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  Hushed

  Family Secrets

  Blue Saffire

  Copyright © 2015 Blue Saffire

  All rights reserved.

  We may not get to choose the pain we live through, but we can choose the way we live through the pain.

  Hushed

  Family Secrets

  Blue Saffire

  Preface

  “Do you really think this will work my friend,” Don Caprisi rasped in concern to his longtime friend, Don Donati.

  They’d grown up together in the old country. It had been a given that one day they would bring the two family’s together. It was a great time to consider their options. The Donati and Caprisi families both flourished under Don Nicholas Donati and Don Vincent Caprisi.

  The two had become ruthless not by choice but by force. Many wanted to take their place and had made a number of attempts. It was something Caprisi had felt with his heart. He had many regrets but his biggest regret was the one that had him here making a decision he still wasn’t sure about.

  “I believe it is our best option. I have no plans of leaving so much to chance with my son. He is spoiled and doesn’t have the right mind for business. I have isolated Uri and he has shown me repeatedly that he is his own man,” Nicholas reassured.

  “Yes, but he is thirteen years older than her and she is so stubborn,” Vincent said gruffly.

  “Exactly why Uri is a match for her, you think I don’t know what she has become?” Nicholas raises a brow at his friend. “Uri is right for her, not Luca. She would eat my poor boy alive.”

  “You think Uri can tame her?” Vincent raised his brow in return. “She is just as much of a killer as he is.”

  “That is my point my friend. Uri doesn’t want an arranged marriage any more than she does. However, I know my nephew. Put him in a room with her and he will not be able to resist. It will be the killer as well as the hurting young girl in her that will trap him,” Nicholas says with a satisfied smile.

  “So we will arrange for Luca and Shannon to marry and that will bring him to the States on his own terms,” Vincent asks.

  “Yes, the stubborn boy won’t just come when summons. There has to be a reason for him to come here. He thinks we don’t want him here so he rebels. Truth is, I love Uri like my own son,” Nicholas smiles with pride for his nephew.

  “Are we sure we want to place the two together? I only unleash her when necessary and that is when she will listen. These two together …they are just dangerous,” Vincent’s brows draw in thought.

  “Isn’t that what we want? With Uri as the head of our families and your princess at his side others will think twice about trying to repeat history,” Nicholas says firmly.

  “I suppose you are right. This just has to be done right,” Vincent says in thought.

  “Yes, Luca must think he is heir. Uri will not take the right from him. However, if we cause him to move into the position to lead your family we can smooth Luca into running the family with Uri as an example. Let him guide Luca. Luca seems to only listen to Uri,” Nicholas sighs shaking his head.

  “We still have one little problem. You are not the only one that wants to provide a match for her,” Vincent says with a frown.

  Nicholas gives him a sly smile. “Another reason to make sure Uri wants her. He will eliminate anyone who stands in his way once he claims her.”

  Vincent returns the smile. More than one of his problems would be solved. “So it is settled. Shannon and Luca are matched. In four years we will have the engagement party. Both girls will be ready by then,” Don Caprisi nodded making his final decision.

  CHAPTER ONE

  FOUR YEARS LATER….

  When I first entered this store I thought it would be as boring as any other time I’ve gone shopping with Genève. My potential fiancée can be somewhat annoying and I am not quite in the mood for her today.

  I wouldn’t even be entertaining the idea of marrying this silly woman if it weren’t for the woman I have come to know as a little sister. I feel responsible for how out of control things have gotten between her and Luca. I should have told Pamela about Luca’s arranged marriage a long time ago.

  If I admit the truth I too didn’t want to let the woman go. I enjoyed having someone I could trust. Someone that doesn’t know the monster I am, someone not afraid of me. Pamela never let that fear come through. She was always open to my friendship in a way I have not known for a very long time.

  I have become use to the fear that comes when people see me because usually seeing me means seeing the end. Even when it is not at my hand knowing that I am in the room can mean that I have come to unleash your end.

  I am the one my family calls when they need a problem to go away. It is scary what I am capable of, but even scarier is the joy I get from doing my job and being the best at it. There is no hiding from me. I will find you and with finding you, you will find your end.

  So here I am in the States because just when I thought my soul was too black for anyone to look at me as more than death, Pamela looked through it all and saw me as a man. Granted not the man for her but she still saw me and wanted nothing more than friendship.

  I have had women come to me for all the wrong reasons. Wanting to dance with the dark side, wanting a piece of my fortune; some have even come looking to have me deal death for them. Despite what people think I do have rules. They may be my own but I have them. These women are all against my rules. I have no time for foolishness. I won’t tolerate it.

  Yet, here I am bearing this simple woman for the little sister I have adopted and love. I will have no harm come to Pamela or the little ones she is now carrying. I know Luca heard my words when I warned him off but I will not leave it to chance that he doesn’t do something stupid.

  This is why I am humoring my uncle with thoughts of marrying this child in a woman’s body. Is she pretty, oh yes Genève is gorgeous with her light green eyes and falsely plump lips. Her breasts are just as false. I would know. She has had no problem throwing herself at me to cement an engagement.

  Maybe that is where I went wrong. I never should have touched her knowing I have no intentions of making this permanent. For two and a half months I have been going along with this charade. It will end soon though, very soon.

  I’d just been setting up my excuse to make a quick exit when I saw her. Her legs were the first thing to grab my attention, long brown and silky. Her foot was dangling out moving from side to side as she examined the shoe on her foot. It was a sexy silver shoe that made her silky brown leg glow to perfection.

  Images of those silky legs and four inch heels wrapped around my waist assault me. I can feel my cock twitching in my slacks. Her foot drops back to the floor as she stands to test the shoes. I lift my eyes to her firm round arse and groan.

  Her curves are wrapped in a hip hugging penci
l skirt that stops just above her knees. I lick my lips as I watch her hips sway. Damn, she is making those fucking shoes, I think to myself. My eyes travel a little higher to catch a glimpse of long straight mahogany colored locks. Her long hair falls to just below her waist. It’s like her hair is cut into an arrow pointing to her plump arse.

  I find myself thinking of Pamela. Although she has beautiful long and thick hair she at times would pile it all underneath wigs of different lengths and colors. It was something I had gotten used to when she would join me at the club for drinks. I wonder if this woman’s hair is her own or one of those wigs or weaves.

  I want to know if I will be running my fingers through her scalp or just able to tug at it. I hope I will get to do both. I hadn’t realized I was holding my breath waiting for her to turnaround to reveal her face until I felt a hand on my chest. Genève was standing behind me now with her arm wrapped around me.

  Her annoying voice breaks through my thoughts and concentration. “Babe, are you listening to me. I want to know if you think these shoes look good on me,” Genève whined.

  “What difference does it make,” I snap not taking my eyes off the woman that has drawn me into her sphere.

  I love that she moves as if no one else around her matters. Yet, I have a feeling she is aware of everyone just the same. She just could care less.

  “Uri,” Genève whines as she caresses my chest.

  I knock her hand from my chest just as the beauty my eyes are feasting upon turns around. I frown when I see she is wearing sunglasses. Despite her eyes being covered I can see she is gorgeous. Her features are sharp but soft at the same time. My eyes flicker from her cute nose to her full, but not too full lips, their just right for being wrapped around my cock.

  This is not like me to react to a woman in this way. I shove my hands in my pockets and lower my head to contemplate my reaction to this woman. Just then a voice rings out through the shoe store.

  “Excuse me, I’ll take these here. I have to go,” My eyes flicker up from beneath my lashes and I see the voice belongs to her. She is looking down at her phone frowning.

  I watch her suck her teeth at the phone then toss it back into her bag. She flips her hair over her shoulder, making her way to register. In that split second my mind is made up.

  I move toward the register pulling my wallet from my pocket and plucking my black card from it. Genève is calling for me but I have dismissed her from my mind. Luca will be officially engaged tonight. Then I will be making my move and I won’t have to play nice anymore.

  “That will be $3,597.56 Miss,” the clerk says as I get to the beauty at the register. I hold my card out before she can pull hers from her wallet.

  “I’ll take care of that,” I say as the stumped clerk looks up at me with wide brown eyes.

  It is a look I get a lot from women. Donati men are a handsome breed. I am the spitting image of my father at least that is what my mum has always told me. The clerk’s cheeks turn red as she looks between me and the beauty before me.

  She has spun to look at me. Her eyes meet with my chest causing her to take a slight step back to look up at me. Her lips are twisted in a frown at first but I see her fighting back a smile when she takes me in fully.

  I stare into her sunglasses willing her to pull them off, but she doesn’t, which makes me want to pull them off myself. Her perfectly full, arched brow lifts up over the shades. I let a small smile slip onto my lips.

  “Do I look like I can’t afford my purchase,” she asks in a voice that hits me right in my cock. It is soft, sweet with a hint of something dangerous. It surprises me but stirs my groin in the same notion.

  “No, you look like a woman I want to spoil,” I say with all forwardness. I am not one to beat around the bush.

  Her brow raises higher and I know it is the accent because it even pulls a smile from those lush lips. She moves closer to me and places her hand on my chest. She lifts up to get close to my ear.

  I am six five, but even in her heels I am towering over her. I love that the top of her head just barely reaches my chin. I flex my chest against her warm palm resting on it.

  “You don’t want any of me,” she whispers next to my ear. “Take your card and forget you ever saw me. It will be safer for you.”

  I chuckle and wrap my arm around her waist pulling her into me. I feel more than hear her gasp; it is music to my ears. I lean down into her ear. “They don’t get more dangerous than me, Love. So you can just save us both the time and give me your name and number,” I whisper back into her ear.

  “Get your hand off me,” she growls. “I don’t know where you are from but men don’t act like barbarians here.”

  “I can feel that you don’t mean that,” I reply inhaling her sweet scent. She smells of cherry blossoms and peaches.

  “You have picked the wrong one you perv. Now get your hands off me before I blow both your damn hands off,” she hisses.

  Reluctantly I release her as the nervous clerk clears her throat. “Sir, if you could just sign here for your purchase please.”

  I step away from my fuming beauty and take the pen from my suit jacket to sign the receipt. I take the copy she hands me and I scribble my number on the back. I turn to hand it to her but she has plucked the bag from the counter and turned to leave sashaying away from me.

  “I guarantee you I will see you again, Love,” I call after her.

  She lifts one hand and flips me off pulling a loud laugh from my lips. She has no idea. It is what I do, I find people. I want her so there is no doubt I will find her.

  “Uri, what the hell,” Genève huffs beside me. I almost forgot she was here.

  “You can charge her purchase as well,” I inform the clerk waving Genève off.

  This will be my parting gift.

  CHAPTER TWO

  I look around this room and I can smell their fear rolling off of them. They hate that I am here in this room. My father and uncle are the only ones here that are man enough to look me in the eyes. The rest of them are afraid of what they will see. They don’t want to see the demons that live in the depths of my stare.

  They don’t want to confirm that the rumors are true. No one here knows the truth except for my father and Uncle. The rest suspect the truth enough to fear what a wrong move would create.

  I was not meant to be this way. This was never what my father wanted. I was once his sweet Valentina, his Tina, but she died the day my mother and big sister took their last breath. So to these men in this room I have become Val. That’s who the rumors have made me. I have heard whispers that I have been dubbed Black Death or Morte Nera in our native tongue.

  What makes these men fear me so much, that the tension is thick in this room just from my presence, is that my soul is as black as their hearts. I lost all innocence when I was only four years old. I still have nightmares of the day that would change me forever.

  My mother had run into my room while I was playing with my dolls. Lisette my older sister had gone to get us popsicles. Mama was frantic as she rushed to me and pulled me up from the floor.

  “Valentina, I need you to get in the closet and hide. I need you to promise mommy that no matter what you hear, no matter what you see you will not make a sound and you will not come out of hiding,” my mother said to me with wild eyes.

  “Okay mama,” I nodded becoming scared.

  “Hurry go now and remember not a sound,” she whispered.

  No sooner than I rushed into the closet and closed the door finding my hiding place the room door burst open. I quietly moved closer to peek through the gaps in the closet doors. A large man appeared with Lissete tucked under his arm like a ragdoll.

  She was crying and screaming, struggling to be free of his hold. He released her, dropping her to the floor like garbage. My mother tried to rush forward to get to my sister but the big man blocked her way and slapped her across the face.

  He hit her so hard she flew back nearly falling to the ground. She was just a
ble to stumble to her feet before falling over on her butt. She immediately lunged for my sister again as she cried out and curled away from the man.

  It happened so fast that if I hadn’t been watching so closely in utter shock and fear I would have missed it. The big man pulled a knife from what seemed to my small eyes like thin air. As my mother lunged forward he plunged the knife into her stomach.

  My mother cried out and dropped to the floor in a helpless heap. I watched as my mother tried to drag her bloody body to my sister. The man laughed and kicked her in the ribs.

  I now know why my mother made me promise not to move no matter what. She knows me. All I want right now is to run out and bite this stupid man that hit my mama. I’m a fighter, I would help my mother and sister, but mama made me promise to stay put.

  What happened after that no dying mother should have to witness. I can still to this day hear my mother’s gurgled screams and pleas for him to stop. Lisette was only sixteen, but that pig did not care. He violated my sister for hours as the life left from my mother’s body.

  Soon Lisette’s cries even grew more and more quiet. I wouldn’t have believed she was still alive if not for the few whimpers every now and then. When the pig was finally done he pulled away from Lisette’s battered body and pulled a gun to pump two shots into my mother’s lifeless body before turning his gun onto Lisette.

  I covered my mouth with my small hands to keep from making a sound. My eyes were glued to the man that had just stolen my family from me. I took in every detail of the big man before me. His dark hair, his black eyes, the tattoo on his neck, the creepy scar on his face, it was all seared into my little brain.

  He left the room but I still didn’t move not wanting to break my promise to my mama. Papa had been away on business so I had no idea when he would be back to help us. In my little brain Papa could still come and fix it all. If I stay in the closet like a good little girl he would fix it.