Our gazes turned into fierce glares.
“You might be strong enough to deal with this.” He let me go, snatching the picture out of my hand, folding it carefully, sticking it back in his pocket. “What if I’m not?”
“You’re strong enough for the both of us.”
“I didn’t mean in the physical sense either. I meant what’s going on between us.” He looked me straight in the eyes, not allowing me to protect the gates from his fierceness this time. He’d get his answers. “Tell me if you recognize the man you married.”
I was fighting for brutal honesty, and there I found myself, deliberating giving him the merciless truth. I refused to be a hypocrite, so I gave it to him. “No.”
He’d worn clothes that reminded me of the man I married, but that man had changed. Clothes never made him—he made himself whoever the hell he wanted to be.
He became still until he glanced to his left, and his eyes narrowed. He pressed in on me even further and murmured, “Kiss me.”
“Wha—”
Too late, his mouth was on mine, and a few of our men had detached from the darkness again, surrounding us. It was as though we had a security detail—which we did, but usually they stayed hidden—and they were shielding us from prying eyes.
I peeked during our kiss, catching a group of Italian men strolling past, the collars of their coats turned up, the scent of cigarettes wafting in the cold air. A few eyes moved toward us, but they were laughing amongst themselves, nothing outwardly aggressive about them.
It didn’t escape me, though, that something about them didn’t seem to fit. They were not supposed to be a part of this scenic postcard.
Moments later, the group melted into smoke and shadow, and Brando kept me close to him, ordering the men to take us home.
24
Scarlett
As expected, the ride home was quiet. Except for the two questions I’d asked.
“Should we get Mia?”
“No, Mia is safer with Luca. The killer will follow us.”
“Were more boxes delivered?”
“Two. One to the house in Natchitoches. It was left on the doorstep. Nino found it. Another to our villa in Tuscany. Both had pictures that’d been taken of you without us knowing.”
The idea that someone had been taking pictures of me from a distance unsettled me more than the threats. A shiver that went bone deep shook me.
The men were ordered to sweep the chalet when we arrived, then Brando did it himself with me standing behind him, until finally he relaxed enough to grab another bottle of whiskey from the cabinet.
“Were those men dangerous?” I asked, throwing my jacket over the back of a chair.
He threw back a shot. “We got word men were arriving from Italy. Can never be too safe though, so that means yes.”
“That’s why our men were so quick to react?”
He nodded. He stood with his back against the counter, the amber in his glass glowing in his hands.
“You’ve had a lot to drink tonight,” I pointed out.
“Would the man you married have drank this much?”
Ooh, game on, player. We’re picking up where we left off. Nice.
“I’m going to take a bath,” I threw over my shoulder and started to walk away from him.
He snatched my arm before I got too far.
