LITMIR.BIZ

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like an idiot. In this light it was hard to imagine her as the seductress he’d seen. Sure, the worn jeans hugged a near-perfect ass and even though she was layered in warm clothing, he could almost see the outline of firm breasts but there was nothing of the overt siren he was accustomed to seeing.

      And hot damn, she was stunning.

      CHAPTER FIVE

      SKYE FELT EYES ON HER and just as she’d popped her finger in her mouth to suck off the mustard that had dripped from her hot dog, she locked eyes with the man who’d quite literally saved her life.

      Sweeps of unruly brown hair ruffled in the breeze curling around the park, the sunlight picking up the subtle golden highlights and accentuating blue eyes that made her think of cool seaside mornings and crisp outdoor days. She pulled her finger from her mouth and looked away. What were the odds in a city crowded with people that she’d run into this man?

      “Hey, lady, you’re holding up the line,” the surly hot dog vendor said, cranky and annoyed. “Keep it movin’. I ain’t standing here for my health, you know!”

      She risked a short glance at the man again before clasping Nico’s hand and walking away with a murmured apology to the vendor.

      “Mama? Are you okay?” Nico asked, looking up at her with a frown on his beloved face.

      She smiled. “Of course, sweetheart. I was just surprised is all. I thought I knew that man from some-where but I think I was wrong. C’mon, sweetie, let’s find a spot where we can eat these dogs.”

      Nico seemed content with her answer and quickly forgot as he ate his hot dog. “Mama, I love the park,” he announced, a mustard smear on his cheek that she wiped away with her napkin. “Can we come back tomorrow?”

      “I don’t know…maybe,” she hedged, although an unhappy knot twisted her stomach. Belleni refused to keep to a visitation schedule, partly she was sure to keep her tethered and partly because he couldn’t be bothered with something he considered so trivial. Never mind that she lived and breathed for the opportunity to spend time with her son. Nico’s expression fell and she sighed, giving in. “If it’s not raining or snowing, perhaps Belleni wouldn’t mind,” she said, pleased when Nico grinned. Her son’s happiness meant the world to her. She’d risk whatever she had to, to lessen the effects of such an unusual living arrangement for Nico.

      “And can we have another hot dog?” he asked.

      “Of course,” she answered, leaning forward to kiss him on the nose. “Now, eat up, so you can ride the swings.”

      She kept her smile but on the inside she trembled with a growing sense of urgency to get away from Belleni. Two months ago she’d been on the verge of escape. But that all came crashing down the day Belleni called her to his home.

      “Hello, darling,” Belleni had said, his voice deceptively mild as she’d entered his sprawling office with its imported Roberto Cavalli rugs and fine-grained, hand-carved mahogany furnishings that cost more than most people saw in a lifetime. At one time she’d been awed by his display of wealth, his obvious fine tastes reflected in the works of art hanging on the walls and the opulence of his home but that was before she’d realized how he consumed lives to pay for his lifestyle. Now it just turned her stomach.

      “You wanted to see me?” she asked, nerves stretched thin at the request. At first she’d thought he wanted sex—and though the thought of that man touching her body made her quake with disgust—she’d endure to keep up appearances.

      But that wasn’t his intent and she should’ve known when she saw Vivian standing beside him, her eyes aglow with barely concealed glee that something far worse was coming her way.

      “Aren’t you happy being a Belleni girl?” he asked, throwing her. “Do I not see to your every need?”

      “Y-yes,” she said, her gaze darting to Vivian, uneasy at the questions he was asking. “Of course. I’m quite happy,” she lied.

      “I want to believe that, I truly do, but something troubles me,” he said with a heavy sigh, his solid body rippling with the motion. He pulled a small slip of paper and gazed at it a long moment, his mouth pursing with displeasure and her blood chilled as she realized what he was staring at.

      An ATM slip. Her mind tripped over possibilities. Had she been sloppy and dropped it somewhere in the apartment? She thought of the last time she visited her bank to make a deposit into her secret account and she held her breath, too afraid to give anything away. That money—painstakingly deposited away from Vivian’s watchful eye—was her and Nico’s ticket out of this hell. She finally had enough to run. She was just biding her time, looking for the perfect opportunity to slip away….

      He let the paper drift from his fingertips in perfect timing as two men Belleni hired as muscle came soundlessly into the room, blocking the exit with their solid mass.

      “I took you in off the streets,” he began, steepling his fingers as he regarded her with the sharp eyes of the predator he was but she resisted the urge to make a run for it. To run would signify guilt and so far he hadn’t actually accused her of anything. “You were such a sad thing when I found you. Full of broken dreams and heartache. I nursed you to health. I gave you purpose. I gave you Nico.”

      “I—”

      “Silence!” he interrupted her with a snarl, losing the act of gentle benefactor, shedding it like a snake lost its skin in the heat of summer. “I have nurtured you, cosseted you, protected you…and you repay me with treachery?”

      She lifted her chin. “I don’t know what you’re talking—”

      “Stop lying,” he demanded, holding her stare for a long moment as her heart banged painfully against her chest. Did he know how much she’d saved? If so, he knew she’d been planning to bolt. He gestured and the two men advanced on her, grabbing her arms, startling a yelp out of her. He shared a look with Vivian then said, “Here’s the situation, my darling. Tomorrow you will go to this bank of yours and you will make a withdrawal…”

      Nooo! She struggled against the grip on her arm but they were like steel manacles clamped against her skin and it was no use. Tears sprung to her eyes—born of pain and despair—and began tracking down her cheeks. “I can explain,” she began in a desperate bid for damage control but Belleni waved away her attempt.

      “You will close your account and the balance will be brought to me as punishment for your deceit.”

      “It’s for Nico,” she protested the half truth on a sob, too devastated at the realization that their hope was dead to hold back her tears. She couldn’t imagine losing all that she’d saved, not when they were so close. “For his college education. Please…please don’t take that from him.”

      “I want to believe you but I would be a fool. Would you like to know what I think you were going to do?” He continued without her answer. “I believe you were going to use that money to take my son and disappear. After everything I’ve given you…it’s disappointing. Vivian was right—I’ve given you too much slack. You’ve forgotten your place. As much as it pains me, it’s time to remind you.” He looked at the men holding her. “Do not leave too many marks and do not break any bones,” he instructed, adding with a sigh. “Nobody pays for a broken Belleni girl, that’s for sure.” He dismissed them with a wave and Skye was dragged from the room to be taught a lesson in obedience.

      “Mama?”

      Nico’s voice jerked her back to the present and she realized a tear had snaked its way down her cheek without her notice. She lifted her sunglasses and wiped it away. “Sorry, honey. What did you say?” she asked, shaking off the memory with effort. In the past three months she’d endured more than she ever thought possible and that was saying a lot.

      “Why are you crying?” he asked in a solemn tone.

      She swallowed and regarded him, the love she felt for Nico colliding with the hatred she felt for his father,

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