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It's not illegal to run a story on a minor or print the name of a rape victim. Most news organizations don't do so because it's considered unethical. If I twist something to fit my story, I own up to it.


Chapter 29

"Where is Elizabetta?" Maximus asked as he walked into Jason's office. He figured she would be close to Jason since she'd been so upset when Maximus left.

"In the living room watching a chainsaw welding maniac terrorize hikers." Jason was not a horror movie fan. He thought the entire genre was stupid.

"Oh man." Max shook his head in disgust. "Milo's in there with her isn't he? He loves those movies. I don't get it. I mean what's so great about watching people be terrorized and hacked up. That's not art."

Maximus just chuckled. "Leave them be. It's good that she is bonding with her brother. It doesn't surprise me that she would feel more comfortable with Milo first." It had not escaped him that his daughter had been uneasy around him and Max. Hopefully time would help with that. He wanted to be close with her. "I have the report." He handed it to Jason.

"You're giving it to me?" Jason took it surprised.

"I want very much to have a relationship with my daughter. She made it pretty clear that you are the man in her life. You happen to be a man I respect greatly so I am not going to rock the boat. Much." Maximus conceded. "We will talk about your intentions and such things at some point."

"We can talk about them now. I intend to marry her when she's ready. Not a minute before." Jason told Maximus. He didn't care that Max, Francis, and Johnny were also in the room.

"She's not ready now?" Maximus learned from Johnny on the ride over that Jason and Elizabeth had a connection unlike any the Irishman had seen before. Johnny believed that they were fated to be together.

"Not even close." Jason knew his girl. He had no intention of rushing her. If she never wanted to marry he still planned on building a life with her. If she wanted to get married tomorrow he'd get a license and then a judge.

"I saw the necklace she wears." The sparkling J was hard to miss.

"A ring would be hard to keep clean because of her paints." Jason had given the gift a lot of thought.

"Are there many of those necklaces around?" Maximus would be proud to have Jason as a son in law. There were not many men he could say that about.

"Not from me." Jason knew he was being given a version of the third degree and he didn't mind. As long as Maximus didn't hurt Bella, the man could ask as many questions as he wanted. "They will be awhile. We should start dinner."

"You aren't going to read the file?" Maximus was surprised.

"Not until she gives me permission." Jason threw it on his desk and headed out to the kitchen. "I assume you will want to cook." He asked Maximus.

"Of course." The don loved to cook for those he considered to be family. "Bring her to Italy soon." He said placed a hand on Jason's shoulder as they walked into the kitchen.

"As soon as the semester is over." Jason promised.


He watched from a distance as she ditched the large man assigned to follow her. Carly Benson had very easily given her guard the slip. But she couldn't shake him. He almost lost her when she went into a store and came out in a dark wig and sunglasses. What was up with that? He was surprised when she walked into a less than savory neighborhood. A woman of her stature should not be in this part of the city. Yet no one bothered her. He was guessing they didn't recognize her.

She walked into a run down coffee shop and sat in a booth in the back. There were no empty tables near so he sat on the other side of the room. That was fine he didn't need to hear her conversation, could in fact care less why she was here. He just needed to keep an eye on her and wait for his opportunity. Had it not been for the people on the street he might have gotten rid of her on the way over.

She was joined by a man. Was she stepping out on her boyfriend? Women like her often had lovers on the side. He watched and it didn't take long for him to come to the conclusion that this was some sort of a business meeting. Something that was confirmed, at least in his mind, when Carly slid some papers and an envelope across the table. Five minutes later the man was walking out with a wide smile. Ten minutes after that Carly was leaving as well.

He followed her back to her office, watching as she ditched the disguise, cursing the fact that everyone seemed to be out tonight. It was a cold February night, why wasn't everyone at home. When he passed a large display window he got his answer. Of course. Valentine's was only a few days away. Last minute shoppers. He was not one. His gift to his beloved was already in route to her home. She would love it just as he knew she loved his first two gifts.

Taking up position in the recessed doorway of a store that was closed for the night. He would wait. Based on surveillance over the last two nights Carly didn't stay past six. Once she was in the limo his chance for the night would be over. He would need to come back and try again tomorrow. He had no problem with that. He'd wait weeks if he had to. Keeping his girl safe was all that mattered.


Dinner was wonderful. Maximus was a fantastic cook. During the meal he regaled her with stories of Max and Milo as children, something neither man seemed to mind. In fact they seemed to take great joy in trying to embarrass one another. Despite the age gap the two men were very close. Maximus avoided speaking of Maria because Elizabeth had said she was not ready to hear about her mother. Maximus got the impression she expected them to vanish any minute.

After they had coffee and some of the chocolate cake that was in the house. Jason pulled her aside to tell her that they had the file that Sonny ordered. He wanted to know if she needed to read it first, but she just shook her head no. She already knew what was in it. She lived it. Instead Elizabeth asked Jason to read it and to tell Maximus and everyone else what he felt they needed to know. It was not a conversation that she wished to be a part of. She trusted Jason to handle it.

When Jason went into his office, closing the door behind him, everyone else retired to the living room. It had been a very long and stressful day. Elizabeth was ready to turn in. "I'm going to go to bed. I have school in the morning." She had math class tomorrow, the only class she absolutely hated. Two weeks in and she was already struggling. Francis was a wiz with numbers and he had offered to help her. An offer she gratefully accepted.

"You live here correct?" Maximus asked slowly.

"Yes." Elizabeth raised an eyebrow wondering where he was going with this.

"Which room is yours?" He asked her.

"That's not any of your concern." Elizabeth could feel herself getting angry. She now saw where he was going and it looked like she was headed toward her first fight with the man who thought he was her father.

"I'm your Poppa it is my concern if you are sharing a bed with a man you aren't married to. It is my job to look out for you." He believed that Jason loved his daughter but he felt it was too soon for them to be sleeping together.

"So what you're saying is that Max cannot have sex with someone until you say so?" Elizabeth knew that wasn't what he was saying at all. "If a date is going well and the woman invites him back to her place he needs to call you first to clear it."

"No, of course not." Maximus looked at her like she was crazy.

"So it's Milo who needs to get your permission seeing as he's my age?" Elizabeth asked feeling her temper rise more. "I could see you being worried about your young son being taken advantage of."

"Milo is a grown man I don't make decisions for him." Maximus told her.

"So it's just me. Because I'm a woman I'm not capable of knowing the difference between a man who cares for me and one who's just using me to scratch an itch." Elizabeth crossed her arms across her chest and glared.

Francis and Johnny had seen this side of Elizabeth before. The Giambetti men had not. They were finding out that kitty had some pretty sharp claws. That Elizabeth didn't tolerate people butting into her life without permission. Maximus was about to learn that his daughter was just as strong as her brothers. Probably stronger.

"Let me explain something to you." She walked across the room until she was standing directly in front of the mob don. "I have survived things that would break you. My life has been one person I love after another being taken from me. It has been one episode of pain after another. I learned early that happiness can be fleeting. I love Jason and I'm not going to waste any opportunity to show him that. If you think my living with him and sharing a bed makes me less than angelic, that's too bad. If you think it makes me a whore then fine. Think whatever the hell you want. And one more thing you don't get to play the dad card. We haven't even proven that you are my father. Even if you are you have no right to tell me what to do. The only man I am willing to take orders from is currently down the hall." Elizabeth was not going to let Maximus dictate the type of relationship she could have with Jason. Father or not there are some things he had no say in. Elizabeth placed her hand on her hips and glared at the older man. "As fast as you got a daughter you will lose her. Remember that the next time you want to dictate law." With that Elizabeth walked out the room.

It was Max who cracked first. He had eight years on Milo and he'd seen some of his parents fights. He was now certain that Elizabeth was his sister. No one since his mother had dismantled his father so completely or so quickly. His father never won an argument against his wife. The big man was laughing so hard he had tears streaming down his face.

"Are you finished?" His father asked him. His daughter had inherited her mother's sharp tongue and quick temper. Just like with her mother he had managed to stick both his feet in his mouth.

"Sorry Poppa." Max was down to snickering. "She's just like Momma."

"How so?" Milo only knew his mother through stories and pictures.

"Poppa never won an argument with Momma." Max wiped his eyes.

"What does Morgan do when she's angry with him?" Maria was a traditionalist. Flowers always melted her anger after she made him grovel of course.

"Jason is smart enough to not piss her off." Johnny pointed out. He didn't think they'd had a fight yet.

"It's a skill I never learned with Maria I am hoping to do better with my daughter." He would have to grovel a bit.

"Liz likes chocolate, you should start there." Milo suggested.

"Liz?" Max asked his brother.

"It's what she likes to be called." Milo had enjoyed his time with his sister.

"Don't call her Lizzie. She doesn't like it." Francis warned the men.

Jason came out of his office and his eyes were shooting fire. "Is Elizabeth upstairs?"

"Yes, she went up about five minutes ago." Johnny could see his boss was pissed. He wondered what in the file set him off. They already knew about the sexual assault. "You could call her."

"No. Everyone in my office." Jason said before turning and leaving the room.


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