Roman
Roman took a glance at his watch for the tenth time in an hour. He had a surprise for Madison and was counting off the minutes until he could show her. Impatiently, he finished the last bit of his work for the morning and pushed his chair away from the desk. The view from the window drew him closer. It wouldn’t be long before the tranquil lake would be filled with energetic tourists and locals boating, swimming, and fishing. The winter had been a mild one. Even now, the ice threatened to edge away from the shoreline.
Today he had to go back to the windy city. The pressure was on from the family and he could only be gone for so long. A meeting with Rinaldi was on the schedule for the evening. Roman clenched his fist and leaned a shoulder against the cool window. If he ever needed a poker face, now would be the time. Lying never came easy for him. Yes, he could bluff and con his way out of things with the best of them, but in this case, he’d have to look the guy straight in the eye and convince him that it wasn’t his gun that had killed one of his men. Most importantly, he had to put a stop to this contract marriage.
His father didn’t care that he was already engaged. It was a lie, but one he intended to correct soon. The ring he had for Madison wasn’t an engagement ring, but to anyone looking at it from a distance it would appear so. It was too early to ask her to marry him. Damn, he wanted to, but she deserved a proper proposal and with everything going on, the time just wasn’t right.
He popped open the small black velvet box. It held a stunning blue sapphire that matched the color of her eyes and the band had small diamonds around it. The sooner it was on her finger, the better. Roman planned to stop by her store and give it to her before leaving town. Madison would probably say it was too much, but in this case he wasn’t taking no for an answer. As far as his woman was concerned, he never would.
Roman put on his coat, tucked the box in his pocket, and slipped his overnight bag over his shoulder.
“Arlo, get the car. I’m ready to go.” He spoke into his cell and walked out the door.
Madison
Madison hummed and it wasn’t just because of the coffee cup in her hand. No, her time with Roman had her floating on air. Thinking of him made her morning stroll to the Java Shop even more enjoyable. Most of the lakeshore—the centerpiece of the town—was lined with homes, mansions, resorts, and restaurants. The first twenty feet of the shoreline had been declared public domain many years ago by early settlers. A paved path completely surrounded the lake for people to walk and enjoy the view.
All of it was beautiful, but the part of town she hiked through today was one of her favorites. The mostly undeveloped site and the surrounding buildings had been there for over a hundred years. They could probably list it as a historical district, but no one had bothered to go through the paperwork. Roman had joked about it being an excellent place to upgrade. Lake Genoa was perfect the way it was and she never wanted it to change.
They’d spent the past couple weeks getting to know each other, both mentally and physically. He’d become her addiction. The more they were together, the more she wanted him. After the fashion show, he was taking her to Chicago to meet his parents. Butterflies attacked her stomach every time she thought about it. The idea of meeting his father terrified her.
The sun’s rays heated her face. Madison stopped at the corner, closed her eyes and lifted her chin to the sky. Even though it was February, the sun felt warm. She wanted to soak in every drop. Today was above freezing. It was amazing how forty degrees in the springtime felt balmy while the same temperature in October was unbearable. Every winter, neighbors complained about the cold, yet no one wanted to move away. They might take a week’s trip to Florida or somewhere more temperate, but everyone always returned.
Yearning for the first hints of spring, she opened her eyes and headed for work. The sidewalks were now ice free and the barren yards showed more ground than snow. It wouldn’t be long. She glanced to the trees in the hopes a robin might be there but that was wishful thinking. The tips of her fingers hugged the insulated cup to stay warm. She’d abandoned her warm gloves for fingerless ones. It was hard not to be giddy knowing there were more sunny days ahead. Winter took its toll on everyone.
“Morning.” She greeted an older couple out walking their poodles. They nodded and the canines wagged their tails.
The storefront of Bells and Bows came into view. It was a love-hate relationship. There were parts of her work that she loved. Working with the dresses, happy brides, deciding what to purchase for the shop, and other aspects of running her mother’s business. On the other hand there was stress, keeping bills paid, bridezillas, and crazy wedding party members. She also had a nagging feeling there was something else out there she should be doing instead.
At least her mother had become more involved with the business, which was a blessing. It freed Madison up, but if Roman was in Chicago, she had a lot of time to herself. That never bothered her before as she worked on her designs, but the inspiration for designing had wilted. She needed to find a new passion to pursue.
Madison waved when she spotted Stephanie flipping the sign in the window to open. At least Stephanie knew what she wanted to be—a published writer. The art center already had some of her short stories and poems, but her goal was to eventually write full-time. When that day came, she’d miss her friend enormously.
“Hey, girl.” Madison placed her coffee cup on the counter and wiggled out of her coat.
“Hi. How was your weekend?” Stephanie folded her arms across her chest. For some reason she’d never liked Roman and that was even before they knew he was the infamous mafia man they’d read about in the papers.
“Good. How about you?” Madison hung her coat in the closet, walked into her office, and flipped through the mail on her desk.
“Okay. I got some writing done.” Her friend followed, stood on one foot, and twirled her finger around a long string of her blonde hair. It was a nervous habit she had and it almost always hinted there was something on her mind.
“And?” Madison raised her eyebrow but didn’t look up.
“And what?” Stephanie placed her hands on her hips.
“Is there something wrong? I got a feeling that you want to ask me about something.”
Her mouth opened but nothing came out. The door in the main room opened and an excited group of girls entered the store. “I’d better go.” Stephanie excused herself and left to care for their customers.
With a shake of her head, Madison settled in behind her desk. She really needed to talk to her friend and see what the problem was. In the back of her mind, there was also the nagging suspicion that it somehow involved Roman.
For the next half hour, Madison caught up on emails, voice mail, bills, and all the details for the upcoming fashion show. While she worked, a constant flow of customers came and went through the front entrance but Stephanie never asked for any help.
Tuning out the conversations in the other room, Madison kept her nose to the business at hand. She closed her eyes and yawned. When she opened her eyes, a tattooed finger tapped an envelope in front of her. The man placed his hand on the desk. Each digit was tattooed and tanned. Swallowing hard, her gaze slowly followed the length of his suit clad arm up to his cold, hard face.
It was him. Her breath caught and her pulse pounded in her ears. The beast who trashed her store.
“What do you want?” Her voice squeaked and she grabbed for her phone.
He was quicker and flung it across the room. It crashed against the wall and fell to the floor. The screen shattered.
“I’m here to help you.” His statement and thick accent was confusing. Russian, possibly, but she couldn’t tell. He put one finger to his lips. “Shh.” The guy straightened and then wandered around the room.
Madison sat up straight. “Who are you?”
“It’s not important who I am. It is important who I represent.” All the oxygen seemed to flow from the room.
Her mind had to interpret what he meant moments after he said it. His words were hard to understand and truth be told, she feared for her life. How did he get past Stephanie? Panic set in. Where was Stephanie? Her gaze darted to the now closed door.
“Relax. The last time was a warning.”
“Warning? Watch my back? I don’t even know what that means.”
“The warning wasn’t for you. It was for him.”
“Him who?” It was best to keep him talking while she figured out what to do. And where were the security people who watched the shop?
“Caponelli. You don’t think he is really interested in you, some little girl from nowhere?”
Madison swallowed. Her heart broke in two. Was she just a pawn in some kind of mob war?
“He is trying to buy up the town and we want to beat him to it. That was a warning for him to back off.”
“I don’t understand.” She swallowed.
“We want to develop this area. Romeo just wants to launder his illegal business through your legal ones.”
Her head was spinning. She reached for some bottled water and took a drink.
“I am here to make you an offer from my boss.” His pacing intimidated her as much as when he simply remained in one place. There seemed to be no one she could trust and something about him frightened her as much as Diego had.
“What kind of offer?” As soon as his back turned, she grabbed a letter opener from the desk and held it in her lap.
“My boss wishes to buy your property.”
“He wants a bridal store?” That’s the last thing she expected to hear.
“No, the property. He wants to tear it down and build bigger and better business.” The word wants sounded like vaunts.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t own the building. My mother does and I’m not sure when she will return.” Not to mention the fact that she would never sell.
He stopped in front of her desk, picked up the envelope, and tossed it closer. “I know she is in town. The offer is in here.” Mister Russian bully guy crossed his arms over his chest and laughed. “I suggest you take this one. The second offer will be less.”
“What about the third one?” Her defiance and courage grew and she avoided looking at the letter as if it was an overdue bill.
“Those that don’t take what’s offered aren’t around for a third one.” He crossed the room and rested his hand on the doorknob. “I suggest you don’t take too long. Have a good day, Miss Miller.” Good came out as goot. The man waited for a response and she finally nodded. “I’ll be in touch.”