Raising my glass, I met his with a clank. “And more time in bed.”
Tristan dangled a bunch of grapes just above my mouth. I craned my neck to grab one with my teeth but only ended up biting the air. Taking one grape off the vine, he held it between his teeth and smiled. “Do you remember that first night I fed you?”
Nodding, I said, “Yes. It was the most erotic thing I’d ever experienced.” Plucking the grape from his mouth, I popped it into my own. “I think it’s time I fed you.”
He swallowed the last of his champagne and leaned back against the headboard. “Mmmm, I like that.”
Climbing on top of him, I took the glass and grapes out of his hands. “Then this is perfect. I’ll be the last woman to do that for you.”
He gave me a devilish grin and looked up at me as I straddled his hips. “I really like that.”
I grabbed a chunk of pineapple and placed it on his tongue. “Here’s to us being the first and last of many things for each other.”
His face grew serious, and he stroked his thumb over my cheek. “I love you, Nina. Don’t ever doubt that, no matter how I screw things up. I love you.”
Leaning down, I kissed him lightly on the lips and slipped another grape into his mouth. “No more talk about messing up. We’re in Venice, in love, and in bed eating fruit and champagne. And when we get up tomorrow morning, I’m holding you to a promise you made the last time we were here. That means museums, Mr. Stone. It’s time you see Venice for what it really is.”
He smiled and I knew he remembered his promise. “It’s isn’t the Louvre, but it’s a deal. First, though, I have all night with you before we head out to the museums. I plan to make the most of it.”
***
Some problem at the hotel forced the concierge to interrupt us just as we planned to leave for our museum tour, and I was forced to wait in the suite for hours while Tristan cleared up the mess. Just when I believed we’d miss the chance yet again for me to show him the art wonders of Venice, he returned, ready to learn all about what he’d been missing in the art world.
As we walked hand-in-hand to the Piazza San Marco, I explained my plans for the rest of the day. “I first want to take you to Ca’ Rezzonico. There’s an entire floor dedicated to paintings that show what the city was like in the eighteenth century. Then we can visit the museum you found me at yesterday, Museo Civico Correr.”
“We can go wherever you want. I told you it’s about time I get some culture.”
Climbing the massive marble staircase to the first floor of Ca’ Rezzonico, I asked, “Did you know this was a palace before it became a museum?”
He shook his head and smiled. “No, I didn’t.”
“It was. In 1936 they opened it as a museum, but it was first built in the mid-1600s. Wait until you see the way they arranged it. The entire place looks like it would if it was still a palace. It’s really quite beautiful. Oh, and the Triumph of Zephyr and Flora…”
My words trailed off as I watched a man hurry away from the top of the stairs and through the first floor. I hadn’t assumed we were alone, but something about him seemed odd, as if he hadn’t wanted us to see him.
We reached the first floor and I couldn’t see him anywhere. Tristan squeezed my hand, and I turned to face him. “Nina, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I forced a smile, not wanting to ruin our museum tour. “It’s nothing. I thought I saw someone.”
“The man in front of us a second ago?” he asked as he looked left and right for the man.
“It’s nothing. It’s just that last time I was here—remember you were supposed to come with me and I had to go with that giant bodyguard instead? Well, I met a man here who said he knew my father. That man we just saw looked like him.”
Tristan took me by the shoulders and stared down into my eyes with an intense look that frightened me. “Nina, I need you to think about this. What did that man say to you?”
I hesitated for a moment and he repeated his question. I didn’t want to say what that man had told me and bring up all the terrible things from the past, but finally, I said, “He told me he thought it was a shame the people responsible for my father’s death were never charged.”
“And you think that man was the same person as the one who just nearly ran away when he saw us?”
I didn’t know. It could have been him. He did look similar to him, especially his tanned skin. I wasn’t sure, though. “You’re scaring me, Tristan. I don’t know if it’s the same man. It could be. I just don’t know.”
“I’m not trying to scare you, but I think we need to get out of here. Something’s wrong. I feel it.”
We hurried back down the stairs and out the museum doors. Tristan didn’t say anything, but I knew he was far more worried than he wanted me to believe. We walked along the Grand Canal for as long as we could with him looking behind us every few feet. Finally, I realized that we weren’t going back to the hotel.
“Where are we going? The hotel is back there.”
“Just keep walking,” Tristan said, his tone serious.
“What’s going on?”
He pulled me into a dark corner and shook his head. “I thought they had him. I thought we’d be safe. Nina, no matter what happens, I won’t let anything hurt you. Trust me.”
His words were meant to calm me, but I saw fear in his eyes. “You’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
The sound of footsteps on the stone walkway told me someone was coming. Tristan’s hand tensed on my arm as they came closer, and he pushed me behind him. A large man came around the corner and for a moment I held my breath until I heard a familiar voice.
I peeked around Tristan and saw Varo standing there. “I’ve been looking for you. You lost me at the museum. We need to get you out of here. The plane’s ready to go.”
Tristan held my hand tightly. “What’s happened?”
“Daryl called me. He’s worried about Karl. He’s been released.”
“Released?” I asked as I moved to Tristan’s side. “Is he here?”
Varo looked around and shook his head. “I don’t know. We need to leave here.”
Tristan didn’t question my bodyguard’s order, which told me he believed we were in danger. If I had any doubt, the gun in Varo’s hand put any uncertainty to rest. As Tristan asked him if he remembered something or another, I began to get scared.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Tristan
Varo followed us as I led Nina and him along the streets of the city looking for a water taxi to take us to Marco Polo. As long as we got to the airport, we’d be safe, at least until we got back to the States. There I knew I could protect Nina much better than in Venice.
As we walked quickly back toward the Grand Canal, we ran into crowds of people flocking out into the night, making it harder to look out for Karl and whoever he had with him. I hadn’t seen his face yet, but I knew he was there. I’d taken everything that mattered to him, and now he planned to do the same to me.
My heart raced as we weaved through tourists and Venetians, all out to enjoy a beautiful night. They had no idea that among them was a man who wouldn’t think twice about killing two people just like them.
Nina held my hand like she was afraid I would let go, squeezing it harder when she heard a loud noise or when someone pushed against her as they passed by. My eyes scanned the crowds as we wound through them, every person appearing guilty as the minutes ticked by.
“We should try to find a water taxi,” Varo said behind us. “The sooner we get to the plane, the better.”
I saw a taxi coming in our direction, but it was on the other side of the canal. To catch it, we’d have to cross one of the bridges. Pointing toward the nearest one, I tried to make Nina believe everything was going to be okay. “What’s the name of this bridge? You know all about Venice.”
Her eyes grew wide, and I knew she wasn’t buying my act. “It’s the Accademia Bridge, not that it matters. Why are you acting like everything’s okay?”
“Because it’s going to be. Now tell me all about this bridge so we can at least pretend our tour of Venice was successful.”
As Nina gave me chapter and verse about the history of the Accademia Bridge, we began crossing over to the other side of the canal and I saw my first glimpse of Karl. We were too late.
Before she could realize what was happening, I stopped and turned toward Varo, who had seen him too. “I need you to do what you said you would.”
Varo simply nodded, and I turned to face Nina. “I need you to go with Varo now. He’ll get you to the plane and keep you safe. I’ll be there in a little while.”
Her eyes flashed panic
,
and she looked around to see what was making me send her away. When she settled back on me, I saw tears in her eyes. “No, don’t do this! Don’t send me away. You promised no more running. Don’t do this, Tristan!”
I cradled her face in my hands as the tears rolled down onto my skin. “Baby, I won’t let them hurt you because of me. Go with Varo so at least I can know you’re safe.”
“No! He’s going to hurt you or worse, and then I’ll never see you again. Please don’t send me away.”
I leaned in and kissed her as Varo moved around me to take hold of her arm. “I’ll see you soon. Don’t worry.”
She fought him off, but it was no use. He knew what he had to do. I’d made him promise that if she was ever in danger and I couldn’t protect her that he would. I needed to believe he’d live up to that pledge now.
Nina’s eyes pled with me not to send her away, nearly breaking my heart, but I had no choice. For one of the first times in my life, I was doing the right thing, no matter how much it was killing me to watch her as Varo took her away.
Karl stood on the other side waiting for me. Dozens of people separated us, each in danger if I didn’t find some way to get off that bridge. I took off in the direction Varo and Nina had gone, hoping to at least reach the walkway, but one of Karl’s henchmen was waiting. Terrified they’d already gotten Nina, I frantically searched for any sight of her, finally seeing Varo leading her into a building and hopefully to safety.
From behind me, I heard a familiar voice. “Son, I told you not to fuck with me. Like father, like son.” I turned and saw Karl’s face twisted into an angry smug expression as a man grabbed me from behind to hold me. “Take him to the room.”
“Planning to kill me in one of these hotels? Is that supposed to be ironic, Karl?” I asked, hoping to gain some time for Varo to get Nina out of Venice.
“I’m going to do even better, Tristan. I’m going to kill you in one of your hotels. Or maybe I could do it on your plane. I like the symbolism of that too.”
“Way to keep it classy, Karl. You always were new money. Never did understand your level, did you?” His answer to my question was a hard right to my face. After a few moments, I could see straight again, if not a little blurry. I knew I had to keep him there as long as possible. A couple more insults might give Varo the time he needed to get Nina to the plane. “No wonder my father only gave you a nothing company. He knew your true worth, didn’t he?”
But Karl didn’t take the bait. “Always the clever one, Tristan. Take him to the room, and West, find your buddy and that girl now!”
I turned to see West standing behind me. How long had he been working for Karl and living just yards away from Nina? I watched him take off to hunt down Varo and Nina and prayed to God I’d given them enough time to find their way out of the city. I heard two men start to say where to search for them and then all I felt was pain in the back of my head before everything went black.
“Wakey, wakey. Time to rise and shine.”
I opened my eyes and saw the familiar gold and burgundy décor of a Richmont Venice room. Karl sat in front of me with a cigar between his teeth, like some kind of evil villain character from an old cartoon. My hands were tied behind me, so I had to blink the sleep from my eyes. “Tie any women to train tracks recently?”
“Still clever, even just minutes before I finally get rid of you once and for all. I have to say, Tristan, you are one tough foe to eliminate.”
Shaking my head, I wasn’t sure I wanted to have this be my last conversation of my life, but he left me with little choice. The guy was a homicidal madman but even more, a colossal asshole. “It didn’t have to be like this, Karl. You were my father’s friend.”
He blew cigar smoke in my direction and let out a deep laugh. “Friend? You don’t know much at all, son. I would have figured that by now you would have found out I was never your father’s friend.”
“Then you were my mother’s lover. One would think that would count for something. I can’t imagine she’d want her son killed by the man she loved.”
The smug expression slid from his face, replaced by a hint of sadness for only a moment. But then the nasty fuck was back again. “Oh, so you know about that?”
“I know she loved you and you seemed to love her.”
“I adored her. I may not have had the money your father had, but I could have made her happy.”
“It would have been nice if someone did,” I said quietly, unsure how I felt about agreeing with the man about to kill me.
“But she left me. For him! I couldn’t have that. I couldn’t,” he said with venom in his voice.
“She had no choice. Once Taylor and I came along, she had to stay. She’s been dead for five years. Maybe it’s time to forgive.”