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Extravaganza, room 113.”

He stepped back just as her eyes tightened in mutinous rage. He straightened

his shoulders and readied himself for the thorough tongue-lashing he knew Sela

was very capable of dishing out.

“Time"s up!” Nick called out merrily before throwing the door open.

“One thirteen, Sela,” Rome murmured before striding out of the closet.

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Chapter Five

He stilled just outside the entrance to his hotel. After taking a deep calming

breath, he grabbed the door handle and strode into the lobby. “What are you doing

here?”

Rome thought he would never see her again. He was both afraid and hopeful

she would come to him. He knew he could never go to her.

His mother slowly turned around until her gaze caught his. She flashed him a

smile that didn"t reach her beautiful eyes. “You come to town, don"t call me, don"t

call your brother, and you"re surprised I"m here?”

With every word Mary Beth spoke, her voice grew in octaves until every single

person in the lobby was staring at them. He slid a glance to the woman behind the

counter. The look on her face told him without words that she was giving him

exactly five seconds to shut his mother up.

He figured he only needed two.

Rome ignored the pain that sliced through his heart with her statement,

grabbed Mary Beth"s arm in a secure but loose grip, and pulled her to the nearest

corner. “Don"t you have any sense of self-preservation? What the hell are you doing

here?”

She was immediately affronted. Rome bit off an oath at the look of pain on her

face. “How can you ask me that? I haven"t seen you in over five years. I haven"t even

talked to you in nine months.”

“We both know why I don"t visit.”
It’s not because I don’t want to, but because I

can’t
went unspoken.

A look of discomfort settled on her face. She sighed. “I swear I"ve tried to talk

to him, but he won"t be reasonable.”

Rome ground his teeth and tried to hold the anger he felt rising inside him at

bay at his mother"s words. He knew what trying to convince his father entailed.

“Don"t try anything anymore. I don"t want him taking his anger out on you.”

She gave him a tremulous smile. “He"s not as bad as he used to be.”

Shit
! Rome felt panic mix with the anger when he saw tears shining in Mary

Beth"s green eyes. “Come on, Mary Beth. Let"s talk upstairs.” He wrapped his arm

around her waist and pulled her close. “Please don"t cry.”

Although he had seen his mother cry way too many times growing up, Rome

had never acquired the skill to handle her tears.

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31

During the silent elevator ride, he held his mother"s hands as she composed

herself. Neither of them spoke. He figured it was because neither of them knew

what to say. He didn"t breathe a sigh of relief until they reached his suite.

“You should have called to let us know you were going to be in town.”

He"d thought about it, considered it a million times, but never managed to pick

up the phone. He knew what his actions would bring. As badly as he wanted to talk

to his mother and brother, Rome was unwilling to let them take a beating on his

behalf. Anthony Vicenza was vicious when angry, and Rome"s very name seemed to

piss him off.

If only he could convince his mother to wise up, take Turin, and leave.

Mary Beth folded her arms across her chest. “What are you doing in town?

Why all of a sudden are you here? Last time we talked, you had no interest in going

to your high-school reunion.”

Rome took a step back and straightened. He already knew where the

conversation was going, and he didn"t like it one bit. “I changed my mind.”

They had talked months before the reunion RSVPs had to be in. Months before

he was informed that Sela was going to be there.

“You came to see her, didn"t you?”

“Leave it alone, Mary Beth.”

“She hurt you so badly the last time. I don"t want you to go through that again.

We both know her family is never going to accept you.”

He shook his head. “You don"t understand.”

“Don"t I? I remember how angry you were when you found out she…”

“Believe it or not, Mary Beth, some things really do change,” Rome gritted

through his teeth. They"d had the same conversation over ten years ago. He didn"t

like it then. He sure as hell didn"t like it now.

He knew Sela so well, well enough to know she wouldn"t have done something

so cruel to him without her reasons. He fully intended to spend the weekend finding

out those reasons.

Mary Beth stared into his face for several moments before giving him a small

smile. “God, I hope you"re right, sweetheart. I pray for your sake you are.”

He smiled, feeling a little bit of his irritation dissipate. She meant the best. He

couldn"t be angry at Mary Beth for caring. She was his mom. It was part of the job

description. “How are things at home? Is everything… okay?”

Her grin widened, but it lost its shine. “Are things ever okay in the Vicenza

house?” she replied. Something in her voice told him things were worse than they

normally were.

Damn
! “What did he do this time?”

“Which one of them are you asking about?” Mary Beth asked as she strode

deeper into the suite. She took a seat on one of the lush sofas. Rome came to sit

beside her.

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Tuesday Morrigan

He mentally groaned at that. There was a time when he only had to worry

about his father"s actions, but Turin was a teenager now and a problem one. “How

about we start with the elder one?”

She sighed. “Your father was arrested three days ago.”

“For?”

“Public drunkenness, assault, and battery.”

Anthony Vicenza was one of the town"s most notorious drunks. He had

embarrassed their family, their neighbors and the townsfolk most of his life. Over

the years the officers had gotten used to his brand of drunkenness. He must have

done something truly offensive for the sheriff"s department to think he needed to be

cuffed. The bastard could rot in jail for all Rome was concerned. “Tell me about

Turin.”

“He got in trouble too.” Mary Beth"s bottom lip trembled as she spoke the

words, a clear sign she was at the end of her line with the two males.

“Just tell me he wasn"t arrested.” Rome had every intention of bailing his

brother out no matter the price, but it might make things awkward if it turned out

both men were at the same jail.

She shook her head. “Juvie,” she said with a sigh. “It"s bad, but not the worst.

He tagged some place in the next county over. He did a night. They gave him a fine

and community service.”

So far things weren"t as bad as he had feared. He couldn"t help Turin with the

service, but the fine he could do. Rome reached inside his hip pocket. “How much is

the fine?”

Mary Beth glanced at his wallet. “Did you bring your checkbook?”

He paused. Every time he offered to take care of Mary Beth or buy her

something, she waved it off. She never wanted anything from him, even when the

family was in need. In those cases, she made a point of telling him they made the

mess and would fix it. Things must be bad for her to want him to write a check. Still

he couldn"t help asking, “Why?”

She sighed. “He tagged the whole side of a building. Turns out it was a school.

They are making us pay for the cleaning and adding more to the top to make sure

he doesn"t do it again.”

“Which county?”

He cursed when she named it. From what Rome remembered from his own

misspent youth, the county officers weren"t very forgiving when it came to

transgressions. Something occurred to him. “Tell me the school he tagged wasn"t the

prep one.”

“You know your brother better than to ask that. He doesn"t often put his mind

to something, but when he does…”

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“He goes all out,” Rome finished for her. Typical Vincenza. Grade A idiot when

he decided to do something. Silently, he signed the check, left the amount blank,

and tore it off the ledger. He held it out to her. “Where is he?”

She ran her hands over her face. “You"re not going to like what I tell you.”

When it rained… “Where?”

“You"ll probably find him at the Haskin parlor right now.”

Shit, it really did pour.

Rome stood, took a few bills from his wallet, folded them, and handed them,

along with the check, to her.

“What about your father?”

Rome"s fingers tightened around the soft leather. With a jolt he glanced down

and realized what he was doing. “He"s not my father, Mary Beth. I don"t know how

you could forget that. He constantly reminded me of that very important fact while I

lived with you.”

Pain flashed across Mary Beth"s face. It was evident for only a moment, but

Rome understood just how deeply his comment affected her. After living with

Anthony for more than twenty years, she"d learned to hide her emotions. But he

brought out the woman inside. “I"m sorry. I know I can never fix things, but I want

you to know I"m sorry.”

Sorry she had not been strong enough to keep his father from beating her.

Sorry she hadn"t been strong enough to take her children and run away when he"d

started taking his anger out on Rome instead.

“Don"t be.”

“Rome—”

He shook his head cutting off whatever words she would have said. “Don"t be

sorry you didn"t leave. But it"s not too late, Mary Beth. It"s not too late.”

With eyes that mirrored his own, Rome"s mother looked him over before she

gave him a tiny, tremulous smile. “And what would I do about your brother? Where

would I go? How would I survive? What if he comes looking for me?”

For the first time in a long time, he felt hope for his mother. She was asking

the right questions. Seemed almost thirty years of abuse was too long. “We both

know I can take care of you. I make more than enough to set you up in a new town,

hell, a new state if you"re willing to leave him behind. Just say yes, and I"ll set

everything up. You won"t have to worry about a thing.”

Mary Beth stared up at him, her eyes luminous with emotion, and delicately

sniffed. “You never did call me Mom when you were growing up, but you always

treated me like I was worthy of the title.” Tears shone in her eyes. “Give me a few

days. I just might take you up on your offer.”

Rome blinked back the tears that threatened to fall out of his own eyes.

Needing something to do, he opened the wallet he held. “How much do you want me

to write the check for?” he asked, referring to Anthony"s bail.

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Tuesday Morrigan

It took her a moment to realize what he was talking about, but then a tiny

smile settled on her mouth. Small, tender hands landed on top of his. “Forget it. I

think I"ll let Tony sit in jail a little longer.” She shrugged. “He"ll probably get out

tomorrow morning anyway.”

Fingers shaking he shoved his wallet back into his pocket. Rome had dreamed

of the moment when his mother would come to her senses and realize she deserved

better than the man who beat her and her children. It seemed the moment was

finally coming.

She smiled. “You hungry?”

He thought back to the last time he"d really eaten. He"d been too nervous in

the morning and at the reunion banquet to eat. “Yes.”

“I made your favorite.”

Rome grasped her hand as he leaned forward to press a kiss on her forehead.

“Thank you,” he whispered, knowing he was thanking her for more than dinner.

* * *

summer air, basking in the shadows as he watched the family eat. It was

disconcerting to be standing on the outside of such a private moment.

He shuffled his feet and pulled his light coat closer to his body. It was summer,

but the night was unusually cold. He felt the weather mirrored the turbulent

emotions inside. A day had passed since he last saw her, but it was one of the

longest he"d ever experienced. He wasn"t able to think straight since his visit from

Mary Beth. So there he stood before his childhood home, shielded by the many trees

that shrouded the front yard.

He watched as his family ate a quiet dinner. The three individuals barely

spoke. Apparently things hadn"t changed much since he"d left. The only thing that

was truly different was their appearances.

Mary Beth was just as gorgeous, but she"d lost so much of her light and

vitality, she was a shell of her former self. His father had gained anywhere from

twenty to thirty pounds of fat, and his skin was blotched and ruddy from

alcoholism. But it was the third person who"d changed the most and captured