I glanced at the man talking to Naz and Beni. I wondered if she’d awoken the lion in him, and if she had, were they not committed because his lion was trying to tame the lioness inside of her?
Naz caught me staring in their direction and met my eyes. I quickly looked away and found Naomi bringing her drink up to her mouth, a sly grin on her face.
“Do you hear that?” she asked.
I listened. “Hear what?” I finally asked when I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.
She laughed, setting her glass down. “The sound of countless hearts breaking because another one is off the market.”
“Another one?”
“Fausti.” She smiled at me. “When one falls—hearts will tumble with him.”
I laughed, and it sounded forced. Because it was. Somewhat. The other part was awkward. “Fffff. Nooo. It’s not like that between us.” I motioned between me and Naz like a loon. “He’s just ‘watching’ me because he was ordered to. I am who I am, you know? And I come with a contagious disease—I inflict people with trust issues. Job hazard.”
Naz said something to the other two men, and the three of them looked over at us before they walked over. Maybe he sensed I was word vomiting again. Damn. That was so unlike me. I almost felt…defeated in a way. No one had ever pulled this much unease out of me before. But I was walking an invisible line like everyone in this family did , except I was still getting used to it all.
Naomi stood when Valerio didn’t sit. Naz took the seat next to me and Beni across from me.
“You are new in Rome, right?” Naomi asked.
“She is—” Naz answered at the same time I said, “Just visiting.”
Naomi and Valerio looked at each other while Beni coughed in his glass.
“We’re visiting a club this weekend,” Naomi said. “We should all go together.”
Naz looked at me and I shrugged.
“Do you need a date, Ava?” Naomi asked.
Naz’s eyes flew up to hers. “No.” The response was blunt.
Naomi made a cracking noise at me before Valerio set his hand on her back and led her out.
TWENTY
AVA
Naz wokeme up early to go to Orvieto. I sluggishly walked to the car, half asleep with a steaming cappuccino in my hand. Naz said it could have been worse. He could have woken me up before dawn.
“Same difference.” I gulped the hot drink, being mindful of not spilling it in his brand-new Range Rover. He switched cars like most people change underwear. Daily.
“What is the saying…the early bird gets the worm, ah?”
“I don’t like worms,” I grumbled. “I’ll take whatever I can find, even crumbs, after the sun goes down. I’m a night owl.” I gave a lamehoot. “In my profession, the exciting stuff usually happens when the moon comes out. So maybe I go after rats instead of crumbs?”
He went quiet after that, and his forearms flexed against the steering wheel.
Yeah, there was still that between us.
Thatbeing a lack of trust because of who I was. But when I really thought about it, yeah, I had the means to write a detailed article about his family, anyone could—they were a massive crime family with the dynamics of a royal one—but I also had the restraint to keep secrets.
If he only knew how deep my vault of tales went. I mean…I valued my tongue more than my heart. I wanted to keep it.
“Tell me about Orvieto.” I yawned. “Why is it so special?”
“You will see.”
