“That makes sense,” Evelina said, nodding. “It seemed like they were—”
I held my hand up. I went to the door of the casa and stood there. No one noticed, at first. Mia was shaking her head at something he said.Why did you marry Saverio?When he realized the subject was off limits, he tried to cover by asking her if she wanted to go to the beach with him and some friends the next day.
Her eyes moved away from his, toward the door, and then back to him. Then they flew back to mine. Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened before she controlled her features.
Our eyes locked.
They locked like the door that held who she was to me behind it. Theclickof that lock had never sounded so loud since our vows were spoken.
He noticed her inattention and turned to find me standing there. I wouldn’t move until he did. He’d walk past me, eyes on mine, until he had to turn his back on me.
Bad fucking move.
Every step I took was calculated. Everything I did had a reason.
The woman before him was my entire reason.
“Saverio.”
Greta came to stand between me and my line of vision. I looked down.
She smiled up at me. “Hi.”
I nodded and her face flushed.
“When I saw your sister, I thought I’d see if you were around. It has been a long time, Saverio. I thought maybe we could talk?” She turned her head some and looked at the room. She leaned in close. “Da solo,” she whispered.Alone.
My wife shoulder checked the girl as she barreled past me. I caught her by the arm before she could get too far. I knew she was going to fight, so I moved fast. I set her back against the wall. In the light from the casa, I could see her chest heaving.
“Have a nice chat with the prop maker?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Did I?”
“You know him.”
“I do.” She stuck her chin up. “Nice guy.”
“Unless he’s trying to kill people with his lame-ass props.”
“Can’t be that lame. They made an impression.”
My grin slowly turned into a smile with teeth. Her eyes widened, and her breath picked up. I felt it on my throat. The vein in her neck pulsed like a little bird’s, but this woman was no bird. She was a lioness, and she’d just bitten her lion’s balls—on purpose.
“He’s talked to you before.” I didn’t even need say it, but what the hell.
“He has. At the theater.”
No one ever talked to me like this woman. Most of the time women flushed and wilted, flowers in my rough hand. She might smell flowery, but deep down, she was wild. It would be a toss-up who went for the jugular first. Me or her.
“You didn’t tell me.”
No one told me.
Even if she didn’t tell me, the crew that protected her reported everything back to me. Though my hands got dirty, I still organized the technical side of things with Evelina. The Fausti family knew we were the best, and they spared no expense or detail to have it for Mia. I had a personal stake in her life, and they knew that, too.
Her smile matched mine. “None of your business.”
I barked out a laugh, and she startled. It made the blood hum in my veins even louder. She was wild, but I still had the edge on her.
