“I wouldn’t allow her back even if Amara insisted on giving her another chance. First, she isn’t sincere. Those are crocodile tears,” Geno said. “And second, she tried to physically assault my fiancée. That’s unforgivable. Take her home, London, before I insist Amaranthe press charges against her.”
“No.”Jenny spat the word out. “No! Mom,paythem.”
“Money isn’t going to work,” Geno said. “Please take her home, London.”
“You’re going to be sorry. You think you’re so high and mighty, but you’ll see,” Jenny threatened. “You aren’t the only one with friends.”
Lucca threw his hands in the air as if he couldn’t take one more moment of the teenage tantrum and slipped out the door of the studio. Fiero went with him, straight to the car parked at the curb, opened the door, his body blocking the view of the Ferraro brother for just a moment. Then Fiero closed the back passenger door and leaned against the vehicle his hands loosely at his sides, looking deceptively casual. It was impossible to see inside the dark tinted windows where Lucca had supposedly entered the back seat.
They’ll contact her online, Salvatore warned Lucca.You’ll have to stay very close. She isn’t going to wait. She’ll text them the moment she gets her phone back.
They won’t text her openly. They’ll have a meeting place that can be permanently erased, Amaranthe said.She’ll need privacy.
I’m on her, Lucca said.The little brat won’t see me. I’ll get the information for Lanz and Deangelo. They’ll be able to track whoever is behind this.There was absolute confidence in his voice.
Watch yourself, Geno cautioned.
“London, I’d take your daughter’s phone and devices away from her and actually punish her this time. She should have consequences,” he added aloud.
“Fuck you,” Jenny snarled, following her mother out of the studio.
London hastily shut the door before her daughter could say anything else. Amaranthe watched the two walk up to a sleek little Porsche, Jenny screaming at her mother the entire time.
She turned back to the other students and held up the hand with her engagement ring, a smile on her face, determined to get them all laughing again. The girls could be romantic, and they all thought the Ferraros were the epitome of Prince Charming. It wasn’t difficult to get them to admire the ring and then show off their talents for Geno and Salvatore.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Stefano stared in silence at the water glittering like diamonds for a long time. The sun was setting, turning the surface a mixture of orange and red. The sky had even more colors, with various shades of reds and pinks in addition to the orange. It was rare to see those colors in the sky, even over the river. Although the sky looked clear, Geno wondered if another storm was moving in.
“It’s too late to give you advice, Geno. But if I could, I’d tell you not to fall head over heels in love with that woman. Look at me. Look what Francesca’s done to me.” He sounded mournful.
Geno just managed to keep from laughing. “Francesca is the best thing that ever happened to you, Stefano, and you know it.” He kept his tone very mild. He had no idea what kind of mood his cousin was in, and he wasn’t taking any chances.
Stefano spun around to face him. “Exactly.Should she be here? She’s surrounded by danger. Does she know it? Yes. Does she care? No. I told her she had to leave. Shelooked me right in the eye and told me she wasn’t leaving. She said, and I quote, ‘Stefano, I don’t ask you for much and you’re going to give this to me. I’m staying with you to see Geno and Amaranthe through this. All of you need me and I need to be here. So you’re giving this to me. The subject is closed.’ What the fuck do I do with that, Geno?”
Geno sighed. “I guess you give her what she’s asking.”
“She wasn’t asking. She made that clear. She got on a plane while I was drunk out of my fucking mind. I had her fully protected where I knew she was safe and none of these crazy bastards could get to her or the children. Did she stay put? No. She commandeered the Ferraro plane and came here. She’s never done anything like this in her life. No one dared say no to her, either. They just did whatever she told them.”
“I would have,” Geno conceded.
Stefano pushed his hand through his hair with another sigh. “My Francesca. Such a sweet little angel. Do you know what she told me, Geno?”
Stefano paced across the room, his movements as always fluid and graceful. He was a man who looked good in his suit.
“Francesca told me she wanted to be the one to give me the gift of a child. She doesn’t seem to understand thatshe’sthe gift. She cried. I fucking hate when she cries. It tears me up inside.” He fell silent again and then turned to face Geno.
“I apologize for the way I handled this thing with Taviano. There were so many other ways I could have done it. I could see the moment Australia came up and the name of the Boutler family in Queensland was mentioned, it threatened to throw him into another post-traumatic episode.”
Geno tried to interrupt him. “Stefano...”
Stefano shook his head. “Let me. I need to talk to you about this. I should have. Not there in front of everyone, but I could have indicated to you that I had things to say privately. I felt so guilty when I first learned what happened toTaviano. I felt such rage at the parents. I’d never felt like that before. I have a temper, but I honestly felt if my mother were standing in front of me, I was capable of strangling her. She allowed a ten-year-old child to suffer without counselling, to be separated from all of us and to believe he was in some way responsible for what happened to him. I truly hated her, Geno.”
Geno could understand. Geno loved his cousins and he felt anger toward Eloisa and Phillip that they were so selfish that they wouldn’t care for their children.
“All I could see was my baby brother suffering all over again,” Stefano admitted. “I couldn’t protect him all those years ago, so like a fool, I made matters worse. None of the family knew anything, but with the way I acted, and with your reaction, they’re all questioning my behavior. Now with Francesca using our private jet when she’s never done such a thing, believe me, those questions are really multiplying.”
“Stefano, I would have done the same had it been one of my brothers. I observed Taviano, but I wasn’t comprehending what I was really seeing. It was Amaranthe who pointed it out. I was so angry when I thought you were shutting me out that I didn’t want to hear her.”
