I pick up the phone and dial Giovanni again. “Go on,” I tell him.
“Like I said,” he picks up right where he left off, now that I’m alone and can really concentrate. “We found her brother’s phone, but there’s no sign of the kid. We’ve asked around his dorm, and no one’s seen him for several hours.”
“What about campus security?” I ask.
“I sent Edoardo to check it out,” Giovanni says.
“What’s the state of the dorm room?” I wonder. Maybe the kid just packed up for a weekend trip.
“Signs of a struggle,” Giovanni replies. “It doesn’t look good.”
“Okay,” I answer reluctantly.
“I’ll keep looking,” Giovanni offers.
“Follow up with security,” I agree. “But if Andretti has him, then it’s no good looking around the university anymore.”
I hang up the phone and retrieve my shirt. It’s torn and wrinkled, which means I’ll need a fresh one. I take my time walking back to my suite to change clothes, considering what I’m going to do now.
One of Marlena’s stipulations was that she wanted to visit Italy. Maybe now is the time to take her on that trip. If I can get her out of the country, then Andretti can’t hurt her. I’ll figure out what to do about her brother in the meantime.
“We’re going to Italy,” I tell my bodyguard.
“Yes, boss,” he says.
Now all I have to do is convince Marlena to leave the country without her younger sibling. I don’t know her that well, but I’m sure it’s not going to be an easy conversation. I don’t want her to know that the kid is missing yet. She’ll want to put herself in harm’s way to get him back, and I can’t have that.
I walk up to her room, pausing to talk to her bodyguard. “We’re going to Italy,” I announce.
“Sure, boss,” he says.
“Go pack,” I tell him, relieving him of duty.
He walks away without another word, leaving me alone in the hallway outside Marlena’s door. I knock, but I don’t hear anything. Pushing the door open, I glance inside. The living room is empty, but I can hear the shower running. I decide to give her privacy, so I take a seat to wait. She steps out of theshower a moment later, her body glistening with droplets of water. She’s got a towel wrapped around her chest, but I can imagine how amazing her body looks.
If only her brother weren’t an issue. I wouldn’t mind going for round two on the couch, or maybe even the bed. I clear my throat, standing up so we can be on the same level.
She gives me a shy smile, and that’s even more attractive. For her to be shy after what we’ve just done together is adorable. I want to pull her into my arms and remove that flimsy towel. I want to have my way with her again and again until neither of us can see straight.
Instead, I approach the trip to Italy as if it’s a vacation.
“You said you wanted to go to Italy,” I remind her.
“Not now,” she exclaims. “We have to find Brandon.”
“We found him,” I lie.
“Really?” she asks, her eyes sparkling with tears of joy.
“Really,” I say. “He’s safe and sound, that’s why I thought it would be a good idea for us to see Italy before we’re married.”
“But I want to see Brandon,” she says stubbornly.
“He’ll be here in a few hours,” I promise.
“Then we can wait a few hours,” she decides.
I look away, forcing myself to remain calm. She’s not going to budge unless I turn up the heat. I need her to see things my way, and this kind of back and forth isn’t going to do it. Damn, she’s argumentative. No one else in my life would stonewall me likethis. I’m used to people going along with whatever I say, keeping their mouths shut even if they have questions.
