Jeanne Ellen
Holy freaking hot flash. Luigi was one hunky specimen of a man. My body hummed when I entered the club. I hadn't felt that way since I met my late husband. Who was the man? Would he stay in Trenton? Tank said Luigi worked at Rangeman Miami. Would I have to move? There was no way in hell I would let that man leave without me.
I watched Stephanie approach Luigi. She hugged him, then whispered. His shocked expression made her smile. "Come on, Gee. We should tell Jeanelle who you are," Stephanie said. "Les, can you get Vince and bring him to my apartment?"
Stephanie grabbed my hand after I pulled my camisole over my head to cover my bra. She dragged Luigi and me into the elevator, then used her fob to access the seventh floor. I couldn't stop myself from staring at Luigi. In the confined space, my body vibrated. Goosebumps appeared on his tanned skin, proving he was as affected by me.
Luigi rubbed his neck and stepped closer. Our arms touched. The electricity moved between us. I was tempted to jump him, but I needed to shower and wash away the makeup covering my exposed flesh.
"Use my shower, Jeanelle. I left clothes in the bathroom for you to change," Stephanie said as we entered her apartment. "Oh, and use the body wash to the left. Ella said it would help."
It took a few minutes to scrub the makeup from my face, neck, arms and chest. The setting powder took a lot of soap to remove. I used nearly the entire bottle of body wash. After cleaning my body, I wrapped a towel around my torso, then used another towel to dry my hair. I glanced into the mirror at my reddened cheeks.
A pink bottle grabbed my attention. My hands shook as I lifted it from the vanity. It was my favourite lotion. A smaller bottle containing face moisturizer sat beside it. Stephanie had thought of everything. I loved my cousin-in-law. She was a kind and generous woman. Her daughter, Isabelle, was exactly like her mother. I was lucky to be a part of her family.
The bra and panty set Stephanie left for me were soft against my skin. I found scissors in the vanity drawer to remove the tags. The shirt and pants were also new.
When I exited the washroom, I found Stephanie, Isabelle, Vince, Tank, Lester and Luigi in the living room. "Did I miss the party?" I asked.
Isabelle got off the couch to hug me. "Are you okay, Aunt Jeanelle?" she quietly asked.
"I have a few bruises, but I'll live. Oh and stage makeup doesn't mix well with fake blood. I'm afraid I used all the shower gel," I replied. Isabelle released her grip but held onto my hand. I giggled when she pushed me into the spot between Luigi and Stephanie.
"Don't worry about it," Stephanie said. "I assumed you'd use it all."
"Hey, Steph. When did that appear?" I asked, pointing to her abdomen.
"Sometime between midnight and 0600 hours," she replied. "It's not my first pregnancy. My body knows what it needs to do. Did you get Terry?"
I bumped her shoulder, making her laugh. "You know we did. Gee was amazing. He got her to spill the plan," I answered. Stephanie clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "I know, Steph. I shouldn't underestimate my role in her arrest."
A phone rang in the distance. Stephanie rolled her eyes, then got off the couch. She entered her bedroom. We listened to see if we could overhear the conversation. Stephanie was barely talking. Twenty minutes later, she returned with her mouth stuck wide open. "Oh, my God! I never expected that to happen," she said.
"Report," Tank barked. Stephanie shook her head. She held up a finger to collect her thoughts.
After shaking her head a few more times, Stephanie returned to the spot beside me. "That was my dad. Vito and his lawyer met with Terry Gilman in the interrogation room. They got Terry released on bail. A few blocks away from the TPD, the residents on the busy street heard a gunshot. Terry is dead. Someone shot her between the eyes," Stephanie said.
"What the fuck?" Vince asked. "Didn't anyone stop Vito from killing her?"
"Terry got killed by a sniper," Stephanie said. "Vito's weapon never discharged."
"Who?" Tank asked.
"Probably one of Vito's associates. Outside the precinct, people heard Vito screaming at Terry for disrespecting the family by attempting to murder an innocent woman and her unborn child," Stephanie replied. Stephanie shook her head. What did she know?
"Why would Vito care?" Luigi asked.
I stopped Stephanie from talking. "It was how Vito lost his wife and son. Someone murdered her as payback to Vito," I replied. Stephanie crossed herself and silently prayed for Vito's late wife and son.
"Is the threat to Stephanie gone?" Tank asked.
"Yes," Stephanie replied. "Vito assured my father that nobody else would come after me."
"You're free," I whispered. Stephanie nodded, then started crying. The events of the night released the flood gates to Stephanie's tear ducts.
"Sorry, Jeanelle. It's the hormones," Stephanie cried. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder to comfort her. Luigi passed Stephanie some Kleenex to wipe her eyes and nose.
"I know, sweetie." Isabelle rolled her eyes, then went to the kitchen. She returned with a pint of Cherry Garcia and a spoon.
"Thanks, baby," Stephanie said. She opened the container and happily ate. Her tears disappeared. I giggled before focusing my attention on Luigi.
"Tell me about yourself, Gee," I said.
"My mother was born in Trenton, New Jersey. Her name is Adriana. She moved to Florida when I was five after my father died during a routine deployment. I'm an only child because my mom couldn't have anymore after I was born. I have family in New Jersey. My Aunt Anna and Uncle Jimmy own a restaurant, but I can't remember the name. The last time I saw my cousins was at my father's funeral. I doubt they would remember me because they were too young," Luigi said.
"You're my cousin?" Vince asked.
"I don't know," Luigi honestly replied. "Are you?"
"Who is your other uncle in the area?" Stephanie asked through squinted eyes.
"Frank. I believe his wife's name was Helen?"
"Yup. Luigi is our cousin, Vince. Though I had referred to you as such when you arrived here, Luigi," Stephanie reminded him. "My father's name is Frank. He was married to Helen. She passed away a few months ago." Luigi opened his mouth to offer condolences.
"Don't," I warned. "Helen had done many despicable things to Stephanie while alive. Stephanie isn't sorry that she's dead. Maybe disappointed that she didn't pay for her crimes, but not sad."
Isabelle added, "Helen was doing the same thing to Mary Alice as to Stephanie. I meant she kept telling Mary Alice to behave like a proper Burg girl."
"It sounds like you had an interesting life," Luigi joked.
"You could say that again. At times, it was a little too overwhelming and busy," Stephanie confessed.
"My fingers are crossed that you all of a sudden become the proud owner of a boring life, Steph," Luigi said.
"Pass. Where's the fun in that?" Stephanie replied. Everyone laughed. Stephanie shrugged, then ate the last spoonful of the ice cream. I smiled when Vince grabbed the container to toss away. "Sweet. Merry Men cleaning service."
"What did you call our cousin?" Luigi asked.
I laughed and explained that Stephanie called the men her Merry Men. They had nicknames for her, so she felt it was justified to have one for them. "We already have nicknames," he argued.
"True," Stephanie replied, "But you guys like your names. I barely tolerate mine."
"It could be worse," I joked.
"What could be a worse nickname?" Luigi asked, falling into my carefully laid trap.
"Cupcake," Stephanie replied, shuddering. "Anything is better than that disgusting name." Luigi wondered how Stephanie got that nickname. Isabelle already knew the story, so Stephanie shared. Luigi agreed that Cupcake was not a good nickname.
"Okay, guys. Mom needs to sleep. I heard it's exhausting growing a tiny human," Isabelle announced. She escorted us to the door. I noticed Vince hung back. He was probably spending the night again. Vince stayed with Stephanie since the night Carlos left for his mission. I prayed my cousin would be home soon. Stephanie needed her husband.
Lester had pulled Luigi aside. They were talking in muted tones while glancing at me occasionally. Honestly, I could take care of myself. I don't need my brother watching over me. Luigi and I went to the garage. I had planned to stay in my brother's apartment but changed my mind. "Would you mind if I went home with you?" I asked.
"Jeanelle, I don't want to piss off your brother or cousin," he replied, using my nickname. "I would love you to come home with me." I couldn't wait to learn more about the man who made my body sing.
"We need to talk about our cosmic connection," I said. Luigi wisely nodded and grabbed my hand. "Smart boy."
Stephanie
I smiled in amusement. Vince caught my grin and asked, "Why are you looking so happy?"
"Luigi and Jeanne Ellen have the same connection as Carlos and me," I replied.
"And Lotte with me?"
"Yes," I replied. "Luigi was only supposed to be in town until we caught Terry. You don't think Tank would send him home, do you? I would hate for Jeanelle to miss the opportunity to spend time with Gee."
"Who knows what the big guy thinks," Vince said. "You could put in a transfer for Luigi if that's what he wants. After all, you're the CEO in charge."
"True, but I refuse to abuse the power Carlos trusted me with," I replied. "Luigi has to request a transfer." Vince shrugged like it was a done deal. It would be nice to have another cousin in the city. Sure, Vinnie lived in Trenton, but I never really counted him as family. He was a sexual deviant. We didn't travel in the same social circles.
"Do you think Ram would date Maureen?" Vince asked. I grinned at my cousin. "She's been asking about him."
"Really? Are you playing matchmaker, Vince?" I joked. He shook his head and mumbled. I couldn't hear what he said. "I'm tired. See you in the morning?"
"Yup. Goodnight, cousin," he replied.
"Goodnight, Uncle Vince," Isabelle yelled from her room. He chuckled and wished her goodnight. "Love you, mom. You too, Ricky."
"Are you expecting a boy?" Vince asked, stopping me in my tracks.
"Isa seems to think so. It doesn't matter to me." Vince mumbled something which sounded like, "sure, it doesn't." Honestly? I wanted to give Carlos a son.
My dreams were filled with sexy times with my husband. It had been too long since he left on his mission. I knew he should be coming home soon, but it couldn't be soon enough. What was taking so long? They couldn't be renegotiating his contract. He still had a few years.
In the morning, I called to meet with Marco. We had to discuss the information Hector had uncovered. I didn't want Isabelle home to be bored hanging around Rangeman. When I told Vince about my plan for the morning, he promised to keep Isabelle occupied. After Marco arrived for the meeting, Vince and Isabelle went to play paintball with the off-duty men.
It took me a few minutes to grab the documents from the safe. I wanted to know how long the stipend paid to the Morellis was supposed to last. The documents from my father didn't specify. I assumed the managing company had the paperwork. "Who manages the vineyard and businesses in your absence?" Marco asked when I explained why I called him.
I had to review the documents forwarded with the quarterly profits. "Cattaneo Securities," I replied. "They got recommended by my grandmother's barrister in Italy."
Marco grinned, then dialled the international number. He asked to speak to Giovanni Cattaneo. I was surprised Marco spoke fluent Italian. Marco winked as he waited for the receptionist to forward the call. "How may I help?" Giovanni asked, speaking Italian.
"My name is Marco Alvarez. I'm a US attorney representing Stephanie Testa, the current owner of Testa Vineyard and Winery," Marco replied.
"Pleasure, sir. What do you need from me today?" Giovanni asked.
"A copy of the stipend agreement between Anna Testa and Bella Morelli," Marco replied.
"Yes. I have it here," he said. "Where should I fax the copy?"
"Could you send a fax to email?" Marco asked.
"My receptionist digitized my files. They're in a secured, encrypted folder. I could forward a digital copy. You'll need a password to open the document," Giovanni suggested. I wondered how I could open it.
Marco watched my face change from confusion to realization. "A digital copy would suffice. However, my client wants a hard copy of the agreement," Marco countered.
"Very well, sir. I'll send them immediately. Thank your client for her trust in my company," Giovanni replied. Marco gave his email address to Giovanni.
An image popped into my my head, making me call out, "Wait." Marco handed me the phone. "Mr. Cattaneo, are you related to Frances Marcelo Plum?"
"Yes, ma'am," he replied. "Do you know him?"
"He was my grandfather," I replied.
"Marcelo was my uncle," Giovanni replied. "His sister, Maria, married my father."
"Small world. I trust you to protect my company?" I asked. I didn't have to ask. Italian families took care of each other. I relaxed, knowing my relative was overseeing the operations of my businesses.
"With my life. I would keep my family's investment safe. Take care, Stephanie. I hope you visit soon," he replied, then hung up.
Marco smiled when the email arrived. I grinned, then typed in the details. "How did you know the password?" Marco asked.
"I realized it was my great-grandmother's name with her birth date and the date she purchased the land," I replied. "Giovanni will likely change the password."
Marco printed the document, then gave it to me to read. "What does it say?" he asked. I printed a second copy to write notes on. Marco passed me a highlighter and a red pen.
The contract was only supposed to last until the heir ceased payments. Sweet. I could terminate the agreement. "We only have to contact Giovanni to stop sending money to Bella Morelli. It says, "This contract remains valid until the heir terminates transactions or the recipient dies, whichever comes first." It means we don't have to send Bella a dime," I replied. "I want to stop sending Bella Morelli money she doesn't deserve or had never earned. The amount she receives is more than some employees at the vineyard. That's not right."
"As you wish," Marco said, grinning. "I can't wait to see her reaction."
"Rangeman runs security inside her bank branch. We could get Hector to retrieve a copy. She'll probably curse me or give me the eye, hoping my ovaries would shrivel and die. Bella Morelli doesn't scare me. How soon can we implement this?" I asked.
"It would take a few weeks for it to take effect. Giovanni has to contact the banks to rescind the order. At most, Bella would receive a payment for next month," Marco explained. That was fine by me as long as she never received a cent more. My great-grandmother was generous. She didn't owe the Morellis a dime. But I knew she paid them to leave Italy to protect her family.
"Thanks for handling this for me. Should we send a letter to Bella Morelli?" I didn't want to contact the woman.
Marco read the contract, then shook his head. "It says you can cancel payments without warning or prior notification," he replied.
"Then that's what we'll do. Thank you for helping me, Marco. I didn't want to stop payments unless it was within my rights," I said.