The Twelve Zenati Pt. 10

"Why? So he can keep her dependant on his goodwill, just like Remington did?" Marcella accused. She was damned if she was going to leave her sister to live a life just like their mother's, where she was stuck, married to an arsehole because she had no other choice. From the sounds of it that is exactly what Royce had done to her, kept her dependent and too afraid to step out of line.

"Woah!" Noah swung his head to face her. "Gen would never do that to Olivia!"

"No?" Marcella challenged. "What does she have now that is hers? What freedom does she have from Genesis's overbearing presence? Shit! I can't even get close to her without having him stare at me and monitor my every word."

Noah was speechless. He couldn't deny what she had said. Olivia had nothing, and Genesis was obsessive about his care of her. Noah understood why that was and accepted it, but this was the first time he could see it through the lens of an outsider. He and Genesis had talked about the sisters' history and the looming presence of a father who could so easily cut off his daughter and pretend she was dead rather than be overjoyed that she had been found alive, if not well. Her words disturbed him greatly. Was Genesis' obsession with Olivia stepping over a line somewhere?

"I hadn't thought about it like that. I guess that I can see your point, but Gen loves Olivia. He would never do anything to harm her in any way," Noah said sincerely, knowing it was the truth.

"I've seen these dependent relationships before and women who feel trapped by circumstances of their own making. They believed in the happily-ever-after bullshit that they were fed and then crashed and burned when things went pear-shaped," she said in a hard voice. "If this relationship flames out, I am going to make sure that Olivia has a nest egg to fall back on, so that she never has to feel trapped and without choices again. The fact that Genesis won't like that tells me more than anything that she's going to need it," she huffed and sat back in her seat, leaving Noah speechless once again.

*****

"Do we have to go straight back to the clinic?" Olivia asked quietly from where she sat beside Genesis. "Could we go somewhere for lunch, maybe?"

"You want to go out for lunch?" Genesis asked, surprised by the request. He had thought that the interview, which was more of an interrogation in his opinion, would have shattered her both mentally and emotionally, having to recount the details of her life with Remington Royce.

"Yes. Please," she said, letting hope colour her voice. She felt like she had been bedridden for months rather than weeks, and getting out of not only the bed but the clinic today had been wonderful.

"Okay, I know a place with good Italian food. Are you up for that?" he asked.

"Good tiramisu?" she asked with a grin.

"The best," he chuckled, and told their driver where to take them. They had two watchmen with them, as he didn't want to take any chances that one of the Suebi cells they hadn't found yet might be targeting Olivia. After the interview this morning, it worried him even more, and he knew he would need to hire personal security for her if she wanted to start going out with Marcella or Vivienne while he worked. Not that the idea thrilled him, but he would be no better than Royce if he tried to keep her caged the whole time she wasn't with him so he could ensure her safety.

It was barely twenty minutes later when they were seated in the isolated but elegant restaurant looking at the menu. Olivia had been to restaurants and elegant places in the last six months, but she had never held a menu or had choices about what she ate when she had been with Remy. Even in the hospital and the clinic there were few choices that she could make when it came to her world. Where Remy had left off, Genesis had taken over, and she felt overwhelmed by the decisions she had to make at that moment, despite it being not a very big one.

"Is everything all right?" Genesis asked, seeing the strange look cloud her features.

"The truth?" she asked tentatively, not sure about how he would react to what she was about to say. When he nodded, she continued. "It's just that I haven't had to choose anything for myself in a very long time. What I ate was always decided by Remy and then you, and I'm not sure what to do with this," She waggled the stiff menu she held.

"It's difficult where we are staying at present, but if you want choices, we can talk about your preferences with the kitchen staff at the clinic," Genesis offered, still frowning, not liking that he was being compared to Royce again in his treatment of Olivia.

"It's okay. I understand I haven't been easy to deal with, especially in the beginning, and you had to make those choices because I wasn't eating. I'm just not sure that I am up to this much choice yet," Olivia admitted. "Maybe you could narrow it down for me? What's good?"

"Why don't you just order an entrée, so you will have room for dessert?" he suggested, narrowing down the menu for her. He would have ordered her just an entrée-sized meal anyway, as her appetite was still virtually non-existent.

"That's a good idea," she grinned. "Anything I want?" she asked tentatively.

"Anything you want," he nodded, and gave her a small, encouraging smile. With the progress she had made since being in the clinic, it had been easy for him to forget those first days in the hospital, when he had struggled to get past all the psychological damage that Royce had done to her. She had been scared to do anything without his permission, including eat. He looked at the entrée menu and realised that a dozen options they had were mostly high in carbs and fat. Perhaps it was still too soon to give her the types of freedoms he had been contemplating in the car. Even with bodyguards, she might not want to leave the safety of the clinic, or his side, for some time yet.

"Can I have the duck and plum spring rolls, please?" she said, after contemplating him for a few more minutes.

"That's a good choice," he said approvingly and closed his menu, knowing what he wanted. He had worried that she wouldn't make a choice at all and he would have to guide her through the process. Pushing the menu to the side, he waved a waitress over and ordered for them, choosing a sweet sparkling wine for her to try with their lunch.

"I can't remember the last time I had wine with a meal," she acknowledged.

"If this is going to be our first date, then we needed to make it at least a little special," he gave a soft chuckle at her look of surprise.

"Gideon and Viv's wedding doesn't count?" she asked, a small smile playing on her lips.

"No," he shook his head. "That was about family, not dating. Besides, it's not every day that such a pretty girl asks me out to lunch."

"I highly doubt that," she laughed with him now. "I am sure that you and your brothers have no problems getting dates. You're all too good-looking for your own good."

"You've been checking out my brothers?" Genesis gasped in mock horror.

"Oh, you know a girl's got to have back-up plans and all that. Although Gideon is off the market now. Tell me more about Noah," she teased uncharacteristically, making him shake his head in disgust.

"No way. He is far nicer and more even-tempered than me. He's a good guy," he said, in mock outrage that she would consider either of his brothers as a backup plan and that one could be more appealing to her than himself.

"That won't do, at all. It's well documented that I like bad boys, so I guess you're stuck with me," she sighed heavily.

"I think I will survive somehow," he smiled, and reached across the table to take her hand. He enjoyed this playful side to her. Something he didn't usually enjoy in women in general, but with her there didn't seem to be an ulterior motive for teasing him, beyond having a little fun. There was no ring of truth to any of her teasing words. "The question would be whether I could survive without you," he said seriously, taking her by surprise with his show of vulnerability.

"You would more than likely be relieved," she sighed, not wanting to face the look in his eyes just then and admit she felt the same. Not after what she had learned this morning. "I was pretty dumb, and naïve, not realising that I was involved with such a bad man in the beginning before it was too late. I feel like I only know bits and pieces of the puzzle. Can you tell me about Remy and what exactly happened in the church? Why his men tried to kill us both?"

Genesis spent a long time over their meal explaining in detail who Remington Royce was and his place within the Suebi Community. He also talked about the attack on the Mothers of the Tables and her cousin Nathanael's injuries, as he had tried to save his brother and their wife. The Gambaros were one of the few families to sustain an injury to a member of the table.

"In all, only one mother had died. That of the Martinos in Sydney," he concluded. "We are still looking for members of the Suebi across the states, though we believe that we have taken out the major businesses and sources of income for them. Even if there are Suebi who have escaped the net, it will take them a long time to recover from their losses."

"So, all of Remy's places are shut down at the moment?" she asked quietly.

"The illegal ones, yes. The legal ones are being run by managers, although the accounts are frozen and they are running on a simple budget from current income and expenses," he admitted.

"Hermione's?" she asked, a tremor going through her at the thought of the last time Remy had taken her to the industrial room there and pushed her beyond her limits.

"I don't know the name, but I can find out." He squeezed her hand. "Is there something about that place I should know?"

"Remember I told you that sometimes he would push Serena's body too far and that she would take time to recover," she said quietly, dropping her eyes to the table. "The last time he took her to Hermione's, I thought he was finally going to carry out his threat to kill her. I thought maybe she had smiled at a customer too much, or spoke too much at work to the strangers that came in. I don't know. He was angry though, and when she recovered enough for him to see her again, it was like it never happened. I wouldn't mind at all if they closed down Hermione's," she admitted.

"Then consider it gone," Genesis said. "I will look into it and make certain of it, but I am sure that if they found a place with torture chambers and the like, then it would be closed immediately."

"It doesn't look like a torture chamber on the surface," she said and gave a weak smile. "It's a very elegant, upmarket private club in the suburbs somewhere. No one probably even realises it's there, except its exclusive membership."

"Were you taken to a hospital when you were hurt?" he asked. He had meant to find out for sure. When Olivia had told him of the times she had needed recovery, it sounded like she had been cared for at home by the housekeeper or Kairos.

"No, but a doctor came to see Serena," she explained, making the distinction between herself and the woman who was involved with Remington. "Twice, when she had a broken bone, she was taken for an x-ray at a private clinic, but I don't remember where it was or what it was called."

Genesis fell silent. No matter how much he flirted with the line between pain and pleasure in his dominance, he couldn't imagine treating a woman he cared for so badly that he would break her in any way, physically or mentally, and Royce had done both. He felt his anger rise and struggled to maintain a neutral face as she watched him.

"Perhaps the housekeeper or whoever looked after you would know. There must be records of your injuries somewhere, and if that doctor hid Remy's abuse of you, rather than report it, then he needs to answer some questions," Genesis finally ground out, knowing that he wasn't hiding his displeasure at the idea of her being hurt very well.

"Aunty Bea, she was at the hospital to turn off the machines that kept him alive for so long," Olivia agreed. Serena grumbled in the back of her mind that Olivia was telling Genesis so much, much more than she had shared with the police. It was as if Serena felt betrayed. She had agreed to Remy's treatment of her every time, she had given consent, and now Olivia was saying that she hadn't wanted what he gave her. The two distinct personalities in her mind hissed and poked at each other, until she lifted a hand across her brow and pushed her fingers and thumb into her temples.

"Why don't we get a doggy bag for the rest of your dessert and head home? It's been a fairly stressful day for you," he said, concern clouding his features and voice. His worries for her darkened further as she looked up at him and just nodded. He knew that she would have to deal with the fallout of having been the chosen one of such a notorious criminal, but he wished that he could protect her from all of the backlash that was yet to come, once the criminal proceedings commenced.

*****

"Hey nerd, where are the superstars?" Gideon asked, as Noah walked into the clinic with Marcella.

"They left an hour before us. I assumed they'd be here already," Noah frowned. "Have you checked with the Watch?"

"Not yet. I just assumed you were all together," Gideon shrugged.

"They probably just made a stop on the way home. Nothing to worry about," Noah shrugged and turned toward the newly-refurbished conference room that had become the base of operations for the next generation of the Zenati table.

"Vivienne is in the suite if you want to see her," Gideon informed Marcella helpfully, before following Noah into the conference room.

"Welcome back," she laughed after him, not overly concerned with the lack of greeting and the obvious dismissal. The fact was, she was concerned that Genesis and Olivia hadn't returned yet as well and was glad they were about to start asking questions. She turned toward the suite and a second later let out a yelp as Gideon returned and swooped her into a close embrace.

"Sorry, Marcie. Hi, it's great to see you," he grinned. Then he let her down and strode away to find out where his little brother and Olivia were.

"They're on a date," Orlando chuckled. "You know, good food, wine, a little alone time outside of this place where they are interrupted constantly." He looked pointedly at the two brothers. "You guys are like Siamese triplets. I'm surprised you stayed with the Papillo for an extra day," he said to Gideon.

"My wife can be very persuasive when she wants to be," Gideon grinned, still loving being able to say "my wife."

"Not much of a honeymoon but maybe, when this is all over, you two can get away for a few weeks," Orlando suggested.

"That's the plan," he grinned. "You have watchers on this date with them?" he asked with concern. While Olivia was recovering well now, he was more than aware of the danger that she was in from the remnants of the Suebi organisation. It may be time to consider if she might not be better off in the impregnable fortress that was Emma and Junie's home, at the moment.

"They're on their way back now," Pietro informed them, having been nearby as the conversation started. "Should only be another twenty minutes or so."

"Thanks, Pi," Gideon nodded and looked to where Noah stood talking with Tullo. He was no doubt worried about the media circus that would surround the arrest and trial of so many prominent men, when word got out about their disappearances and crimes. That was Genesis' domain, and Gideon was glad to let him have it. He could think of nothing worse than dealing with the media, but Genesis seemed to sail through it, as if the murky waters weren't full of sharks. "I'm not really back to work yet, so I am going to go find my wife to keep me company while I wait for Gen and find out what happened," Gideon grinned and walked over to the suite where he knew Vivienne and Marcella were waiting for Olivia.

"What's going on?" Gideon whispered curiously when he walked into the suite, surprised to see Marcella pacing on the far side of the room as Vivienne watched on inquisitively.

"One of the AFP sent her some information via email, and when she saw it, she swore and started making calls," Vivienne whispered back between accepting a kiss from her husband. "There's no chance that Remy and Olivia were actually married, is there?" she asked, not taking her eyes from Marcella, who was practically shouting into her phone now, as she demanded confirmation of the certificate that she had been sent from whoever she was speaking to.

"No, the shooting stopped the wedding. They hadn't got to the I do's, let alone the point of signing anything," Gideon reassured her.

"I'm not so sure about that," she frowned. "Not that it matters, because Remington's dead and she'd be a widow, but it obviously matters to Marcella for some reason. Gideon turned to look at the small but self-assured woman still pacing the other side of the room.

"Listen, Dickhead. My sister was shot during her wedding ceremony. It wasn't complete. There were no I dos, so either someone is trying to pull off a fraudulent claim, using her name, for the millions the dead groom left behind, or they eloped, and the ceremony was just for show. I need to know. So, can you just confirm that the certificate number I gave you is authentic and that the two people listed as man and wife were legally married on the date it shows?" she yelled at the phone, losing all pretence at being reasonable about the issue.

"I understand that you have a right to privacy policy, enforced by the law, but I have just spent the morning in the company of the AFP, so don't make me get them and come down there to kick your butt for being dumbass about this," Marcella groaned.

"No, she can't come to the phone. She was shot! The man she was about to marry when she was shot was killed in a hail of bullets. I am sure that you can agree these are exceptional circumstances we are dealing with here." She squeezed her eyes shut, as if dealing with the moron on the other end of the phone line was causing her physical pain.

"I better grab Noah and get some answers," Gideon frowned, and rather than getting up and leaving the spectacle, he texted his brother to get in there immediately. Seconds later Noah burst through the door expecting an emergency and took in the scene at a glance, sighing. Then he walked over to where Gideon sat with Vivienne, watching the little harridan yelling into her phone.

"According to the AFP, the documentation for the marriage was signed and filed with the Department of Births, Deaths and Marriages. That makes Olivia Royce's widow, which in turn means that she is one rich woman, at least once the assets are unfrozen, and even more of a target to the Suebi. Depending on who's in charge now, they will either need to eliminate her to get their hands on Royce's holdings, or get her to come back into the fold somehow and exploit her," Noah explained. "I'm not sure Marcella is thinking of anything but the money at the moment, and the independence that will give Olivia and possibly herself as Olivia's lawyer."

"I thought you were acting on Olivia's behalf?" Gideon asked.

"I am, but Marcella demanded to be co-counsel, and this news was a bit shocking to everyone. Gen and Olivia don't know yet, I think. The AFP hasn't made it public. I guess they just assumed we knew," Noah said as he considered the situation.

"So, she's trying to find out if the evidence is authentic before you tell them?" Gideon posed the question even though it appeared rhetorical at this stage.

"Yeah. And, just by the way, Olivia's boat is not listed with Royce's assets. It was old and in bad shape. We may just have to face the fact that it's been scuttled or sold for parts," Noah informed his brother, knowing that he had promised to help her find the boat.