MemoriesErasedTreachery (2 page)

Then in a few weeks, another disturbing change would infringe on life, as he knew it, when his brother relinquished his role as mob boss. Opting out of syndicate business, Gregorio would hand over the reins of the crime family to their cousin Vincenzo. Without Ewyn's knowledge, his brother had been paving the way for his retirement with hints of failing health. To assure the other crime families knew Gregorio wasn't ratting out to the FBI, he'd go underground, disappearing for an undetermined amount of time. Having survived the last two years of turmoil, Ewyn could handle this.

 Hell, what else could happen?

Ewyn glanced around at the assembled company.

Gregorio, Nicole, and Carolyn were present. Along with Gemma, Patrick, Timothy, Mick, Taggart, and Devin, they were there to have one last meal together as a family, before Gregorio and Patrick disappeared from their lives.

Seated at the dining room table, conversation lulled when the servants appeared. With the precision of a choreographed performance, they removed the remnants of the meal and then dessert and coffee materialized. Task complete, the staff left as stealthily as they came. Beneath the table, Devin's hand rested on Ewyn's thigh, and Ewyn had a death-grip on that hand, his thoughts in turmoil.

After Mairianna's death, and with Ewyn's welfare secured by his relationship with Devin, Patrick had declared his job complete. He'd been with the Calderone family since he was a kid, running errands and doing odd jobs until he became bodyguard to Ewyn's father, to Ewyn, then Ewyn's mother. Rather than retire him, Gregorio offered Patrick the position as his right-hand man, an offer Patrick readily accepted. He and Gregorio hashed out the conditions of the new position, and Patrick arranged for his and Gregorio's underground isolation. After securing a safe house, Patrick concocted a plausible cover story and had them packed and good to go within a month of Mairianna's funeral.

Ewyn stared at Patrick. The idea of losing Patrick and Gregorio for an uncertain amount of time troubled him, until he realized the loss had an upside. In view of Gregorio's past associations, knowing Patrick had Gregorio's back, helped to reconcile Ewyn to the change.

Gaze traveling from Patrick to Nicole and Carolyn--Ewyn knew so little about his nieces. A child when they were born, away at college during their formative years, he'd left home by the time they were old enough to communicate as adults. To further the distance between him and the two girls, their mother's bitchiness alienated both daughters, lessening their interaction with the family. Once they moved on campus, they refused to come home with their mother there, except on the rare special occasion. Even then, time spent with the family had been fraught with discord because of Cecilia's hatred for Ewyn. The family turmoil must have taken its toll on both young women, so what kind of comfort could Ewyn offer, with his recently developed emotional stability only a half step above iffy.

"Ewyn."

He flinched, took a deep breath, and mustered up a smile before turning to Devin. The obvious love visible in Devin's clear amber eyes reassured him. During their relatively new hook up, with the steady decline of blood relatives, Devin had become the one true constant in Ewyn's life.

"I'm sorry, Dev. Were you saying something?"

Devin leaned close and whispered, "Relax." He glanced down at the grip Ewyn had on his hand. "It's going to be all right. I promise."

"I know." Loosening his hold, Ewyn glanced at his nieces. "I was thinking about Niki and Caro. I hardly know them."

"True, but this is your opportunity to get better acquainted."

Ewyn remained quiet, not so sure he could accomplish that. Niki turned twenty-one last month and Greg released both trust funds to her. She would be responsible for Caro, and as a business major, she was more than capable of handling the money, and taking good care of her sister. What could he or Aunt Gemma do for them?

"Hey…don't anticipate." Devin caressed Ewyn's thigh, his fingertips soft-stroking Ewyn's cock. Inching his legs apart, Ewyn relaxed as the warmth of those fingers, seeping through the material of his slacks, had his prick reacting to the touch. Devin always knew how to ease Ewyn's anxiety.

"Gemma, are you sure you should do this?" Ewyn asked.

"Positive. The girls need to know someone will be at the house whenever they come home. They need family, baby. So much has been taken from them in such a short time."

"I know. That's what Dev said. But this has been your home since you and Tim married." Ewyn looked around and sighed. "All your memories…"

"Will come with me," Gemma replied. "Back home. Did you forget, I grew up there, lived with my brother, your father, until I married Tim? Furthermore, Greg arranged to have part of the third floor converted for us. And, if you'll remember, Greg had the elevator installed several years ago, although your mother rarely used it." She came to the sofa, sat next to Ewyn, and took his hand in her frail one.

"There's no need to worry about me, Ewyn. This is what I need. I'll have the household staff there to help me, while giving them something to do. Rosa is looking forward to having family in the house all the time."

"I could come over here and check on you." Ewyn looked to Devin for support. "I'm sure Mick will help out, and Tag, too, when he can."

"Ewyn," Timothy interjected. "I need to know Gem isn't alone if I have to go out on an op."

"Well, that's another point. How will it look if you move into the Calderone home, Tim?" Ewyn sighed. "Won't you compromise your position with the company?"

"No. Everyone who needed the information knows I'm married to a Calderone, and it never has affected my principles or job performance," Timothy remarked. "Hell. In most syndicate families, Irish and Italian, half the members are mobsters and the other half, split between the priesthood and law enforcement. Besides, it's to be expected, as matriarch of what's left of this branch of the family, Gemma would take over the estate with Greg gone."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Ewyn, you can't be with her all the time, but the staff can." Devin brushed his fingertips along the nape of Ewyn's neck. "She's family. You know damn well the household staff will look after Gemma with the same care and devotion they gave your mother, twenty-four/seven."

"I know. I don't doubt their loyalty, but the family home is so far from the hospital…just in case."

Devin grasped Ewyn's chin and turned his head. "What's up with all this apprehension?"

"It seems as if I'm losing everybody just when we've come back together as a family."

"Oh, baby." Gemma squeezed his hand. "You're not going to lose me or the girls, and Greg will be back." She looked at Timothy.

"Ewyn, let me set your mind at ease," Timothy stated. "Greg left details for the remodeling to me. Part of the third floor conversion will include accommodations for a live-in RN, and any necessary medical equipment. Rosa's oldest daughter, Mycelia will be Gem's personal assistant."

Devin watched the anxiety in those luminous green eyes fade to acquiescence. "Baby, your family's home is large enough to house a small platoon. Gemma will have as much room there as here. She'll be comfortable."

"Okay." Ewyn managed a weak grin. "All of you can't be wrong."

"Devin's right," Timothy declared. "Even with the conversion, the nursery will remain intact. Who knows, Gregorio might remarry and decide to have more children."

Ewyn chuckled. "Yeah right, as if that will ever happen."

"Hey, you never know. Greg isn't that old. He has a few good years left in him." Devin leaned over and brushed his lips across Ewyn's ear. "Or Nicole might marry and want to settle down at the homestead."

"True." Ewyn turned to Gemma. "When are you going to move in?"

"Next week. The construction will be complete, and Tim has the move arranged. It shouldn't take more than a day to get us settled. There's enough help at the house to keep the changeover to a minimum of hassle," Gemma explained. "Don't worry, I won't lift a finger."

Ewyn leaned over and kissed his aunt's cheek, then stood. "Okay, you've convinced me, and I've taken up enough of your time with my tenuous worries. Get some rest, Gem." He nodded at Timothy and walked toward the door.

Devin stood, looked from Gemma to Timothy, and shrugged. "He'll be all right." He bent and kissed Gemma's cheek, then headed for the door with Timothy close behind. "I'll see you at the office tomorrow. I hear something big is coming down the pike and you're going out with me."

"Yeah, and that's the reason I need to get Gem settled." Timothy opened the door and scanned the corridor. "I guess Ewyn went down to the garage," he remarked. "All of this shit is coming at him hard and fast. He's come a long way, Devin, don't let him regress."

"He won't. This isn't about insecurity. It's Mairianna's death. He still blames himself. He thinks he should have been able to second-guess Cecilia." Devin shook his head. "He insists Cecilia wouldn't have hurt his mother, if she hadn't been after him."

"Bullshit. Mairianna was always her main target," Timothy stated. "As soon as Cecilia discovered the family home belonged to Mairianna for life. Considering Mairianna's age, it must have seemed as if she would live forever, and Cecilia wasn't getting any younger."

"But Cecelia lived a life a luxury. Greg never interfered with anything she wanted to do."

"True, but the woman was a selfish bitch. If Gemma, Mairianna, and the servants hadn't intervened, I believe Cecilia would have hurt her daughters when they were young. She never wanted them. She wanted a boy to secure her position in the family and the syndicate. Hell. By the time Niki was ten, she must have realized her mother didn't like her or Caro, and from then on, Niki refused to leave Caro alone with Cecilia."

"Damn. I can't fathom what the girls felt, growing up knowing their mother didn't want them, or love them."

Timothy nodded. "As for Ewyn, heir to the family's personal wealth, Cecilia despised him and did little to hide her feelings. She banked on the hook up between Varvarinski and Ewyn to take care of the problem, thinking one of them would kill the other. She'd done her homework, knew what Varvarinski was, and she had watched Ewyn growing up, knew passivity wasn't a character trait, so she expected he'd eventually fight back."

"Hoping to trigger a mob war, but instead, Ewyn came back into the fold, and he wasn't alone." Devin grinned. "Bet it surprised the hell out of Cecilia and her cohorts when Ewyn refused to become easy prey."

Timothy snorted. "Oh yeah, she had to re-evaluate her plans for him, but never altered her campaign against her mother-in-law."

"I know, and I've explained it to Ewyn, numerous times." Devin sighed. "Don't worry, we'll work it out."

Devin rode the elevator to the underground garage. He reached the Escalade and found Ewyn sitting in the passenger seat staring straight ahead, unblinking. Devin knew that look--Ewyn's give me my space look--which meant Ewyn required time to work out the uncertainty on his own.

Climbing into the truck, Devin buckled up, and they rode home in silence. At their destination, he drove into the parking structure and eased into his space next to Ewyn's Mustang. The penthouse condos had private enclosures at the back on either side of the garage. Two slots each, which afforded the owners a measure of privacy, and kept vehicle damage to a minimum. Devin put the gear in
park
then turned to Ewyn just as baby-boy released his seat belt, green eyes dancing with mischief, and sexy smirk in place.

Devin recognized this particular look, too. He reached down and pressed a button, lowering the back of his seat as Ewyn clambered over the console. Mouths merged and Ewyn's little round ass settled right into place. After several satisfying moments, Devin drew back. "Worked it out, have you?"

"Sorry, Dev." Ewyn swooped in for another quick kiss. "It's just, when I think everything is under control…"

"I know, but you're handling it." Devin clasped Ewyn's face. "Do you know how proud I am of you? With the amount of responsibility thrust on you recently, going from baby to head of the Calderone family, I believe you'll do all right, no matter what comes at you." Thumbs teasing the corners of the seductive mouth, Devin stared into spellbinding green eyes full of love. Times like this, he experienced feelings of invincibility, being the recipient of such unconditional love he wholeheartedly reciprocated.

Leaning forward, he recaptured Ewyn's mouth. Tongues sparred, sliding and teasing until he caught the tip of Ewyn's tongue with his teeth. Sucking, lips curling, he drew the tender flesh into his mouth and fed on the tantalizing flavor for several minutes then retreated. He nibbled the succulent bottom lip and mumbled, "Family issues aside, at the moment, we have a more pressing concern."

"Oh." Ewyn leaned away. "What?"

"Baby, if you keep squirming, I'll take your bad ass right here."

He shifted beneath the wriggling butt and watched a jagged tinge of color streak its way across Ewyn's cheeks as a glint of pleasure lit up the jungle green eyes. No longer indicative of embarrassment, Ewyn's blushes had become the precursors to imagined pleasure.

Over the past two years, Devin watched Ewyn evolve from an abused apprehensive novice to become a bold adventurous lover. Having lost most of his naiveté, Ewyn had learned to accept and enjoy Devin's creative times, places, and approach to sexual proclivities. More often than not, Ewyn instigated the onset of those encounters. Hell. The kinky acrobatics Ewyn initiated on the bidet had come as a refreshing surprise. Devin hadn't known getting clean could be so enjoyable, and those antics had become an addictive habit.

Conversely, before today, Ewyn had confined his daring to the privacy of their home. His arrogant dismissal of Devin's warning and bold behavior in a public venue amazed Devin, prompting him to test the bounds of Ewyn's bravado.

He leaned in for another kiss using Ewyn's pre-occupation to unfasten the button on his jeans and ease the zipper down. Baby-boy made no effort to climb off his lap, and Devin needed no further encouragement. Maneuvering his hands inside the snug material, he palmed the warm, taut ass cheeks.