Page 123 of The Strength Of A Woman

I glance up at the windows of our bedroom, unable to suppress a smile.

She barely rode her horse last night.

We ended up fucking two more times, which must’ve been painful, to say the least, and she was still bleeding.

Not much, but she was.

She insisted we’d do it again. And although I was convinced she was doing it for me more than for herself, I couldn’t say no to her.

She wouldn’t take no for an answer. Besides, we felt so damn good together. I didn’t lie when I said we’d have a lot of fun together.

She fell into my arms as she slid off her horse, and I carried her upstairs.

Good thing we didn’t run into anyone.

Later, she shed her clothes and joined me in the shower.

We kissed in the stream of water, and then I cleaned her thoroughly, like she mattered to me––because she does.She watched me with grateful eyes, which she’s done a lot lately.

Before long, we hit the bed and fell asleep.

She was still sleeping when I walked out this morning.

“Giorgio and Sylvia packed their bags and left,” Cosimo says, reading Nona’s message. “It was an unplanned leave, according to Nona. They left no instructions.”

I put my drink down and pull out my phone. A moment later, the line is ringing.

Nona answers at once.

“What’s going on?”

“I was just texting Cosimo.”

“Yes, I know.”

“They left this morning.”

“Where?”

“They didn’t say. I found out they were gone when I woke up. And I wake up early.”

“Took a driver?”

“Yes. He hasn’t returned yet. So, maybe it’s some local destination. I don’t know.”

Someone speaks in the background before she talks to me again.

“Let me call you back. The driver just pulled in.”

I hang up and look at Cosimo.

“What do you think, Boss?”

“They’re doing what we’re doing. They’re looking for backup. It’s going to be war. There’s no doubt about it. I can’t tell which side the Gallos will be on or whether they’re playing Varela’s hand or not. As far as I know, Varela dislikes relying on his enemies. According to him, everyone’s an enemy.”

“That’s what I’ve heard,” he murmurs just before my phone rings again.

“He drove them to the airport. They’re flying to New York.”