“You’re not?” I challenged.
Vincenzo shook his head. “For you, I would do the unthinkable. No one is powerful enough to stop me. I’m driven by the sheer force of will. There is no job I will hesitate to do if it serves you.”
My insides burned with life. I melted into the wall—fuckingmelted—at his declaration. “I—”
I stopped myself.
Stopped myself before I blurted out something that used to come so naturally to my lips.
But he knew. This person, my person, he always knew. “Ti amo, fiore, per sempre.”
Someday, hopefully soon, once I had a little more time to heal, to come back from the ashes, I would be brave enough to say it back. For now, I simply nodded and whispered, “Per sempre.”
Chapter 51 – Amanda
Liam’s phone rang. He glanced at it and frowned. I continued to type on the computer as he answered, not paying much attention to him. Our daily meetings were constantly being interrupted with either phone calls or Betty’s withered knock.
It wasn’t until I felt the Irishman’s stare that I paused and met his gaze.
His brutal countenance blackened with thunderclouds. “Aye, consider it done.”
He ended the call.
“What happened?” Ice coursed through my veins.
“There was an incident down at the docks,” Liam said smoothly. “V asked me to keep an eye on you, but I can’t let you work an hour over quitting time.”
Incident in the mob was code for anything ranging from bad to apocalyptic. I’d learned a lot in the last week. Liam didn’t hide the darker side of his business from me, and as his lawyer, attorney-client privilege kept that information safe.
“I didn’t know Vincenzo was back in town.”Let alone at the docks.
“Been there all night.” Liam stretched. “I wouldn’t worry about it, missus.”
The mobster rose, buttoned his suit, and walked to the office door. “Don’t be doing anything foolish now. You hear?”
“I hear.”
I obviously wasn’t going to listen. Liam had a lot to learn about women. Vincenzo was in trouble. There wasn’t much I could do; I wasn’t trained to fight. But I was his lawyer. If there was an altercation, if the law stepped in—
“Enzo,” I gasped.
I pushed to my feet, legs trembling, and tried to act casual as I left the office. Betty wasn’t at her post, so I went to the lock box on the wall. Copies of keys were labeled in neat rows. I selected the one that had a Ford logo on it before leaving the portable office.
“And where do you think you’re going?” the wizened secretary asked.
A pipe dangled from her lips, delicious smelling smoke curling like a wreath over her head. Not a cigarette, not a cigar or its smaller counterpart. A freaking pipe. This woman was bad ass, something I discovered earlier in the week.
“For a short walk.” I set my shoulders straight. “Any plans for your Friday night?”
“Cut the shite.” Betty nodded knowingly. “Ya don’t need that with me, lass. But…when it comes up later—and it will come up—I tried to stop ya.”
Her thin lips cinched over the pipe, hand cupping the base as she puffed like a steam engine.
“You tried your darndest,” I said with a grin that I didn’t feel.
“Aye, and ya didna listen.” She bobbed her head, pulled out her pipe, and tipped it in the direction of the vehicles. “These men, thinkin’ that we should just sit around and wait for news. It’s archaic is what it is.”
I gulped.
