Vale comes out of the kitchen with two steaming cups of tea and hands me one. “You look pale, Mari. Are you sure you don’t want to lie down? It might be the pain meds kicking in.”
I bite down on my tongue. No, I don’t want to lie down. I didn’t even want the pain meds, but my sister-in-law insisted on me taking them after she saw me wince when she touched my wrist. Polo left a few bruises, but they’re nothing that won’t fade in a few days.
What I really want to do is storm into my brother’s office and demand an explanation from Giorgio.
Yes, I expected him to act differently when he arrived, but I wasn’t prepared for that perfect mask of indifference. Last night, Giorgio spent at least two hours with his mouth between my legs, and ten minutes ago, he looked at me like he didn’t even know me.
Is this how it’s going to be while he’s here?
I nearly died, but clearly, his concern extends only so far. If the roles were reversed, I wouldn’t care about anything other than being there for him. But he seems to care far more about what my brother thinks than giving me the support that I need.
Maybe it’s the pain meds or the fact that I’ve had far too much adrenaline in my system in the past few hours, but the thought sets alight a blaze of fury inside my belly.
“I’m fine,” I say, holding the tea tightly in my palms even though the cup is too hot. “I’ll go to sleep soon.”
Vale brushes a lock of hair out of my face, her gaze soft but concerned. “Now that Giorgio’s talking to Dem, want to tell me what really happened? You’ve been scarce on the details.”
Yeah, because I was trying to be loyal to Giorgio. I’m not sure how much my brother knows about Giorgio’s family history, and I didn’t want to be the one spilling his secrets.
Now, that loyalty leaves a sour taste inside my mouth.
Vale’s gaze drops a few inches lower, and I become aware of the pendant Giorgio gave me—the one still hanging around my neck. My anger morphs into a prickling sense of doubt.
He never wanted Dem to find out, but why? What does he think my brother would do? Threaten to kill him for deflowering his sister? That’s absurd. If I tell Dem I like Giorgio and want to keep seeing him, he wouldn’t stop me. I’m sure of it.
So what if this was just a convenient excuse? What if Giorgio never saw me as anything but a temporary fling, and this is the end that he envisioned for us?
Was our connection really so one-sided?
“Mari?”
I glance at Vale, meeting her expectant gaze. “I’m sorry. What?”
“Are you going to tell me what happened?”
I open my mouth, but I can’t get the words out. I know I don’t owe Giorgio loyalty after he just completely blew me off, but something about spilling his business just feels wrong.
“I’m tired,” I say by way of an excuse. “Dem can catch you up on the details when they’re done in there.”
She sighs and leans back into the couch before taking a sip of her tea. Her eyes volley to the clock before swinging back to me. “Who knows when that may be. It’s nearly ten already. Good thing we ate before Giorgio arrived.”
My shoulders relax. I know Vale must be dying from curiosity, so I appreciate her not pressing me any harder. “Do you think he’ll stay here?”
She scrunches her nose. “Unless it’s in a body bag, I don’t see him leaving.”
“What?”
Her eyes flash with amusement. “It’s a joke. Trust me, if they were going to kill each other, they would have done it by now.”
“I told Damiano that what happened with Polo wasn’t Giorgio’s fault.”
“And I’m sure your words will count for something, but at the end of the day, the only one who can make that judgment is your brother,” she says, her tone growing soft. “Don’t worry, Mari. Everything will work out.”
I peer down at my tea. “It’s always going to be me, isn’t it? I’m the weakest link in the De Rossi empire. Will there ever be a day when someone isn’t trying to capture me or kill me?”
Vale makes a tight line with her lips, like she knows the answer won’t please me.
I chuckle. “I need something stronger than this.”
Taking the nearly finished tea out of my hands, she rises and makes her way to the bar in the corner of the room. She comes back a few moments later with two glasses of red wine. “Look, Mari, I respect you too much to treat you with kid gloves.”
A jolt of surprise runs through me at her blunt tone.
Vale hands me one glass and keeps the second for herself. “Yes, you’ve been a target, and I’d be a liar if I said that’s going to change when your brother becomes don of the Casalesi, but you’re not the weakest link. Far from it. I grew up in this world, and I know from watching my own father rule his empire that a don’s strength lies in the people he can trust unconditionally. Dem’s circle is small, and he’ll have to grow it if he wants his rule to last. You are an important part of that circle, and even though Dem still treats you like his little sister, I know he’s starting to understand that you’re no longer a child. You’re smart, resilient, and brave.”
When I knit my brows, she shakes her head.
“Don’t even try to argue. Look around, Mari.” She tips her head to the side. “You’re in this room because you managed to fight off the man who attacked you. All. On. Your. Own. That fact won’t be lost on your brother.”
In the chaos of the day, I haven’t really paused to process what had happened.
She’s right. I stood up for myself, didn’t I? Yes, I was terrified, but that didn’t stop me from doing something this time around. The lessons Giorgio taught me paid off.
“As the don’s sister, you’ll have a lot of influence,” she continues. “People will vie to be in your good graces. If you want to be a key asset in the organization, it’s yours for the taking, but to start on that journey, you will need to stop thinking of yourself as the weakest link.”
I chew on my lip. Is that what I want for myself? For a long time, I thought I wanted to escape this world.
What Vale is proposing would be doing the opposite.
I wanted to leave, didn’t I? Go somewhere far away and throw myself into cooking? Do I still want that?
I’m not sure anymore.
Before what happened in New York, my life had been completely different. I had been completely different. When I remember that girl, I can hardly recognize her anymore. Maybe instead of anchoring myself to the past, I need to start thinking more about the future.
I finish off the wine with two large gulps and place the empty glass down on the coffee table. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
Vale smiles. “I know. Take your time.”
Yawning, I rub the heels of my palms over my eyes. “I think I better get some sleep. Can you show me to my room? I think I’ll get lost if I try to find it on my own.”
She leads me upstairs and points to a door. “It’s this one. Sophia’s still resting. We made her a makeshift bed with some pillows and blankets, but I’ll get one of the guys to buy her a proper one tomorrow.”
“Thanks,” I say, leaning my head on her shoulder. “I know the circumstances are not ideal, but I’m happy to be back with you two.”
She wraps an arm around my shoulders and gives me a squeeze. “Me too.”
I’m halfway through the door when she says my name.
“Yeah?” I ask, glancing at her over my shoulder.
“I’ve put Giorgio in the bedroom down the hall. Dem and I are downstairs in case you wake up and need anything.”
Our eyes lock, mine wide, hers glinting knowingly.
Heat blooms over my cheeks. “Okay, thanks.”
I slip into the bedroom and press my back against the door. I can’t shake off the feeling that she told me exactly where Giorgio will be on purpose, but how would she know? Either she has the world’s best intuition, or my feelings are way too obvious.
Probably a bit of both.
I sit down on the floor beside Sophia and pet her bristly fur while she takes a well-deserved nap. This dog is a freaking hero.
My throat tightens. Her master might be gone, but I’m going to take good care of her while she’s here. Tommaso would have been so proud of her for having my back.
I sniff and press the heels of my palms against my eyes.
Another cruel fluke of fate.
In the bathroom, I wash up, brush my teeth, and slip on my pajamas, but I know I won’t be able to sleep. When the house quiets, I’m going to sneak out and talk to Giorgio, because I need to know what the hell is going on.
Maybe when it’s just the two of us, everything will go back to the way it was. He owes me a damn apology for how he behaved earlier, but after everything that happened, I just crave to be in his arms again. I want the heat of his body and the comfort of his scent, and most of all, I want the peace I feel whenever I’m with him.
While I wait, I reach for my phone and pull up Imogen. My last message to her stares up at me. It’s the one from the night of my birthday, when all I could think about was how badly I wanted Giorgio to kiss me. After he did, everything was different. I had him to talk to then, but I’m alone again now.
Im, I miss you. I hope you’re having a good time wherever you are. Can you see the mess happening back here on Earth? It isn’t pretty.
I slept with Giorgio. Did a lot more than that actually… I might have fallen in love with him, but I can’t be sure because I’ve never done that before. You fell in love with someone once. Antonio, from math class. I remember how your eyes shone and you couldn’t stop smiling when you told me about him. I wonder if I’d look like that if I got the chance to tell you about Giorgio.
I send off the message and start typing the next one.
Love or not, I’m scared he doesn’t feel the same. He doesn’t want Dem to know about us, so he’s acting like I don’t exist, even though I need him now more than ever. I’m angry, and yet I miss him more than anything. How strange is that? I’ve never felt these simultaneous extremes before I met him.
I know I can’t make him love me if he doesn’t, but at the very least, I want him to understand how horrible he made me feel. You’d probably tell me I’m crazy for chasing after a guy who doesn’t want me with all of his heart, but I just can’t leave it like this. I need to talk to him.
I read over the messages, then place my phone back on the nightstand and wait.
It’s…not the same.
The usual sense of relief I’ve come to associate with sending these texts doesn’t come. Anxiety simmers beneath my skin, insistent and uncomfortable.
Go find him.
Growling in frustration, I throw off the blanket and climb out of bed.
On the other side of the door to my room, the house appears to be quiet. I press my ear against its smooth surface just to be sure. When I don’t hear anything, I slip outside.
The lights are off except for a small courtesy light near the landing and another one in the living room below. It’s possible Dem’s still working in his office, but he might be there for hours, and I’m not waiting that long.
The soles of my feet press gently against the floor as I make my way to the bedroom Vale pointed out. When I get there, a rapid clicking sound filters through the door.
Giorgio’s working on his laptop.
Anger narrows my vision. I’m spending my evening thinking about him, and he’s working?
Without bothering to knock, I step inside and pin my gaze on to the man himself.
Giorgio’s at a desk, a glass of liquor by his laptop. He looks up, and when he realizes it’s me, his azure eyes darken to a midnight blue. A weariness flickers through them, as if he knew I might show up but was hoping I wouldn’t.
Too bad.
I lock the door behind me and try my best to dull the ache growing inside my chest. “We need to talk.”
