Cormac caught my eye. He lifted a bottle in greeting and made his way over, easy smile in place. “Your Nonna said to bring this over.”
“We always do what Nonna says.” I held out my glass, and he filled it without spilling a drop. I nodded toward the empty chair beside me. “Would you like to sit?”
“No thanks. I like to wander about. I learn more that way.”
I smirked. “That makes sense. Although you might want to keep your head on a swivel. My grandmothers seem to love you.”
He chuckled. “They’re adorable.”
“You’re lucky. You could’ve gotten me killed.”
He lifted a brow. “How is anything my fault?”
I sipped the wine. “If you would’ve told the sheriff where you found the silver boxes, in the tunnel beneath Gloria’s supplement shop, I wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”
He studied me. “I didn’t know you were going into the tunnel at one in the morning.”
I winced. Fair. “Yeah, that part wasn’t in the plan.”
His expression turned serious. “Not in a million years did I think you’d end up underground and almost get yourself shot.”
It turned out he was good at his job. Once he’d realized the tunnels ran under town, he’d guessed Gloria had used them to sabotage Nana’s tea. He’d searched, found the entrance, and recovered Nana’s stolen silver nugget boxes.
“You should’ve called the sheriff right away,” I groused. Although, he had refused any reward money.
“I was going to tell the sheriff, first thing in the morning,” Cormac said. “I wanted to bring you the boxes at the hospital before turning them over. I didn’t expect you to break in at midnight.”
“That’s because you’re not used to how Albertini women operate,” Aiden said, stepping up behind him.
Cormac turned as Aiden came to my side. Aiden’s presence filled the space with broad shoulders, quiet authority, and the faint scent of cedar soap. He slid into the chair next to mine, his arm coming to rest along the back of my seat in a move that was part protective, part possessive.
Cormac grinned. “Now I know. Agent Devlin, good to see you back on your feet.”
Aiden’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “We’ll see about that.”
I tried not to laugh. The tension between them was almost funny. Cormac was charming and undeniably handsome, but Aiden still wasn’t sold, and honestly, neither was I.
Across the yard, Donna stood with a glass of Merlot, pretending not to notice Cormac’s attention. He glanced her way, his grin widening as that dimple appeared yet once again. “Just so you know, I am going to find that treasure. I’m sure it’s out there.”
“Good luck,” I muttered.
He didn’t look away from Donna. “Excuse me,” he said, giving a polite nod before striding toward her.
“He’s got too much charm,” I whispered.
Aiden’s gaze tracked him. “Yeah, I know. I had my office do a deep dive on him. Came up clean.”
I straightened. “That’s good.”
“No, it’s not,” Aiden said. “There should be something. Nobody’s that clean. I don’t like it. Your dad doesn’t either.”
“He doesn’t?”
“Nope.” Aiden’s mouth curved. “But the grandmothers love him.”
I followed his gaze to where Sheriff Franco sat near the fire pit beside Nana. They were deep in conversation, and she looked completely at ease for the first time in weeks. All charges against her had been dropped, and both Zippy and Gloria were still in custody. Poor Dr. Walton had already filed for divorce.
Aiden had forced Zippy to lead the team to the mushroom grow site at the base of Bear Mountain, and the feds were handling the cleanup. Saber was undercover now, and Aiden worried, though he’d never say it out loud.
