turning the handle, she had only opened the door a fraction when some sixth sense kicked in, telling her that, no, this was not a business conversation. Through the crack in the door she could see him, sitting on the bed, his back to her, a laptop balanced on his knee. He was taking a video call, and the woman on the screen was dark-haired, dark-eyed...beautiful.
A cold finger of dread traced Leah’s spine. Speaking in Sicilian, their voices were soft, Jaco’s little more than a whisper, but there was no mistaking the tone—tender, caring, the sort of tone that lovers shared.
Leah forced herself to try and understand what they were saying over the deafening thud of her heart. Her command of the language was pretty basic, but Jaco seemed to be telling her not to worry, that everything would be all right.
‘Lo prometto, Francesca.’
I promise.
But it was their final words that left no room for doubt. Paralysed with dread, Leah watched as the woman touched two fingers to her lips and blew Jaco a kiss, smiling tenderly as she told him she loved him. And Jaco’s reply shattered Leah’s world into a thousand pieces there and then.
‘Ti amo anch’io...’
I love you too.
She turned away, blinded by tears, numbed by the shock that was slowing her heart, closing her throat.
How could she have been so stupid? How could she ever have thought that she and Jaco might actually have a future? How could she have been taken for a fool by a man again—only this time a thousand times worse, a thousand times more painful?
Retracing her steps, she fled back out onto the terrace, descending the steps that led down into the private garden, running through the archway in the yew hedge and out into the vineyard itself. Racing through the rows of vines, she just kept going, running and running, the heavy bunches of grapes swinging as she rushed past, her breath burning in her chest. She had no thought for where she was going. No thought for anything other than that she had to get away.
One year later
‘NO!’ JACO STARED at his friend in disbelief.
‘It’s true, Jaco.’ Vieri’s voice was deadly calm. ‘I wouldn’t be telling you this if it was just gossip. In fact, I’m not supposed to be telling you at all. But I thought you had a right to know. You have a child—a son.’
‘No!’ Jaco repeated, banging his fist down on the bar top, his eyes wild.
Vieri picked up his drink, silently regarding Jaco over the rim, waiting for the shock of the revelation to sink in.
‘And what makes you think it’s mine?’ Dragging in a desperate breath, Jaco rounded on Vieri.
‘Leah has told Harper that the boy is yours. I see no reason why she would lie. Especially as, far from hounding you for maintenance, it seems she doesn’t want anything to do with you.’
‘So how old is he, this child?’ Covering his face with his hands, Jaco pulled them away again to reveal his horror.
‘Three months, apparently.’
‘Three months?’ He gave a low growl.
‘Yes. Does that seem...?’ Vieri hesitated, choosing his words carefully. ‘About right?’
‘About right?’ Jaco threw the words back at him, fury tainting his voice. ‘Trust me, Vieri, nothing about this seems right.’ He jerked himself to his feet, sending the bar stool rocking.
‘Calm down, Jaco.’ Vieri placed a steadying hand on his shoulders. ‘I know this has been a shock, but it doesn’t have to be so bad.’
‘Doesn’t it?’ Jaco glared at him, eyes wild. ‘And you’d know, would you?’
‘I have a son, and I know he’s the best thing that ever happened to me. That and Harper, of course.’
‘Well, good for you and your happy little family.’
‘Jaco!’
‘Trust me, Vieri, you have no idea how bad this could be.’
Nobody did. Nobody knew anything—not even Vieri, his oldest friend. It was far too dangerous. Now this discovery could blow the whole thing sky-high.
Vieri shrugged. ‘Okay, have it your own way. But don’t shoot the messenger.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Begrudgingly, Jaco nodded an apology. ‘So where are they? Leah and this son of mine?’
‘That I don’t know.’
‘Don’t give me that.’ Jaco’s anger quickly resurfaced. ‘You are lying.’
Getting to his feet, Vieri squared up to his friend. ‘I don’t appreciate being called a liar.’ His voice was deceptively soft. ‘Especially when I’m trying to help you.’
‘Help me?’
‘Yes. I didn’t have to tell you any of this. I’ve had to go behind Harper’s back, and that’s not something I’m proud of. But, like I say, I thought you had the right to know.’
‘So Harper—she knows where Leah is?’
‘No, she doesn’t.’ Vieri glared at him. ‘So don’t even think about pestering her for information. She only found out about the baby herself very recently. Leah has kept the whole thing hushed up.’
The two tall, handsome Sicilian men squared up to each other again, hostility simmering between them, until eventually Vieri put his hand on Jaco’s shoulder again.
‘Look, why don’t you sit down and have another drink—take a few minutes to calm down?’ He signalled to the barman to refill their glasses. ‘I take it from your reaction that you had no idea?’
Jaco gave him a haunted stare, but accepted the glass Vieri held out to him, seating himself back down on the bar stool.
‘So when did you last see Leah?’
‘Ages ago.’ Jaco raked a desperate hand through his hair. ‘Last August, maybe? Yes, it was just before the grape harvest. It was then that she told me she was quitting her job.’
‘She didn’t say why?’
‘No. She disappeared for hours on the first evening I was back at Capezzana, and when I finally tracked her down she went all weird on me. It was getting late so I thought I’d leave her to it, try and get some sense out of her in the morning, but by then she had packed up and left—disappeared without a trace.’
‘And you didn’t try and find her?’
‘No, Vieri, I didn’t try and find her.’ He glared angrily at his friend. ‘She made it quite clear that we were done. The job...us...’
‘Hmm...’ Vieri stared into his glass. ‘So there was an us?’
‘Well, yes. We’d been seeing each other for a few months—nothing serious.’
‘Well, it has clearly had serious consequences.’
Jaco pinched the bridge of his nose, then dragged in a breath. ‘I’ve got to find her, Vieri. I mean, right away. If Harper does know where she is...even if it’s just a guess...’
‘Don’t push it, Jac.’ Vieri’s eyes held more than a hint of warning. I’ve told you—she has no idea where Leah is.’
‘Then I’ll just have to find her for myself.’ Pushing himself off the bar stool again, Jaco started for the exit. But at the door he stopped and retraced his steps, pulling Vieri into a rough hug. ‘Thanks, Vieri. I can see this