Chapter 42
Alexei wiped his mouth with his napkin. “With Ernesto running around, I’m not taking any chances. According to Armand, Don Ferone is looking for him but hasn’t found him yet. Armand is considering putting loup garou trackers on the case. Since we cannot control what Don Ferone does once Ernesto is found, we are not responsible for hurting a human if we only give Don Ferone his location.” After they finished their lunch, Alexei said, “I have a surprise for you. Let’s go up to the sixth floor.”
“Okay…I hope you didn’t get me something else expensive.” Uneasiness pricked at him as he recalled how he’d been used. “I don’t want to feel like a kept boy.”
“How can you be a kept boy when you are my Mate and about to become my husband?” Alexei put his arm around him as they rode the elevator. “Whether you were rich or poor when we met, the result would be the same. I’ve had over a hundred years to accumulate wealth, and my family accumulated wealth before that and passed it all to me. Very few men have what I have.”
In Alexei’s protective arms, Donal’s uneasiness slipped away. “I feel better now, knowing we will belong to each other.”
Alexei pulled him closer. “You would have to be very rich to have as much as a loup garou, but this gift is something I got out of storage. It belonged to my grandfather who was the original Alpha of the Colorado territory.”
The elevator doors opened, and Alexei gestured for Donal to precede him. A beautiful grand piano greeted him. Donal’s eyes widened. “Oh my God, oh my God, a piano. I practiced in the dirt while Apuso had me. Sometimes it was all that kept me sane. Can I try to play?”
“Of course, little mouse, I had it tuned for you to use.”
Donal sat down at the bench and stretched his fingers. “I don’t know how I’m going to sound. I haven’t played in so long.”
* * * *
“With practice, you’ll soon get back your skills. Playing the piano is like riding a bike. You have muscle memory, especially since you practiced on an air piano in your prison.” Alexei shook with anger. He wanted to go after Arthur McConnell now that Apuso was dead, but Armand convinced him that seeing his stepfather might be too traumatizing for Donal to handle, so he restrained himself, but with difficulty.
Donal began to play Mozart’s “A Little Night Music.”
“Ah, you know ‘Eine kleine Nachtmusik.’ That’s the original German title for ‘A Little Night Music.’ My parents knew Wolfgang. One of his patrons was Karl Alois, Prince Lichnowsky of Austria, and Mother and Father would often attend intimate concerts for special guests in Lichnowsky’s music room. You play it well.”
“I’m very rusty. I used to sing songs from Meatloaf, Jon Bon Jovi, and Elton John when my mother and stepfather weren’t listening. Those singers have tenor voices too. My mother wanted me to concentrate on classical music and Irish ballads.” Donal smiled sadly. “I had to sneak the other music.”
“You don’t like classical music?”
“I love classical music, especially Mozart, but I like other music too. My taste in music was pretty broad.” Donal played a couple of bars from an Elton John song Alexei recognized.
“When your lungs are fully restored, I’ll get you a voice coach and tell him to let you sing all types of music, although I must admit, I’m not fond of opera except for Mozart and a few other composers.” Alexei made a face.
“Neither am I and that’s what they wanted for me. I had tutors.”
“You never talked about your life in Albany,” Alexei observed.
“We were well-off. Not like this,” he gestured around him, “but my stepfather owned a factory that made cardboard boxes. When I last saw them, he was planning on taking the jobs offshore. He was a bastard.”
Now I have some information. With Armand’s help, I can ruin them as a small side project.
“How do you think they explained your absence?” Alexei sat next to Donal on the bench. He needed information for his new endeavor and was determined to find out everything he could.
“They probably said I went to boarding school, camp, and college. After seven years, no one would ask. I wanted to go to boarding school to escape and made no secret of the fact I wanted to leave. My mother didn’t believe me about Arthur. I think she didn’t want to give up his money.” Alexei grimaced.