“The poor man is getting drenched,” I remind them. “You’re both right here in the office.”
Sasha punches buttons on the computer. “There is no one else dumb enough to be outside, Matteo. It’s a ghost town. We’re right here with her; she’ll be safe.”
He grimaces. “I’m going to be squatting behind the counter. Sasha will be in the office with the lights out.”
That’s all I need to hear. Matteo takes his position behind the counter. Sasha flips the light out behind me, and I head toward the door. Flipping the locks, I open the door and step back, bringing a drenched Gallo into view. He scowls at the sight of me, or maybe he was already scowling. Whatever the case, he charges through the door, water pouring off of him, and shuts it behind him.
“Where’s Kayden?” he demands, tugging down the hood on his tan trench coat, his hair a rumpled mess, but then it always is, his gray eyes etched with anger. His impatience wins over and he repeats himself a bit more gruffly. “Where the fuck is Kayden?”
“He’s not in,” I say. “What’s got you so riled up?”
“Kayden fucking happened,” he proclaims, the puddle at his feet becoming wider. “If he’s not here, why are you in the store?”
“Is there some rule in Italy that I don’t know about women and stores? Since when do I need Kayden to be in here? And while it’s none of your business, I’m taking over the store. It’s mine now, and I’m working late to put my personal touches on it.”
“You’re staying with him, then, Eleana—is that it?”
“Yes, Detective Gallo, I’m staying with him. And call me Ella. I know you’ve heard people call me that. Hell, you’ve done it a few times before. I prefer it.”
He reaches in his pocket and holds up a picture of a young woman with an X over her face and some Italian words written across it. “Do you know about this? Is this the kind of action you condone?”
“What is that?” I ask, already knowing I’m not going to like the answer.
“A photo of my sister who lives in Milan, with a threat against her life. This is the kind of man you’re with. Is this the kind of person you are?”
“Kayden didn’t do this,” I say quickly, certain this is Niccolo and Alessandro’s handiwork. “He would never do such a thing, and I just talked to him about you—”
“I don’t want to hear your ridiculous efforts to defend him.” He shoves the photo into his pocket. “You know what is sad? You’re going to wake up to a brutal reconciling of the real man and whoever he’s pretending to be for you. You don’t know him.” He shakes his head. “Tell Kayden his methods backfired. This is war.” He turns and walks toward the exit, and he’s wrong about Kayden. Without question, I know him, but I also know how Gallo is right now, and that’s angry and desperate, two dangerous things. He yanks open the door, pulls up his hood, and disappears into the rain, slamming the door behind him.
“I need to go after him,” Sasha says, stepping out of the office, and Matteo stands up behind the counter. “Before he ends up in Alessandro’s web,” she adds.
“He could be baiting you, and waiting for you to leave,” I warn. “You need to exit the castle in a car, and without visibility.”
“She’s right,” Matteo says. “Did you get someone to follow him?”
“I sent a message to our neighborhood lead,” Sasha says. “He’s on it and he’ll text us both with updates.” She looks at me. “And you’re right about the possible trap. I’m going to call Carlo and see if he can find out anything from inside The Jackals.” She heads back into the office, leaving me with Matteo.
“I’m calling Kayden in case Gallo does something crazy and ends up standing in front of him,” I say, punching in the auto-dial and walking toward the TV room for privacy.
He answers in two rings, his voice deep, concerned. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m safe,” I say, “but I need to give you a heads-up to make sure you stay that way. Gallo showed up here in a fury. He had a picture of his sister with a huge X over her face, and some writing in Italian that basically equates to a threat. He thinks you did it. I told him it’s not you, but he’s out of his mind right now.”
“Where is he now?” he asks, receiving the information as calmly as he does everything.
“We’ve had him followed, but he just left. He was standing in the pouring rain, pounding insanely on the store door. My worry is that he’ll connect with Alessandro and alert him to where you are. Or he’ll wait and try to confront you when you return to the castle.”
“You did right by calling me,” he says. “I just left Niccolo. Obviously I need to get back and have another conversation with him about Alessandro and Gallo.”
I want to ask what happened in their meeting, but this isn’t the time. “Sasha wants to go to him, to try to get him under control, but—”
“No. Gallo followed her earlier. This could be a setup.”
“That was my thought as well,” I say. “Right now, we’re waiting to see where he goes and what he does.”
“Text me if there are new developments. Call me if you feel it’s urgent.”
“I will.” I bite back another “be safe” that I know isn’t what The Hawk needs to hear. “While you’re talking to Niccolo, just remember that he’s afraid of dying. And fear—”