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“How do we, get stuff?” I ask while he is here. There’s no way what we have will last us very long at all.
“What sort of stuff?” he asks me with a chuckle.
“Food, for starters. But also, the baby’s formula is wrong. It is probably making him grizzly.”
He nods, and then speaks.
“We make a list and wait for a boat, it’s not a quick thing.” I thought as much but had hoped for better news. “There’s chickens, and a vegetable garden when the weather isn’t absolute shit and you can get out there for eggs and other things.” That helps, at least I can work with that. “What other stuff is there you think you might need?” he asks, and I think about it.
“Nothing else, just some food essentials and the baby formula.” I am happy with being alive, I don’t need anything else. I am not a guest here, I know that. He finishes his meal and washes his plate.
“Make me a list, Lucia, I will get what we need on the next boat.”
He doesn’t say when that will be. I just assume it will not be soon and go back to sorting out what we do have in the pantry. There’s not much else I can do. The baby is still crying, I can hear him through the closed door. I try ignoring it, but it’s impossible. He is wailing, and there’s not even a break in between. Something is upsetting him, and no one is helping him.
The sound pulls at my heartstrings, and I just cannot shut it out. I close the pantry and walk down the passage to where the office door is closed. I stand there, should I knock? Offer to help? Will he be mad if I do? I am still thinking about it when he yells from inside.
“What do you want Lucia?” It takes a second to get my thoughts and words together.
“Do you want me to help with the baby? He sounds really upset, I could change him and see if he will nap for you.” I wait there in awkward silence wondering if he heard me, it takes ages before he opens the door and passes the crying baby out to me. He doesn’t say anything, just closes the door again and leaves us there.
“Your uncle is an odd one,” I whisper to the baby and take him to the nursery for a fresh diaper and to see if he will go down for a little snooze. He has cried himself into a state, and it will take some time to calm him down. His whimpers and sniffs are so soft. Clinging to me, like I am saving his life, I struggle to get him on the changing table. “Come on, let’s sort you out. No one likes a smelly butt.” I change him, and he calms down the moment his wet diaper is gone. Sal should have changed it ages ago — but I am not sure he understands how diapers work. For a smart man he needs help with some pretty basic stuff. I’m talking to the little boy as if he can answer me and doing my best to calm him down.
Wrapped in a soft baby blanket, I hold him close and rock him gently. He has literally cried himself to the point he is exhausted. The thought of putting him down is just too much, he needs to be loved. His whole world is gone, and I am sure he misses his mother’s arms. We sit together in the rocking chair, and I nap with him for a long while. He needed to sleep, and when he wakes up, he’s a happy baby again. I think it’s his hard uncle that scares him, the poor thing. Just being left in the playpen all day would drive anyone to tears.
CHAPTER12
Salvatore
She gets him to sleep so easily and watching them together riles me up. Why won’t he sleep when he is with me? I have tried everything. I watch them napping together, she’s a natural with him. I wind up my work for the day, and a list of supplies is brought to me. I place orders for what we need and add a few things I think Lucia may need too. There’s a week before a boat will be here, but I am sure we can manage until then.
She didn’t ask for anything for herself, only for Raul. Nothing on the list goes beyond food and baby supplies. I watch her, constantly. It’s impossible to stop even now she is here under my roof. The obsession hasn’t stopped, it’s only getting worse.
She’s not the entitled brat I thought she was, at least not here where she is stripped down to nothing. Her attitude has surprised me. Maybe it’s because her life is literally in my hands, but she hasn’t kicked up the stink I thought she would. It’s as if this has humbled her and she has accepted her fate.
After they nap, she takes the baby to the kitchen, and she carries him on her hip while she takes plates and cutlery from there to the dining room. She sets the table, with all the proper settings, counting everyone in the house. I don’t plan on eating with my staff, but they can sit down for dinner after we do.
I watch until she is done with the preparations, and when she sets Raul down in the high-chair I go to join them in the dining room. “I was about to come get you,” Lucia says with a soft smile, “dinner is ready.” Lightning flashes outside illuminating the room, highlighting just how gorgeous she is when she has no make-up on her pretty face.
“Thank you,” I say, taking a seat.
“Should I get everyone else?” she asks looking around the empty room.
“No, they can eat after we are done,” I say. The food smells amazing. Lucia looks slightly shocked I don’t want anyone here to join us. She worked hard on this meal, but I don’t want to share her with anyone right now. Watching her all afternoon has done things my mind and body — things others might notice. Lucia dishes up for me, like a good Italian girl, then sits down beside the baby and dishes up for herself. “How are you so good with the baby?” I ask her, genuinely wanting to know. Because so far, he doesn’t like anything about me, yet he seems to love her.
“I have a big family, lots of baby cousins, nieces, and nephews. That’s just how it works, I was always the babysitter,” she says before taking another bite of her food. I think on it, we never had that. It was always just me and my brother, there were nannies and later bodyguards. But I don’t know of any cousins or anyone that would watch us — or Raul. He and I are alone. That thought reminds me again that we are only alone because of her family. This isherfault.
“Would you like some wine?” I ask her because I have a bottle that will pair perfectly with this dinner. I get up, open the small wine refrigerator in the dining room and take it out.
“Yes, please,” she says and her manners both irritate and impress me. Filling our glasses with the rich merlot, I sit back down and drink mine too fast. I pour another and help myself to more food. Lucia licks her bottom lip after a sip of wine. Mimicking her action I lick my lips, but it’s not the wine I want to taste, it’s her. I can’t tear my eyes off her, only there is no screen separating us in here, she can see me staring right at her.
“I have been wondering what to do with you, Lucia,” I say, watching as she quiets the baby with a simple touch. “If I should just kill you or extort the ransom money from your family before I kill you. But watching you today, I have a better idea.” I take a sip of my wine, seeing her face when I speak about killing her — and that’s what I should do. She knows it as well as I do, but there is something about this woman that has me acting out of character.
“A better idea than killing me or claiming my kidnap insurance?” she tries to sound brave, but I pick up on the shake in her voice and the way her fingers curl tighter around her fork.
“Yes, much better.” The way she looks at me, waiting in anticipation to know what I plan to do with her. “You took something from that little boy, your family stole his mother.” I nod towards the boy who has a chunk of her hair in his tiny hand and is pulling it, so she has to bend towards him. “So, you will take that place, you will care for him. You, Lucia, are going to be what is missing. Or I can kill you,” I say, placing my gun down on the table so she can understand this is an either-or situation. Because if I don’t give her that choice, I leave the door open for my own choices, and those are not looking good for her either.
“For how long?” she asks me, looking at Raul now.
