Grapevines & Skyscrapers Book One Julian

By Haley Langwood

Julian is the first book in the Grapevines & Skyscrapers Series.

Being an accountant isn't Julian's dream job. He's a programmer, and that's where his heart is. So, when Julian is offered a career as a programmer, at a software developing company, he takes it. Finally, he can quit his job as an accountant at Arroyo Import/Export Company. The day Julian hands over his resignation, he only has to answer a few emails that were all. It sounded so simple. However, he couldn't be more wrong. Life, as Julian knows it, comes to an end, and all hell breaks loose when Julian opens and reads several emails that are not meant for his eyes. The hunt is on, a prize is put on his head after Julian reads the incriminating emails. To stay alive, Julian needs to get out of the country. He flees to Europe, and after six months of traveling, a tired Julian arrives in a small village called Cannobio. He feels at home instantly. Cannobio is located directly at the Lake Maggiore, a beautiful lake. It is here, in this small picturesque village that Julian finally finds the peace and quiet he so desperately seeks. For nearly six months, Julian's life is good, and he adjusts to his new life perfectly. Julian is ecstatic when the unimaginable happens and George, his best friend, joins him in Cannobio. It gets even better when Julian finds happiness with Raphael Agretti, a wealthy Italian winemaker. However, their time together other is cut short when tragedy strikes, and Julian is forced to travel back to the United States. Julian will soon find out that there is more to Raphael than meets the eye.

Raphael Agretti, tall, dark, and very handsome. He is the proud owner of Agretti Vineyards, where he produces some exclusive wines. The vineyards are managed by his two sisters, Giovanna and Oriana. Even though the vineyards are situated in the magnificent Tuscany Valley, Raphael lives in Cannobio. He is wealthy, but also very modest. The winemaker helped many friends to set up their own businesses, and for that, the citizens of Cannobio love him dearly. The instant he sees him in the supermarket, Raphael knows that Julian is his forever. His world turns upside down when he gets close to Julian. The handsome American receives the devastating news that forces him to return home. Raphael surprises not only Julian but himself as well, when he and his baby brother Antonio, join Julian and George on the way back to the United States. Raphael loves Julian. He would lay down his life for the handsome American, and it might even come to that when someone is very determined to end Julian's life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Haley Langwood
• Release date: Jul 28, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463518250

Haley Langwood

I always say that there isn’t much to tell about me. In 2020, right before the Corona pandemic, my husband and I moved back from Germany to the Netherlands. I love to write stories, and it’s still a learning process, as it’s with many things.I like traveling and taking care of Emma, my doggie. Also, I would like more spare time to read, but all my time is divided between my regular job, writing stories, and Emma.I’ve been a vegetarian for many years now and never regretted it. Also, I despise people who wear fur. It’s disgusting! I will never understand people who help keep maintaining this awful industry of torturing and killing animals.I like to cook and love to try new recipes; it’s how I learned that nearly every dish can be served with meat substitutes.My husband and I spend the winters in beautiful Spain, where the temperatures are pleasant. Even so, it’s Italy that’s still my favorite country.That’s enough for now. If you have questions, just contact me.

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Prologue

Finally, Julian gets hired as a full-time programmer; it’s what he always wanted. He worked already part-time at the developing company, but now that he has his degree, they hired him full-time, on the spot. Now, Julian can quit his job as an accountant at Arroyo’s Import/ Export Company. Julian never liked, Roberto Arroyo, his boss, but he had no idea of how sinister and dangerous Roberto actually was. It’s Julian’s last day as an accountant, just a few more hours, and he is free. Julian is clearing his workspace when the computer beeps, signaling him that there are new emails.

Even though he knows that he shouldn’t check the mails because it’s not his job anymore, he does. One look at the incoming emails and he knows that these are emails meant for Roberto Arroyo, his almost ex-boss. He shouldn’t, he really shouldn’t, but curious as he is, he starts reading every single email. It turns out that his boss isn’t the upstanding citizen everyone thinks he is. The content of the emails could put Roberto behind bars, for years to come. The emails contained information about money laundering and politicians who had taken money from Roberto. There was even an email that showed a conversation between Roberto and an unknown hitman.

Julian hastily marked every email as unread, then he closed the computer and continued to pack his belongings. All Julian wanted to do was to go as far away as possible, from Roberto Arroyo. It looked like he was able to leave without bumping into Roberto. Unfortunately Julian wasn’t that lucky because just before he reached the front door, Roberto Arroyo called him back into his office. Julian reluctantly steps into the office. Roberto starts questioning Julian about the emails.

Julian had lied and had insisted that he had not read the emails. However, he knew that man hadn’t believed him. Julian had seen it in Roberto’s cold, emotionless eyes. The man had no heart and no soul. After the clash with his now former boss, Julian had hurried out of the building, away from Roberto Arroyo. He was still reeling from the emails that he’d read, and he now wished that he hadn’t. Damn his curiosity! The first thing Julian did was return to the apartment that he shared with his best friend, George Zagorakis.

When Julian moved to New York, it was George who took Julian under his wings and gave him a safe place to stay and ever since they are best friends. George worked for Jason Weatherly, who was one of the partners of the law firm, Weatherly, Green, and Stanton. After listening to Julian’s story, George calls his boss, Jason Weatherly, asking him for advice. Jason had advised Julian to go to the police and tell them about the emails.

After he gave it some thought, Julian decided that going to the police was probably the wisest thing to do. It was Detective James Demery who had taken time to hear Julian out. Instead of believing him, taking him seriously, Detective Demery had turned the tables and had accused him. He had said that he thought that Julian wanted to save his neck by accusing, Roberto Arroyo, an innocent, upstanding citizen.

When Detective Demery had asked if Julian had any proof, Julian had to admit that, no, he didn’t have proof. The emails were on the server from Arroyo Import/ Export. Since he didn’t work there anymore, he didn’t have access to the computer. Plus, Roberto probably had deleted all the incriminating emails by now. They had questioned Julian for hours like he was the criminal. It was George’s boss, Attorney Jason Weatherly, who had put an end to the interrogation. At the law firm, they all loved George, and that’s why Jason had come to Julian’s rescue, without asking questions. However, if Julian had thought that he was out of the woods, then he was gravely mistaken. The former accountant didn’t know that his life was in peril, but soon, he will find out.

Robert Arroyo was on the warpath. He knew for sure, that Julian had read the emails, and that he already visited the police station. It had been pure luck that good old Detective Demery hadn’t believed Julian. James Demery was one of the good guys; he wasn’t corrupt, like some other detectives, who were in Roberto’s pocket. Of course, others had heard about Julian in the interrogation room, talk about Roberto. It was Detective Flanagan, who had informed Roberto of Julian, talking to Detective Demery.

Arroyo hired a hit man to kill Julian, so he could never testify against him, or go to the police, ever again. Julian didn’t realize how much danger he was in until the first shots were fired. He was on his way to the dry cleaners when a car passed him slowly, and the person in the passenger seat had opened fire. Julian immediately had taken cover behind a vehicle. He felt bad that the car was now full of bullet holes, but better the car than him, Julian thought. It was dumb luck that none of the bullets had hit him.

Now, Julian is running for his life. Roberto’s power is reaching far, and Julian knew that he wouldn’t be safe in the United States anymore. After a heartfelt phone call to his parents, in which he can’t explain much, he flees to Europe — telling his parents that he needed to leave the country and not being able to tell them why was the hardest thing Julian had ever done. But he couldn’t tell them anything if wanted to keep them safe. Julian’s father had tried to convince him to come home, where they would protect him. Julian had declined because he knew that the first place they would look for him would be at his parents’ home.

Hearing his mother cry had nearly broken him. However, Julian knew that the only way to keep his parents, George and himself safe, was to leave. George had insisted on accompanying him, but Julian had told him, no! George had a good, steady job that he loved. His life was in New York. George wasn’t happy with Julian’s decision and reluctantly had let Julian leave, without him.

For six months, Julian traveled through Europe. Hearing of Lago Maggiore, and how beautiful it is, Julian decided to go to Italy, to Cannobio, a small village, right at Lago Maggiore. It doesn’t take long for Julian to fall in love with the place and its citizens. After some time, Julian feels safe enough to settle, so he decided to stay in Cannobio and make a life for himself. Months pass by, and Julian even finds a charming cottage that’s for sale. Soon he starts working again. Programming for the company that hired him, back in New York. For six months, Julian lives in Cannobio, and he starts to feel at home. The only thing he misses is his parents, and George, his best friend in the world.

Chapter one

Permesso caro, said a deep, melodious voice from behind him. Julian froze. The sound flowed through his whole body, and right into his very soul. He slowly turned, and holy crap, he forgot to breathe when he looked into the eyes of the most handsome man he’d ever seen. The man smiled and nearly touched Julian as he reached behind him for tomatoes. Julian just stood there. He didn’t move, and he didn’t speak. Stai bene? The stranger said, looking at him with sincere concern in his eyes. Julian swallowed hard, and he blinked a few times. He took a deep breath before he was capable of answering the handsome stranger. Sì, bene, Julian softly answered back in Italian.

The stranger’s smile brightened. Ah, English? Julian finally got out of his daze. Again, he blinked a few times, and then he smiled back. I’m an American. The moment he answered the handsome stranger, Julian regretted it. Damn and double damn! He didn’t know this man. For all he knew, this could be a hitman. That would mean that they finally had found him. A cold shiver ran over Julian’s back. He didn’t want to move again. I have to go, Julian whispered. He hurried to the checkout before the handsome stranger could respond.

Julian then hurriedly paid for the groceries and practically ran out of the supermarket. He stowed the groceries in the scooter bag. Then he quickly put his helmet on, started his scooter, and sped away like the devil was on his heels. Should he go home? Should he drive around for a while, to see if he got followed? The groceries that he bought didn’t need cooling, so Julian decided to drive up to Lago Maggiore and stay there for a while. After all, he didn’t want to lead anyone to his home.

It was after seven in the evening when Julian finally felt safe enough to drive home. For about six months now he lived in Cannobio, a small village in Northern Italy, near Lago Maggiore. Mountains, covered with plants and trees, surrounded the lake and the town. The people were friendly, and he had even learned how to speak Italian.

When Julian had first come to Cannobio, he had rented a room right in the center of the village. He had instantly felt at home, and after he thought it was secure enough, he had bought a small cottage just on the outskirts of the village. Julian had fallen instantly in love with the one-story cottage, which was in good condition. It had an entry hall, with doors left and right. Three doors to the left led to the bedrooms. The master bedroom had an adjacent bathroom. To the right was the entrance to the living room that had an open kitchen, which Julian had instantly liked. Behind the other door, on the right, was the second bathroom. Behind the cottage was nice size deck from where you could see a beautiful sunset.

A high, fence surrounded the property, and the tall bushes that grew in front of the fence made it so that the garden and the cottage itself were invisible, from the outside. If you stood in front of the property, all you saw were dense bushes. No one would be able to see directly into the cottage, or even the garden. All of this gave Julian a sense of security. Another big plus was that there were no houses in the immediate area. There was only the estate that bordered on its property.

However, the mansion was situated far enough away from the cottage, so Julian wasn’t bothered by it. He walked into the kitchen and put the groceries away, and then he strode into the smallest bedroom, which was now in use as his study. Julian was not only an accountant, but he also was a computer programmer. Only a few people knew of that fact. It had started as a hobby, and soon Julian proved to be very talented. He had studied hard, and he’d found a company that would take in a young and inexperienced programmer. He turned out to be a natural, and even though he was so young, it made him one of the best programmers in the United States.

Julian always found it funny that so few people knew that he was a famous software developer. To stay anonymous, that was the only condition that Julian had, if the company that had hired him, wanted Julian to stay. They had agreed immediately. He was good at what he did, and he earned a lot of money because of it. Also, he had saved most of his money from the moment he started working. That’s why he was able to afford the small cottage, and pay cash for it. There would be no money trail.

The day Julian fled to Europe was the day he told his parents that his life was in danger and that he had to leave the country. He didn’t dare to let them know why he was in danger; it would only bring danger to their home as well. When he’d told George what he was about to do, his best friend had offered to go with him. Julian had said no! Thinking of what he’d left behind, Julian sometimes regretted it that he hadn’t let George come with him. He missed his parents and his best friend so much.

Alright, let’s see if I can get some work done. He said to himself. It didn’t matter how he tried Julian couldn’t concentrate on anything. The face and sexy voice of the handsome stranger kept crawling into his mind. Julian shut down his laptop and went into the kitchen to get himself a nice, cold beer. He took the bottle out of the fridge and opened the sliding doors that led to the deck. After emptying the third bottle, he considered calling George. He hadn’t seen or spoken his parents or George, his best friend in nearly a year.

Three bottles of beer made him feel melancholic; he missed them so much. He grabbed his cell phone and started dialing. Before he had to press the last number, he pushed the red button, stopping the call. He dialed again, and this time, he went all the way. When Julian had fled the country, he also bought a new cell phone, without a subscription. Julian only used prepay cards. It made the use more expensive, but then, he didn’t really care. Julian was never on the phone much anyway.

Chapter Two

George Zagorakis answered on the fourth ring. This is George. Julian was silent for a moment. It came a bit as a shock, hearing the voice of his best friend. A voice he hadn’t heard in nearly a year. Hello? Who’s there? George asked. Julian swallowed hard. Hi, George, he said softly, his heart was beating a mile a minute, he was trembling. The silence that followed was nearly suffocating Julian. Then finally, George spoke. Julian, is that really you? George’s voice was shaking. Yes, Julian sighed as tears began streaming down his cheeks. I can’t believe it. Is it really you? Where are you? George sounded frantic. I’m fine, Julian chuckled nervously. The three bottles of beer were getting to him. Julian never drank more than one bottle. If he hadn’t had that much beer, he never would have called George.

Oh my God! I can’t believe it. Is that really you? That’s insane. Where are you? George demanded. I’m scared, I miss you, and I need you, Julian confessed, as he told George of meeting the handsome stranger in the supermarket. George had said nothing but had listened. That was George. The man was very perceptive and never missed a thing because he listened to what people had to say to him.

Tell me where you are, and I’ll take the next flight out. George insisted. Julian knew that his friend meant it, too. Ever since they had met, they had become friends, had each other’s back, through thick and through thin. Julian wanted nothing more than to have his friend by his side, but he couldn’t allow bringing the danger to George. I would love to have you here. I miss you so much. You can’t; it’s just too dangerous. Julian said as tears were still streaming down his cheeks.

I know that it’s freaking dangerous. George interrupted him. It was the same issue they had, right before Julian had fled to Europe. Why don’t you let it be my decision? It’s my life, you know? George insisted. I would need, there was a pause, and then he continued. I would need about two weeks to round things up here, and then I could take a flight out to… well, wherever you are. I mean it! Julian sighed, and he knew he shouldn’t, but he did it anyway because he really needed his friend. After talking for a while more, he finally told George about his whereabouts. Julian hadn’t asked about his parents. He didn’t dare. He trusted that George would let them know that he was alright.

It was nearly three weeks since Julian had called George. They had only spoken to each other once in these past three weeks. Julian still was careful. Today, the waiting was finally over. George was on-route to Malpensa Airport, near Milan. Julian hadn’t slept last night because he was too excited. Today he would see George again, after being nearly a year apart.

Julian still couldn’t fully apprehend that George really was on his way. Julian drove his car out of the garage. He owned, a fiat five-hundred, but he didn’t use it much. Still, you never knew when it would come in handy to have a car ready for use. Now was such a time. Before he drove through the gate, he programmed his navigation for Malpensa Airport. The airport near Milan was the best Julian could do. Julian and George had talked about which airport George would travel because Lugano Airport wasn’t an option. Then he had to cross the border to Switzerland and back. Julian rather didn’t cross the border when he didn’t have to. So, Malpensa Airport it was.

It took him two hours to get to the airport. Then another thirty minutes to find a parking space. Finding a parking space at the airport was a menace. Finally, he walked into the terminal for arrivals. Julian looked at his watch; he still had some time to spare. It wouldn’t be for another hour before George’s plane would land. So, to soften the wait, he bought a newspaper, which of course was the New York Times. He ordered sparkling water and a croissant. Julian loved croissants. After he finished the croissant and read most of the news, he checked the timetable for arrival from New York. He saw that George’s plane had landed, right on schedule. His heart rate sped up, Julian was nervous, and rightly so. They hadn’t seen each other for nearly a year. George was six feet and four inches tall and built like a tree. With his short, dark brown hair and piercing green eyes, he was a stunner. Now his friend was coming to Italy, to join him. George would get the spare bedroom during his stay.

Julian had mixed feelings about his friend joining him. He would never forgive himself if something happened to George. He didn’t have trouble to pick George out of the crowd. His friend was big. He started waving the moment he saw George. His friend had seen him too. George’s eyes brightened, and he grinned like a loon. They held each other for what seemed like an eternity before George gently pushed Julian at arm’s length. Let me look at you. George’s eyes were full of emotion, and he took his time inspecting Julian. Your hair is longer than I remember. Nice tan, you have, too.

Julian grinned, his eyes full of unshed tears. I’m doing alright. It’s just… I know, I know. George soothed. But, I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere! That statement got Julian’s full attention. Come again? He said because he needed to know that he had heard correctly. I’m here to stay. I’m not leaving you again. It’s not happening. The past year was hell, without you! I was so worried. I sometimes thought that I would go insane. Not to know where you were if you were still alive. No! I won’t go through that again! I just won’t. George was on the verge of tears.

Julian gently touched Georges’ arm. It is fine; I’m fine. Julian smiled and then said. La mia casa è la tua casa. George cocked his head, making Julian laugh. It means my house is your house. You really need to learn the Italian language. Also, you can stay for as long as you want. I love to have you here. Julian couldn’t repeat it enough. If it were up to him, he never let George leave again. I love you, man, said George, as he nearly hugged the life out of Julian.

Tell me, how are my parents? Julian asked when George finally let go of him. He was dying to hear about his father and mother. He hadn’t asked about them during the two phone calls between him and George. Julian was too afraid that he would jeopardize their safety. They are fine. I know that they worry a lot about you. It’s tough on them. But after your call, I traveled to North Carolina and took them to dinner. I told them about the phone call. I was able to convince them that you were doing great. So I could ease their minds a bit. But they want to, at least talk to you. They need to hear for themselves that you are, indeed, alright. George knew how dangerous the whole situation still was.

I miss them too. I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed my parents this past year. But for me to contact them, that could put my mom and dad in danger. As long as I don’t have contact with them, they can’t use my parent for leverage. Julian’s smile was gone, and back was the weary look. I know what you mean! If they think that your parents know where you are, they will use that to lure you out of hiding. I mean it would be enough to threaten your parents’ lives. You would come running. George surmised.

Julian nodded. You’re right about that, George said as he squeezed Julian tight. I’m here now. We will find a way to contact them so that they can talk to you, I promise! Come; let’s get out of this place. I want to see your cottage. George said, smiling warmly. Together they walked out of the terminal and to the parking lot where Julian’s fiat five-hundred stood, patiently waiting for them. Jeez, that’s a very nice, small, car. George noticed. Julian laughed; he knew what George wasn’t saying. With his six feet and four inches, George wasn’t a small guy. A fiat five-hundred was a small car.

Yep, but you’ll fit, Julian teased him. George growled at hearing his friend tease. I’ll never fit. Not in a million years! He protested. Yes, you will, Julian insisted. Now, come on, I want to get out of here. There are just too many people. Julian said he didn’t like to be around so many people. He was still afraid that someone might recognize him. Plus, he simply didn’t like huge crowds.

George laughed. "You never liked the crowds. How someone