“Allegra,” I reply, a little breathier than I’d like. Clearing my throat, I sit back in my seat. “Stay out of her way, Pete. She’s bad news.”
The cars pull up outside the old-looking wooden doors. I wonder if they are the originals. I’m guessing the villa is longstanding. It has a kind of charm to it that makes me think it’s seen a lot through its time. Maybe that’s the romance reader in me trying to put a positive spin on the situation.
Embarrassingly, I fall out the side of the car and land at the feet of Rosa, who chuckles, “Allegra is waiting to see you.”
“Oh, how wonderful,” I sneer.
God, can’t I just have a day, or even a few hours, to settle in? Maybe just clean myself up from the drunk mess I seem to be right now. The last thing I want is to give the horrid woman any more ammo. I’m sure she’ll revel in mocking me.
Ignoring everyone, I stumble behind Rosa into the villa. It’s as gorgeous inside as it is out, but I don’t have any time to stop and take it in. Rosa is on a mission. She stops us outside a dark wooden door. Two sharp knocks and then she opens the door, pushing me through it. I whirl around, ready to give her a piece of my mind, but she’s already gone.
“Welcome to Sicily, Bonnie.”
Blimey, that voice. It’s so wrong I find it attractive.
“I said I’d come if my parents agreed, didn’t I?”
I’m not expecting the tired sigh she lets out, or the dark circles under her eyes.
“You did, and I appreciate you keeping your word. I apologise for taking up your time. I know you’ve probably had a long day travelling. I presume Pete arrived without incident?”
She seems…different—resigned—and I don’t like it.
“He did. Thank you for agreeing to take him in as well.”
She bows her head slightly. “I’ll skip straight to it. You dislike me, and that’s fine, but you are in my home now, and I hope you will treat it, and me, with respect. I’ll leave you alone unless there is an issue, so please go where you like inside, however, I need you to venture no further than the interior garden when outside. I don’t ask this of you lightly. Our land is vast and too big to fully secure for you to go out any further, alone. The security personnel have specific jobs they must maintain, so I need to trust you’ll not do anything to put yourself or anyone else in danger.”
I don’t like it, and I naturally want to do the opposite. I won’t, though. As much as I hate all of this, Allegra and Lorenzo have promised to keep us safe, and they’ve brought Pete here without question.
“I’ll do as you ask.”
“Appreciated. Now, please go and enjoy the house. The pool is out back, and the chef knows to give you anything you want.”
I stand there for a second, not knowing what to say. This is the most normal interaction we’ve had since meeting.
“Thanks,” I manage. I suddenly need another drink.
14
Allegra
Myplantostayout of the way has so far been successful. Bonnie, Kelley, and this Pete fellow—who I have yet to introduce myself to—have spent their time here so far, drinking our cellars dry and lounging by the pool. I honestly didn’t think Ms Moorside had it in her. She’s a far cry from the wool-clad nerd we picked up last week.
Another surprise is her lack of attitude toward the fact I confiscated her hideous clothing. It’s not something I would usually trouble myself with. After all, why should I care how the woman dresses? I’ll admit, that once I saw her in a pencil skirt and blouse, I knew I couldn’t let her hide away a moment longer. Bonnie had a body to worship, and in all truth, I wanted to get a rise out of her. I’ve enjoyed fucking with her; what can I say?
The second she arrived with her bag, I had it removed and replaced by a full wardrobe of the finest Italian clothes. The morning after their arrival, I waited patiently for her to storm into my office, ranting and raving, demanding I return her sack of wool. She didn’t. And I was wholly disappointed.
Bonnie hasn’t so much as looked at me since our short meeting in my office, and it’s thrown me for somewhat of a loop. But then I remind myself this is exactly what I wanted. I’d promised I’d keep my distance and focus on work, even though each day feels more of a grind than the next.
Everything has been quiet on the Arello front, and as unnerving as that is, I can’t afford to waste time waiting for Giani’s next move. I’ve doubled security around the villa and paid off a few more dock employees to keep an eye out for anything untoward. I’m yet to figure out how I’m going to get the Arellos to back off without bloodshed.
Lorenzo wasn’t impressed that Gisto tried to mess with another shipment, and it took a bit of time to calm him down. But this is why I’m in charge. Lorenzo is tired, and his patience for these types of games is well and truly depleted. I’m not far behind in that regard. If I’d not been here to smooth things over, I’m sure Lorenzo’s temper would have played right into Giani’s hands and we’d be in the middle of a war right now.
Thankfully, I contained the situation and encouraged Lorenzo to concentrate on Bonnie and her dads. The man wants to get to know his daughter, and I’d rather he attempt that than get in my way. So far, he’s spent his time talking with Mark and Phillip. I wonder if they’ve been counselling him. It’s strange they are so calm about everything, if you ask me.
My focus now, is on the vineyard. I have crates of wine to ship out and temporary pickers to hire. Plus, the “other” business will need attention soon. I hate having to go to the dockyards, but I don’t trust anyone else to verify our cargo. I’m the one with an art degree, after all. Well, I have more than that. In a different life, I would have been an artist full-time, I think. But that’s not the case and there’s no point looking back. My skills are used to help verify, and sometimes recreate. Although it’s been a few years since I’ve had to make a forgery.
Unlike our house guests, I have not been sunning myself and replacing my blood content with wine. A part of me is concerned about Bonnie. I may have stayed out of the way, but that hasn’t stopped me from observing, and I think her behaviour is probably a little too out of character. She’s a relative stranger to me, but something tells me all this partying is going to end in tears.
