He never got to finish. He was yanked forward by his jacket a generous few inches, then slammed back hard against the wall.
‘Shut it,’ Lazzaro snarled, his face inches away from Malvolio’s. ‘You make me sick.’
‘You believe her?’ Malvolio gave a nervous but mocking laugh. ‘You believe her against your own family?’
‘You are married to my sister,’ Lazzaro snarled. ‘You are not my blood. What the hell are you doing, messing around?’
‘I wasn’t. She’s the one who was coming on to me. She’s the one who set me up.’
‘Rubbish,’ Lazzaro snarled. ‘Don’t try and lie your way out of this. You go near her again and I will not be responsible for my actions.’ Lazzaro’s hands were still pushing him up against the wall, his voice low and menacing. ‘You stay well away from her.’
‘You mean you haven’t got rid of her?’ Malvolio’s voice was aghast.
‘Why would I get rid of her when it was your mistake? She is my personal assistant now—and one wrong move from you and don’t think I won’t tell my sister.’
‘She set me up.’ Malvolio had rallied. ‘She’s set you up too.’
‘What are you talking about? You were the one trying to lure her with talk of a promotion, watching her all the time—and that’s not from Caitlyn; that’s from another staff member.’
‘Lure her!’ Malvolio let out an incredulous snort. ‘She was the one coming on to me, Lazzaro. Now she’s got her fancy qualifications she thinks she’s entitled to the top job—she wanted to know if, with Jenna gone, I could find an opening for her. She’s always after favours—wanting her payslips fiddled. You should have seen her…’
Malvolio raked a hand through his hair, his breathless voice growing stronger with every word as Lazzaro stepped back, shaking his head, refuting it and yet hearing it—hearing and starting to if not believe it, then…His already loosened tie seemed to be choking him, and Lazzaro pulled at his collar, the open-and-shut case that had assured his tirade wavering at the final summing up as Malvolio continued.
‘She was all over me. I didn’t know what to do—I told her you were interviewing, that I couldn’t do her any favours, and the next thing she bit me, screaming that I’d come on to her—’
‘You’re lying.’ Lazzaro snarled the words out. ‘Lying to save yourself—because without my family, without your job, without us, you are nothing. Without me propping you up you would be the nothing you were before you met my sister.’ He hissed out a curse. ‘Why am I protecting you? She would be better off without you…better off knowing the truth…’
‘No!’ Malvolio shouted the word. ‘I love Antonia—as if I’d jeopardise things with a tart like that. As if I’d mess up the kids’ lives like that,’ Malvolio went on. ‘She was so upset by me that she had to leave, was she?’ He gave an incredulous laugh. ‘Only she wasn’t so upset when you upped her salary. It would seem she can stomach staying if the price is right. She can’t be that distressed by me…’
Lazzaro could hear the blood pounding in his temples, a drench of relief flooding him. Because if Malvolio was telling the truth then his sister was okay, the kids were okay. And as for Caitlyn…The shot of relief was temporary. He knew the pain in her eyes had been real. He was sure. He’d felt her heart fluttering in her chest when he’d held her. Lazzaro knew women—knew when he was being lied to—she couldn’t have played him that well.
‘You know who she is, don’t you?’
Malvolio’s voice seemed to be coming from a long way off, but he didn’t get to finish. The French doors were opening and Antonia was stepping out. Thankfully though, Lazzaro was saved from faking casual in front of his sister—as his mobile trilled he left it to Malvolio to make the small talk and tell her they’d be in soon. It took a moment to tune his brain into the conversation, as the clipped voice introduced herself as a saleswoman from a downtown department store.