“What are we going to do, then?” she asked warily. “March into Italy and hand it over to their police?”
“No.” He grabbed a piece of bacon off the plate and bit into it casually, as though they weren’t discussing grand theft. “We’re going to Italy to give the statue back to the guy who tried to steal it from you. The guy who originally stole it.”
She gaped at him. “Excuse me?”
His expression was grim. “It’s the only way out of this without you being interrogated by every flavor of law enforcement between here and New York.”
Kathleen stared at him as her brain processed what he’d just said. “That sounds… illegal.”
“Technically,” he admitted with a shrug, “but giving it back to the thief solves the problem.”
She blew out a slow breath. “Okay… so we give it back to him. And then what?”
“We walk away. Problem solved.”
“Just like that?” she asked skeptically.
“Yes.” He leaned back in his chair, posture relaxed but gaze steady. “With a few guardrails in place.”
Of course. There were always bumps in the road to overcome. “Guardrails? Like what?” she asked suspiciously.
“Never mind. It’s handled,” he said smoothly, and somehow that didn’t reassure her in the slightest. “All you need to know is we’ll give it back, but we’re doing it in Italy. Italy’s my turf. I trust my contacts there. Switzerland…” He gestured vaguely. “Can be unpredictable.”
Kathleen raised an eyebrow. “I thought Italy was known for being more corrupt.”
Enzo’s smile turned slow, dangerous, and wicked. “And what makes you think corruption is a bad thing in this instance?”
She stared at him, fighting the urge to smile back and losing. God help her, this man was trouble.
“Okay,” she said finally, shaking her head. “Guess we’re going to Italy. We give Ernie back to the thief. And then what?”
“Then,” he said simply, “we spend a couple of days enjoying Italy. After that, you should be able to return to your life.”
She hesitated, chewing her lip. “So… where exactly are we going in Italy?”
“Milano, to start.” He sipped his coffee. “Then we’ll go from there.”
“Milan.” She sighed. “Great.”
“What? You don’t like Milano?”
“It’s not my favorite,” she admitted. “Of course, all I’ve ever done there is shop.”
He chuckled. “That’s all most people ever do there. But Milan has a world-class restaurant scene. Once we make the exchange, we can go anywhere you like.” He glanced at her, his gaze steady. “I promised your brother I’d keep an eye on you for a few days. Once we know you’re safe, you can do whatever you want.”
“Fine,” she said at last. “Milan, it is.”
Kathleen stood, taking her coffee with her. “I’ll just… go upstairs and pack.”
Enzo nodded. “I’ll be here.”
She turned and headed up the stairs, gripping the mug a little tighter than necessary.
Inside her room, she shut the door and leaned against it, letting out a long, pent-up breath. The next few days with Enzo Valardi were going to be… intense.
The man was sexy as hell, with an undercurrent of danger that set her pulse racing. Exactly the kind of man she’d always fallen for. And exactly the kind she’d learned the hard way was wrong for her. Didn’t matter. He was Jamie’s friend. That was reason enough to keep her distance.
Three days. She could survive three days of this. She told herself she could handle it. She told herself this was just another version of protective custody. But deep down, Kathleen knew the truth. Until she got rid of Ernie and put Enzo Valardi in her rearview mirror, she was in a precarious position. One wrong move, and she could fall apart.
