I throw my hands up. "Exactly."
Valentina is openly enjoying herself now. "You're describing a man who loves his wife."
I scowl at her. "I'm describing a man who has become completely unreasonable."
"Same thing," she says with a laugh.
"Please," I try again. "Just let me see if it settles down on its own."
"If it continues another day, you see a doctor," Cesare says. “And then we tell Lorenzo.”
I blink. "Okay, I will. But I promise, it’s just stress. I hate always looking over my shoulder."
The kitchen goes quiet and I immediately regret saying it, because now everyone is looking at me again.
I look down at my tea. "I know Lorenzo doesn't want me worrying about it, but it's hard not to."
"Are you afraid?" Cesare asks.
I blink, the question catches me off guard. "What?"
"Are you afraid?" He repeats.
"A little," I admit quietly.
Cesare's expression softens, his eyes focus on me more, but there’s understanding in them. "You don't need to be." The words are simple, oh so matter-of-fact. "No one is getting near you." The certainty in his voice settles somewhere deep inside me. He picks up his newspaper again, and I guess that means the conversation's over. "If you're worried, tell Lorenzo." I guess it wasn’t over.
I smile despite myself. "That feels like terrible advice."
The corner of his mouth twitches. "Probably."
Everyone is on edge. The investigation is still ongoing. I don’t know much about what’s going on. Lorenzo is wanting to keep me safe and not to worry. He told me that my father has taken Tony’s death hard. Mam’s worried and I have no doubt that’s because she’s wondering what has been uncovered and why he’s dead. Lorenzo thinks that she knows a lot more than what she has said and that’s why she’s worried. She’s afraid that she’ll be next.
She’s not the only one waiting. We are too, waiting to see what happens next. I hate waiting and being on edge and it doesn’t help when Lorenzo has become even more protective. He checks in multiple times a day when he's out. Either a text or a call, just a quick check in, and I’m not complaining, I love that he thinks about me to check in. He doesn't like me being alone in the house at night if he's not back yet. He’s also asked me to not be outside after five in the evening. That was crazy and I didn’t answer.
"You're smiling at nothing again," Val says, coming to stand beside me in the library where I've retreated after breakfast.
"I'm smiling at something," I tease her.
Her eyes narrow. "What?"
"Your brother."
She drops onto the sofa beside me. "Has he done something ridiculous?"
"He asked me to keep my outdoor activities to before five pm."
She stares at me. "He did not."
"He absolutely did."
She pulls out her phone and starts typing. "He’s gone crazy"
"Leave my husband alone, Val." I say, knowing that she’s texting him to try and goad him.
"Are you crazy? He deserves this. He’s acting like a lunatic," she says shaking her head, her gaze glued to her screen. She finishes typing and puts the phone away. "How are you feeling? Actually."
I breathe. "Better than this morning. Still a bit off. It's probably nothing."
