It’s mostly food and necessities, though. Elena hasn’t bought anything for herself yet.
Dressed in my usual three-piece suit, I take the steps down and head to the veranda where the women are enjoying coffee.
The moment Elena notices me, she jumps up and rushes to pour me a cup of coffee.
I change direction to the kitchen, and coming up behind Elena, I place my hands on her hips and press my chest to her back. I rest my chin on her shoulder. “Thank you, amore mio.”
“You’re welcome,” she replies happily while stirring some cream into the cup.
“I need you to do something today,” I say as I take a step back so she can turn around. I accept the cup from her and enjoy a sip of the beverage.
“Sure. What?”
My eyes capture hers. “Buy something for yourself.” Making sure she understands me, I add, “Clothes, perfume, jewelry, anything you like.”
“Okay,” she whispers, looking a little uncomfortable.
I set the cup down on the counter and place my hands on her hips again. I tug her closer to me, and she has to tilt her head further back to look at me.
“Let me take care of you.” I lean down and press a kiss to her lips. “It’s important to me.”
Elena lifts her arms and wraps them around my neck. “You are taking care of me.”
I take a deep breath. “Actually, redo your entire closet. Get rid of the clothes Tino paid for. I don’t want them in my house.”
Elena nods. “Okay.”
I press another kiss to her lips and linger, wanting to savor her for a moment before I have to head out. When I lift my head, my eyes caress every inch of her beautiful face.
It’s been six weeks since she walked into my life, and I fell irrevocably in love with her. My obsession with her has only grown.
I’ve become more possessive, especially of my time with her. When I get home, Elena knows to have everything done because I want all her attention.
“Ti amo,” I tell her I love her before I can stop myself.
Elena’s eyes dart over my face, her lips parting.
I know I moved much faster than her, and she’s not ready to return the words
“Don’t say it back. I just wanted you to know.” I press a last kiss to her lips, then let go of her. I go to my aunt and kiss her forehead. Walking to the front door, I call to Elena, “Use the card. I expect to see a lot of notifications on my phone.”
Elena lets out a burst of laughter. “I’ll drive you crazy and make you think of me every ten minutes.”
I give her a smile, and then it grows even more when Leo comes in. “My friend.” I hold my arms open and hug him. “Welcome back.” Placing my hands on his shoulders, I ask, “How do you feel?”
“Ready to work, Sir,” he says. “Thank you for taking care of my family while I was in the hospital.”
I had them stay in one of my hotels with protection, so nothing happened to Leo’s wife and two children while he wasn’t there to protect them. I also gave him one hell of a bonus and some time off for the bullet he took for Elena.
“Of course.”
“Leo,” Elena says, and then she hugs her personal guard. “I’m so glad to see you.”
Leo looks a little awkward as he hugs her with one arm.
Elena pulls back. “I’m sorry you got shot because of me.”
“It’s my job, Mrs. Cotroni.”
I pat his arm. “I’ll leave Elena in your capable hands. It’s good to have you back.”
I step out of the house. Franco and Matteo flank me as we head to the car.
We spend the morning checking and dispatching a big shipment of Heckler and Koch MP5K submachine guns. I let Matteo take care of the delivery, knowing he won’t fuck it up.
Every time my phone beeps with a notification from the bank, it puts a smile on my face.
When it’s almost time for lunch, I call Elena’s number.
“Hi,” she answers cheerfully.
“Hi. Missing me?”
“Every second,” she answers.
“Where are you? I want to join you and Zia Ursula for lunch.” Elena checks with my aunt, then gives me a name of a restaurant. “I’ll meet you there in fifteen minutes.”
“Time to eat, Fanco,” I say as I head to the car. Getting in, I give him the destination then relax against the seat.
During the drive, my phone rings, and seeing Alexei’s name, I answer, “You’re alive.”
“Of course,” he chuckles.
“Where are you?”
“Spain.” He sounds disgruntled. “No one is talking.”
“Fuck,” I mutter. We’re not winning. Every lead we find is a dead end. “Come back. I don’t want you wasting your time.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he assures me.
We end the call, and minutes later, Franco finds parking near the restaurant.