Cherished (Adam & Ella) (14 page)

“He’s not a boy. He is a man, and a capable one at that. And can you blame him? What have you ever done to deserve the love of a son? You brutalize and terrorize everyone close to you. So, if you think I will assist you in any way, you couldn’t be more wrong.”

“I see why Adam is attached to you. You are just as sensitive and altruistic as he is. But you are evading the point,” Claudio said.

“Which is?”

“That Adam will compensate me for the loss of the software to
Taiz. I have my ways of learning the sales figures, once it is made available to the public. After all, my associates often do business with the man. I will email my bank account information to Adam, and I expect to see my balance increase, consistent with profits. And, for my inconvenience, I will request a sizeable sum up front. The amount will be specified in the email.

“I will send the email in five days. That’s exactly how long you have to convince Adam to see things my way. He will have twenty-four hours from receipt of my demand to access funds from his investments and wire the money to my account.

“And, if you are not able to convince him to concede to my request, it will be bad for all of you. I am being reasonable for now, but I’m losing patience.”

With that, Claudio turned and stormed through the open passage in the wall, followed by Leon, who didn’t even look back. Ella stared at the dark space they’d disappeared through, tears streaming down her cheeks. Claudio was gone, and in his wake she started to tremble.

The tears were not from sadness, nor from fright. The salty tears burning her cheeks were from anger. Ella was furious, livid over Claudio’s attempt to intimidate them yet again. Adrenaline had flooded her veins in his presence, but began to calm, and her muscles felt weak. The atmosphere remained thick with the despicable presence and repulsive odor of Claudio Bianci. Still staring at the void into which he’d disappeared, she vowed he wouldn’t get away with it. Not this time.

When Ella regained enough composure to stand up, she lifted her bag from the floor and draped it over her shoulder. At that point, Nico had no idea what had transpired while she was with Leon Wallace, and she wanted to keep it that way until they got home. The meeting room was soundproofed; she could tell by the textured fabric on the walls. She was sure he hadn’t heard anything. If he knew, Nico would call Adam immediately. It was his job to do so.

That wouldn’t be good. She preferred to tell Adam personally, and not have him find out before she could give him the full details. He was going to be upset enough. The least she could do was be with him when he heard, so he could see for himself that she was okay and had not been harmed.

There was no way to keep evil away, if the evil wanted them bad enough. But one thing Ella was sure of: they must fight back. She guessed that Claudio’s gambling debts were coming due, and those he owed weren’t prone to giving extensions. Thus, he would impose the deadline. In five days, Adam would receive the email demanding the money. Claudio hadn’t mentioned an amount, but she knew it had to be sizable, as were his gambling debts.

Ella felt like she’d been in a time warp, meeting with a ghost instead of a man. Still in shock, she looked around the plain, sparse meeting room, trying to reach back to the present moment. She’d lost track of time, and pulled out her cell phone to see how long she’d been with Claudio. Not too long. That was good. Since
Nico never saw Graham Allen—the editor who didn’t exist anyway—come through the door, he must have wondered. Had the meeting gone much longer she’s sure he would have knocked, to ensure she was still all right.

Despite the fact that the meeting had been unbearable in length, in reality, it had spanned less than fifteen minutes. Walking toward the door, Ella knew she had to leave before
Nico looked in from the hall. Grasping the doorknob, she opened it just enough to slip through, shutting it tightly behind her. Nico looked at her and raised his eyebrows.

Ella knew she must look a fright, and should have carried a compact mirror, useful for checking makeup. As it was, she’d wet her fingertips, and rubbed under her eyes to wipe away as much of her smeared mascara as she could. It would have to do.

Seeing her appearance, Nico was obviously aware she’d been upset. She could imagine how red and swollen her eyes were. He’d know it was because of the meeting, and assume it was concerning the publishing her book; that Leon had given her bad news. And that was exactly what she wanted him to think.

“Just take me home,” she said, and started walking down the hall.

“The editor didn’t show up?”

“No,” she said, looking straight ahead. At least that part was true.

Nico didn’t say anything else, wise enough not to press. For that, she was grateful. On the way home, Ella tried to get a grip on her emotions. The rage she felt at Claudio wouldn’t abate, and she wrapped her arms around her chest in an effort to calm the quivering of her body. Adam couldn’t see her like this. He was going to be worried enough, and she didn’t want to make it worse for him.

Assessing the situation, Ella considered it good luck that she wasn’t physically harmed. She’d pushed Claudio, and verbally attacked him without thinking. Secure in the back seat of the car with
Nico to hand, she realized her folly. Verbal volleyball with a nutcase like Adam’s father wasn’t the most prudent approach.

It had been shocking, seeing Claudio appear from nowhere. It was not something she had expected. And when he started attacking Adam, she’d lost it. Now, after the fact, she knew that wouldn’t get her anywhere. There had to be a way to hit Claudio where it hurt, and his ego wasn’t it. Calling him a bad father had no effect on him at all. Words fell on deaf ears, and had no impact. Force was Claudio’s language. It was what he used to get what he wanted, and it was all he understood.

Wishing she had more time to recover, Ella pulled her brush from her bag and raked it through her hair, trying to fix her appearance. She closed her eyes and pressed her lids lightly, knowing there was no hope hiding the fact she’d been crying. Nico would tell Adam, if nothing else. The Chrysler pulled into the usual space in the garage and Ella waited for Nico to open the door for her.

Before entering the house, she took a deep breath. The short ride home hadn’t given her time to figure out what to say to Adam. How in the world was she going to tell him? There was no way to mitigate the shock for him. Even with all his efforts to protect her, Claudio had been so close she could smell him. If he’d wanted to grab her, he could have. She shuddered.

Dropping her bag on the counter, she walked toward Adam’s office. Seeing her in the doorway, he stood up. His smile vanished when he saw her face. “Ella,” he said, and strode across the room to her. She fell into his arms, hugging him to her, with her cheek against his warm chest.

Having his arms around her was so good, and Ella felt a little better. She contemplated not telling him at all, dreading the effect it would have. Yet she knew the story would need to be told. “I have to talk to you, Adam.”

With his arm around her shoulders, Adam guided her to the other room and sat next to her on the sofa. He lifted her hand and held it between both of his. “It was bad?”

Ella nodded. Her throat closed up, and tears threatened to start again. She forced them back, knowing she had to be strong. She was going to have to be stronger than she’d ever been. “It was very bad,” she said.

“It’s just one publisher. There are others. It’s a good book. What didn’t they like?”

The stress over meeting an editor was gone, and for the moment, getting her romance book published seemed petty. The focus had shifted, and her career goals receded to the background. It didn’t matter then. Only their safety mattered. “There was no editor.”

“What do you mean?”

Ella looked away from Adam. It was hard to tell him, and she knew it would hurt him. He’d feel like he’d failed, she had no doubt of that. Keeping her away from danger had been his
aim all along. To see that he’d been unable to do so would be a blow. Running her hand through her hair, she plunged ahead.

“It was a ruse.”

Adam looked at her, puzzled.

“There was no editor interested in my work, and I think Leon Wallace is probably a fake name.” Watching Adam’s reaction, she could see his alarm.

“What do you mean, fake?”

“I don’t know how to tell you this,” Ella said.

“Tell me, amore mia. Whatever is wrong, you are not alone. I am here. We are together. I can see in your eyes that something terrible has happened. I want to know. Go ahead and just tell me about it,” Adam said, eyes soft.

“I went to the appointment at the meeting room at the hotel, and Leon, or whoever he is, was there. Everything seemed normal at that point. He was in a suit; we were in a well-known hotel downtown. We’d been discussing my manuscript. And then…”

“Yes…”

“Claudio came in.”

“My father?” Adam’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Where was Nico? How did he get in?”

“That’s the thing. There’s nothing
Nico could have done. He checked the room and I had him wait outside for me. The meeting rooms connect. I guess it’s so larger meetings can be arranged.

“In the wall, there was a panel that swung open. And your father just walked right in. He was right there, Adam, standing over me.”

Adam’s jaw tensed and his amber eyes flared with anger. “He’s gone too far!” He pulled Ella into his arms and clung to her. “Did he hurt you?”

“No. I am all right, at least physically.”

Adam leaned back with his hands on Ella’s shoulders. “What did he say?”

“He is as crazy as you said, Adam. He knows about the sale to
Taiz, and instead of leaving us alone, he expects you to pay him.”

“Pay him?”

“Yes, he says he will send you an email in five days and demand a specific sum. You and I both know he has huge debts, so whatever the amount is, it won’t be small. And there’s more. He demands that you compensate him based upon the profits Taiz earns from the online gambling software.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I wish I was. He went into this whole thing about how you owe him because you are his son. He claims the software was his, and even if Taiz has rights, Claudio still expects to profit from it. His logic is twisted, but he won’t back down.”

Adam stood, and paced in front of the sofa. His cheeks were flushed and red, the muscles in his arm flexing as though he wanted to hit something. “The man is a maniac.”

“I’ve seen him up close, and I think he’s on drugs. He acts weird, and his pupils were dilated,” Ella said.

“Oh, he’s addicted to cocaine. He has been since I was young. It’s a drug you don’t walk away from. He was mentally unsound even before, but the drugs only make it worse, more dangerous.

“I can’t believe how close he was to you. Did he touch you?”

Ella shook her head. “No.”

“I should never have let you go into a meeting alone. Anyone can get a business card. He probably just had his accomplice lift one from the Villan Mays exhibit. Then it was as simple as writing a name and cell phone number on the back, and renting a meeting room. I wonder how he knew you were there.”

“That’s interesting,” Ella said.

“What is?”

“I hadn’t made the connection, but the first day I went to the festival, somebody followed us,” she said.

“Yes, Nico mentioned that. But then the guy never showed up again.”

“Exactly.
He didn’t need to. Once he reported to Claudio that I was at the event, they planned the scam. Next thing I knew, Leon bumped into me. Of course, it was easy to arrange the meeting with me, knowing I wanted to publish a book.”

“How would they know that?”

“Well, the whole day I was passing out my card. I talked to a lot of people.”

“All it would take would be to follow behind you, and ask a few questions,” Adam said.

“That’s probably how it happened.” Ella looked at Adam. His expression was violent.

She’d never be safe as long as Claudio was after them. Adam had suffered from his father’s deviant mentality, all of his life. She’d only dealt with it for a short while. It was too much. Ella couldn’t stomach how it affected Adam. No wonder he’d left her behind when he’d come back to Rio to deal with his father. That seemed so long ago.

Adam pounded his fist into the palm of his other hand, his amber eyes dark with rage. “He’s stepped over the line. He must be stopped.”

Ella had never seen Adam as furious as he was. She really wasn’t sure what he’d do. The rage against his father had been building up for so long, and finally exploded. “I will stop him.” Adam looked different—calmer, in a deadly sort of way. And Ella knew he meant it.

*****

That night, neither of them could sleep. Adam wrapped his arms around Ella, staring at the ceiling. She didn’t know what the next day would hold, what would happen next. Their relationship had been violated; Claudio had dared to move against Ella. The mood Adam was in frightened her. She couldn’t blame him for hating Claudio. She hated him, too. But she didn’t want Adam to do something that would put him at risk. He’d do anything to protect her. That was what concerned her.

“Just the thought of Claudio in the same room with you, thinking of you vulnerable to him, makes my blood boil.” Adam pulled her tighter into his arms. “He’s overly confident, and needs to be put in his place. He has to learn. It’s enough.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Don’t worry, amore mia. I let you down. I didn’t protect you. It won’t happen again.”

Ella’s heart ached for him. He’d give his life for her, of that she had no doubt. She just hoped that was not what he had in mind. She didn’t want him to take risks. She didn’t want anything to happen to him.

“You mean everything to me, beautiful, sweet Ella. If anything happened to you, I wouldn’t want to live.”

“Don’t say that.”

“It’s true. I cherish you, deep in my heart. You are the only woman I’ll ever love, and I won’t have the darkness that’s infected my life harm you.”

“I cherish
you
, Adam. Stay safe for me. Don’t do anything foolish.”

Adam kissed the top of her head, but it gave her little comfort. His mood unsettled her. She’d never seen him so calm, yet so determined. And he wouldn’t tell her what he had in mind. The gloom she’d tried to push away nagged at her, incessantly. The war with Claudio wasn’t over. Fighting him took more than hope. Ruthless criminals only understood force, such as they dished out. It wasn’t going to be easy. She just hoped they would survive it.