Marco
“Considering she hasn’t spoken to me directly for a week, I’d say chances are strong she’s still pissed off,” I mutter in disgust. After my not-so-wonderful handling of her desire to help with the Langdon situation, I’d become public enemy number one. Fuck no. That would be a step up. I’m now the invisible man where she’s concerned. I was happy to leave her at my place with a couple of men while I met Nic and Jake at the office. With no new leads on who killed the kid’s family, I had Jake pull the security footage for my apartment on the outside chance someone followed either Langdon or Sophie when they’d been there. That kind of murder is rarely ever random. We just have to find the link.
I’m tempted to pull my gun on Nic when he chuckles at my predicament with Nina. “Still striking out even though you have the home-field advantage. Bro, that’s just embarrassing. I figured you two would have given in to temptation long ago.”
The image of Nina sitting on my lap while I sucked her tits floats through my head, and I begin recounting baseball statistics under my breath to keep my body from responding. I fucked up royally. No one to blame but myself. “She hasn’t addressed me directly since I fucked up. If Jake’s there, she says something like, ‘Jake, tell Mr. Moretti that he is out of Coke,’ or she leaves me a note.” I pull a piece of paper from my pocket and hand it to him. He unfolds it, and his eyes scan the page before he bursts into laughter.
“Damn,” he gasps out. “I hope you took that shit seriously. Plus, it’s gotta be some comfort that you wouldn’t be seeing any action right now regardless.”
“What’s it say?” Jake asks as he attempts to look over Nic’s shoulder. “Mr. Moretti, unless you want your no doubt outrageously expensive brothel bed ruined, I advise you to pick up a box of heavy flow tampons ASAP. Doesn’t really matter much to me either way. Ms. Nina Gavino.” Jake and Nic sag against the wall, not even trying to contain their amusement. Surely, my father would understand if I shot one of them. He’d never put up with this.
“Laugh it up, ladies,” I say in a voice so quiet and calm, they’re immediately on alert. They’ve been around me long enough to know when to be wary. “I’m glad you two can find such humor in my problems when we have so many bigger things to focus on. But if you feel that this is a priority, then take all the time you need.” Looking the picture of tolerance, I sit down in a nearby chair and cross my legs, whistling casually. Keep a straight face. This is too good to ruin now.
Nic gives me a skeptical stare before shaking his head. “Dude, I think Jake may have shit his pants. For fuck’s sake, tell him you’re kidding.” My other cousin is a bit pale, and considering I need him right now, it’s best to put him out of his misery.
I roll my eyes in his direction. “Stop being such a pussy. If you have an accident in here, I’ll make sure everyone sees it. Including Tony and Lee.”
He’s already shaking his head frantically. “Don’t you dare tell them such bullshit. What in the hell is wrong with all of you?” he grumbles under his breath as he turns back to the video monitor. “If you don’t eat your young and knock your woman around, you’re a pussy. Something fucked about that.”
“Hey, hey.” Nic chuckles as he slaps the other man on the back of the head. “You have us confused with the Gavinos. You know the big man made that rule about laying hands on a chick. Said he’d let his wife personally deliver the punishment if he found out anyone broke the rule. And no one wants Mama Moretti on them.” He shudders. “There are no written laws about munching on your kids, but I don’t think that’s ever come up before. You’re into some weird shit, dude. But I still love you.”
It’s damn near impossible to be in the same room with these two and not be amused at the insane conversations they have. To an outsider, they’d be deemed certifiable. Might not be too far off. But there’s no one else I’d rather work with than them.
Then how could you betray their trust?
The sick feeling is back in the pit of my stomach. Feels like I’ve swallowed broken glass and washed it down with battery acid. Please let them never know I was involved. I realize my mood is somber in part because of the rift with Nina, but toss in the fact there’s a kid down the hall still reeling from finding his mother and sister murdered, and it makes me wonder how bad things would have to get for us to go through a day without joking around. I know one thing that would do it. “Fuck you, asshole,” Jake mutters before glancing over at me warily. “How far back you want to go again, boss? I got like thirty days of footage here, but that’s gonna take a while to go through.”
I pull out my phone and bring up my calendar. “Sophie would have been there on Monday. So let’s cover our bases and start on Sunday. See if anyone was casing the area before that.”
Jake’s fingers fly over the keyboard, and within moments, he has the six screens in front of him showing various angles of my apartment. We see nothing of interest on the first day, but on the second, we see Sophie enter the hallway to my floor, then open the door and go inside. An hour later, she’s back on the camera carrying trash to the disposal shoot on the next hallway, and that’s when we see Langdon skulking in from the other side and entering my place. Obviously, his mother hadn’t locked the door behind her because he doesn’t pause long. Jake snorts in amusement, seeming almost proud of his new charge. Nic jots down a couple of tag numbers from vehicles we spot more than once, but I figure most live in the area. I’m returning a text to my father when Nic punches me in the arm hard enough to push my chair to the side a few inches. What the…?
“You fucked the dry cleaner’s daughter?” he asks incredulously. “I’ve asked her out a dozen times and gotten nowhere. Hell, she doesn’t even speak English.” She does speak English, but that’s beside the point here. Fuck, how I wish I could turn back time. I have no clue why, since discussing past conquests is nothing new—but I feel like a pig. No, wait. Hadn’t Nina referred to me as a junkyard dog in one of her notes? Made me long for the more formal Mr. Moretti greeting she mostly used. Granted, I generally refrain from broadcasting my intimate encounters all over the office. Fuck, there hadn’t been any to broadcast recently, until that lapse in judgment. But it’s not unusual for Nic to comment on someone I’ve been with.
“Her grasp of our language isn’t the best,” I acknowledge. “And she asked me out for a drink.”
“According to the kid, there’s nothing wrong with her pipes.” Jake smirks. “Apparently, she can damn near shatter glass with the right… incentive.”
“I’d hate you if I didn’t admire you so much,” Nic deadpans. “Wait”—he raps his knuckles on the table loudly— “she was the blonde Langdon heard?” Jake shoots Nic a look of disbelief. It fucks with me, though, because firstly, he knows me well enough to not be questioning my skills, but secondly… Nina. I like to fuck. I’m a man. So be it. But I somehow feel dirty that she now knows, and I’m not entirely sure why.
I’m so distracted by their bickering that I almost miss the figure on one of the monitors. “Hey, back that frame up,” I snap, pointing at the image in question. Jake immediately stops speaking midsentence and turns to see what has my attention. Nic and I get to our feet and move closer as he hits the play button once again. A figure slides out feet first from one of my apartment windows. When they make contact with the small platform connected to the fire escape, they stand, holding on to the railing while looking down at something. They’re clothed from head to foot in black and are small in stature. “Can you zoom in closer? If they look up, we might get a better view.” Jake makes the necessary adjustments, and we all wait with bated breath, hoping for anything that gives us a clue who the intruder is. They’re moving down the stairs now, and their head is almost out of sight when they pause for a moment and look up. Jake freezes the shot without being told, and I stare in disbelief.
It can’t be.
What the fuck?
“I’m just going to go ahead and put it out there,” Nic mutters dryly, “but that sure resembles a certain houseguest you have. Might not be the world’s clearest picture, but toss in the size and the face, and that’s enough to make you ask questions.”
“She wouldn’t,” I croak. “There’s a big drop at the end of those stairs. She’s gonna break her fucking neck.”
Jake appears to be running through the footage from another angle, and a few minutes later, he points at the second screen. “Unbelievable,” he says dazedly. I can’t believe my eyes when she swings from the bottom rung and grabs the drainage pipe. Then she shimmies down the remainder of the way and leaps neatly to her feet before disappearing down the alley and out of sight.
“At the risk of being stabbed,” Nic interjects, “I’m strangely turned on right now.”
“That makes two of us.” Jake waves a hand, before dropping it quickly when he sees my frown.
“Check the rest of the footage and see when she comes back.” I’m blown away that she was not only that brazen but also that damn stupid. Has she completely forgotten the reason she’s staying with me? Did running around alone in the middle of the night not set off any kind of alarm bells for her?
Ten minutes later, Jake drops into a chair, and the rest of us follow suit. “I would have never believed it,” he says. “She’s done the same thing every night since then. And it’s mostly the same scenario. Gone a couple of hours, then she crawls up the drain and leaps over to the fire escape stairs.”
“She’s going to give me some fucking answers,” I hiss as anger churns through my veins. She could have broken her fool neck, and I wouldn’t have known it for hours. Where the fuck is she going?
I have my hand on the doorknob when Nic stops me. “If you show your hand now, you might never get the truth. I know you’re pissed, but if you go charging in and attack her, she’ll lockdown. Keep your shit together and follow her little Houdini ass tonight. Let’s see what she’s up to. None of us want to believe it, but she could be in this mess up to her pretty neck. As angry as she is at you, she damn sure isn’t going to confess to anything, Mr. Moretti.”
“As much as it pains me to admit it, he’s got a point,” Jake agrees ruefully. “I’ll go back and watch all the footage again to make sure we didn’t miss anything else. But it’s doubtful she met anyone close enough to the building for us to have picked them up on camera.”
It’s not typically something I do, but I say, “Let’s keep what we’ve seen in this room to ourselves for now. She’s in enough danger without us bringing more attention down on her. There are those who don’t like or agree with our decision to offer her sanctuary because she’s a Gavino. This could be a smoking gun for the wrong person.”
“Agreed,” Nic says without hesitation. He might not get along with Minka, but he has a soft spot for Nina. Why does that bother me so much? “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t buy it for a minute that she’s anything other than her usual—in the wrong place at the wrong time. But she can’t expect us to put our asses on the line to cover hers if she’s hiding shit. I knew the moment she held a gun on my dick that she was no timid spinster. But, gotta say, climbing up and down the side of your building is more than I would have given her credit for. Did you notice that there was no hesitation at all? She’s agile as a fucking cat. That wasn’t her first time doing it.” He shakes his head before adding, “Bet she gave old Franklin a stomach ulcer, the little hellion.”
“And she seems so sweet on the surface,” Jake muses. “Like a pretty china doll with a banging—” He stops abruptly when Nic makes a chopping gesture.
“Why is it all right for you to say stuff like that about her and not him?” I ask in exasperation.
Nic appears to give it serious thought for all of five seconds. “Well, I’m older by a few years, so there’s seniority, plus you know I’m merely kidding. I’d never try to poach your goods.” His attempt to reassure me just pisses Jake off. I swear, he doesn’t connect all the dots before he opens his mouth. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he says. “You know what, let’s just sideline this particular topic. Our time would be better spent putting a plan together for tonight. I’ll even take first watch if you two will stop your fucking whining. Swear to God, when did everyone become such sensitive bitches?”
Grinning despite myself, I do as he’s suggested because he’s right for once. This isn’t the time for high school drama. I’ve trusted these men with my life more times than I can count. Their loyalty to me is unquestionable. I damn sure have no reason to be jealous or suspicious. Yeah, because the woman in question hates you. Doesn’t belong to you—never will. I motion for them to join me at the table once more. “All right, let’s tail her tonight. Jake, reposition the cameras to scan as much of the surrounding areas as possible. Hell, install another in the alley if necessary to cover it fully. The timestamp on her excursions shows her leaving just after midnight and returning around two. I’ll make up some excuse and meet you both in the lobby at twenty-two hundred. Jake will keep eyes on the fire escape.” I motion to Nic as I say, “We’ll spread out a mile in every direction to see if anything looks out of place.”
Jake remains behind to continue reviewing the footage while Nic and I walk down the long hallway that always feels a bit like a crypt to me. Probably not the best of comparisons right now. “Is it just me or is everything falling apart around us? I know we’ve been in a lot of tough spots before, but there’s just a different feeling in the air. Know what I mean?”
You have no fucking clue brother—not an inkling. “Yeah.” I nod, then search for words of reassurance that are slow coming. “Guess it’s the fact that there’s so much coming at us with damn little time to recover in between. Remember when Anthony had all that shit going on with his uncle? Shit will mess with your head after a while.”
“It’s a mindfuck all right,” he replies. “It has me suspicious of my own blood and the guys I grew up with. Some are assholes or morons, but I trust them because I never had a reason not to. Now I look at them twice, wondering if we have a traitor in our own fucking house.” He continues speaking while I fight the urge to puke. Logically I’m aware he hasn’t a clue what’s really going on behind the scenes, but still, he’s thrusting a knife in my gut and turning the handle with every word he utters. “I mean, I don’t know Langdon personally, and the Gavino casualties are tough, but it’s the nature of the beast. That attempt on you, though, I still can’t get that out of my mind. It was so fucking close to taking both you and Nina out.”
We’re standing in the middle of the courtyard now. Men are moving around in the distance, but none of them appears to have any interest in our presence. “You said it yourself, Nic, it is the reality in our world. Doesn’t make it suck any less, but it’s far from the first or last time there’ll be unrest among the families—or even within our own.”
“I feel you”—he shakes his head— “but what it’s really brought home to me is how lax we’ve become with our lives. Hell, last year when you were poisoned, that should have been a wake-up call. And yeah, we doubled down and added extra security where we were vulnerable, but we’ve gradually relaxed, and someone slipped through the cracks in our foundation. Which one of us must die for us to finally accept that we’re not invincible? Unless there’s something I don’t know, none of us has been blessed with immortality. A bullet to the head will drop the toughest motherfucker out there. Goddamn, even Nina has been sneaking out of your place for a week and going who knows where before letting herself back in. She’s a chick with no real mafia survival training, yet she bypassed our guys easily. Hell, she was probably standing in front of them waving her hands and sticking her tongue out. A fat lot of good it would have done. We survived for a long time on our reputation and that of Draco’s. We show enough brute strength at the right times to keep the wrong people at bay, but they’re getting braver and a fuck of a lot more brazen. We have got to make sure our house is in order and that the Morettis are protected on all fronts.”
It’s probably the most serious and impassioned speech I’ve ever heard Nic deliver. If he’s this worried, then we’re on a whole new playing field. That’s the bad thing about fear and unease; it spreads like the fucking plague. Overthinking can kill just as surely as underthinking. I don’t disagree with what he’s said. How could I? It’s true. And changes must be made. But while we’re doing that, it’s imperative we project confidence to our men and our enemies. The Morettis don’t run, nor do they fear anyone. “You’re not wrong, brother. But it must be handled with discretion. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you need to remain the cocky fucker you’ve always been when others are around. We’ll meet with my father soon, but in the meantime, keep it casual. Fight smarter and not harder, right?” I bump my shoulder into his. “Turn that frown upside down, cupcake.”
He chokes on the endearment, but his smile is back in place. “I know you’re having problems with your woman, but I don’t fly that way, dude. You got a hankering to bat for the same team, you should hit up Jake first. I’ve always wondered about him. I swear his last girlfriend looked just like our uncle Albert. You ever notice that? When she smiled, there was that same freaky dent in her face.”
“Pretty sure those are called dimples,” I point out diplomatically, but it’s hard not to agree. She had been a touch masculine. She thumped me on the back once and damn near sent me sprawling.
He raises his brows skeptically. “You can call them what you want, but you know where I’m coming from. Personally, I think he was afraid to dump her ass. Figured she’d kill him. Was a smart move to let her break it off. But man, that had to be humiliating being dumped by a chick that goddamn ugly. That’s a big blow to your pride. No wonder he hasn’t gotten back out there yet.”
At some point, we begin walking again, and we’re standing next to our vehicles when he finishes outlining Jake’s love life. “I’d keep that insight to myself if I were you,” I advise wryly. I open my door, then turn back to say, “Meet me in the garage tonight. I’d rather Nina not see you hanging around. It might spook her into calling her midnight stroll off. Oh… how are things going with Minka?” It hadn’t occurred to me before, but it’s kind of strange that he hasn’t said a single word about her. Fuck, I hope he hasn’t lost his shit and killed her. That would likely be the other way around.
He shrugs nonchalantly. “Same ole shit, different day. Kind of like a badass rash that never heals.”
“That’s a step up for you two.” I smirk. “That’s damn near a declaration of love. She’s hot in a serial killer kind of way. Keep your distance, though. She’d probably make Jake’s ex seem tame in comparison.”
“You got that right.” He grins but doesn’t add anything more. Normally, this would have him off on another tangent, but he doesn’t go there. It’s possible he’s still dwelling on our earlier conversation. Hopefully, I can put his mind at ease tonight.
We get into our matching black Escalades, and I pull out ahead of him. I drive slowly to intentionally delay my arrival home. This shit with Nina has shaken me more than I let on to Nic and Jake. In a weird way, I feel almost betrayed, which makes zero sense because she’s basically a stranger to me. Yeah, I’ve known her for a while now, but I can’t even call us friends. She could be fucking Wonder Woman, and I’d be none the wiser. Hell, maybe she is. She certainly navigated her way down from four floors up without so much as a pause. I couldn’t name another female off the top of my head who’d attempt that. Plenty of men would balk as well.
The thought has crossed my mind that she might be involved with someone. She was smart enough not to invite them over to my place, so sneaking around would make sense. What kind of pussy would let his woman put herself in danger for a hookup? Might not even be about sex but seemed a bit like a booty call. When I find out who he is, I won’t kill him. I’ll just make him wish he were dead. Things that psychos say for two hundred, Alex. Maybe I should lay off watching Jeopardy. Swear to fuck, she’s driving me insane. She’s been living with me for all of a week, and I’ve turned into a jealous fool. Which is sheer torture. She won’t speak to me, but my entire place smells like her. That makes it so much worse. I can’t escape her, and I’m surrounded. Just imagining another man having similar thoughts is enough to send my blood pressure skyrocketing. Mine. I’m beginning to think I should stay at the apartment and have Jake take my place. I’m honestly afraid I’ll lose it if I find her with someone else. I have no claim at all, yet in my mind, she’s belonged to me since that day she found me in the woods. I’d been convinced I was dying, and opening my eyes to see that beautiful angel filled me with a strange kind of peace. If her face was the last thing I saw before I checked out of this world, then I couldn’t ask for much more than that. Of course, seconds later, I puked all over both of us, thus effectively ruining the moment. Months have passed since then, but my desire for her has only gotten stronger. Yeah, I’m obsessed with fucking her, but that’s not all. I want to possess every part of her. For Nina, I’d do the dog and pony show. Flowers, some mushy stuff, whatever made her look at me as a man and not a mafia thug. And there’s why you feel like a bastard for fucking Rayna last week. Nina was right to hate me, and I doubt that will ever change now, asshole.
I pull into the parking garage and cut the engine. I can no longer put it off. This is one time it’ll be a plus to be ignored. If I can avoid interacting with her now, it’ll make keeping it together easier. Because if she provokes me, I fear all reason will flee, and I’ll ruin our chances of finding out where she’s going every night. I wonder if that’s not really what I want. Jack Nicholson said it best in A Few Good Men. “You can’t handle the truth.” It might have been a different scenario, but it damn well rings true for me.
I slip the key in the deadbolt and unlock the door, before pushing it open. It takes about five seconds to know I’m fucked. I may not be the best at reading women, but when one greets you with a smile after ignoring your very existence for days, you’re in trouble. If I had any sense at all, I’d run, but instead, I close the door behind me and wonder why I feel as if I’m going to war.
Nina
I bite my tongue to keep from grinning as Marco shifts uneasily. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m proud of the fact that I’ve maintained my silence. I planned to be bitchy and snide after he cut me off so rudely that night, but Minka suggested a different approach, and I’ll admit, it’s been successful. He hasn’t caved and called me out on it, but it’s obviously bothered him—a lot. My mom often did the same thing to Franklin when she was angry, but I’ve never been one to play games. To me, if that was necessary, then the relationship was over before it ever started. What relationship? I silence that pesky voice in my head with the rationalization even friendships fall under that category. There is some unique factor that exists between you and the people in your life. And if any of them requires deceit, then you’re better off without them. What do you call sneaking out every night? That wouldn’t be necessary if I wasn’t under lock and key here. You do still have your phone. Ever heard of texting or calling? Damn, I hate the stuff that goes through my mind. What makes me a good writer also makes me a big over analyzer. I can argue ten different points with myself for hours. All sides have an opinion, and none of them ever agree. I realize I’ve been quiet for too long. I wanted to unnerve him, not have him perform CPR on me. On second thought… “How was your day? Things go well at—work?” Kill or torture anyone, dear? I have to commend myself on delivering that last question with a straight face.
He blinks, then does it again before saying slowly, “It was fine. Nothing out of the normal. You?”
“Oh, just great here. I hope you don’t mind, but I had one of your men pick up a few things for me at the supermarket.”
His face reddens. God, he is blushing, and it’s so hot. He looks down at his feet as he murmurs, “Um, yeah, no problem. I know you needed… some girl things.”
I draw a complete blank. What’s he talking about? He probably has me confused with one of his women. I open my mouth, ready to deliver a scathing comment when it hits me. The note. That was one of my finer moments in my campaign to torture him. I laughed so hard when I wrote it. There aren’t many men out there who want to shop for or talk about your period. It had been a toss-up between that and diarrhea. I figured either would freak him out. Plus picturing him in a store shopping for tampons was too good to resist. Wait—speaking of. I almost let it go, but wouldn’t that throw my credibility in question? I frown, attempting to appear concerned. “I—I thought you were bringing those home. I didn’t ask Matt for… that. I would have been too embarrassed.” I wring my hands together, the picture of anxiety. I might be overplaying this a bit. “I used my last tampon today. It’s going to be a long night.” He flinches when I ask, “Do you have a mattress protector? Oh, and maybe extra toilet paper?” He stands rooted in place for a full minute. I’m tempted to poke him to see if he’s in some kind of trance. Then he spins on his heel and leaves the apartment.
“Didn’t see that one coming,” I mutter under my breath. I’m convinced he’s in his car speeding toward Walgreens when he returns.
“It’s being taken care of,” he says by way of explanation. “You hungry? Take your pick from the menus and let me know what you’re in the mood for.”
I recall the surprise I planned to spring on him before the whole tampon distraction. “No need. I cooked. That’s what I had Matt pick up. You do like lasagna, right? I love Italian food.”
Clearly taken aback, he nods, then appears to relax. Stop being so damn sexy, Moretti, because you’re making me feel guilty. “It’s my favorite. My mom makes sauce that cooks damn near all day. I told her once to buy it in a jar like everyone else.” He rubs the back of his head before shooting me a grin that singes my panties. Wooza. “She smacked me with a wooden spoon and told me to never speak of such in her kitchen again.”
“I’d like to meet your mother.” I laugh at his pained expression. “I think we’d get along well. She can show me all your baby pictures. Were you chubby? Take a bath with a rubber ducky? Wait, I bet you were a bed wetter, right?” Who knew the man had so many triggers? I’ve stumbled on half a dozen in the past ten minutes alone. And why did they make me like him more? Even when he was throwing up in my apartment after being poisoned, there was something special about him—almost otherworldly. But when he’s talking about his mother, he seems human. Like any other man who both adores and fears the woman who gave him life. It’s a sweet side of him that I find tugs at my heart. I’m so tempted to abort the horrible dinner that awaits him, but he deserves it. This is my final retaliation for the blow he dealt to my pride—and my feelings—a week ago, and I need to see it through. What man can kiss a woman with such need and passion and then toss her away moments later as irrelevant? A man whose life will never include an outsider.
Instead of looking offended, he simply laughs at the suggestions I’ve thrown out. “Who the hell knows? It was a long time ago. I’m sure my mom would be thrilled to give you the lowdown on every embarrassing moment in my life in both written and verbal form. Probably has graphs and spreadsheets along with a PowerPoint presentation.” He winces and points at the kitchen. “Before my appetite is ruined, let’s eat. I have a couple of bottles of wine that will go well with lasagna. Sound good?”
I nod, thinking he’ll need more than Merlot to make his dinner palatable. I have everything set up on the bar in the kitchen, and I spoon out a heaping portion of lasagna for him. I’ve also mixed up a salad with some homemade dressing that consists of garlic flakes, basil, a ton of salt, and oil. Luckily, his back is turned, so he doesn’t see that my food is already on my plate. Stouffer’s makes kickass Italian. I take my seat just in time to see him bend over to pick up the napkin he dropped in the floor. Can I have the envelope, please? Award for the world’s greatest ass goes to . . . “Marco.” Oh shit. My silent ogling just became verbal.
He turns, raising a brow. “What’s that, Belle?”
He has no clue how much I secretly love that nickname. I’m not deluded; I know I’m not special to him, but I can’t help but feel that way when he calls me that in a tone that almost sounds affectionate. The blonde screamer probably harbors the same kind of pathetic hope. Thoughts of the woman I’ve never met but heard far too much about effectively douse any lingering guilt over this meal from hell I’ve prepared. “Oh, nothing.” I wave my hand casually. “The wine looks good.” The wine looks good? It looks the same as every other Merlot in the world, idiot.
He shows no indication that he found my comment bizarre. A testament to how much he’s gotten used to the crazy stuff I say. He puts my glass in front of me, then takes his seat. I swallow the lump in my throat as he loads his fork with a bite big enough to choke a horse. His face goes from relaxed, to puzzled, to dismayed. I wait, expecting him to grab a napkin and spit it out, but he doesn’t. Instead, he swallows audibly, then washes it down with half a glass of wine. I must admit, I’m impressed. I expected at least some profanity, but he hasn’t uttered a word. Yet. His eyes dart to the salad, and I can almost hear his inner voice telling him that it must be a safer choice. Seconds later, he discovers it’s far from that. The whole thing was meant as a payback. I should be overcome with mirth—doing everything I can to hold the laughter inside—yet something strange is happening instead. As he goes in for another—much smaller bite of lasagna—I feel a bit like the Grinch. For surely my heart has grown three sizes or more watching him eat a meal that isn’t fit for human consumption. And I have a sneaking suspicion he’s enduring the punishment to avoid offending me. As if I need another reason to be captivated by this man. I set out to prove a point tonight, and instead, he’s served up a truth to me.
He’s a gentleman.
Not one scathing comment. Not one snide remark to tease or aggravate me. After a week of my silence and churlish behavior. If I’m truly honest, he doesn’t owe me anything. Why did I think we were suddenly a team anyway? Was I upset for Langdon? Yes, my God, yes. The kid lost his whole family, and I know exactly what that’s like. But I’m not here as a team member. I’m simply being kept safe. And somehow, not only has he stolen my thirst for revenge, but I fear he’s also taken my anger with it. It makes sense why I’m attracted to Marco Moretti. Yes, he’s a stunning man, but I can now see even more of his good traits to know he isn’t like any other man I know, and that’s what worries me the most. Will my heart survive this?