“Our villa is like Fort Knox, but prettier,” I say with a smile. “You’ll all want for nothing. I’ll deal with Giani as swiftly as possible.”
Mark and Phillip exchange looks before nodding. “We’ll convince her to play nice.”
“You should probably know…” Ugh, why do I care what these people think? “Kelley was injured. I sort of shot her.”
I don’t know why I’m explaining myself. I’d never dream of doing it with anyone else, but something in my gut tells me I need to be honest with them.
Mark’s eyes go wide, and Phillip stands back up. “You did what?”
Lorenzo stands next and holds his hands up. “It’s my fault.”
“No,Ishot her. All I can say is I didn’t know who Bonnie was. She was planning to escape when we picked her up, and to teach her a lesson, I shot Kelley.”
“Jesus Christ,” Mark gasps.
“I apologised,” I say somewhat meekly.
“And you want me to entrust my daughter’s life inyourhands?” Phillip barks.
“Yes,” I state. “I will never hurt Bonnie.” Those few words cause an avalanche of emotion I’ve never experienced before to slam into my stomach.
“Allegra is the best at her job. She protects the family at all costs, and Bonnie is—albeit reluctantly—a part of it. Please, Phillip, this really is all my fault.”
Phillip scrubs his face. “I want to see her! Now!”
The talking portion of the day is over. I’m not sure if they will still help convince Bonnie to come with us or not. I should have probably kept my mouth shut, but then again, I’m sure Bonnie will waste no time informing her parents of how beastly I am.
Leading them out of the office, I take them to Kelley’s room, where Bonnie remained after refusing to leave.
“I really am sorry,” I say before pushing the door open.
Bonnie lets out a sob and runs into her dads’ arms. I watch from the doorway at the outpouring of love. It’s too much. I need to be anywhere but in this room. Turning, I head to the gym. Rosa is in the ring with Toni. She sees me enter and breaks away, patting his shoulder. Toni looks ready to drop, so he’s more than happy to take a break.
“Hey, you up for a few rounds?” she asks.
“Yes. Give me a second to change.”
The good thing about Rosa is she knows my body language. Not just because we were lovers, but because we’ve worked closely together in some harrowing circumstances. I trust her with my life in a fight.
We go head-to-head for a few hours until neither of us can lift our arms any longer, yet I’m still left with this strange energy in the pit of my stomach. My mind keeps wandering to the Moorsides upstairs. Have Phillip and Mark managed to convince Bonnie that Italy is the only safe option?
Walking to my room, I spare a glance at the door opposite me. I know Bonnie isn’t there. Shaking my head, I shower and change. There are still a few more daylight hours, which means I need to work. Having taken care of the business side of things, I direct my energy towards Giani and Gisto. I need to know where they are and what they’re doing. I’m sick and tired of being one step behind.
Picking up my phone, I call Luke. He’s a young Australian who set up a bar in our local village five years ago. He’s been on our payroll the entire time and keeps me in the loop regarding the Arellos.
“Hey, boss,” he calls, “I thought you’d be back by now.”
Me too.
“Soon. We’re getting ready to head back in the next couple of days. How are things your end?” He knows I’m not asking for idle gossip. I want details on Giani.
“Quiet. He hasn’t been to the bar in a few days, which is strange. He has to be running out of cigarettes by now. I’ve got a new shipment in the back waiting for him. I can’t sell the nasty things to anyone else. He’s the only one on the island who wants them!”
Damn, thatisstrange. Giani has claimed Luke’s Bar as his local watering hole and spends at least two hours a day there, drinking. So why the disruption of his schedule? It’s definitely odd he’s not champing at the bit to collect his gold-lined cigarettes. The man smokes two packs a day.
“And Gisto?”
“Yeah, he’s here now, actually. Got a shiner on his face. His dad’s handiwork, I guess.”
