“I can do this.” I nodded at him, and he returned it with a hug then stood and joined Piero.
“Then it’s settled,” Piero said. “We’ll hatch a plan.” He clapped his hands and walked to the door and spoke to someone. “Now, where were we all before this meeting started?”
Donte stood at the door. “Dinner is ready outside. Please come and enjoy.”
And just like that, we rewound time and fell into our respective roles.
Dinner was as wonderful as always, although I found my appetite a little less than great. Elio finished first and kept the conversation light. He didn’t even blink when Mariano emerged from the side gate.
“Evening all. Please forgive me for interrupting your dinner. I’ll just be a moment.” He smiled over at Andrea, and she nodded. He gave a carefree wave as he took a spare seat at the table.
Elio’s hand ever so slowly shifted over to my leg and rested it there for a moment. It took everything in me not to turn to him and bury my head in his chest.
“Nice to see you again, Wyatt.”
“You as well.” My best friend played it cool as could be.
“Sienna,” he addressed me, and I froze.
“Breathe,bella,” Elio whispered from behind his napkin, and my cold hand fell on top of his, just needing more of him.
“I would like to take you out tonight.” Mariano smiled at me. He certainly acted the part of a young man in love. His eyes seemed to sparkle. Damn, Elio might be right. “I have some apologizing to do,” he added and gave me a humbled look.
“I didn’t realize you were coming by tonight, Mariano.” Piero shrugged. “I have some friends coming by who want to meet Sienna.”
Mariano’s smile wavered into a frown as he thought about something. “Tomorrow night, then.”
I hated how he told me rather than asked.
“Perhaps,” I smiled, “although I do have to find another assignment before Georgio fires me.” I tried to joke, but my throat was like sandpaper.
“Don’t worry, I know you never have a hard time finding something to write about.” He winked, and I nodded to be polite. “Let’s do Friday, then. We can talk over dinner. Be ready by six.”
Yes, sir.
Anna arrived a few minutes later, and I wanted to hug her. I was so pleased at the welcome distraction. Elio had mentioned before the house was a revolving door for people, so seeing her stroll in wasn’t a total surprise. I just wished she had better manners.
An unexpected rainfall ended our dinner quickly, and once inside, everyone went their own way while I wandered into the solarium. Mariano was being entertained by Anna, and they both were into the rum, so the solarium was the perfect place to escape.
I loved the rain, so I curled up with a blanket and a stiff drink and my book. The sound was soothing to my tired head, and the smell of plants around me was comforting.
Someone cleared their throat, and I turned to see Niccola leaning against the wall.
“I see you’ve found my hideout.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He waved me off. “May I join you for a moment?”
“Of course.” I didn’t know Niccola as well as I did Vinni, so the fact he wanted to hang out felt nice. He was slightly taller than Vinni and had a few more muscled pounds on him. They were both very attractive men. Apparently, they were all blessed with good genes.
“Thank you,” he said softly, “for not running and deciding to stay and help my family figure out all this mess. Although we are constantly at war with the other families, this one has really hit home. When Mariano and his family made a deal with Piero back in Sicily, it seemed like the best idea. Teaming up with a family that had ties with American and Libyan ports seemed like the perfect plan. The oil comes from Libya on ships to us, we sell it to the Americans, then the Americans send the ships back with the money. It’s a smooth operation that we have controlled for years.”
“Why not ship from Spain?” I was thinking of geography.
“Feds are on to Spain, plus we need to oversee everything ourselves.” He cleared his throat as he shifted seats and sat next to me on the long couch. “I see the way my cousin looks at you.” He studied my face for a beat. “I think it’s time you knew the truth about something that Elio will most likely never admit to you on his own.”
“I’m listening.”