Charmed (9 page)

Warm goodbyes were said to Adam’s family, everyone hugging, and saying they’d see each other soon. Ella was sad to leave, even knowing she’d likely see them again in a day or so. The few hours she’d spent in the Bianci home had captured her heart. Never had she conceived that having a family could be such a good experience. Serena and Fiorella had made her feel so welcome, she felt like she was part of the family.

The driver, Miguel, put her suitcase put in the trunk for her, and Adam carried her bag out to the car. As soon as she stepped off the porch, she felt vulnerable. The same guards that had blocked her path upon arrival now watched intently to see that she got safely into the car with Adam; just seeing them, made her nervous. Even as she convinced herself nothing would happen, she felt like it might. Otherwise, why was such a security force needed? There was more Adam hadn’t told her—a lot more. That she knew.

Adam’s home wasn’t far. As they drove away from the Bianci residence, he chatted in Portuguese with his driver. Ella sat next to him, unaware that she was riding in an armored vehicle. To her the Chrysler looked like any other. Yet Adam knew it was not, and that it would only alarm her to learn that the windows were bullet-proof. Seeing all the security had already been frightening, he was sure.

Holding her hand tightly, he looked over at her. All he wanted to do was to hold her, be with her, live his life with her. It didn’t seem fair for such a normal desire to be unreasonable. Yet, he’d never be able to have the life he wanted with her until he dealt with the situation concerning Claudio. No one Adam loved was safe as long as Claudio could use them to get to Adam.

And that was what Adam feared most, that Claudio would hurt Ella. Adrenaline pumped and his heart beat faster at just the thought of harm coming to her. Forcing his thoughts away from such possibilities, he began reviewing what he did know about Claudio’s attack. And attack it was—there was nothing else to call it. What he’d told Ella was just the tip of the iceberg, and he wished she didn’t have to know the depth of his father’s depravity.

Yet he knew he’d have to tell her, for her own protection. If she didn’t know what she was dealing with, she could be caught unaware, and he didn’t want that to happen. Ella would have him believe she was strong enough to face any difficulty. She’d so much as said so. And he didn’t doubt her sincerity. But realistically, she’d never faced anything in Newport that compared to what his father could dish out.

Adam knew one thing, if he knew anything. He was going to win this war. Claudio would not be allowed to continue to terrorize his family. He’d gotten away with it for too long already. Adam would put an end to it, of that he was sure. It was a matter of strategy; that was the key. Sometimes Adam was glad to have a brilliant mind, and this was one of those times. He’d outsmart Claudio. That thought gave him momentary peace.

The green grass and sharp peaks rolled by outside the windows. The stunning view was never lost on Adam. Despite growing up in Rio, he never ceased to be amazed by the city’s breathtaking scenery. Yet he only had eyes for Ella, beautiful Ella. He watched her gaze out at the natural beauty, looking tempting in her shorts and linen blouse, both light gold, accenting her long brown hair and big brown eyes.

Her long, slender legs were tanned and shapely; the legs of a surfer. He envisioned sliding his hand along her inner thigh and over her feminine hips, up her ribs to—

“Adam, what’s that?”

Ella’s words started him out of his sexual daydream. In the distance on a peninsula was a huge, rounded peak towering above the land, a cable car line running down from the top. “Sugarloaf,” he said. “It’s a granite and quartz mountain nearly thirteen hundred feet high. And that’s Guanabara Bay there.”

“Why do they call it Sugarloaf?”

“Centuries ago the sugar-cane trade was big in Brazil. Blocks of sugar were transported in cone-shaped clay molds, and that mountain looks like one of them.”

“Oh, how interesting. Will you take me up there, to ride the cable car?”

“Absolutely, anything you want. There are many things to see here. I’m planning to do a lot of things with you.”

His double meaning wasn’t lost on Ella and she tapped his arm playfully. “We’ll see about that.”

*****

Around the bend, Miguel pulled into a long, curved driveway leading to a two-story white stucco home. The place was huge, and Ella knew immediately it must be Adam’s home. She was catching on. Big and expensive, had to be Adam’s. “Your house?” she asked, just to be sure.

“Yes, this is where I live.”

“Not a vacation home?”

Adam’s belly laugh rang through the interior of the car, and even Miguel smiled, clearly sharing in the joy of the moment without understanding the words spoken. “No, not a vacation home. This is my real home.”

“Well, I hope this one has servants, because this place is gargantuan.”

“Is ‘gargantuan’ bigger than huge?”

“Gargantuan is the biggest.” Ella was about to hop out of the car when the sight of an imposing male figure at the top of the drive gave her pause. The guy was Adam’s height, but with a lot more muscle. He was a good-looking guy in a rugged, don’t-mess-with-me kind of way. He stepped to the car to open her door for her, and his sharp features and steely gray eyes intimidated her. There was no question he was Adam’s bodyguard. Everything about him spoke “trained professional.”

Adam was out and around to Ella’s side by the time the guard opened her door. “Thank you, Nico. This is Ella. I am entrusting her safety to you. As long as she’s here, you will protect both of us. We will rarely be apart, but if we are, you will go with her. I can have someone else on the team stay with me.”

Nico nodded. “Nice to meet you, Ella.”

“You speak English?”

“Bilingual—English and Portuguese.”

“Well, I’m glad. If you are going to protect me, it will be good for you to understand what I’m saying.”

Nico’s austere posture cracked just a little, and he gave her the briefest smile. “Yes,” he said. “That will be good.”

Adam put his arm around Ella to guide her up the steps to the front door. She looked all around, into the lush greenery surrounding the property, up to the roof, and across the lawn into the distance.

“Looking for something?”

“Where do you keep them?”

“What?”

“The rest of the bodyguards.”

Adam laughed again. “Ah, the guards. Well, as you will see, this place is like a fortress. So we don’t need as many guards here. And the ones that are on duty are discreet. Wouldn’t want to show our strength to the enemy. Better to keep surprise on our side.”

“Ah, good thinking.”

Ella stepped inside to a white interior that was just as stark as the exterior of the home. The floors were light-colored marble and the walls brilliant white. Through the entry, she stepped down into a living room with a back wall of windows that looked out to the ocean. The home was perched above the shoreline, and the panoramic view encompassed the mountains silhouetted against the clear blue sky. She’d entered some sort of Brazilian vortex, one of wealth, beauty, and Mother Nature, all wrapped together.

Adam came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “That’s the best thing about this place, the view.”

“No kidding.”

“Would you like to see the rest of the place?”

“I’m already suitably impressed. There’s more?”

Adam chuckled. “Yes, there’s more.”

And more there was. The home was like something out of a Brazilian
Better Homes and Gardens
magazine: pristine and perfect and stunning. Every room, including the master bedroom, faced the water, so being inside was like being outside—a clever architectural technique. The blue of the water and sky, contrasted with the stark white interior, was a work of art.

And, as if there wasn’t enough of a water view from the ocean, there was also a disappearing-edge pool. Thus, sitting on the patio, looking across the pool, one’s line of vision extended right out to the larger body of water, and seemed to go on forever.

“Okay, you’re right,” Ella proclaimed.

“About what?”

“This place does have a decent view.” Ella giggled and flew into Adam’s arms. He lifted her off her feet and put her back down, but he didn’t let her go. Pressed against his hard chest, Ella felt the excitement she always felt around Adam. He plunged his hand into her hair and pulled her head back, kissing her passionately. And she kissed back, lost in his embrace.

A dull ding sound caught her attention. Pulling back, she said, “Just my phone.”

“What phone?”

“What do you mean, ‘what phone’? The one you gave me, the video phone.”

“But we aren’t using those anymore. Who is contacting you on that phone?” Adam’s sudden stern attitude alarmed her.

“Probably Kaiyla.”

“She has that number?”

“Of course, what other number would I give her? That’s the only phone I have.”

Adam sighed heavily, ran his fingers through his hair, and began pacing across the room.

“What? What is it? Did I do something wrong?”

Adam stopped and turned to look at her. “No, I don’t blame you. I should have thought of this.” He stepped toward her and took her hands in his. “I don’t want to worry you. But that’s why I stopped using that phone. Remember I mentioned getting disposable phones?”

“Yes, but I still don’t understand.”

“Here, sit,” Adam said, leading her to one of the white sofas. Sitting beside her, he continued. “To say this simply, I think Claudio may have tapped into those phones.” Adam sighed again.

“Oh, no.”

“Yes. I don’t know for sure. I’ll explain it all to you. But for now, let’s just say that he would be interested in who was on the other end of any call I made. I should have thought of that sooner. Even I underestimate him sometimes.”

“He has the ability to tap phones.”

Adam let out a single “ha,” but there was no humor in the laugh. “Here’s a good one. When I was still my father’s slave, so to speak, I created clever software that could monitor cell phones…without the need to have access to the phone, physically. So basically, my father used my own creation against me. I think he’s using that program to monitor me.”

“Why does he want to monitor you?”

Adam looked at Ella, his eyes hard, cold. “Why? You want to know why?”

Ella didn’t say a word.

“Because he is trying to get a way to control me, to manipulate me. I’m not a child, anymore, that can be mined for profitable software programs. He needs a way to force my co-operation. So far, he doesn’t have a way, or hasn’t. But he will use anything to get what he wants. He will hurt those I love. He has hurt those I love.

“And now you are here. If he connects you to that phone, he will know that we know each other. It won’t take long for him to figure out the rest. You are at risk, Ella. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all along.”

“I’m not afraid, Adam.”

“You should be.”

“I won’t let him do this to you.”

Adam pulled her into his arms, holding her close, there in the stark white of his living room. Neither spoke. Ella was beginning to see that the situation was much more complex than she’d imagined. Not that she’d imagined much. Adam had never given her much to go on. But it was breaking her heart to see Adam so embroiled by Claudio’s devilish intent.

It was bad enough that his father had abused him throughout his youth. But to follow him through his life, continue to suck whatever profit could be gained, was unacceptable. Ella had no idea what she was going to do about it. But she was going to do something.

“Here,” Adam said. “Just give me the phone. You can email Kaiyla to let her know. My emails from here are encrypted, so it will be safe. I’ll give this phone to my team and see if they can pick up any frequencies that would indicate the phone has been monitored.”

Ella put her palm on his cheek. “It will all turn out okay. We will make sure it does.”

“Amore mia, I am so glad you are with me. With you here, I am not afraid.”

Ella grinned. “You are teasing me.”

“Maybe a little.”

“All right, enough of this cloak and dagger stuff. I want to try out that insanely gorgeous pool.”

Adam led Ella to his office—all white, of course, except for the glass top desk—and booted up his computer for her to contact Kaiyla so she wouldn’t be concerned. For now, Ella would just tell her everything was okay, and that she’d call soon. Adding in a few tidbits about Rio and meeting Adam’s family, she sent the email and logged off.

Finding her suitcase in the master suite, Ella admired the glossy cherrywood floor, while she dug for her swimsuit. Changing quickly, she sprinted out to the pool area and met Adam on the wooden deck, flopping into the lounge chair next to him. He smiled, but she could tell he was still a bit stressed over the circumstances.

Ella decided to change his mood, and in that regard, she was successful. They swam in the lap pool, splashing and teasing like teenagers. When they tired of the sport, they lounged in the sun and looked at the water rippling in the ocean. Adam had servants, although they were very unobtrusive. When she was thirsty, drinks appeared, and just as timely, snacks were delivered to the poolside table.

It was sort of like a vacation, Ella thought. In any case, she knew Adam lived here, and would have to work. He couldn’t play with her all the time. Some software would have to programmed, or marketing deals made, to keep them living the Brazillionaire lifestyle. Yep, that was what he was, a Brazilian billionaire.

But to Ella, he was just Adam, the love of her life. He never acted any different whether he was in her tiny apartment in Newport, his mother’s home, or his billionaire bachelor pad on the bay. He was the most sincere, down-to-earth, and sexy man she’d ever met.

Maybe Claudio thought he could outwit them, and squeeze money out of his son. But that was before Ella found out about it. She couldn’t let the man she loved be treated like that, couldn’t let such a kind, loving, sensual man be destroyed. His father didn’t know it yet, but he’d met his match. Maybe it was a good thing she’d used the cell phone, even if he did monitor the activity. The sooner she was able to confront him the better. Ella just wanted to get all this over with, so she could live happily ever after with Adam. But she had no idea what she was really dealing with. Nor did she know what her plan was. No matter. She’d work it out.