In The End (Butterfly #1) (8 page)

I just sat there in silence processing the speech that Cross had given. The, he always had a way with the ladies comment was making me feel very uneasy. I was so distracted I did not hear the footsteps approaching me from behind and jumped out of my skin at his touch on my arm.

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you; I did call your name several times,’ Nicholi explained, sitting down in front of me. ‘Did you get my text messages?’ he asked, reaching for my hand that I immediately withdrew. ‘Baby, what’s wrong?’ Nicholi questioned, clearly puzzled by the response he was receiving.

‘So you have a way with the ladies then?’ I voiced, bordering on incoherency.

‘I have a way with what?’ His expression changing from puzzled, rage simmering in his eyes. ‘What the hell did he say to you?’ He raised his voice, something I had not experienced before.

‘He pretty much implied that I had fallen for some kind of Italian seduction scene and that it was something you were accustomed to using.’ Tears started to form in my eyes and I attempted to swallow them away before looking up to meet his.

‘Sophia, you know me, he is just playing you and you’re falling for it. I thought you knew better than that,’ he began, I interjected.

‘That’s the thing though, isn’t it, do I really know you? You haven’t told me anything about your past; I’m usually so careful and guarded, not letting anyone in, but with you,’ I choked, the tears starting to build to the extent I couldn’t hold them much longer, ‘I have fallen in love with you.’ The tears had breached their holding position and were now flowing freely down my face, traitorously without regard.

‘Oh, baby, come here.’ Nicholi reached to pull me into his arms and I willing accepted, desperate to feel something else, anything other than what I was feeling right now, confused and insecure. Nicholi just held me while I composed myself before vocalising a response, and pulled away, just about to start when the patter of little feet entered the room.

‘We can’t sleep,’ Jacob whispered, holding Max in one hand and in the other his raggedy bear.

‘Would you like Uncle Cross to tell you a bedtime story?’ Cross suggested, re-entering the room, and sat on the sofa beckoning for Jake and Max to join him.

‘Yay, Uncle Cross’s stories are always the best,’ Jake shouted, sitting next to his clearly favourite narrator, ready to start. I excused myself and went to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face, and noting the window seat, pushed open the window and breathed in the moonlit air. The earlier rain had long gone and the autumn leaves were starting to fall off the nearby oak tree, clinging on until they could no longer take the gravitational pull downwards, scattering themselves on the ground, bewildered and dejected, exactly how I was feeling right now. There was a knock on the bathroom door, Nicholi entered, joining me on the window seat and taking my hand in his, kissed my fingers.

‘My mom is coming to visit tomorrow and if you would do me the honour of accepting my invitation, I would like to take you out for the evening,’ Nicholi explained, looking slightly apprehensive of the reaction he would be receiving.

‘Like a date?’ I questioned, still feeling very unsure of him and myself.

‘A date, yes. Would you like to?’ He was stroking my hand with his fingers and instead of answering him I reached across, brushing my lips over his when he pulled me onto him and I forgot everything other than his arms wrapped around me, my legs around him and he groaned briefly, pulling away.

‘Is that a yes then?’ he asked, his voice husky and breathless.

‘Yes,’ I confirmed, untangling myself and headed back to the living room, re-joining the children and eyeing Cross suspiciously as I sat down to listen to the end of the story. All three of them were duelling pirates using plastic golf clubs for swords and ended with a raucous crescendo, walking the plank across the sofa.

I managed to settle the kids back to bed easily, considering how hyperactive Cross had gotten them and decided to go take a shower to reap the healing properties of water. We had not formally discussed the sleeping arrangement, so I just searched for the room Nicholi had left my belongings in and noted that alongside my suitcase lay his travel bag. I smiled to myself, heading to the bathroom and as soon as the water touched my skin I felt instantly revived. I had changed into my pyjamas and was just brushing my hair when I heard movement outside the door.

‘Hey, it’s just me,’ Nicholi confirmed. ‘I took the liberty of leaving your stuff in here with mine when I was hauling everything from the car earlier, but I can move mine or yours to another room if you prefer?’ He was trying to be cool in his tone, but failing miserably.

‘This room is fine,’ I began. ‘For all our things,’ opening the door and finding Nicholi perched on the end of the bed, arms reached out to greet me. I padded over and climbed into his arms and he announced it was his turn to shower. I flopped back onto the bed, surveying the room.

There was the standard wooden king size bed in the middle of the room, a large open fire as the focal point with an exquisite print above of the lake house and the surrounding wilderness.

‘That picture is beautiful,’ I began. ‘Who is the artist?’ raising my voice a little as Nicholi had left the bathroom door open.

‘That’s my mom, she is an amazing artist,’ he confirmed proudly. ‘I can’t wait for you to meet her tomorrow.’ I suddenly felt nervous, meeting the parent.

‘Hey, Nic, you mind if I switch the TV on?’ I asked, looking somewhat perplexed as the usual standard was plasma screens and here there was no TV to be seen.

‘Sure.’ I heard the electric razor shut off, its motor ceasing abruptly and Nicholi walked back into the room. ‘Find it yet?’ he asked, grinning at my failed investigation into the drinks cabinet. ‘Sit back on the bed and I will show you,’ he requested and as he hit a button on the side of the headboard that I had clearly missed, the TV screen rose from the foot of the bed.

‘Now why didn’t I think of that?’ I was slightly annoyed at myself. Nicholi kissed me gently on the lips and wandered back to take his shower. I clicked on the TV and was just channel hopping between the news, a music channel and then finally settling on a rerun of the Gilmore Girls. I had loved this show and was so engrossed I had not heard Nicholi leave the bathroom.

‘Wow, you’re like a ninja, such stealth,’ I exclaimed, marvelling as he launched himself onto the bed next to me, pulling me on top of him in the process.

‘You still want to watch TV?’ he asked, his voice husky and demanding.

‘Hmm,’ I began as Nicholi flipped us over, him on top of me. Our mouths met, slowly at first until we were both breathless and Nicholi pulled away.

‘I was thinking about what you were saying earlier,’ he began and my heart was beating so fast, it took a little longer for me to process what he was saying, recall and then make a verbal response.

‘I talk too much, ignore me,’ I replied, leaning back in to resume where we had left off.

‘No, you had a valid point,’ Nicholi confessed. ‘I want you to know everything there is to know about me so shoot, ask me anything,’ he suggested. I was puzzled initially as he had moved himself back up into a sitting position, clearly ending our brief moment earlier abruptly, but curiosity got the better of me and I was more than happy to play.

‘Okay, let me think.’ I started with every aimless question I could think of before hitting with the harder ones and the ones I did not really want to know, but needed to anyway.

‘Favourite holiday destination?’

‘Italy and New Zealand.’

‘Favourite movie?’

‘Before Sunrise
.’

‘Oh, that’s a great one,’ I expressed, enjoying this game more and more.

After about thirty minutes, I had asked every easy question I could think of and now it was time to learn the things that had shaped Nicholi’s life, though I was not ready to receive all the answers I did.

‘Did you love Jacob’s mother?’ I was desperately trying to shield the impact of his answer, but failing miserably.

‘Very much so,’ he responded, reaching in to take my hand and locking our fingers together.

‘If she were to say that she wanted to be with you, what would you say?’ I had not asked the, what happened with Jacob’s mother question yet, but skipped to the part that really mattered in the here and now, and my heart was thundering in my chest awaiting his response.

‘I would say the same to anyone, I’m taken,’ he announced, pulling me closer to him and sealing his proclamation with a kiss. I felt suddenly weightless, jubilant and overwhelmed all at the same time. I took a breath to compose myself.

‘Oh, I have a good one; tell me the history of the Veneto family,’ I commanded, flipping over to my stomach, propping myself up with one arm, eagerly awaiting his response. He paused momentarily and smiled.

‘Well that’s a long story,’ he replied, and I interrupted.

‘I feel like I should have popcorn or something,’ I half joked, though I was starting to feel a little hungry.             

‘Your wish is my command,’ Nicholi grinned, returning to the bed with a packet of popcorn that he had retrieved from the cabinet I thought had housed the TV.

‘The Veneto history lesson 101 will begin momentarily, make sure you pay close attention as there will be follow up questions and a wrong answer will have dire consequences,’ Nicholi joked, trying to sound menacing, but failing miserably when I reached up to kiss him for the popcorn and he completely lost his train of thought.

‘Ready when you are,’ I confirmed, returning to my stomach position, popcorn in arms.

Nicholi reached for a handful of popcorn and sipped some water, clearing his throat ready to begin.

‘Once upon a time,’ he grinned. ‘There was a lonely fisherman called Crocifisso, who lived a humble, minimal, simplistic life in a village called Scopello, west of Palermo. He worked hard seven days a week, taking his family’s trawler out in all weather conditions to earn an honest living and that was his sole existence as the eldest son, to provide for his family, his father now too old to support them any longer.

‘Crocifisso wanted more, as us men often do,’ he smiled and reached to stroke my hand. ‘He had read about love in many books and longed for the touch of a woman, but not just any woman, Crocifisso had his pick of the local town, many of whom his family wanted to make alliances with, but Crocifisso could never settle and choose a wife. That was until the horrendous storm that nearly destroyed the fishing business in the area hit, decimating almost all the fleet of boats and taking the lives of countless men.

‘A rescue boat had been sent out to supply aid to the village and on board was Irina, the most beautiful woman Crocifisso had ever laid eyes on. There were a select few women in the village that had turned his head, but she was so rare a beauty, he could only imagine that she would choose him.

‘Irina had been travelling from Russia to visit her family in Sicily when the storm had hit, causing her ship to sink and the rescue boat en route to the village had picked her up. Crocifisso likened her to a doll, his Russian doll, and became obsessed with seeing her, taking every opportunity to meet.

‘Unbeknownst to him, one of his brothers had informed their father of the budding relationship and he caught Crocifisso sneaking out one night to rendezvous with his Russian lover, forbidding him from seeing her again on pain of banishment from his family. He could not keep away and the next week they eloped to the nearby town to get married. Crocifisso hoped that once she was his wife his family would accept her and life could resume, as it was, albeit with his dream wife.

‘He was sadly mistaken and his family disowned him, taking away his livelihood and home. Irina suggested they should go to Russia and start a new life, but this was Crocifisso’s home, he wanted to show his family that he didn’t need their support and resolved to do whatever it would take to prove that.

‘After trying to obtain new employment and his father threatening anyone who dared to employ him, the positions disappeared fast, he had to support his new wife and give her all the fineries she was accustomed to. Having explored all possible forms of employment, Irina suggested that they exploit a market that was opening up, importing and exporting, wanted goods, alcohol being the prime along with tobacco and anything else a man was willing to pay for, all except drugs and that remained the policy throughout his reign.

‘Crocifisso built his business from the ground up; employing more men than the fishing industry had jobs for, expanding out to nearby towns and growing richer by the day.’ Nicholi paused to gauge my reaction, and I kept as poker-faced as possible, taking a sip of my water.

‘What happened next?’ I replied, willing him to continue.

‘What happened next shaped the future and changed the course of history for the Veneto family. Irina, after giving birth to their first son, was murdered in cold blood on the order of Crocifisso’s father.’ Nicholi paused as I gasped.

‘His father had been following their success with disdain, blaming Irina for corrupting his son into a life of crime; he sought revenge and committed the sin of murder in the name of protecting his son. Of course, it backfired and Crocifisso, in a fit of rage, attacked his father, pushing him down a flight of stairs and broke his neck as a consequence.

‘From that point on Crocifisso became everyone’s worst nightmare, the stories that were infamous concerning the Mafia, were nine times out of ten instigated by his family and the group of loyal followers he built up. Over time, he climbed the ranks of the criminal world and became one of the most infamous Mafia bosses of all time. Until his son took over the family business and made Crocifisso, look pleasant in comparison. Their reign of terror continued for a decade when a new family encroached on their territory and the war of the families began.’

I was speechless, hearing this was like watching a gangster movie except this was real life and a true story. ‘When did things change?’ I questioned, assuming and certainly hoping that the Veneto family I knew were not involved in anything like this.

‘My grandfather, the man you met at the hospital, was the last don of our family. My father, after meeting and marrying my mother, wanted nothing to do with the life his father had treasured and mercilessly kept, leaving everything behind and starting afresh, the new Veneto family. It obviously did not go down well with my grandfather and as a result he did everything in his power to destroy my father’s relationship with my mother and succeeded with his most effective weapon.’ I interrupted, knowing what that was.

‘Larissa?’ However, the answer was a forgone conclusion.

‘Yes, he had been grooming her from a very early age; her parents had died when she was young and my grandfather had virtually raised her. She was his prodigy, made in his image, completely lacking in empathy and remorse. Larissa will do whatever it takes to serve herself and has no problem with using brutality to accomplish it.’

I was staggered; I knew that Nicholi detested her, but never realised that my nightmare of her was in actual fact a true likeness.

‘What did she do to end your parents’ marriage?’ I asked, terrified of what the answer would be.

‘There are two parts and to this day my dad when questioned still maintains that he loves my mother, and never would have left her had she not ended things herself, but his side of the story is so far-fetched I find it extremely difficult to believe.’ Nicholi paused, taking another sip of water.

‘Larissa had been sent to destroy their relationship by my grandfather, but neither of them had counted on the fact that my father loved my mother deeply and would not be swayed by such obvious ploys. He maintains that he received a call from my grandfather to attend a party to discuss reconciling. My mother stayed at home with me and my father went alone. At the party he claims that his drink was spiked and when he awoke he found himself in bed next to Larissa, both naked, her congratulating him on an epic performance.’

‘Holy crap, yet he married her? I don’t get it?’ I announced, confused and disturbed immensely.

‘Soph, trust me, there are few things that I understand about my family and to be honest I think it’s better that way, to understand would mean being complicit somehow.’

‘How did he end up marrying her?’ I questioned, still reeling from the information, my brain not wanting to absorb such heinous acts.

‘When he woke up, my father couldn’t believe that he had slept with her, not remembering any details whatsoever. His conscience could not hold and he told my mother exactly what had happened. My mother wanted to call the police and have assault charges made against Larissa, as she believed my father when he told her that he thought he had been drugged.

‘The police took my father in for medical examinations, including drugs screens and brought Larissa in for questioning. She denied the whole thing of course and claimed it was just my father’s guilty conscience, not wanting to face the truth that he had cheated on his wife. She said she could prove it and produced a videotape of them having sex. My father, after seeing the tape, maintained that he was innocent and it had been doctored somehow to depict him. My mother still stood by his side until Larissa claimed she had DNA evidence that they had slept together and was examined.’ Nicholi paused then and I could see this was causing him emotional distress, but he obviously wanted to tell me so I leaned in to stroke his hand, trying to offer some comfort.

‘When the results came back it was a perfect match, my mother was destroyed. She had supported him throughout, maintaining that he was innocent and to then have the results thrown back in her face, it’s something she has never gotten over,’ Nicholi confirmed, clearing his throat, as though he was swallowing his emotions away, something I did often.

‘My mother left, taking me with her and my father, still maintaining his innocence, fell apart. He mixed with all the wrong types of people and along with abusing alcohol, became the man his father would have been proud to call his son. During this time, Larissa came to him and told him she was pregnant with his child.’             

‘Cross?’ I asked, knowing the answer already.

‘Yes, and they married shortly after.’

‘I can’t believe it, such a horrible chain of events, you and your mother had your lives turned upside down and Cross, well it explains a lot about him.’ Nicholi interjected.

‘Actually, Cross was the complete opposite of both my father and Larissa. He was a true brother to me in all sense of the word and much more akin to my mother than his own,’ Nicholi explained, the affection in his tone for his brother was obvious.

‘What happened to him then?’ I questioned, fearing the worst.

‘He will never talk about it, but from the details I could ascertain, while he was at Stanford studying for his law degree, he got burned badly by a relationship and he has never been the same since,’ Nicholi explained, empathy radiating from him.

‘Oh, I never thought that would be the reason,’ I stated, though why I do not know, maybe there was much more to Cross than I had imagined. ‘Cross is a lawyer?’ I was shocked, as he certainly did not look the lawyer type, particularly with the company he was keeping.

‘Yes and this is the part I detest, he defends our family interests whenever necessary,’ Nicholi confirmed despondently.

‘Is the family still as criminal as it was?’ I questioned, nervous for the response I would receive.

‘No, on the whole it’s mainly legit businesses, casinos, restaurants, night clubs and an import and export business, but with Larissa, who knows; I know that she has had a run in with the Sar family concerning territory.’ The sound of that name gave me palpitations.

‘Do you think that was the reason they came after me because of something Larissa has done?’ I questioned, not wanting to know the answer.

‘I genuinely don’t know. What happened to the guy who shot you was definitely Larissa’s signature, but without proof, I do not know what we can do. I do know it is not something I ever want you mixed up in. I have done everything in my power to protect Jacob from them and now Max.’ Nicholi looked visibly disturbed by the dangers his family could generate, so the farther I stayed away from them the better, particularly Larissa.

‘I have no intention of ever getting mixed up with her, but I fear that my relationship with Max may make this very difficult. How did Max end up in your custody anyway?’ I questioned, noting Nicholi’s unease growing.

‘Up until six months ago Max was living with his mother and Cross had access visits, weekends, holidays etc. It was working out fine for them until Max’s mother, having been remarried, wanted to leave the country. Her husband is in the military and he was due to be posted overseas. Cross did not have a real problem with it, of course he would miss Max, but he knows that Max belongs with his mother. Larissa, however, was a completely different matter, and she insisted that Cross pursue full custody of Max.’

‘Cross knew as a lawyer that he had no right to demand such an extreme agreement, but Larissa, being the person she is, planted drugs in Max’s home and called the police, anonymously. Max’s mother was arrested along with her husband and Max was taken into child protective services. The charges were later dropped of course against Max’s mother and husband, due to lack of evidence, and they tried to resume custody of him. Larissa is still fighting them in court and in the interim period, I was granted temporary custody of Max. The court case resumes in November and I will do everything in my power for him to return to his mother.’

I was speechless, after hearing everything Nicholi said about his family, it was amazing to think that he had gone unscathed and deemed that must have been largely due to his mother. We were both silent, Nicholi the first to break it.

‘Are you okay? I know it’s a lot to take on board, many couldn’t.’ His voice broke off, and I leaned into his arms, wrapping myself around him.

‘As long as you’re here I’m always alright,’ I reiterated, and stifled a yawn.

‘Bedtime?’ Nicholi asked and I could not hide the fact I was exhausted any longer. Getting up to brush my teeth and cleanse, I flopped back onto the bed and into Nicholi’s arms.

‘I’m looking forward to meeting your mother tomorrow and our date,’ I advised, my heart racing at the proximity of him.

‘Me too, I have an idea in mind for our date I think you will love,’ he explained, his arms tightening around me, bringing me closer.

‘Nothing too fancy, though as I have packed for camping and hiking,’ I replied, not that my wardrobe back at home would have held suitable attire. Nicholi smiled, stifling a yawn, looking noticeably tired. I echoed back, snuggling in to feel as close to him as possible and we fell asleep in each other’s arms.

I awoke several hours later and carefully displaced myself from the bed, heading to check on the children initially before wandering out onto the deck to clear my head. The wind had picked up, and the moon was silhouetted across the lake, dancing with the water’s current under the wind’s instruction. I turned at the sound of footsteps and discovered Cross standing in the doorway.