“Grazie. CiaoGianni.”
When he hung up, Autumn turned to him. “I’m assuming we’re having another meeting?”
Scala nodded, “We’re going to Lydia’s gallery.”
“You had sex with her.” She looked forward, this time watching the traffic. “Didn’t you?”
Scala said nothing as he maneuvered through traffic. “That came out of nowhere.”
“Going by your uncle’s sly comment before we left, it’s clear you have or had some kind of relationship with her.” She spoke the words through gritted teeth.
Scala gave her a sidelong glance and turned to the traffic. His lips pulled up into a full-on devil’s grin. “Jealous?”
She looked straight ahead again and refused to acknowledge him. Autumn ignored the glare reflected at her.
A chuckle escaped the bastard, “I never thought I’d get that reaction from you.”
“In your dreams, Counselor Scala. The day I become jealous over you is the day I quit my job.”
Scala snickered as they pulled up to an underground garage. “To answer your question, Miss Taylor, we had a relationship. It ended a long time ago.” He gave a card to the attendant at the gated entrance.
“Before or after they killed your fiancée?”
The smile vanished from Scala’s face as he parked, “After.” He got out of the car and walked around to her side, “After you,mi’amore.”
Autumn’s eyebrow ratcheted up. “Don’t act so innocent, Scala. I know exactly what you’re doing.”
“We have to put on a show for her.” He put his arm around her shoulders as they walked on the sidewalk.
Autumn turned to him when they reached the door, “A show?”
“You’ll see.”
Autumn looked at the gold trim along the edges of the door. The name, Esposito Galleria, was written in a gold leaf script. She also didn’t miss the camera above the door and the metal detector after they entered the vestibule.
Autumn turned to Nico. “A little cautious, is she?”
“Maybe a tad." Scala touched the call button.
Within a couple of seconds, a gentleman wearing a suit opened the door with a friendly smile. “Buongiorno, Nico, come stai?”
As they walked through the vestibule and then through the metal detector, security ushered Autumn and Scala through a room with classical Italian sculptures and paintings from the Renaissance.
Her eyes misted as she looked at some of the artwork. There was a time when art history was what she loved. However, it wouldn’t pay the bills of a college student. So she’d had to find something else to do with her life.
And then the kidnapping happened.
Autumn took a deep breath and walked towards a piece of work she knew by heart. She’d taken a course on Dante Alighieri’sDivine Comedy. This sculpture was about the story of Paolo and Francesca, a twisted Romeo and Juliet story in which the lovers endured eternal suffering to be together.
Nico stood by her side, examining the artwork. “See something you like?”
“Just appreciating it.” Autumn blinked and stepped away from the painting. “I’m not looking to buy.”
He nodded his head, his hands in his pockets, “I wouldn’t want it either. It’s a sad love story.”
She whipped her head around to look at him. “You know the story about Paolo and Francesca?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “What good Italian boy doesn’t?” He looked at the sculpture again. “Romeo and Juliet had it easy compared to these two.”
