The Twelve Zenati Pt. 13

The sun shining from the top of the jet beyond the head of the tall, broad Adonis who stepped out of the plane made him look every inch the sun god that he had been named after. Noah studied the man as he came down the stairs smiling widely as if greeting old friends. His white business shirt stretched across his chest so tightly Noah wondered if he should be concerned about the buttons popping and becoming missiles. His sleeves were rolled up and sat around bulging forearms that sported tattoos that obviously belonged to a long sleeve of tattoos on each arm. The casual look and jeans did nothing to diminish from the power the man radiated, and Noah was momentarily stunned by his appearance. This was not what he had been expecting at all.

"Apollo," Orlando said in a serious voice and stepped forward holding out his hand. "I'm Orlando Zenati, and this is Noah," he introduced themselves to the visitor. "Do you want to wait for your luggage or are you happy for one of the men to take it on to the hotel while we take you to lunch?"

"Welcome," Noah said taking the man's hand as he turned from Orlando to face him. "I can't make lunch, but my brother will be at the hotel to help you with anything you need. Unfortunately, the leaders of our table are unable to greet you today due to a family issue."

"No worries, it's the same everywhere since the attack," he said easily. "I appreciate the welcome party rather than just sending a car." He looked toward the plane. "I travel light," he hefted the large bag slung over his shoulder. No need to wait. Lead on, good sirs," he said cheerily and grinned at them.

They approached the car, and Apollo stepped forward opening the rear door and thrusting his bag across the seat before scooting in after it. Shrugging, Noah and Orlando got into the front with Noah still driving so Orlando could talk with Apollo about exactly why he had come to Darwin so suddenly. The engine had barely started when Apollo began speaking without any prompting.

"It's okay gentlemen, I know the deal. I would have let you know I was coming earlier, but I came through Perth and didn't realise I would be heading up this way until I got there," Apollo volunteered. "Before that, I was in Canberra helping with the investigation. It's been a busy few months, but I wasn't about to miss the birthday of the woman I plan to marry so here I am," he chuckled. "I'm not here for any other reason than to see her, so there's no need to worry. I just need a place to stay, a bike to get around on for a day or two and for you to tell me how to find the birthday girl before the day runs out. I'm on the clock so to speak."

"Does this birthday girl who you plan to marry have a name?" Orlando asked guardedly considering the two sisters from Perth that were staying with them at the moment.

"Marcella Gambaro, she is here looking after her sister. I expect you've met her," Apollo said.

"She never mentioned that it was her birthday, today," Noah blurted as a cold hard rock sunk to the bottom of his stomach. Still, no heart attack or knife twisting in his gut but he felt ill and his fingers wrapped tightly around the steering wheel.

"She wouldn't. I imagine she had been dreading this one, but I came to make sure she knew at least one person on the planet remembered and came to celebrate with her," Apollo shrugged. "I expect you've noticed that she's a feisty bitch and doesn't make friends easily," he chuckled again as if sharing a secret with them.

"That's the way you talk about the woman you want to marry?" Orlando asked, forestalling whatever Noah was about to say with a look. He could see Noah's knuckles whitening with his grip on the wheel and his expression of discomfort.

"That's the way she talks about herself my friends," Apollo assured them. "Trust me, she wouldn't be offended by the description. Besides, the meek and mild doormat type isn't for me. I like a girl who will put up a fight for what she wants."

"I doubt anyone here would be brave enough to describe Marcella Gambaro as meek as mild," Orlando gave a good-natured chuckle as he studied Noah intently. "How is it that you didn't come straight here to find her. She's been here for some time now, yet you went via Perth."

"I've been on lock-down, and it's not unusual for Marcella to ignore my calls if she feels I've been remiss or ignoring her. She doesn't take rejection well, even if it's only imagined," Apollo lamented. "No worries, I'll fix it once I see her. I assume you can organise a meeting for me after lunch and once I have checked out where we'll be sleeping tonight?"

Noah's stomach roiled and cramped, and he ground his teeth together so as not to refute the man's words. Why wouldn't Marcella tell anyone she was engaged. Why would she ask him to pretend to date her in those early days if this guy was on the scene already and wanting to marry her? The questions spun in his mind as he fought vicious nausea that assailed him when suddenly Imelda words about his feeling ill when she was in danger sliced through the questions, and he cursed her again.

Noah barely listened to the rest of the conversation as he drove to the Tall Trees Resort and pulled into the valet area where Gideon and Val waited. Gideon took one look at Noah through the windscreen and bounded over the car in few loping strides.

"I'll introduce our guest to the mechanic, looks like Gid's got an important message for you," Orlando said stepping from the car and holding the door open for Gideon to climb in and speak to Noah.

"First, stop choking that steering wheel, then tell me why you look like your about to pass out," Gideon said with quiet intensity. This wasn't the cool, calm and collected Noah he knew so well.

"That man claims to be Marcella's fiancé," Noah said woodenly.

"She never even hinted that she had a relationship let alone a fiancé. Vivienne would have known if that was true," Gideon frowned. "Heart attack?" he asked carefully knowing that both he and Marcella denied any attraction at all between them.

"Oracles don't get heart attacks. Dom didn't with Emma either," Noah said still coming to terms with how ill and faint he felt.

"You look like death," Gideon said.

"I don't feel much this side of it. Somethings not right about this guy and I can't work out if it's me and my prejudices or something else more sinister. See what you can find out over lunch. Don't tell Vivienne yet. I want to see Marcie myself. Her expression should give away any feelings for the man when she finds out he is here because, from what he said, she hasn't been answering his calls. He went to Perth to find her first despite her been here so long," Noah said, his body finally relaxing as a plan formed in his mind to confront Marcella with the information. "Tell Orlando to stay and keep digging too."

"She's your curse breaker after all?" Gideon asked unsure what all of this meant.

"Maybe, it's different for oracles, and even if she is, I'm not sure either of us wants that sort of relationship with the other," he sighed. "She's as far from the type of woman I want than I can tell you. Apollo describes her as a feisty bitch, and he claims to love her enough to want to marry her. Who says shit like that about the woman they love even if it's true?"

"I can't argue with his assessment of her. She is a feisty bitch on a good day," Gideon chuckled.

"Just keep him here and occupied with lunch for a few hours okay? Give me some time to ask Marcella about him," Noah asked.

"Sure, call me when you're done or if you decide to bring her here to see him. Let's keep the fallout of that meeting to a minimum and get you to the hospital with X and Em in a timely manner. It's one thing to miss lunch, but you need to be there when Dom comes out of surgery." Gideon could hear that need in his brother's voice and had to remind him of what the priority was today, regardless of what was going on. The problems between him and Marcella weren't going to be fixed in a day if they could ever be fixed.

*****

"Ladies," Noah said smoothly, having had time to process what had happened earlier and appear as he normally did as he approached Marcella and Vivienne. He'd told Xavier of his plans and intended to take the two ladies to the same restaurant where Marcella was less likely to make a scene when he told her who was visiting and what he claimed to be to her. Then he could leave with Xavier and Emma to return to Dominic.

"Noah! I thought you were looking after Xavier today," Vivienne didn't hide her surprise at seeing him there.

"Taino is taking them to lunch. Gideon has been caught up with some family business and asked me to take you to lunch in his place," he said easily. "Ready to go?"

"I guess. Maybe you two should go alone, I'm not that hungry," Vivienne hesitated.

"Don't be silly," Marcella chided knowing what her friend was trying to do yet again. She wished Vivienne would let this matchmaking go already. "Let's make him buy us a hideously expensive lunch somewhere nice," Marcella grinned. "I'm feeling seafood, maybe lobster tails?"

"Anywhere will be fine with me," Vivienne laughed and shook her head at Marcella. "Thank you, Noah, that would be nice."

"Great, we can collect your cars after lunch," he said leading them away to his car. He engaged in small talk on the ride to the restaurant, letting the two women take the onus for carrying the conversation as he collected his thoughts. His brain still warred with Imelda's words, Apollo's words and the feelings both of them created in him. There had to be a logical reason for his reactions today. His brain refused to believe what all the evidence pointed to. How could he not know? How could a woman like her be meant for a man like him? It just wasn't possible.

He waited until they were seated and the wait staff had snapped crisp linen napkins across their laps and taken drink orders before he smiled at the women and pulled a gift box from behind his back where it had been wedged between his belt and his jacket.

"Happy birthday, Marcella," he smiled softly at the look of surprise on her face as she looked from the gift-wrapped box to him and back again.

"Wait! It's your birthday, and you never said anything?" Vivienne exclaimed.

"I guess a girl can't have any secrets any more. I bet they even have a file on how many times I poop every day," Marcella rolled her eyes not touching the gift box as if afraid it might bite her.

"It's not much, just something I thought you mightn't have gotten around to getting for yourself yet," Noah said carefully pushing the box closer to her across the table.

"Open it, I want to see!" Vivienne practically bounced in her seat as their drinks arrived and Marcella picked up the box to make room.

"Keep your knickers on," Marcella grumped and opened the wrapping to reveal the white Apple Watch box. She'd handed over her last watch when she had found the boat and hadn't been able to replace it yet as her own savings were rapidly dwindling and she was careful about what she charged to the Zenati credit card she held. "Thank you, Noah. Really, you didn't have to but thank you."

"I thought you probably wouldn't get your watch back from the AFP anytime soon," he shrugged as if it was no big deal. "It's a newer version. They didn't have any of the threes in stock, but this one has better features regardless."

"Happy birthday, Marcie. You really should have told us. I feel awful that not even Olivia wished you a happy birthday this morning," Vivienne sounded truly upset at the idea. "I promise we will make it up to you," she picked up her glass of wine as if making a toast and clinked her glass to Marcella's.

Noah tried to gauge when was the best time to open the conversation about how he had known it was her birthday when she gave him the opening he needed.

"So, are you investigating me now, Noah?" Marcella asked acerbically. "Do you also know my favourite colour and flower?"

"Actually, I was as clueless as everyone else when I first saw you at the spa this morning, but then we had an unexpected call from some wanting to visit and asking for a family room and transport. I went to pick him up from the airport. Imagine my surprise when he told me he was here to visit his fiancée on her birthday," Noah gave Marcella a tight smile. "Apollo Martino is very keen to see you today, the question I have is... do you want to see him?"

"Apollo is here? In Darwin?" Marcella gasped, her eyes wide in surprise or shock or a combination of both, Noah couldn't tell, and the heavy rock in the bottom of his stomach rolled with her recognition of his name.

"He would have let you know, but apparently you haven't been answering his calls. He flew to Perth to see you before coming here. Not a very nice way to treat the man who claims to be your fiancé," Noah said his voice harder and more judgemental than he meant it to be.

"You can make all the assumptions and judgements you want. You obviously aren't interested in asking me about Apollo but rather accusing me of keeping my private life private! You know nothing about me, Noah Zenati! You've never bothered to get to know the real me because you family men get all your information on a nice neat little computer printout. Why would you bother asking anyone anything! But just so you know, Apollo is not my fiancé, and I don't owe him or any of you an explanation of where I am or what I am doing at any given moment," Marcella seethed hissing the words through her teeth. Then she got up and threw the gift at him. "Not that your family have given me any choice about that," she turned, indicating the obvious watchmen and stormed from the restaurant.

"You had that coming, Noah. I know you are under a lot of pressure at the moment but you don't get to treat people like that. She's done nothing but try to help her sister since she got here and still you all treat her like a criminal, having her followed and spied on everywhere she goes," Vivienne shook her head sadly. "I really thought better of you. Wait for me, Marcie," she called and hurried after her friend.

He had the answers he wanted at least for a whole multitude of questions, and if he didn't feel so guilty and nauseous, he would have immediately charged after them, but instead, he slumped in his seat or a moment. He'd fucked up big time, and now he just had to live with it. He sighed and stood to take a deep breath and quiet his gut. He had driven the girls here, he needed to ensure they got back safely even if he had a watchman return them to the spa and their car. Gideon could deal with the fall out of his actions. He needed to apologise, but he was fairly certain she wouldn't listen to him right now. He eased his conscience by reminding himself that he needed be there for Xavier, Emma and Dom today and didn't have time to chase after the two women.

"Lies," his subconscious told him. He knew he had been a complete arsehole, he hadn't been able to help himself. The words themselves were not harsh, but he knew his demeanour and tone were and that was what had elicited her reaction. He spoke with the nearest watchman about taking the ladies home. For his own self-preservation and hers, he needed to give Marcella space until he could work out what the hell was going on and talk to her like a rational humanbeing. Imelda couldn't be right, he refused to believe it, but even as that thought entered his mind, he knew it was a lie. The thought of seeing Marcella with Apollo the fucking sun god made him feel sick, no matter how much he denied it. All he could do was step back and avoid them while the man was in town and let the chips fall where they may.

"You're such a fucking arsehole," he told himself. Avoidance wasn't his usual mode of operating but confident that the two women were being looked after by the watchmen he went to find Xavier and Emma.

*****