'd brought her to the meeting in the first place. But I didn't like the leer on his face. Regardless of my own involvement, I didn't want to be responsible for anything bad that might happen to her. 

“We’ll get things set in motion," I assured him. "And now, unless there's something else, please excuse me. I have an engagement.”

He gave me one last meaningful glance before the door shut, a bit more forcibly than necessary, behind him.

Clearly, time was up. My delaying tactics had run their course. It was, as they say, time to fish or cut bait. Or in this case, dangling bait might be a better description.

Chapter Twenty-Four

ANGELA

I had just stepped into the house when my cell phone started ringing. I looked at the screen and didn't recognize the number. I almost turned it off and put it back in my purse, when I realized it might be Ryan, calling from a different number.

"Hello?" I said as I pressed the button.

"Angela? So nice to hear your voice again! I thought maybe you lost my number." Yep, it was Ryan on the other end.

I laughed, a bit self-consciously. "How could I lose your number? You work for the D.A.'s office for goodness sake."

"So," he said, not missing a beat. "You're ready to redeem that rain-check, hm?"

"Absolutely, when would you like to get together?"

"How about this evening? No time like the present."

I looked over at Maria who was watching me intently. She mouthed "D.A," with a questioning look on her face.

I waved away her question. "Sounds good, can I check on a couple of things and call you back? Is this your personal cell phone?"

"Sure thing. I'll be leaving the office in about fifteen minutes. I can check back with you then if you'd like."

"Sounds good. Maybe we can meet someplace downtown. That is, if I can get everything on this end set up."

"Excellent. I'm looking forward to seeing you again."

I turned off the phone, looking up at Maria who was sitting there patiently, as always, waiting for an explanation.

"Well, are you going to tell me about it, or do I have to tease it out of you?" She asked me. "And what's this thing about the D.A.?"

Dang. I was going to have to tell her more about this, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to, yet. "Ryan works for the D.A.'s office," I said. "We flew back together from the cruise. He was very sweet to me, and gave me his business card. So I called him today. That's all."

"Oh. Well, that was quick. You're over Antonio already?"

"Not hardly. And believe me, it's not like that. Ryan was very sweet to me on the plane. But I don't have any designs on him. Heck, considering my luck with men, I shouldn't have designs on anyone."

"Maybe not at this immediate moment," Maria laughed at me. "So, am I one of the things you have to check on?"

"Yes," I grinned in return. "Sis, you know I'm always going to check in with you."

"And you know, I'm always going to tell you to go out and have fun. So go!"

I gave my sister a hug. "And that's why I love you. I'll just go freshen my makeup, and wait for his call back."