Ties That Bind (16 page)

Mitch tried to process her words. Even in her anger, there was a warning in there for him somewhere. He wasn't sure why it was obvious to him, perhaps she hadn't changed nearly as much as he thought she had. He'd never met a woman that didn't have some latent fury towards her father but this was deeper, something she was expecting him to understand. Something he should understand but ten years away from her side had made it difficult to read between the lines. He used to know her every move, could utter her words before she spoke them, and knew which direction she would run when a street gang ambushed them on the way home from school.

But the bony kneed, scrawny, headstrong girl he knew was now a curvaceous, obstinate, woman that caused men and women alike to run in fear. She wasn't the attention seeking debutante of Ashli fame but drew people to her with a quiet, obscure need that was unexplainable. He'd seen it happening all evening- a man would take the time to walk across the room to her hushed corner only to face her with a dumbfounded look as if he'd forgotten why he had approached her in the first place. She'd fire back with a smart ass comment about what the hell he wanted only to have him scurry off in terror that he had now offended Nicolai Terenari's only daughter. He'd found it immensely entertaining throughout the evening. But now that her fiery temper was directed at him, it wasn't quite so amusing.

He tried to remember why he was angry with her but couldn't. She was protecting him. Or, at least in some measure of her mind thought she was. That made him worry for her sanity. No one, absolutely no one, worried about his safety. That was like worrying about the rain- death would come to him and likely in a very violent way just like the rain would fall whether you prayed for it or not. Both required the right set of circumstances but, with patience, the outcomes were both inevitable. He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again, feeling utterly bewildered for the first time in over a decade.

“You-”

“I what?” she growled, her eyes narrowing even more in his direction, her hands moving to perch on her hips.

“You believe I'm worth saving,” he whispered with incredulity.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Mitch slipped off his shirt and stepped onto the balcony, letting the bitterly cold air assault his skin. If the meeting with Terenari hadn't been bad enough, the fighting between Ashli and Jimmie had sent his every remaining nerve on edge. Before leaving their suite down the hall, he threatened to throw them both off the 20th story if they didn't grow up. A soft knock at the door caught his attention but he had no intention of answering it. Only Jimmie or Ashli could be visiting him at this hour and he had no desire to see either. Jimmie would want to bitch about Ashli and she would be seeking refuge. He didn't have the emotional balance for either.

“Mr. Kerlin-”

The soft voice caused him to whirl, his gun drawn in reflex. He lowered it immediately as Toni skittered back toward the glass door.

“Fuck,” he slid it back into his waistband and shook his head. “Don't do that shit to me, Toni.”

“My apologies,” she murmured. “My father asked that I see if there is anything else you need before you depart.”

Mitch turned, the unnatural cadence of her voice making his eyes narrow. He watched her attentively as she moved closer to him now that the gun had been safely tucked away. Her brilliant fuchsia slip shimmered under the hotel lights, her hair tussled in odd waves with the wind. He could see the shivers along her neck and arms, her clothing providing little protection from the frigid weather.

When she reached a hand out to graze along his bare chest, he jumped back as if she was on fire.

“Get inside before you freeze,” he grumbled and, placing his hand in the small of her back, pressed her into the room and shut the sliding door. Grabbing a blanket off the bed, he wrapped it tightly around her shoulders and pushed her into a chair in the corner of the room.

“And what,” he asked quietly, “could I possibly need at this hour?”

She didn't respond but remained sitting quietly in the chair, her eyes not meeting his. Her teeth were still chattering, her legs now folded up beneath her. Mitch moved to the phone and picked it up.

“No-”

He eyed her outburst with curiosity but kept the phone to his ear. “Can you send up a pot of coffee, please?  Thanks.” He hung up, and paced only a moment before the coffee arrived.

“Mr. Kerlin, I apologize. We only have house blend available at this hour. If you'd like we can send someone…”

“House is fine,” Mitch waved him off and shut the door behind him. He poured two cups and took one to Toni, who still wasn't looking at him. “Take it,” he ordered and she undid her hands enough to do so. She sipped silently and, when half the cup was gone, he approached her again.

“Better?”

She nodded.

“Now, tell me what the hell you are doing coming to my room half naked at four in the morning.”

“I believe you know why I'm here.”

“If you were a whore, I suppose I might could fathom a guess,” he said, dropping onto the edge of the bed nearest her. “But, as it is you, I am utterly perplexed.”

Her eyes flashed. The angry, furious flash that he knew was a warning from childhood. It was the look that told him she was about to start throwing dishes or rocks or whatever else happened to be at hand. He slipped the cup away from her but her eyes had returned to a dull, disinterested, black.

Her silence was answering him. It just took a moment before he understood. He looked at her with dumbfounded comprehension. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“Nice to know you find me so amusing,” she returned, her temper now flaring.

“Oh, come on, Toni. You show up in my room to seduce me and you didn't anticipate that I would be at least a little amused?  Do you think I'm that fucking hard up?”

“Pardon me?” she was on her feet now, the blanket falling to the floor, her fingers tightening into fists at her side. “What am I?  Rabbit fodder?”

“No, no,” he chuckled. “You are quite enchanting, I assure you. I just meant-”

“Yes, what did you mean?”

“Geez, Toni, you're like family. Come on.” He grabbed the hotel robe from the bed and tried to help her pull it on but she jerked away from him and thrust her arms into it by herself.

“It's not as if this was my idea, you know. The least you could do is be a bit of a gentleman here or did that get thrown out when you replaced everything else with the fancy Christophe Claret and diamond cuff links?” she spat, wrenching the robe tight around her waist.

Mitch sat the cup down slowly, his back turning away from her. She had been talking quickly, anger flooding through her, but it hadn't been directed at him. Her venom spewed, yes, but he had done nothing to warrant it. He replayed the words slowly in his head but it was her touch- her hand sliding up his bare back- that brought things into focus for him. He turned slowly, her fingers moving with him as they traveled over his stomach and up his chest. He watched her intently, knowing her movements were purposeful but her eyes were terrified. He reached his hands to her face, his hands holding her still to look at him. What had she said?  A gun to her head...that's the only way she would be willing to help her father.

“Nicolai sent you to my bed?”  He didn't expect her to respond, knew that she couldn't without betraying her father, but he knew her eyes could never lie to him. They hadn't been able to since she was eight and she had tried to steal his hotel during a marathon Monopoly session. When he received the unspoken answer, he pulled her into his chest, her head dropping heavily into him with a endless exhaustion. “Oh, girl,” he murmured as her body began to shudder in his arms.

“Mitch-” Jimmie's abrupt voice called from the doorway and Mitch had no opportunity to move to a more appropriate stance before he rushed into the room. “Oh, I…” he took a step back.

“Don't you ever fucking knock?”

“How the hell was I-” Jimmie started but then stopped as Toni turned around and nodded his direction. Jimmie's gaze flew from one to the other, his body straightening with unanswered questions. “The plane's ready. Ashli took a commercial flight and I'm heading out in a few minutes on the charter. If you need to take a later flight-”

“No.” Toni's voice was strong, a smile plastered across her face. “That's won't be necessary. Mr. Kerlin,” she offered him a kiss and then offered Jimmie one as well. “Mr. Vinnetti, it was a pleasure having you both here. I look forward to seeing you again.”

“Jimmie,” he grumbled, his eyes refusing to look at either of them. “Call me Jimmie.”

“Jimmie, then,” she responded and kissed his cheek again. “Take care of him, won't you?”

“Toni-” Mitch began but she was already gone.

“Do I-”

“Not now, Jimmie. I can't deal with your shit right now.” Mitch leveled a furious gaze at him as he grabbed the nearest shirt and yanked it on.

“What the hell did I do?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“Going to try and sway you to his side by letting you bed his daughter now, is he?” Jimmie chuckled, but his eyes were watching Mitch with a steady penetrating gaze.

“Antoinette's not for sale,” he grumbled, downing another swig of the whiskey Jimmie had offered him. He moved to the stereo system lining one wall, clasping the glass tightly in his hand. He knew Jimmie was right. Nicolai had made it clear he had no problem sending Toni to his bed.

Nicolai knew their history- he knew they had been best friends in childhood before he started racking up convictions and she was sent away to boarding school. They had never been romantically involved. Instead, she was more the irritating little girl next door that wouldn't leave him and his buddies alone. She drove him insane with the holier than thou attitude that she wore on her sleeve. She treated him like a common hood and now, years later, her own father was attempting to prostitute her to him in hopes of some long lost neighborhood connection would get him an alliance with Vinetti Industries.

Before Mitch could control his fury, his glass splintered into a dozen pieces, falling softly onto the plush gray carpet of the Vinetti jet.

Jimmie was at his side, a heavy hand on his shoulder. Ignoring the broken glass, he slipped another into Mitch's hand. “Tell me.”

Mitch dropped his eyes to the glass, watching the amber liquid swish against the crystal with the plane's gentle movements. He knew Jimmie was concerned - from the moment he'd appeared in the hotel room he had been full of unasked questions. He'd remained quiet, offering Mitch the benefit of the doubt, but Mitch knew it was burning inside him that he might be having an affair with Terenari's daughter.

He took another sip, pushed past Jimmie and sank down on the sofa. “Got another bottle?” he asked, offering him a lopsided smile.

“A dozen. Meant for a client but they are yours if you need them.” Jimmie shrugged, grabbing two bottles of Woodford Reserve out of a box and placing them on the table in front of Mitch. He dropped onto a chair. “Long lost love?” he prodded.

“Lord, no.” Mitch struggled to contain his laughter. “More like a guardian angel I never asked for. She was the righteous girl next door that destroyed all my mother's dishes when she found out I'd been arrested the first time. She was the one who tagged along and always got herself in trouble. Then we ended up having to protect her stupid ass from getting attacked by some hood on the street corner. Nicolai ended up carting her off to boarding school at Gino's recommendation.”

“Gino Palmese?” Jimmie asked, his eyes now lifting. His voice was guarded but he figured Mitch was too drunk to notice. “You two know each other?”

“Known him since the day I was born,” Mitch nodded. “My father was a drunk, a pretty useless one at that. My mom went into labor at three in the morning and he was nowhere to be found. Gino scooped her up and carried her the four miles to the midwife in Valderice. Or so the local legend goes.”

“Go figure,” Jimmie murmured.

Mitch waved him off as if the revelation was inconsequential. “We distanced ourselves when he got deported. It was better for his business to keep me stateside to look over his interests. Then I ended up in the penn.”

To look over his interests.
Jimmie let the words roll over his tongue as he remembered the cryptic intel about Mitch being at Palmese’s hearings. So everyone was wrong - there was a connection there. One that had somehow been hidden for decades. And were it not for his current turmoil, Jimmie knew he would never have even learned this tiny tidbit.

“Lucky you weren't deported, too,” he commented.

“Hm,” Mitch nodded without further explanation. “Toni was the jewel of the neighborhood, you know?  The one everyone expected to be a lawyer or at least the wife of a lawyer-politician.”

“And now her father is whoring her around for his own interests.” Jimmie gave a low whistle. “And you didn't know?”

“No,” he shook his head, downing his glass in one swallow. “And she didn't either, I don't think.”

“You mean you're the first he's tried this with?  He must really want you. To give his only daughter to you.”