“I hate those things. Let’s get rid of it.” He pulled it from my mouth and tossed it in the sink where it broke into sticky pieces. Then his hands moved up to my breasts, and I grabbed them, pushing them away.
“Personal boundaries are to be earned, Mariano. I’m not an Anna, and you should be thankful for that.”
“Anna is only here because of what her father did.”
“What did he do?”
“Her father figured out there was a going to be a hit on Piero. That’s what saved his life.”
“Who was behind the hit?” I shifted, and his eyes dropped to my breasts.
“There was speculation.”
“Oh, yeah?” I wanted him to keep going. “Do you know who it was?”
He smirked, but when he went to speak again, Anna came in looking fit to kill.
“I didn’t realize the party had moved to the kitchen.” She glared at me. “Can I cut in?” She dropped her towel, and her skinny body shone in the dim light from the other room. Her tiny nipples were taunt, and her ribs poked out from her chest as she sucked in a sharp breath. I had to admit she wasn’t sexy to me. I would think a woman needed meat and curves to grab my attention.
Mariano was like a cat in heat as he twisted away from me and moved over to her. As they went at it, I grabbed my purse then opened the fridge door to retrieve Mariano’s phone. I slipped out the side door of the kitchen and dropped the phone near the pool. There was such a part of me that missed the investigation part of my job. I really should touch base with Georgio to see if there’s anything small I could work on.
After finding Elio’s house empty, I raced up to the Hill House. It was midnight, and the place was quiet. A light in the study told me someone was awake. Removing my heels so as not to risk waking anyone, I made my way down the hall and found Piero bent over a stack of papers. He had his thick, black reading glasses halfway down his nose. I leaned into the doorway, thinking how nice it was to come home to a family and not an empty house.
“You’re out late, my dear,” he said quietly as he licked his finger to turn a page.
“I am.” I nodded. “Have you seen Elio?”
“He’s handling some…” he paused, “business and won’t be home until around noon tomorrow.”
I found myself disappointed that I hadn’t known that, but I remembered he hadn’t responded to my text about going to Mariano’s.
“Come, sit.” Piero indicated a chair.
“I don’t want to bother you.”
“You’re not.” He smiled warmly. “Normally, Andrea spends the evening with me, but she’s tired after spending the day with Bria.”
“I can understand that.” I chuckled and moved into the room. Spending more than an hour with Mariano’s mother would drain anyone. I watched as his eyes scanned the pages and as he made little red marks by numbers. “May I ask you something?”
“Of course.” He slid the paper he had marked to the bottom of the pile as he moved another one on top. It was relaxing to watch how methodically he did things.
“Now that I know your family is the head of a…” I wasn’t sure how to word it.
“Syndicate.”
“Yes, a syndicate, does that change things between you and me?”
“In what way do you think it would change things?”
“Well, I mean, am I still allowed to call you Piero? Are there things I should and should not say to people? Should I really be here, or am I here because I know things?”
“Yes.” He nodded while keeping his head down.
“Okay.” I felt strange suddenly and made a move to get up.
“My dear Sienna.” He removed his glasses and pulled himself away from his work. “You’ve always been the exception to the rule with our family. I’ve always allowed you to call me by my first name. But yes, there are things you need to know, and we’ll get there. I haven’t pushed it because of your mother arriving. I know you wouldn’t share anything with anyone, because you never have. It’s not who you are. And as for your last question, you’re here because you are part of this family. Life may have kept us apart for a decade, but it also put us back together, stronger.”
“Thank you.” I played with my hands and thought about his lovely explanation. “Not to be bold, but I wonder if I might ask a question?” He nodded. “My mother mentioned something about a hit that took place back in the nineties. Would I be allowed to ask you about it?”