Roman
The next few days were miserable. Roman had hit the gym and pounded the punching bag often. He now sat in his office tapping a pencil on the desk. What the hell had happened? Tossing the pencil across the room, he ran his fingers through his hair while trying to figure out what went wrong. So far, Madison had refused to return his calls and he was certainly not going to go over there and beg.
His cell phone buzzed.
“Hello.”
“Romeo, I’ve got something for you.” It was Valentina.
“What?”
“The guy you’re looking for.”
“Oh, yeah. I forgot.”
“Geez, Roman, what’s wrong with you? I thought you’d be excited.”
“I am. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.” He slid in his chair.
“Have you heard from Madison?”
“No.”
There was a pause on the line. “Do you want me to talk to her? Girl to girl and see what’s going on.”
“No. I want you to tell me what you found so I can go break some bones.” It was just want he needed.
“Okay, okay. I’m sending you a message right now with what I’ve found, both at the boat builder’s and the real estate office. I made copies of everything.” He checked his email while they talked. It was a name he recognized. It did and it didn’t make sense, but the man would confess his reasons before Roman was done with him and he would relish dealing out his punishment. Finally, the solution to who was responsible for the problems in town and a chance to work off the tension from being apart from the love of his life.
“Got it. Thanks, Val. I owe you.”
“Save it. Just get the bastard and then get your woman back. I don’t care what Father says, you can’t marry someone just for the sake of the family.”
Roman ran copies off on the printer. “I got to go.” He hung up and grabbed his coat. There was a lot to do.
“Arlo,” Roman yelled and headed for the kitchen.
“Yeah, boss.” Arlo ran into him in the hallway. “I was just coming to get you.”
“Call Dom and get the men together. We have a lot to do.” Roman kept moving as he barked out orders.
“Ah, boss, there’s something—”
“I don’t want to hear about it. I want to take care of this. Now.”
“But, boss, there’s someone here to see you.” They rounded the corner and a young woman stood in the entryway. “Miss Layla Rinaldi is here to speak to you.” Arlo pointed to the obvious.
What is she doing here? Her stunning resemblance to Madison irked him even more. He couldn’t think of marrying someone that appeared so much like the one he loved. It would be a stab to the heart with a dull blade every time he looked at her.
“Mr. Caponelli.” She stepped forward and held out her hand. “We need to talk.”
“Of course.” Roman directed his attention to Arlo. “Do as I say and I will be with you shortly. Right this way, Miss Rinaldi.”
Layla fidgeted as she sat in a chair opposite Roman on the other side of his desk. She wrung her hands before she spoke.
“I can’t do this.”
“Can’t do what?” Roman scowled at the woman in front of him. It was misplaced, but he felt it all the same. She wasn’t the problem. They were both in a situation that they didn’t want to be in.
“You know very well what I mean. This fake marriage to join our families.”
Roman took a deep breath and rested his elbows on the desk.
“I’m not a piece of property to be traded. You can’t be serious about following through with this farce,” she continued.
“It means death if I don’t marry you.”
Layla’s mouth dropped open.
“You can’t tell me you don’t know that,” he said. “Are you asking me to back out so that you can get off free? Neither of us has the easy answer.”
“I lied to my father to come here.”
Roman echoed her frustration.
A long silence stretched before Layla continued. “I’m sorry he’s doing this.”
“It’s not your fault.” He waved her apology away.
“I should go.” She stood up. Her face was a mask of despair as she spun to leave. “I told him I’d be shopping in town. I’d better go do that. He probably has people watching me.”
Roman’s anger melted at her frustration and he stood too.
“Layla, wait.”
She stopped and turned to look directly at Roman. They were both victims here and she didn’t deserve his anger.
“I know this is not what we both want. Hopefully, we can make the best of it. Whatever that may be.” Even he wasn’t convinced of that, but she didn’t need to know that. The situation weighed heavy on her too.
Layla nodded and a few strands of hair covered her face. He should have been more understanding, but he wasn’t. She shouldn’t be here and there was too much to do.
Roman showed Layla out and she seemed a little more relaxed. It was as if they had both become resigned to the fact that this was happening. As soon as she left, Roman headed straight to the bar in the living room. A drink would clear his mind, maybe two. Neither one of them wanted to be shackled to another in a phony marriage. There was no disagreement on that.
***
Roman’s phone buzzed as he rode in the car with Arlo and two of his other men. It was Dominic.
“He’s not here,” Dom said. “The hotel clerk said he’d just checked out.”
“Dammit. Keep asking around. See if anyone knows where he might have gone.”
Dom disconnected the call. There was no need to answer. The man was a blood hound. He wouldn’t stop until he found his target, the man with the tattooed fingers who had threatened Madison.
Arlo had also been on his phone at the same time. “Roman, there’s been an explosion.”
“Where?”
“A car bomb across from Bells and Bows.”
A pit formed in his gut. “Was anyone hurts?”
“Doesn’t appear so, but the car belonged to one of the other business owners that was threatened the same day as Madison by this guy.” Arlo held up the photo that Valentina had sent over with the guy’s stats. No wonder the man had left town and Dom couldn’t find him.
“I want this guy dead.” Roman hit his fist against the door. “Drive over there. I want to make sure Madison’s okay.”
The car made a U-turn and headed for Madison’s shop. If anyone touched her, he would skin them alive.
A crowd had gathered out front and the police were now on the scene. He rolled his eyes when he saw Officer Donovan motioning people back. They drove past the chaos and parked a block away. Cautiously, they approached the burning car. He searched the crowd hoping to spot the guy who did it. So often the person responsible stayed behind to watch the aftermath of their crime, but he was nowhere to be found.
“Damn,” he said. Dominic needed to find the muscle man before he hurt someone.
Exhaling, he turned his attention to Bells and Bows and his eyes met Madison’s. The woman drove him crazy. How dare she turn him down after he gave her his ring and his undying love? He didn’t believe for a minute that she’d used him. There was something else going on and when he was done with his enemy, they would talk. Roman never took no for an answer.
“Roman,” a woman yelled, and ran into his arms. It was Layla.
“It was awful,” she said. “I just walked by and it blew up.” She was shaking like a leaf.
“Are you all right?” He disengaged himself from her hold. No blood or burns could be seen.
She stepped back and glanced down at her clothes. “Yes, but I could feel the heat. It was that close.”
“Arlo.” He turned to his bodyguard. “Take care of Layla.”
“Of course.” He ushered her to their car.
When Roman glanced back at the bridal shop, Madison was gone. He swore and then grimaced as he spied Donovan walking his way.
“Mr. Caponelli, I’d like you to come down to the station with me.”
“What for?”
Another officer now stood by his side.
“I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
As if the day couldn’t get any worse.
“Anything you say.” Roman sighed and followed Ryan to his car. He sent a text to the men and that this late in the day, things were going to have to wait.
Thankfully, Madison was nowhere in sight. All he needed was for her to see him get into the back seat of a police car. Son of a bitch, could something go right today?
***
Madison
As hard as she tried, Madison couldn’t get rid of the image of the woman in Roman’s arms. It sure didn’t take him long to find someone else. And the fact that the woman’s appearance was so close to hers didn’t help. Wow, how easily she could be replaced.
“Steph, I’m going home.” Madison’s stomach jolted, wanting to expel anything in it.
“What? Are you okay?”
“Yes, why?”
“You never leave early.” Her eyes were wide.
“Well, my mother is back in town. I’ll have her come over.”
“It’s not that. I’m just worried about you.” Her friend dropped what she was doing and walked to her side. “I may not like Roman, but I know you do. It’s hurts to see you so upset.”
“It wasn’t meant to be. I wanted a family man, not a man in a mafia family.”
“We don’t choose the ones we fall in love with.”
“Since when are you on Roman’s side? I thought you hated him.”
Her friend shrugged. “I don’t hate him. I was just concerned, and now you can see why. He’s a complicated man and this is a complicated situation.”
“I guess so. Everything’s a mess right now, and what about the explosion outside? I’m worried about leaving you alone.”
“Arlo phoned and said they’ll have security stationed outside the rest of the day. No one will get in here that we don’t want to get in.”
Yes, this was complicated. She’d told Roman off and yet he was still paying for staff to keep an eye on their place. A headache threatened. “I need to go home. I’m not feeling too well.”
Stephanie hugged her. “Don’t worry, everything will work out. I know it.”
Madison wiped away the tears before they could fall. “I know.” She avoided looking Steph in the eye as she turned to gather her purse and keys. “I’m going home. See you tomorrow.”
“Try to relax. See you.”
As Madison left, some new customers came in. Guilt was already filtering in for abandoning her job.
She’d barely stepped into her house when the doorbell rang. Madison peeked through the window. It was her mother.
“Hi, Mom.”
Connie entered and threw her purse on the nearby couch. “Stephanie called.”
“Really? What for?”
“To tell me that you left the store early.” The expression on her face was one of concern.
“So, I left. What’s wrong with that?”
“It’s not like you.”
“How would you know?” she snapped, and her mother frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
“Yes, you did, and I agree. I’ve not been here when you needed me most and that is going to change.” Connie wandered over to the couch and took a seat. “Sit down, Maddy. I want to know what’s wrong and what I can do to help.”
Madison laughed. “There’s nothing you or anyone can do to help.”
“There’s always something that can be done. Steph said Roman gave you a ring but you gave it back. I thought you liked the man.”
“I do, but he’s committed to marrying someone else.” Her lower lip trembled.
“What?” Her mother jumped to her feet.
“Yeah, it’s some mafia thing that his father set up. He’s supposed to marry the daughter of some Rinaldi guy to make up for some injustice that was done to the family or something like that.” Madison blew her nose on a tissue.
“What did you say?” Her mother gripped Madison’s arms like her life depended on it.
“That he’s supposed to marry some other girl or they’ll kill him. That’s why I broke it off. If he doesn’t marry the daughter of Bruno Rinaldi, he’ll be killed because he went against the family. It’s barbaric.” She waved her hand in the air.
Her mother’s face went white.
“I know, I never should have gotten involved with him, but I couldn’t help it. I love him.” She sobbed and collapsed on the couch. Her mother’s arms were now cradled around her and they rocked back and forth together.
Connie sighed loudly and pulled her daughter away so she could look her in the face.
“Listen to me and listen good. We don’t always fall for the ones we should, but no one, and I repeat, no one is going to tell my daughter who she can or can’t marry.”
“No one told me I couldn’t marry him, but when I overheard that he would be murdered if we did get married, I just couldn’t do it. “ Her sobs continued. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but I know in my heart we were meant to be together.”
“And together you two shall be.” Connie stood up and grabbed her purse.
“What are you talking about? It’s a done deal.” Madison cried.
“A long time ago, I fell for your father. A guy I shouldn’t have fallen for, but I loved him with all my heart. I let someone convince me that he wasn’t the one. I am not going to let that happen to you.” Connie marched to the door.
“Where are you going?”
“To set things right.” And with a slam of the door, her mother was gone.
Madison shook her head, completely heartbroken. She dragged herself off the couch and into the bathroom. A hot bath and a glass of wine was all she could muster.