Fire Bound (Sea Haven Sisters)(60)

He’d given up long ago trying to make something of his marriage. In the beginning, he thought to keep her alive, but after the first five years he’d changed his mind. Once he had sons he could mold into what he wanted – and needed – he left her alone. Well, unless he was seriously pissed at her. Then he got drunk enough to make sex last a long time and he forced her to do her duty, just because he enjoyed punishing her that way.

Arturo pulled the car onto the private drive leading up to the Agosto mansion. It was a mansion, nothing less. This would be his as well. He pushed all thoughts of his wife away and looked forward to what was to come.



Cosmos’s wife, Carlotta, stood anxiously waiting in the doorway. She was seriously beautiful. Her face was perfection and the flow of wavy, black hair tumbling around her soft, delicate features only accented her classic bone structure. Her eyes were enormous, dark and surrounded by thick, long lashes. She’d been in countless magazines, famous for that face and body.

Cosmos had dictated that his wife keep her body through diet and exercise, and she had obeyed him. He’d managed to make her submissive in a way Luigi had failed with Angeline, but that was all right, Luigi was going to reap the benefits of Cosmos’s training.



He walked right up to her and took her into his arms, holding her close while she wept. She wore a skirt and blouse. Cosmos didn’t like her in pants or underwear. When they went out, he liked showing her off and her clothes bordered on scandalous. Even now, her blouse was low-cut and thin, the material see-through to show her black bra, the one that lovingly pushed her breasts up so that the shadow of her nipples showed.

Luigi patted her back, moving her into the house, Arturo right behind him, closing the door. “I’ll take care of you, Carlotta,” he assured. “You saw the body?” He put her from him gently, smiling down at her.



She tipped her face up, nodding. “He fell just at the cliff. I didn’t call the authorities. I didn’t know what to do, so I called you. I knew you’d come, that I could rely on you.”



“You did the right thing. First, I need you to show me where Cosmos kept his safe. He had important papers he wanted me to deal with in case of his death.”



“He had the safe in the bedroom, built into the wall.”



He took her hand, again, quite gently, turned up her wrist and kissed the soft skin there. “Show me, bella. You have the code to open the safe.” He made that a statement.



She beamed when he called her beautiful, eagerly nodding her head. “He made me memorize it just in case something like this happened. He said the papers were important.”



He nodded solemnly as he followed her into the bedroom. Arturo trailed behind. Carlotta didn’t seem to notice. She pointed to a picture on the wall and stepped back.



“Cosmos had a lot of enemies,” Luigi said, pouring concern into his voice. “Did he explain that to you? Enemies he worried would harm you.”



She nodded, her hand going defensively to her throat. She was tall, nearly as tall as Luigi, but slender and delicate looking.



“He wanted me to look after you.” Luigi spoke to her, as he swung the picture aside. It opened like a door. “Tell me the code.”



She did and he pressed the numbers she gave him. Already, Arturo crowded close to her. He and Arturo had a way of having a very good time with women. It mattered little to them whether or not the woman had a good time.



“I want you to look after me, Luigi,” Carlotta said. “I need you.”



He glanced over his shoulder, his gaze sweeping over her body. He turned back to the contents of the safe, dismissing her. “I don’t know, Carlotta. I have a big territory and a demanding wife. What do I need with you? What can you do for me in return for my protection?”



He glanced over his shoulder again and saw her twist her fingers together. She looked deliciously anxious. He pulled out the heavy stack of papers from the safe, quickly sifting through them, looking for the journal Cosmos had kept of their pact together. He found it, scanned it and slipped it inside his jacket pocket.

“Please, Luigi. I don’t know what I can give you in return, but anything.” She sounded close to tears.



“Come here, bella.” Luigi’s voice was gentle. Loving even. “Right now, Carlotta.” He pushed a little command into his tone, just enough that her submissive nature would demand she obey. That and her fear of being abandoned. She already looked at him with hope.



When she approached cautiously, he reached out, caught the front of her blouse and gave it a vicious yank. The material parted and he threw the scraps aside. “You know what to do to please me. Cosmos said you were very good at showing him how grateful you were to him for giving you this home.”