“Oh.” She smiled. “Mine too.”
Grinning, he gave her a sly look. “That and the fact that I naturally identify with the man. I mean, he’s the greatest of his generation when it comes to fencing, and I—well, with respect to racing. You understand.”
Laughing, Nico shook her head.
Okay, so he wasn’t really so annoying, or an asshole, or a prick right now. But he was still arrogant.
They were approaching the small village nestled between the mountains.
After docking the boat and picking up the car, they’d been quiet the entire drive.
That gave Rocco time to think.
Why had he grabbed her like he had and brought her with him?
He didn’t want her to think he was trying to get away from her. But it was more than that. He didn’t want to leave things as they were.
And what about him telling her as much as he did? About Carolyn? Even though he hadn’t mentioned Carolyn’s name.
He must trust her.
He wanted not to trust her. But he did. He could feel it in his bones.
Rocco parked the car on the outskirts of the medieval village and shut off the engine.
“Don’t forget your gloves,” he said, handing them to her.
She shoved them in her pocket, and he did likewise with his own.
There was no one around.
“It’s not what I expected,” she said. “It’s so quiet.”
“Just wait.”
Suddenly, something smacked against the window.
Nico jumped. “What’s that?”
Rocco laughed.
It was a hook hanging on the end of a long fishing rod. On the other end of the rod was a man, and behind him, a crowd of people laughing.
“What is he doing?” she cried.
“It looks like he’s trying to catch us, fish us out of the car, and reel us in.”
“What do we do?”
She looked genuinely frightened. Rocco bit his lip to keep from laughing. There was something childlike about her. Something he’d first noticed when they were locked in that room in Barcelona.
He peered out the window. “He seems a decent fellow. I’d hate to kill him.” Shrugging, he ran his fingers over his moustache. “But then, I’m Inigo Montoya.”
Nico burst out laughing.
He jumped out of the car, brandishing his sword, and the man backed away.
At first the man and the crowd were stunned and remained silent.
