Cyprian the Fair
Cyprian the Fair
Book Nine
Salvaggio’s Light
An Epic Contemporary Romance Serial
By C. L. Cattano
Cyprian the Fair
Book Nine
Salvaggio’s Light
A Vagary Publishing Book
Copyright © 2018 by C. L. Cattano
Cover Art, Title Page Art and Typesetting Copyright © 2018 by Chynsia Hinesley
This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. The scanning, uploading, and/or distribution of this document via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and is punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrightable materials. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the email address below.
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ISBN: 978-1-947852-08-2
First Edition of E-Book
Table of Contents
WARNING
Acknowledgments
Dedication
Salvaggio’s Light
Epigraph
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
NOTES
REQUEST FOR REVIEW
END NOTES
WARNING
IT IS SUGGESTED READERS of this story be adults over the age of eighteen.
THIS DRAMATIC ROMANCE series has many scenes describing sex as well as intense emotional scenes and acts of violence.
THIS IS A SERIAL STORY with themes flowing from one book into another with lots of twists and turns. Reading this series from the beginning is highly suggested, or the reader may not be able to follow all the storylines.
GO TO THE SALVAGGIO’S Light Facebook page to join other readers who are talking about the series.
www.facebook.com/SalvaggiosLight/
JOIN THE C L CATTANO mailing list and check out my website at www.clcattano.com
Acknowledgments
THANK YOU TO those readers who are spreading the word about the Salvaggio’s Light serial. We all wear many different hats in life, but to an independent author, the most important hat you wear is that of a reader. You leave reviews, spread the word, and show support to those of us who toil away in the night not knowing if our creations will ever see the light of day. Keep reading...
Dedication
For Marie — who fans the delicate flame.
Salvaggio’s Light
An Epic Contemporary Romance Serial
Shattered Paradise
Blue Inferno
Secrets & Rivalry
Wildling’s Claim
Sowers of Discord
Fire of Wrath
Confronting Darkness
Traditorè
Cyprian the Fair
Frenzied Love*
*Coming Soon
Epigraph
I fled from the world, while still a girl, to follow her.
― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
1
SECONDS LATER...
EDEN KINGLEY STOOD frozen with the folded piece of paper Chiara had forced into her hand, and she watched as the front door closed. Her mind wouldn’t accept the reality of what was happening. Eden scanned the paper then looked up, eyes wide with a terrifying understanding. Rafe had made Gabri her power of attorney. Suddenly, the world sped up, and she lunged for the door.
“What the hell!” Letty cried out still holding on to Bronte.
“No!” Eden sobbed as she flung the door open with the paper grasped tightly in her hand. She burst outside with Letty and Julia close behind her. “Please, Gabri! Don’t do this,” she begged, but Gabri already had Rafe in the car.
Standing at the back of the car, Chiara turned to Eden and held her hands out to stop her. “Mr. De Angelis is now informing you Rafaella has left all matters to him at his discretion,” announced Chiara. “He will be honoring her wishes to retrieve her father and the sentimental items of his and of her mother. He does not feel you know how to take care of her best, even if you are calling yourselves family and friends,” she said gravely. “He will take her home so she might get better, in the place she will get the most help.” Chiara quickly walked around the car, slid into the front seat and closed the door.
Eden could see Gabri pulling Rafe up and holding her close as the driver closed the back passenger door. Eden turned toward Julia, unable to wrap her mind around the fact her worst nightmare was actually happening. Rafe was leaving and might never come back. Eden could feel her body tremble and couldn’t catch her breath. Her heart beat so hard in her chest it hurt, and then the world swirled in her head making it hard to stand.
Julia caught up to Eden and took hold of her. “Hold it together,” she said firmly seeing Eden was losing her battle with her fear and anxiety as tears welled from Eden’s eyes. “Look at me,” she said and took Eden’s face in her hands. “What was the woman talking about when she said they had to get Rafe’s father?”
“I. . . I don’t know!” she cried as she shook and heard the car engine start. She pulled away from Julia, ran to the Town Car, and pounded on the window. “Rafe!” she screamed at the dark tinted windows. “Rafe, don’t do this! Don’t leave! Rafe!” She sobbed mournfully as the car eased away from her, and she fell to her knees in anguish.
Julia went after Eden and pulled her up. “Eden, we have to figure out where they’re going. They can’t leave tonight because they have to make travel arrangements. Think,” she said and shook Eden to try to snap her out of her anxiety attack and to get her attention. “What did she mean about Rafe’s father?” She took Eden by the arm and dragged her to the car and put her inside. “Letty, we’ll be back later. Hopefully, we’ll have Rafe with us.”
“Okay, please, bring her back,” said Letty distraught as she held on to Bronte. She watched Julia get in her car with Eden and then drive away after
Gabri’s car.
Julia looked over at Eden who was trying to control her anxiety and terror about what was happening. “Does she have storage anywhere?” Julia asked as she tried to see if she could catch up with the Town Car carrying Rafe away. “Is she storing some of her father’s and mother’s things here?”
“I don’t know,” Eden insisted through her tears as the pain of her anxiety thrummed through her. “I only know about her car storage.”
“Car storage? No.” She shook her head. “Where did you store your things from your apartment?”
Eden looked up at Julia with wide eyes as she remembered what she saw in the trunk of the Maserati. “I think it’s her car storage,” she insisted. “I saw she had some things in the trunk when we got out our prizes from the arcade. She also has his hat in the glove box.”
“Where does she store the car?” she demanded.
“Rick’s Auto Detail and Storage,” she said. “It’s close to your offices.”
“Okay,” she said and turned the corner at the light. “I hope you’re right. Do you know the number? Call and see if they’ll stall them,” she said and handed Eden her phone.
“Okay.” Eden wiped her tears and looked up the number for Rick’s on Julia’s phone. She called but only got voice mail.
When Julia pulled into Rick’s, they saw the Town Car in front of the office facing the exit. Julia parked quickly then they got out, rushing to the office. They found it empty.
Eden looked over at the Town Car and ran to it. “Rafe!” she called and tried to open the door, but it was locked. She pounded on the window. “Rafe, please, open the door. Please,” she sobbed.
Julia heard voices and started toward them. “Eden, they’re up here,” she said then ran to the second level with Eden close behind where they found Gabri, Chiara, and Rick standing next to the Maserati.
“Rick!” Eden called out and rushed up to him. “Where’s Rafe?”
Rick screwed up his face in confusion. “I don’t know,” he said. “I got a call from her telling me to let them get things out of the car,” he said indicating Gabri and Chiara. “Plus, they have a letter saying they have the right to take care of Ms. Salvaggio’s business.” He put the key in the trunk lock, opened the trunk, and then stepped back.
“Mr. De Angelis says you should not be here,” said Chiara a bit nervously. All the confrontation she had to do on her employer’s behalf was unpleasant. “He says there is nothing more for you to do for Rafaella now.”
Gabri reached into the trunk and took out a brown cardboard box that held the urn with the ashes of Rafe’s father, and a wooden case with a handle and extendable legs, clearly the portable easel and paint supply case belonging to Rafe’s mother. He handed the wooden box to Chiara then went around to the passenger side of the car. He got in then opened the glove box pulling out the cap Rafe had been wearing the last time Eden was with her in the car.
Rick was about to close the trunk but looked up at Gabri. “There’s a small bag in here too,” Rick said and picked up the canvas bag. The bag was made of a brown waterproof canvas with buckles to keep it closed and shoulder strap so it could be hung on one shoulder or across the body.
Eden saw Gabri going back around to get the bag, and she ran up and snatched it from Rick then backed away. “I need to talk to Rafe,” she said desperately as she clung to the bag. “Let me take this to her and talk to her. Please, Gabri. I love her, and I don’t want to lose her. I don’t want you to take her away!”
Gabri was in shock at what Eden had done as he listened to Chiara translate her words. He spoke angrily emphasizing his words with hand gestures and Chiara translated. “Rafaella told me about you and what you are doing to her. You will not speak with her.” Chiara paused to listen then spoke again. “Rafaella said nothing about needing an old school bag. She will tell me if she wants it. Then you will give it to her, or we will take legal action.” Chiara turned to Rick. “He says you are our witness. If she does not hand over the bag and does not return it when Rafaella requests it, then she is the thief. We will be requesting surveillance tapes of tonight.”
“I don’t want any trouble,” said Rick as he held up his hands. “I’ll help Ms. Salvaggio in any way I can.”
Gabri walked away carrying the box and the cap, and Chiara followed with the wooden case as they walked back to the Town Car where the driver already had the trunk open for them. They placed the items in the trunk, and Gabri said something to Chiara then got in the back seat of the car. Chiara went to the passenger door and looked back at the two women. “Mr. De Angelis says he will be in contact with Rafaella’s lawyer and with you as soon as is possible.” She got into the car, and Eden watched helplessly as Rafe was taken away again.
“Call Katheryn now!” Eden demanded frantically. “We’ll go to her house right now if we have to. We can’t let him take her!”
They went to Julia’s car as she tried to contact Katheryn again. “He can’t take her anywhere if he doesn’t have her identification. Did you see if he had it?”
“No,” said Eden with frustration. “I was too busy worrying about the fact he carried Rafe out of the freaking house!”
“Okay,” said Julia and took a breath. “Just calm down. Katheryn hasn’t answered or picked up her messages so she must be out or something. Let’s go back to the house and see if her driver’s license and passport are still there. If they are, then we know he can’t take her on a plane.”
They drove back to the house where Letty was watching over Bronte. Eden rushed into the house and past Letty to get to Rafe’s room.
“What’s going on?” Letty asked. “Is Rafe coming back?”
“We don’t know yet,” said Julia and followed Eden into Rafe’s room.
Eden was in the room, desperately going through Rafe’s things. She looked in Rafe’s jeans for her small wallet. It wasn’t there, so Eden looked on the dresser and in the drawers without result. She flung open the closet door and saw the small safe had been opened and was empty. Eden sat down on the closet floor and burst into tears.
“He has everything.” She continued to sob. “He probably got it all when he was in here with her alone.”
Julia sighed and ran her hand through her silver hair. “Fuck, Rafe.” She groaned. “I can’t believe this is happening.” It had to be Eden’s choice to walk away from Rafe, now Eden’s choice had been taken away. She wasn’t sure if this was actually best for Eden or if this would just make things worse.
2
AFTER BEING ON the phone until late in the evening, and again early this morning, Katheryn Hardam pulled her car into the driveway of Rafe Salvaggio’s house. A white moving van parked on the street behind her. She knew this was going to be a difficult meeting, but there was no way she could think of to make it any easier. She got out of her car and motioned for the driver of the van to stay and wait for her to call him and his crew. Taking her briefcase from the passenger seat of her car, she walked up the steps to the front door and rang the doorbell.
The door opened and Julia looked out at her. “Katheryn, we’ve been trying to call you all last night and this morning,” she said as she opened the door further and motioned her inside.
“Is Eden here?” Katheryn inquired, doing her utmost to keep it professional.
“Yes, I made her call in for a personal day because she’s in no shape to do anything right now,” Julia told her. “She’ll be relieved you’re here.” Julia had spent the night trying to console Eden. She wasn’t successful, but Eden did finally fall asleep for a while. When Eden woke this morning, the tears started again, and Julia still hadn’t been able to get her to eat.
Katheryn shook her head. “We’ll see,” she said with a sigh. “Let’s meet in Rafe’s office.” She made her way to Rafe’s office and sat down at Rafe’s partner desk, then took some paperwork out of her briefcase while she waited for Eden and Julia to join her.
“Katheryn,” said Eden desperately as soon as she walked into
the room. She immediately put the piece of paper Gabri gave her on the desk in front of the lawyer. “What does this mean? I need you to help me get Rafe back.”
Katheryn picked up the paper and smoothed it out. “Sit down,” she said and nodded to the chair. She waited for Eden to sit down across from her in the other partner chair and for Julia to pull up a chair beside Eden. “This paper,” she said as she held it up, “is a summary of the legal paperwork granting Gabrielli Braulio De Angelis, or Gabri as you call him, full power of attorney over Rafe’s personal, business, medical and any other matter of importance anywhere Rafe has holdings.”
Eden’s eyes widened from shock. “No,” she said softly with dread.
Julia stiffened in indignation. “This is why she wanted all her financial information,” she said, clenching her jaw angrily. Julia didn’t understand why Rafe wouldn’t choose her father over that man, Gabri, to hold her power of attorney. Her father thought of Rafe as a daughter, and this was how she treated him and how she treated them all? She worked to calm herself for Eden’s sake, but the sympathy she held for Rafe was waning.
Katheryn held Julia’s gaze for a brief moment in answer and could see she was angry. But Rafe’s choices were her own, and it was not their place to question them. She turned her attention back to Eden. “I got a call from Mr. De Angelis and his translator yesterday, wanting to confirm the meaning of the paperwork, and we discussed Rafe’s situation,” she told them calmly. “He was concerned about some emails he had received and the fact she was not returning calls or emails as she normally did. I was directed by him not to discuss anything about Rafe with anyone until he could assess the matter further. I was obligated to do as he asked because of the covenants and instructions Rafe put in the legal paperwork allowing him to direct me, even if he only thought it might be necessary. She’s given him permission to act upon his own initiative regardless of what I or anyone else thinks.”