“Iam going to kill her. I will throttle her with my bare hands!” I yell into my cell as I pack my bag after my shower.
“You’ll have to find her first.” Fiero chuckles, and if he was here, I’d throttlehim.
This is all his fault. If he hadn’t sent that idiotic text, I would have fucked my wife into blissful oblivion, and she’d be none the wiser. I wouldn’t have woken up in a foul mood, greeted by an empty bed and the mother of all headaches. “She won’t have gone far. She knows we are meeting Don Mazzone in an hour.”
“I can’t believe she drugged you.” He chuckles again, and I’m seriously considering bringing my M82 out of retirement and taking my buddy down. “She’s my dream woman, and it’s completely unfair you got to her first. If I’d known she was on the lookout for a husband, I’d have happily volunteered.”
I know he is saying this on purpose to wind me up, but I’m too grouchy to put up with his crap today. “Shut the fuck up, Fiero. She’s my wife, and no matter how angry I am with her, no one will talk shit about her, including you.”
“Look, I’m sorry, man.” Sincerity bleeds into his tone because he can tell I’m in no mood for bullshit. “It was a stupid bet, and I didn’t mean for it to cause problems for you. I only sent the text because I was drunk and on a sex high.”
“At least one of us got some last night,” I mumble, still sulking and horny as fuck.
“She’ll make it up to you when she comes around.”
“I wouldn’t bank on it. Catarina is a very stubborn woman and one of the most determined people I know. When she gets something in her head, I think it takes colossal effort to get her to change her mind.” At least that’s the sense I get from her.
“Bombard her with charm, and do the opposite of what she expects. Bamboozle her so she’s powerless to resist.”
“She isn’t that type of woman,” I say, zipping my bag closed. “She seems immune to my charms so far. With her, I’ll have to dig deeper. Open up and make myself vulnerable in the hope she’ll do the same.”
“Be careful. You can’t let her in until you know her true agenda.”
“I don’t need reminding,” I snap, still irritated over the conversation I had with The Commission the day before our wedding. Keeping Catarina on a leash until we can trust her is the right thing to do. The smart thing to do. But I hate undermining her, and I know she’s going to be so pissed when she finds out.
“You’re already falling for her,” he quietly says.
“I fell for her five years ago,” I admit, taking one last glance around the large bedroom to ensure I haven’t forgotten anything, before I head toward the door. “None of that will matter if she’s got ulterior motives. It won’t matter who she is to me. My feelings can’t come into it. If she plans to betray us, I won’t be able to stop her fate,” I say, ending the call and pocketing my cell as I head out in search of my errant wife.
* * *
I have a tight rein on my anger by the time I reach the hotel lobby, using the GPS tracking app on my cell to locate Catarina through her phone number. If her tech guy was of any use, I would not be able to find her so easily. In time, if she proves trustworthy, I plan to overhaul her IT security and ensure it’s up to scratch. Right now, she is somewhat exposed, and I can’t figure out how or why.
Striding across the floor of the main hotel bar, I make a beeline for my wife. Currently, her head is bent, and she is deep in conversation with Nicolina Agessi while Renzo and Dario sit across from them, talking while they keep an eye on the room.
My wife’s driver and bodyguard sit at a table in front of them, also keeping watch. I feel all four men’s eyes drilling into my head as I approach. Renzo is wearing a predictable scowl. Dario has his usual fake smile. The other two sport bland expressions.
I don’t blame them for being wary.
In fact, I would rather they were.
It shows they are not easily fooled and they have Catarina’s back.
I am glad she has men she can rely on watching over her even if I loathe Renzo Dutti with the intensity of a thousand suns. I can tell the feeling is mutual.
“There you are,mia amata,” I say when I reach the table. Catarina’s head whips up, and I lean down and kiss her quickly but firmly before she can object. “We should leave. Traffic will be murder at this time, and we can’t be late.” I extend my hand, and she takes it in somewhat of a daze. My eyes drift over her gorgeous body in a figure-hugging white dress with skyscraper heels. Her hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail, and her naturally wavy hair has been straightened. She is stunning, exuding bad-ass boss-bitch vibes, and I will never tire of looking at her.
“I’ll come with,” Renzo says, climbing out of his seat.
“That will not be necessary.” I like that I have a couple of inches in height on him. I enjoy looking down at him. Sliding my arm around my wife’s shoulders, I tuck her in to my side. “I will accompany my wife to the meeting, and I know how to keep her safe. Ezio and Ricardo will be with us, and my bodyguard will tail us in my car.”
“I don’t trust you, and if you—”
“Yes, yes. I got the memo,” I say, cutting across him because I’m tired of hearing this shit. “This is the last time I will repeat myself. Catarina is mywife. I have sworn before God to protect her and cherish her. I would take a bullet for her. No one will harm her, least of all me.” I level a sharp look between my wife’s underboss andconsigliere. “The next time either of you question me, I will happily put a bullet in your brain.”
“No one is putting a bullet in anyone,” Catarina says, eyeballing Agessi and Dutti. “Massimo is right, and you will not raise this subject again. We will talk after the meeting, at my house, to begin formulizing plans for the attack. I assume The Commission will want us to take immediate action, and we must be ready.”
“We will head to the house now and begin plotting a strategy,” Agessi says.
