“All right, so, here’s what’s going on.”
It didn’t bother me that I wasn’t in the room. I knew my father would steer the family correctly with whatever Francesco shared.
Andrea handed me two aspirins and a tall glass of lemon water before joining me on the porch chairs. We both sat and looked out over the gorgeous winery. The rain had cleared up, and the sun was quickly taking its place. “Mariano can be—”
“Intense, selfish, pushy,” I cut in.
“Don’t forget arrogant and self-centered.” She chuckled as she rolled her bracelet around her wrist. “He wasn’t always this bad, which really leads me to believe he’s changing.”
“It must be daunting to know he’s been burrowing his way into your lives for so many years. Wondering how much he knows and what he could use against you.”
“We’ve been very careful not to share too much, but Mariano is not my only concern.”
“Then what is?” I loved that the Capris trusted me enough to let me in. I missed it terribly, and now that I had moved past my own trust issues, it meant the world to me.
“That there’s a storm coming.” She looked over at me, and I could see there was a lot more going on than I knew. “We’ve been able to come out in front of them in the past, but this time…” She let out a controlled breath. “I’m not sure if we’ll be able to see it coming, especially if we are only now spotting the lion in the mist.”
I moved my gaze back to the sunflowers. It really hit home that if we were going to come out on top, I should start to listen more around Mariano. Maybe I could catch something helpful, instead of always focusing on all the annoying things he did that pissed me off.
If someone had said to me months ago that I’d be involved in a syndicate who were chasing down leads on a human trafficking ring and flushing out a mole’s plan to destroy the people I loved, I would have laughed out loud, then run like hell. Yet here I was, right in the middle of it all. Maybe one day I’d write about all of this and get the big break I’d always wanted.
“We’ll figure this out, I promise.” I covered her hand, giving it a squeeze, and meant every word of what I said.
Leaning back against the bright orange cushions, I closed my eyes and hoped the aspirin would kick in soon. The breeze was light and provided just enough relief from the damp heat that I could relax. As much as my mind wanted to dwell on what was to come with Elenora, I forced it to focus on the chirps from the chubby birds that were playing in the puddles.
I didn’t hear footsteps, but when Andrea whispered to someone, I instantly felt my state of wishful bliss evaporate.
“She just needs a few minutes.”
“Thanks, Mama.” I heard him let out a long sigh.
The wood on the railing squeaked as he leaned against it, and I forced my eyes to flutter open, finding his back to me and his hands in his hair. “Mama, if anything happens to her because she’s back here…” He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
Andrea’s eyes met mine, and she threw me a kiss then left us alone. With a quick glance around to see if we were truly alone, I pushed to my feet and ran my hand up his back. At my touch, he turned and caught my lips with his. His hands ran through my hair and massaged the back of my head.
“Hey,” it took all my self-control to pull away, “how much time do you have right now?” His lips curled playfully.
“I canceled everything, once I knew we were having company tonight.”
“Good, come with me.” He didn’t question me and followed without hesitation. When I didn’t head upstairs to the bedroom, though, he made a funny noise and looked at me, confused. Still, he played along and followed me into the library.
“Sienna, I don’t think I could read right now.” He chuckled.
“I know.” I locked the door and motioned for him to follow me to the back where I knew a comfy couch was. Pulling my favorite book from the shelf as we whisked by, I sat down and opened it to where the yellow ribbon marked my page. “Lose the jacket, Mr. Capri, and come here.” I patted the soft material next to me as he shimmied out of his jacket and tossed it on a chair. Once he was next to me, I gently pulled his head to my lap, and he curled onto his side and pulled his feet up.
I knew he was exhausted, but I also knew he would never stop and take the time to rest on his own.
“Wait.” I pulled back his sleeve and admired the two beaded bracelets he had wrapped around his wrist. “You still have these?”
“Of course.” He yawned. “You gave them to me.”
“Well, yes, but I was fourteen at the time.” I chuckled.
“It was the nicest gift anyone ever gave me.”
“Somehow I doubt that.” I eyed the gorgeous library that any book lover would die to have.
He rolled over to look at me then reached up and wrapped a piece of my hair around his finger as he thought. “I don’t wear them every day, but when the mood strikes, I like to wear them. Do you remember what you told me that day when you gave them to me?”