“Nothing would have happened to you, Sienna.” He caught my arm as I reached for the car door. “I know them, and they won’t hurt you.”
“How, Mariano? How could you possibly know that?”
“Okay.” He pulled out the paper Tieri had given me and held it up. “I’ll prove it.”
“I’m not going to meet Zazzero.”
“It’s not an address, it’s a phone number, and I want you to trust me. So, trust me.”
“Trust is earned, Mariano.” I snatched the number from his fingers in fear he’d make the call anyway. “It’s not something you can force on someone. What I want right now is to go home.”
His lips pressed together hard, and I could see his anger, but at the same time, I knew he was also upset.
“Fine.” He motioned for me to get in the car, and he didn’t speak as we drove in the direction of his home.
As we left the city limits, he tried to cover my hand with his. It wasn’t a smooth or tender moment. It was one of a man who knew he had screwed up and was now nervous of where my head was.
I immediately pulled away and wrapped my arms around my stomach in hopes it would calm the butterflies that were in a fight to find a way out. My hands still shook. It wasn’t only fear, but anger and disbelief at the unbelievable carelessness of his actions that had me in such a state. I wondered if he truly understood the dangerous position he had put me in.
Snap! Snap! Snap!went his annoying elastic band.
“I’m sorry,” he called after me as I opened the car door and raced inside his house. Tires squealed as he peeled off back down the driveway.
It took me about twenty minutes to gather all my belongings and put in a call to Elio’s mother. Andrea was always my first thought when I needed someone; sadly, Elio used to be.
“Hi, honey, are you okay?”
“No, I’m not. Not really. Andrea, would it be all right if I spent the night with you and Piero? I’m at Mariano’s.”
“Of course, I’ll send Vinni right down to get you.”
“Thank you. I’ll be ready.”
Within minutes, I was standing in the Capris entryway, feeling like a teen again waiting for Elio to come downstairs.
Andrea took one look at my face and wrapped me up in a hug and rubbed my back.
“Do you want to tell me what happened?”
“I just…” I sniffed. I wanted to share everything with her, but what would that mean? The family had spent years keeping their secrets from me, and if I told them what Mariano had done, would they freak out and make me leave? “I just need a break from Mariano.”
“Music to my ears, sweetheart.” She brushed a stray hair off my face. “I don’t like the thought of you two together alone in his house.”
“You are a bit biased.” I tried to smile.
“I am.” She nodded with her arm wrapped around my shoulders. “Come, let’s get you something to eat.”
When I lifted a glass of water to my lips, my traitorous hands gave away my nervousness. Andrea’s eyebrow arched as she looked into my eyes. There was a time when the shakes were second nature to me. The urge to crawl out of my skin with fear would take over and paralyze me. My friendship with Wyatt over the years had calmed my nerves, and I was much more settled. That was until today.
“Sienna,” she sat down and leaned into me, “if something happened, you know you can talk to me, right?”
I nodded, not wanting to lie to her but still not ready to tell the truth of what had happened and where I had been, and—even worse—who I had been with.
The door opened, and I felt Andrea take a deep breath of relief. I knew she must have texted Piero when Dante was dishing up our meals.
“Sienna, did he hurt you?” Her voice broke my thoughts.
“Did who hurt you?” Elio’s commanding voice made me yelp.