Dangerous Flames (Mafia Hearts)

Dangerous
Flames

Mafia
Hearts, Book 1

Wendy
Ely

Copyright
© 2013 Wendy Ely

All
rights reserved.

ISBN-13:
978-1482343403

Ebooks
are not transferable. All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book
may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or
distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this
book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any
other means, electronic or print, without the author’s
permission.

This
book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and
incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been
used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any
resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or
organizations is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

To
Dan: I love you more each day. Thank you for being my everything.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Tyler
Dodds: Thanks for brainstorming the vault with me! You helped find
the missing piece to the story.

P.J.
McLayne and Rebecca Casey: Thank you for all of the hard work you’ve
done on Dangerous Flames. Without your help it wouldn’t what it
is today.

Chapter
One

Energy
buzzed through the crowded coffee house and swirled around with the
vast quantity of people, some of them decked out in designer labels
while others, content in touristy wear, sipped their drinks.
Gabrielle had chosen to meet her father here because they wouldn’t
need to worry about mixing in with the crowd. She didn’t care,
but her father did.

The
coffee shop served as the ideal place for her. She’d be able to
have the chat with her father and then get into her shop a few doors
down to have it open to customers in a half hour. Ordering their
mochas ahead of time saved her a few precious minutes. She handed him
his drink before taking a seat across the small wooden table from
him.

“
I
could’ve ordered for myself,” he said with a twist of his
mouth. “Black coffee is all I ever order.” He sipped the
chocolate-flavored liquid in the white and green colored cup while
scanning the people seated around him. His face formed into a
grimace. “Gabi, I hate this poor excuse for coffee and the
establishment you’ve picked.”

“
I’m
sorry, Dad. It’s been a while since we’ve had coffee
together and I automatically ordered this. I’ll remember next
time though.” Her hands started to shake while the realization
of her screw-up sunk in. If she couldn’t get his stupid order
correct, how could she work for him?

For
Gabrielle Medini, the goal seemed simple. She wanted excitement and
glamour, but her life had changed from country hopping as a teen to
boring at age twenty-five and she longed to recapture that sizzle.
Everything had become clear, leading her to believe that her father
held the answers. She needed this discussion to be perfect, but their
conversation had quickly slid in the opposite direction.

“
Don’t
pretend this is a casual father-daughter bonding moment. Why did you
request this meeting?”

She
tapped the toe of her Dior pump against the tiled floor as she
glanced at the red lipstick print on her straw. Uncertainty swirled
through her as she twisted the straw around in the dark creamy
liquid.
Just
ask him.
But his answer would certainly be no. She slowly inhaled and then let
the breath exhale slowly to calm her nerves. The trembling in her
hands stopped. Yes, she could do this.

“
Okay,
Dad, since we both have a full work day, I’ll cut to the chase
so we can get out of here.” She made contact with her father’s
steel glare.

“
Is
something wrong, Gabi? Are you in trouble?” His voice softened
a bit which was rare.

“
Nothing
is wrong, Dad.” Trying to capture another ounce of courage, she
took a long drink of her coffee. She replaced the cup on the table
and with a faked confident smile, she said, “I think it’s
time you tell me about your organization.”

Her
father’s jaw dropped in concert with his cup, spewing hot
liquid all over. “Damn it!” He jumped up from the table,
then grabbed paper napkins from the counter to dab the splotches from
his navy, silk suit.

After
a quick glance at the long line of customers waiting for service, she
decided to wipe the mess from the table herself instead of waiting
for an employee’s help. She sighed. With so many interruptions,
she’d be lucky if the discussion ever took place, let alone
they come to an agreement.

“
They
provide lids for those cups for a reason, you know,” she
snapped as she wiped the table. She stalked over to the trash can and
threw away the soggy napkins.

“
I
don’t like lids.”

“
They
prevent liquid from spilling, and now I don’t have time to buy
you another one.”

She
pulled her chair closer to the table as she sat and eyed her father’s
posture. His crossed arms and the deepened frown told her he wasn’t
happy, but she couldn’t let this go. “I’ve noticed
some things about our family and it’s time for you to be honest
with me.”

“
Why
are you wasting my time?” he shot back and glanced at the
people nearby. Why did he have to be so paranoid? It wasn’t
like anyone would recognize him. Her father looked like an ordinary
man with his glasses, sun-induced wrinkly skin, and thinning hair.

“
Thanks,
Dad. So having coffee with your daughter is a waste of time?”
She tapped her foot again, and glanced at her watch, her impatience
growing with each second. Even though she’d only been back in
town for a year, knowing her father didn’t trust her created
pinpricks of hurt in her heart. Sending her away for several years
didn’t erase the fact that she was his daughter.

“
You’re
wasting my time by talking about stuff you shouldn’t be. You
need to be folding sweaters in your boutique instead of asking these
types of questions.” He took his ringing cell phone out of his
jacket pocket and instead of answering, set it on the table.

She
did her best to push the waves of pain caused from his declared
expectations of her from her heart. “You can answer the call.”
She didn’t have the time to wait while he had a conversation
over the phone but curiosity voided that fact.

“
I
can handle the matter later. Let’s finish, so I can get on with
my day.” He folded his arms over his broad chest.

“
Please
stop hiding things from me, Dad.”

The
frown on his face deepened. “I don’t have any idea what
you’re referring to.”

“
I’m
not the princess you think I am. I’ve grown up and can face the
truth now.” She took a sip.

He
shook his head again. “There’s nothing for you to know.”

“
Do
you think I’m stupid? Tell me how your rental warehouse and
cabin in the mountains brings in enough money to finance a million
dollar home? Or the expense of sending me overseas to a swanky
boarding school.” She took a long drink, savoring the taste of
her caramel-chocolate coffee mixed with the satisfaction of being
right.

She’d
overheard him talking to her mother about keeping her far from the
mess
.
At the time she hadn’t understood what he had been referring
to, but she had grown up. Even having dinner each Friday with the
members of the business rang warning bells for her, but the men kept
it all hush-hush while in her company. Up until now, she hadn’t
asked questions. The passive part of Gabrielle had left and she would
be demanding answers until she got them.

“
This
isn’t the place to discuss anything of importance.” His
heavy hand hit the table with a thunk. Shaking his head as if she’d
failed a test, he said, “Besides, Gabrielle Felice Medini, you
need to learn the meaning of trust instead of worrying about my
private affairs.”

Her
chest tightened but did her best to force the sensation away. She
must accomplish what she’d set out to do. Looking around the
coffee shop, she forced out a laugh. “Do you actually think
these people care what we’re talking about? Everyone has their
noses pressed to their laptop screens, listening to IPODs, or
chatting with friends about last night’s date. Nobody is
listening to us,
Enrico
Medini
.”

He
kept his eyes on her as if he contemplated telling her the truth.
“Stop pressing the issue.”

Anger
welled up in her and she did nothing to hold it back. She knew how
far she could push her father to get her way and intended on doing it
now. “I want to know.” She pointed at her father. “You
talk about trust? Try trusting your daughter for a minute. I have
never given you a reason to not have faith in me. I never questioned
a single decision you’ve made for me which includes shipping me
to Italy for years.”

“
That’s
enough.” He leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowed into
slits focused on her face, but he didn’t scare her.

Refusing
to turn from the burning glare of her father, she asked, “And
you say there’s nothing to know? Do you really think I wouldn’t
read the papers? Or see your face under the headlines? Don’t
underestimate my intelligence, Father.”

He
looked around as if checking to see if she’d been right about
the people not caring. Leaning forward, he whispered, “Fine.”

Her
heart stopped in her chest as she waited for him to say the words.
She’d finally convinced him to tell her. Things would now
change in her life. The spark of excitement flickered, ready to
ignite once he exposed the truth.

Just
as her dad opened his mouth to speak, Gabrielle heard someone at a
nearby table whispered to his friend, “See that guy behind me?
I swear it’s Enrico Medini.”

“
Yeah?
So?” the guy’s companion asked, not even trying to keep
his voice lowered. “I don’t know him.”

“
The
Mafia boss? My dad follows all that shit.” The guy had to be
only a few years younger than Gabriel and wore a University of Nevada
T-shirt. “When we get up, take his picture with your phone. I
gotta show my dad.”

“
See
what I mean?” Dad hissed. “Stay out of this, Gabi. I
don’t want to see your picture in the papers next to mine.”
He swung his gaze to the wall while placing his hand up to avoid
having his picture taken as the guys passed.

“
Did
you get it?” the guy’s friend asked.

“
Good
enough for him to tell who I had seen,” the college guy
answered as he pushed the door open.

She
had enough sense to wait until the guys left before whispering, “I
want to be involved. Please give me a job.”

He
snapped his attention back to her. “This discussion is over.”

Gabrielle
glanced at her watch. Almost time for the boutique to open. “How
about we continue this conversation over dinner?”

“
No.”

“
Why
not?” She tapped her foot again. His stubborn refusal annoyed
her and she couldn’t help the nervous gesture. Unfortunately
her father managed to get her nerves coiled up tighter than a ball of
yarn and he didn’t seem to care one bit. “Dad, why won’t
you let me work for you? Don’t I seem competent enough in
running my own business to do a job for you?”