Amanda
As Tommy and I sat alone in his quiet, dark truck, I explained the situation with Solomon. “And now he’s mad, and his texts are beginning to sound scary. Like this one, for example. You need to come home now or I won’t be responsible for what happens. Doesn’t it sound like a threat?”
A muscle worked in Tommy’s jaw. “It does. When did he send that?”
“Um, yesterday. Right after he sent one saying I had no choice about Vegas. That one was creepy, too, but—”
“Tell me about the Vegas show.”
I told him about everything, including a description of my costume. He listened but didn’t ask any questions. After I finished, he nodded once, pulled out his phone, and sent someone a text. Then he put his truck into drive and pulled out of the parking lot where we’d been hiding. I’m not sure what I expected, but his reaction unnerved me.
When we drove right past my street, I looked at him in surprise. “Where are we going? I thought you were taking me home.”
He kept his eyes on the road. “Where do you think Solomon will go first to look for you?”
I pursed my lips. He was right. “Home?”
“Yes, and that’s why we’re going to have a little chat with Anthony at my place.” He shot me a sideways glance. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m sorry to put you in this spot. You didn’t sign up for this, and you shouldn’t have to deal with the fallout over someone I only dated a few months.”
“You dated him? I thought this was about the contract in Las Vegas.”
“Oops. I guess I left out that part.”
His expression darkened. “I guess you did.”
We pulled into a gated neighborhood and parked in the driveway of a townhouse. It was located in the hills above the South Side in a place called, appropriately enough, South Side Slopes. The area had changed a great deal since I lived here, becoming gentrified, with expensive cars in many of the driveways and lots of newly constructed houses, including this one.
“This is nice,” I said, getting out of Tommy’s truck. “Whose house is this?”
“Mine,” he said, pulling his keys out of his pocket.
We climbed a set of stairs to the front door. The first floor was a large garage. Tommy held open the door for me and flicked on the lights. I couldn’t believe what I saw when I walked in.
“Wow. Your view is amazing,” I said, heading straight to the floor to ceiling windows that comprised one wall. Being perched high on a hill, the house had an unobstructed view of downtown Pittsburgh.
Tommy stood beside me. “This is why I bought it. I never expected to live in such a modern house, but I like it.”
“So do I.”
His furniture was minimalistic. A large leather couch flanked by two chrome and leather chairs faced the window. A dining area and a kitchen with stainless steel appliances was on the right, and a fireplace on the left.
He took my coat and hung it in a closet. “Can I get you a cup of coffee? Anthony will be here in a few minutes.”
“That would be nice.” We stepped into his kitchen and I sat at a barstool by his island. “This place is a chef’s dream, Tommy. One of my mother’s ‘friends’ was a professional cook. I loved watching him work.”
He made a cappuccino using an expensive looking espresso machine. “Your mom had a lot of ‘friends’?”
“Oh, yes. More than I could count.”
“So, she’s a romantic?”
I snorted. “You could say that, I guess, but I’m not sure romance motivates her. It has more to do with finances, and also an inability to be alone. She’s a deeply insecure and unhappy person.”
“I’m sorry for her. A person who can’t be happy on their own will never be truly happy.”
He handed me the steaming mug. It smelled amazing, but I stared at it. “She’s also afraid. Of being unwanted. Of being a failure. Of…a lot of things.”
I didn’t know if I was talking about Celeste or myself at this point. We overlapped sometimes.
Tommy leaned on the island, facing me. “We’re all scared, Amanda, but fear is temporary. Regret is forever.”
I stared at him. “When did you become Kung Fu Panda?”
He laughed, his eyes crinkling in the corners, and I thought about what happened in the dark stillness of his truck. Tommy Belfiore had been the first boy I ever kissed, way back in high school. I’d kissed a few more since, but none of them ever made me feel like he did. I’d had a crush on him for so long, but tonight was a revelation, because nothing had changed. His kisses still made me all squishy inside. Just thinking about it sent a tingle over my body and made my breathing a little shallow. Mostly because I wanted to kiss him again. His gaze went to my lips. Was he imagining the same thing?
The doorbell rang, making me jump, and I nearly spilled my cappuccino. Tommy put a hand on my arm. “It’s just Anthony. Don’t worry.”
He went to the door and opened it, and Anthony came inside. Tommy still wore his church clothes, a button-down Ralph Lauren shirt in pale green and dark khakis that sat low on his hips and did wonderful things to show off his thighs and his bottom. Anthony’s clothes did wonderful things for him, too, but he did not look like he went to church. He looked exactly the opposite, in fact, with a black T-shirt that hugged his lean, muscular body and black jeans. Anthony had always been the bad boy of the Belfiore family. Although he was different from Tommy, with his swagger and his attitude and his dark eyes and straight hair, there was no doubt they were brothers.
“What’s going on?” he asked, hands on his hips.
Tommy made him an espresso and sat next to me at the island. “Tell him, Amanda.”
“Well,” I said, clearing my throat. “It all started when my mom forged my signature.” I frowned. “Actually, it started before that, when my mom dated a man named Frank, an insurance salesman with mob connections. His nephew, Solomon, is one of those connections. He’s sort of stalking me at the moment and he just showed up in Pittsburgh.”
Anthony sighed. “Maybe you should text your sister. I imagine she’ll want to hear about this, too.”
I messaged Eliza and texted her the address. She arrived at Tommy’s house ten minutes later.
“What’s going on?”
Anthony tilted his head toward Tommy’s living room. “You’re going to want to sit down for this.”
Tommy brought her a cup of Americano, and she sipped it gratefully. She wore her casual weekend wear—a grey jacket, a matching pair of designer slacks, a pink silk blouse, and heels. Eliza always, always wore heels. The only time she didn’t was when she worked out.
“Amanda has something she needs to tell you,” said Anthony. He sat on a chair facing Eliza. Tommy and I sat on the couch.
“What?” asked Eliza, cup in hand.
I wrung my fingers. “I spoke with Celeste last week. She told me Solomon planned to come to Pittsburgh. She said Monday, meaning tomorrow, but I saw him when we were driving home today. He was in the car next to us.”
“The mobster-stalker guy?”
“Exactly. He’s upset I broke our contract. And maybe he thinks we’re still dating.”
“Contract?” asked Anthony.
“Still dating?” asked Tommy.
“I was supposed to do a show in Vegas. It involved tigers. He gave my mother a lot of money as an advance, and she spent it. All of it.” I tucked my hair behind my ears. “This isn’t the first time this sort of thing has happened. My mother considers herself my manager.”
“A charitable way to describe it,” said Eliza, her mouth a tight line.
I turned to Tommy. “And I’m not dating him. Solomon is confused. Mostly because I never officially broke up with him.”
“Great,” said Tommy, looking irritated. A remarkable thing because Tommy never looked irritated. Ever. “What do we do now?”
Eliza pondered it. “The solution is simple. We’ll give Solomon whatever you owe him and move on. How much is it?”
“A lot,” I said, shooting her a worried glance. “But he wants me to perform more than he wants the money.”
“Of course, he does.” Eliza put her face in her hands. “You’ve got to stop doing this, Amanda.”
I stared at her in shock. “It wasn’t my fault.”
“It’s never your fault.”
Tommy frowned. “Hold on, Eliza. It doesn’t seem fair to blame Amanda. Her mother is the one who signed the contract.”
“But Amanda is the one who let him hear her sing.” She glared at me. “If you don’t control it, it will control you. But you’ve never learned, have you?”
I bristled under her sharp gaze. She’d never spoken about my singing problem in front of non-family members before, and it took me by surprise.
“I was at home, working in my sound studio. I told you this already. I didn’t know Solomon was there. Celeste set me up.”
“And now Solomon is obsessed with you. We’ve been through this before. You know what happens when you sing. You need to take some responsibility for it.” She put down her cup and folded her arms across her chest. I noticed a jade bracelet on her wrist I hadn’t seen before. When she caught me looking at it, she covered it with her sleeve. “First things first. You didn’t sign the contract, so you don’t have to do the show.”
“But Celeste did, and Solomon is threatening to press charges against her.”
“Fine,” said Eliza, lifting her hands. “Let him.”
My lip wobbled as I tried not to cry. “I know you hate her, but she’s my mom. I can’t let her go to jail.”
“So, you’re okay performing with live tigers?”
“No, but—”
“This isn’t the first time she’s done this, and, if you cave again, it won’t be the last.”
I hated how she always made me feel so weak and incompetent. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you Solomon was coming. I knew you’d act like this.”
“Ladies, can we stop playing the blame game and deal with the problem at hand?” asked Anthony. “I’m concerned about Amanda’s safety. I imagine he has someone watching your house. It was smart of you to bring her here, Tommy.”
“Maybe that’s who was in the bushes last week when Tommy drove me home.”
Eliza frowned. “No. It was someone else.”
“And why do you say that?” asked Anthony.
She patted her hair, a definite sign she was uncomfortable. “It’s complicated.”
“Explain.” When Anthony studied her with his penetrating gaze, she shifted in her seat.
“I don’t think it’s related.”
“Explain it anyway.”
“Fine. If you insist,” she said with a frown. “Do you know Ivan Rochat?”
Anthony’s expression darkened. “Yes. What about him?”
“Mrs. Trabuski gave me something to hold onto for her, but he thinks it belongs to him.”
“The Red Dragon?” asked Anthony.
Eliza’s eyes widened in surprise. “You know about it?”
“Unfortunately, I do.”
“What is it?” asked Tommy.
“A valuable antique belonging to Mrs. Trabuski. Ivan believes he can lay claim to it as part of his inheritance, but we’ve discussed it and worked out a temporary solution.” She cleared her throat, faint pink tingeing her cheeks. Did Eliza just blush? My sister never blushed. She continued. “But he has a brother, Gabriel, who also assumes he has a claim. Ivan caught Gabriel trying to break into my house last night, and he told me Gabriel was also the one hiding in the bushes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
She narrowed her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me about Solomon?”
“Back to Ivan,” said Anthony, rubbing his temples. “I don’t trust him, but he’s been cleared of all charges. Apparently, he has friends in high places. I didn’t know he had a brother, though. This is news to me.”
“So, you have two dangerous men sneaking around your house?” asked Tommy.
“Technically three, if you include Ivan,” I said.
“But he isn’t the one I’m worried about,” said Eliza. “Nor is Gabriel. He might want to steal from me, but Solomon wants Amanda. I’m not sure how to keep her safe. I need to talk to our dad about it. He might have a solution.”
“I have one,” said Tommy. “She can stay here with me.”
We all stared at Tommy. Anthony was the first to speak. “It makes sense. You live in a gated community with good security. And there is no way Solomon would connect you to Amanda. Even if he did, you just moved in here. It would be almost impossible for him to trace you.”
“Exactly. And I already took the week off work,” said Tommy. Anthony shot him a funny look, and Tommy cleared his throat. “The point is Amanda will be safe here.”
Anthony considered it. “It’s a good option. How do you feel, Eliza?”
“I’m okay with it.”
I stared at all three of them. “Does anyone plan on asking me how I feel about it?”
“Nope,” said Eliza. “Your opinion doesn’t matter. Keeping you protected is what matters.”
“Stop it, Eliza,” said Tommy, and I was impressed. No one stood up to Eliza. Not even our dad. “She’s an adult. She can make her own decisions.” He turned to me. “What do you think, Amanda?”
Ignoring the derisive noise my sister made, I kept my gaze on Tommy. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
“I’m sure.” He turned to Eliza. “Will she be okay at your office? Should she come to work tomorrow?”
“No, not tomorrow. I’m in court all day tomorrow and Tuesday. I don’t want her to be there alone. Let’s give it a day or two.”
“I agree,” said Anthony. “He hasn’t technically done anything wrong yet, so it’s hard for me to step in. But I’ll look into it and see if I can get any dirt on Solomon.”
“Maybe you could call that girl you know who works at the paper?” asked Tommy. “Tiffany?”
Anthony shrugged, something unreadable in his eyes. “Maybe.”
“Okay, so I guess we have a plan,” said Tommy.
“I’ll follow Eliza home,” said Anthony, getting to his feet. “I want to check out the house and the grounds. Eliza can pack an overnight bag for you, and I’ll drop it off here on my way back to my place.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Both of you.”
I couldn’t look at my sister. Only one day after promising she’d treat me like an adult, she reverted back to acting like I was an irresponsible child.
“Don’t mention it,” said Anthony. “It’s our pleasure. Isn’t it, Tommy?”
Tommy narrowed his eyes at his older brother. “Of course, it is, Anthony.”
“It’s so interesting you’d already taken this week off,” said Anthony, tucking his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans. “Almost like a message.”
Tommy shot his brother an irritated look. “You can shut up now.”
I had no idea what that was about, but Anthony seemed to enjoy himself. He had a definite twinkle in his dark eyes, as if he found this whole situation amusing.
I did not find it amusing at all. I was furious with Eliza, and embarrassed I’d let myself get into this mess. I also felt awkward about staying with Tommy. After what had happened in his truck, we had to set some ground rules. For his sake, not mine. I’d happily kiss him all day if I could.
Eliza left without saying goodbye. Not a surprise. Anthony gave me a brief wave. “See you soon. I’ll leave your things on the front porch if you’re sleeping. I’m not sure how long it’ll take.”
I watched him go, humiliated. This was Anthony’s day off, and here he was, stuck helping us out. And here I was, stuck at Tommy’s house, forcing him to take care of me, like some big loser baby.
Blinking away tears, I turned to look at the view of the city sparkling in the distance. I saw myself reflected in the glass. I still wore my pretty mauve dress and my heels. The highlights Salvatore put in my hair looked amazing, as did the cut, but inside I was still mousy little bespectacled Amanda. Even if I did have in contact lenses at the moment.
Gosh, I hoped Eliza would remember to pack my contact solution. Knowing her, she’d forget out of spite.
Tommy came up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders. I watched in the glass as he leaned down and kissed the top of my head.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said. “We won’t let him hurt you.”
I hadn’t even been thinking about Solomon, but now the fear I’d been holding back hit me all at once. I remembered the look in his eyes when I told him I wouldn’t do the show. And that look, combined with frustration at Celeste for once again messing up my life, had been what prompted me to leave California in the first place. But had I made the right choice?
Almost like Tommy read my mind, he said, “Stop blaming yourself, Amanda. Eliza didn’t mean what she said. She’s just worried.”
Once again, he was generous and kind. I’d put him in a weird situation but refused to make this any harder for him.
“Thank you, Tommy,” I said, stepping away from him even though I longed for his touch, and turned to face him. “And I want you to know you have nothing to be concerned about as far as our, uh, temporary cohabitation is concerned. I won’t bother you. I promise.”
“What do you mean?”
I closed my eyes. “I know you want to be a priest, so I’ll just pretend you already are one. I’ll treat you like I treat Father Bob. I won’t…you know…put you in a compromising position.”
When Tommy didn’t say anything, I opened my eyes. His expression was unreadable, so I kept talking.
“What happened in your truck…I promise it won’t happen again. I basically attacked you, and I’m so sorry—”
“You have nothing to be sorry about, Amanda,” he said. “It might be a while until Anthony brings your things, so I’ll get you something to change into. Of course, anything I have will be miles too big on you, but we’ll make do.”
He turned to go up the stairs but halted before he reached them, his back to me. “And, by the way, you didn’t attack me. I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time. All you did was give me the chance.”