Elio, p.7
Elio, page 7
“I look forward to seeing you outside these walls, Cora.”
I smiled. “Me too.”
He raised my hand to his mouth and kissed my knuckles. “Have a good day.”
“You too, Enrique.”
Once Enrique left, I finished the rest of the day in a daze. I’d agreed to back-to-back dates with two strong-willed men who both wanted me.
Later that night, I slipped my gold bracelet onto my wrist and applied my favorite red lipstick. I turned in the bathroom mirror and fluffed my hair one more time. I checked the clock as the doorbell rang. EJ was five minutes early. I slipped my feet into my black heels and slid into my jacket. Grabbing my purse and phone, I walked down the hall of my apartment to answer the door.
“Hey, Cora,” EJ greeted me. “These are for you.” He handed me a boutique of red roses.
I dipped my head to inhale their delicate aroma. “Thank you. Let me put them in water.”
I turned and left him on the doorstep while I found a vase in the kitchen, filled it with water, and placed the roses inside.
“Where are we going for dinner?” I asked as I rejoined him.
“Prosecco.”
“Sounds like a normal date for once.”
“Give me credit for trying, Cora.”
“For doing what you’re supposed to do, EJ?”
He caught my elbow, and I looked down at his hand. A shock wave of sensation hit me like it always did when he touched me. I should cut him out of my life the way he did to me all those years ago, but deep down, I knew it wouldn’t work. We were too deeply connected.
“Are you going to allow me to make things right, or have I lost you already?” he asked gruffly.
“I’ll never turn my back on you, EJ. But I need to protect my heart.”
He drew me close, stroking the back of my neck. “The last thing I ever wanted to do was break your heart, but I’m not perfect and never proclaimed to be.”
A million butterflies took flight in my stomach at the intensity in his eyes. “At least you’re being honest.”
“So answer my question.”
“Can we get through dinner first?”
Leaning forward, he kissed me on the forehead. “You look beautiful.”
I closed my eyes briefly at the tender gesture. “Thank you. You look handsome.”
EJ stepped back while I locked the door. Taking my hand, he led me to the elevator. I pushed the button, and our eyes met as we waited.
Outside, EJ helped me into the Bentley before climbing into the driver’s seat.
“Where’s your guard?”
“Around, but I wanted to have alone time with you.” EJ planted a hand on my thigh as he drove through the streets toward Prosecco.
Chapter 8
Elio Jr
Cora scanned the restaurant. Most people came out with their significant other on Saturday nights. Instead of shutting the place down, I booked a private table, ensuring it was still in an area where she would feel comfortable. Cora was the only woman I took on dates and showered with gifts. Other women wished they were in her position. Something about that made me feel small because I no longer had her trust.
“If you don’t mind, I had them present the menu with all your favorites.”
Our waitress set the bottle of Syrah and Sangiovese on the table. I picked it up and poured a small amount into our glasses.
“Cozze e Vongole and Tartufata,” Cora said.
“Plus, dessert afterward at your favorite ice cream shop.”
“I’m being spoiled, and it’s not my birthday.” Her brows drew together, and she pressed her lips into a cute pout.
“It’s my way of starting over with you.”
Cora extended her hand. “Hello, I’m Cora.”
I smile. “I’m EJ.”
“Nice to meet you, EJ. Do you come here often?”
Knowing we were in a crowded restaurant did nothing to subdue my hard-on. Cora’s pouty lips formed a heart shape, begging to be kissed.
“You are dangerous, Cora.” I took a swing of my wine.
“How so?”
“Stunning. Beautiful. I’ll worship you until the day I die.”
She gasped at my words. “I put you on a pedestal EJ.”
“What does that mean?”
“You said you’d worship me, and I realized I’d do the same with you. I put more pressure on you than I should have.”
I reached across the table and covered her hand with mine. “Hey, never question my love for you.”
“I know you love me. We were both kids back then, and I put pressure on you that you had no hope of living up to at twenty. You were discovering who you were and what you wanted out of life.”
“If I’d married you, do you think we’d still be together?”
Cora dropped her eyes, giving me her answer. “Honestly, I think I would have wanted a divorce. Being a wife in your world would probably make me angry and resentful.”
I agreed with her, but her words still stung. My parent’s marriage of over thirty-five years wasn’t all roses and rainbows. Marriage took time, and if you truly loved that person, it was worth all the drama.
Our meals were brought to the table, and Cora picked up her fork, taking the first bite. “Oh, my god. So good.” She moaned and took another bite.
“Keep moaning like that, Cora,” I growled. “I’m happy you're enjoying it, but save room for dessert.”
She saluted me, and I laughed at her silliness. I’d missed that.
“How is business at Calabresi Inc?”
“Business is fine. A lot of contracts have come across my desk.”
“Being a billionaire, do you even think about it all the time?”
“No, but you’ll know what it’s like as soon as we’re married.”
Cora laughed. “There you go on the first date.”
“Stating my intentions now.” I lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles.
She hesitated and squeezed my hand. “Can I tell you something, and you not get mad?”
“Go ahead, Cora.”
“I have a date tomorrow.”
“Cancel it.”
“Elio, you said you wouldn’t get mad.”
“I’m not mad, but you’re not going on a date unless I take you out.”
“Elio.”
Cora always called me by my full name when she was pissed. I liked how her little nose scrunched up when she was angry.
“Cora, I want you to be happy, and I know I’m the person who can give you that. I can’t imagine the man you’re going on a date with tomorrow night making you happy.”
Cora’s mouth opened in shock, but before she could respond, the server arrived.
“Do you need anything else?” she questioned.
“We’re fine, thanks,” I replied with a smile.
“It’s hard to believe you won’t let me be happy,” Cora said as the server retreated.
“You made me fall in love with you.”
Throwing her head back, Cora cackled and waved her hand in the air. “EJ, you make no sense. How is it my fault you fell in love with me?”
I shrugged. “Great pussy.”
“Is that all?”
“No. I love your mind and how you challenge me. I love how close you are to your mother. I know how close you two are. It’s the same for my mother and me.”
“My mind, huh? You always did copy my homework,” she teased.
She was right. But she got her revenge when we played board games.
“You can’t deny I’m better with you.”
Happiness spread over her face. We continued talking about our relationship hits and misses for the rest of dinner. After paying, I drove to Cora’s favorite ice cream shop before returning to her place.
“Are you coming up?” Cora asked as I parked outside.
“I get an invite upstairs? Does that mean I did good so far?”
“So far?” She waited for me to open her door.
I grabbed the leftover ice cream and slid her hand into mine. Closing the door behind us, I escorted her up to her apartment.
Cora opened the door, and we went inside. She took the ice cream from my hand and put it in the freezer. I removed my coat and placed it over the back of the sofa, walking around her to look at the pictures on her walls.
“Do you want coffee or more wine?” Cora asked.
I put the picture of her when she was ten back on the mantel. “Water is fine.”
“Coming right up.”
I went to sit and saw her computer open on the sofa. As I picked it up, a new message popped up on the screen from Anissa.
“Did you tell him about the baby?”
I stared at the computer in shock. Cora was pregnant? Why the hell hadn’t she told me? I remembered we hadn’t used protection in New York.
“Here’s the water, and I made you a cup of coffee.” Cora passed me the bottle of water.
I put it on the table and stared at her stomach.
Cora shifted uneasily. “What’s wrong?”
“Are you pregnant?” I turned the computer to face her.
“You read my messages!” Cora accused.
“Tell me the truth. Are you pregnant?”
“No.”
“Don’t lie to me, Cora.”
“There’s something I never told you.”
I grit my teeth to control my temper. “I’m listening.” If she were about to tell me about another guy, I wouldn’t be responsible for my actions.
Cora dropped her eyes and murmured. “I had a miscarriage.”
I shook my head in confusion. “Wait, you just said you weren’t pregnant.”
“I was.”
I paced back and forth. “Cora, start making sense because you're pissing me off.”
“I found out I was pregnant right after you broke up with me, and the stress caused me to have a miscarriage.” Cora wiped a tear from her cheek.
Memories flooded my mind. How Cora had distanced herself during those first few weeks after we broke up. I’d asked Marilyn where Cora was a few days afterward, and she’d told me that Cora was spending some time traveling.
“Miscarriage,” I whispered.
“I wanted to tell you, Elio.” Cora reached for my hand.
I stepped back, not ready for her to touch me. “I need a minute, Cora.” I grabbed my coat and keys.
“Elio! Where are you going?” Cora followed me to the door.
“Lock up. I’ll call you later.”
“Elio, please talk to me.” Cora tugged at my jacket.
I paused with my hand on the door handle. “Cora, let me go.”
“No.”
“I promise to call you later. I need to process everything.”
She released me, and I left without looking back. I hopped in my car, pulled into traffic, and sped toward the bar.
Had Cora deliberately kept her miscarriage from me?
Do I really know her?
We’d never kept secrets. What else was she keeping from me? I slammed my hand on the steering wheel, running a red light as I swerved to avoid a car. Finally, I found a bar and ambled in to drink all thoughts from my brain.
“Neat bourbon,” I told the bartender.
“Tab?” he asked.
I nodded.
The clock on the wall said midnight. I tossed the bourbon back and motioned for another, peering around the room. A hand fell on my shoulder as I reached into my pocket to grab my phone. I looked up to see Renato.
“How did you know I was here?”
“Cora called me. Said you were upset.”
Renato stood at the bar, facing the crowd. Freddie appeared, and I realized he’d been trailing me all night. He must have called Renato.
“You think that’s the answer?” Renato pointed at the drink in my hand.
I gulped it down and asked for another. “Something stronger.”
“How many has he had?” Renato asked the bartender, who avoided eye contact with him.
“I’m not a kid, Renato.” I shrugged his hand off my shoulder.
Renato leaned on the bar top. “You need to sleep it off.”
“No, what I need is my child!” I barked.
“Walk with me.” Renato extended his arm around my shoulder.
I followed him outside and breathed in the night air. Cora’s words were like a knife to my heart. “She was pregnant, Renato.”
Renato angled me in the direction of the car. “I heard.”
I stopped, and my head swiveled toward him. “You knew?”
He sighed. “She told me when she called.”
“I wonder if Madre knew.”
“No way.”
“How can you be so sure? She loves Cora like a daughter.”
Renato held out his hand. “Give me your keys.”
“I’m fine.”
“EJ, hand them over.”
I dropped the keys into his hand, and he passed them to Freddie.
“She told me she has a date tomorrow.” I chuckled and climbed into the passenger seat of Renato’s car.
“With who?” he asked, settling into the driver’s seat.
“I don’t know. Cora’s trying to hurt me.”
“Once you sleep it off, you’ll figure shit out.” Renato patted me on the back.
Renato started the car and turned on his signal light. He paused when a vehicle pulled alongside us with blacked-out windows.
“You carrying?” Renato asked urgently.
“Always.”
Before Renato and I could react, the window lowered, and a lit bottle mocktail was launched into the street in front of us.
Renato swerved to avoid it. “Motherfuckers!”
He sped up to chase the vehicle. I rolled my window down and fired at the rear tire.
“Call Savio!” Renato barked.
I emptied my clip, hit the Bluetooth in his car, and waited for the dial tone to pick up.
“Renato, it’s midnight,” Mckayla answered groggily.
“Mckayla, I need to talk to Savio.” I heard rustling in the background as Mckayla tried to wake up Savio.
“What?” Savio grumbled at the end of the line.
“We ran out of milk.”
“Spoiled?”
“Deadly.”
“Go directly to the store, and I’ll order a caseload.”
I ended the call. Renato turned off the main street to avoid being ambushed and headed to the office. I kept an eye out for any other suspicious vehicles. Fifteen minutes later, he stopped in front of the building. We hopped out, and Freddie was already there with his automatic rifle. Security opened the door, and we headed to the elevator, pushing the button for the basement.
I texted Savio to get security, asking him to check on Cora in case I’d been followed to her house. “You get the license plate number?” I asked Renato.
“No, but we know it was Vargas’s people.” His eyes were fixed on the basement door. He unlocked it, and we went inside. I took a seat as the door opened, and Savio and Sante entered, escorted by Jason.
“What happened?” Savio was dressed in casual black slacks and a white shirt, his hair ruffled.
“I picked EJ up from the bar, and as we were leaving, someone pulled up alongside and set off a bomb mocktail.”
“Anyone hurt?” Sante asked.
“No,” I replied.
Sante looked at Renato. “Who do you think it was?”
“Vargas. The only enemy we have.”
“Why were you at the bar alone?” Savio wondered.
“I didn’t know I had to account for my whereabouts,” I snapped.
Savio glared at me.
“He had a date with Cora.” Renato tried to ease the tension.
“You put her in danger,” Savio snarled, his eyes narrowed.
I grit my teeth. “You know me better than that. Cora’s safe with me.”
“Not when bombs are being thrown around,” Savio chastised.
“Fuck you, Savio!” I jumped out of my seat, and Renato pushed me back down.
Savio acted like he’d never had to endure bullshit to get Mckayla. I couldn’t think straight between Cora’s confession and the Vargas attack.
My eyes seared toward Savio and Sante. “Did you know about Cora’s miscarriage?”
Sante’s eyebrows rose. “Cora was pregnant?”
Hearing it out loud from my brother hit me even harder. Cora was pregnant. Pregnant and had miscarried because of me. I hadn’t been there to help her handle the loss. All the time we’d missed together could have been avoided if we’d had a conversation and reconnected. Work with the cartel had consumed me. When I first became a lawyer, work was nonstop. I was always traveling, living out of a suitcase at one hotel after another.
“She was,” I said flatly.
Savio sighed. “I’m sorry about Cora. Can you handle what’s coming?”
My thumb hovered over Cora’s name on my phone. “When have you ever questioned me on handling Cartel business?”
“EJ, we’ve all gone through our share of problems, but you’ve had a longer connection with Cora, and she’s like a sister to the rest of us.”
“I can handle it, Savio.”
“He’s good, Savio. The problem is Vargas.” Renato backed me up.
Savio loosened up. “You're right. Did you see the drivers?”
“No.” Renato and I answered in unison.
“Send a counter message,” Savio instructed.
“I want in,” I said.
Sante shook his head. “Renato can handle it alone. As the lawyer and public figure, you shouldn't be anywhere near whatever happens.”
“I know what I’m doing, Sante.”
“Sante’s right, EJ,” Savio argued.
Savio was dealing me out, but I needed to put a mark on the people who’d tried to kill us tonight. Renato discussed how he’d get to Vargas, and I agreed to wait to make a move until we had another meeting with Enrique.
After talking with my brothers, I had Renato drop me off at home, showered, and passed out in bed.
Chapter 9
Cora
A month passed, and I still felt awful about how EJ had found out about the baby. He’d ignored all my calls that night and the following week. Adelina had invited me to a family dinner, but he didn’t show. I knew this news would create a divide between his family and me. My mother told me everybody was fine, but I’d had a conversation with Adelina, and she was upset.
