Page 128 of Dominance

“Really? In Paris?” His gaze narrows, rapt.

“Yep. I blew it off, but now I wonder if I should have called him.”

“Why would you?” Adriano sits back, looking thoughtful.

“Not all of us are so distrustful of the law, Adri,” I smirk.

“True. Old habits. Policy, even. And yet that guy in Orvieto seemed to think Dom had some history with the feds.”

“Really? You really think Dom would trust the law?”

“No. But he turned on us in the end. He turned on other allies too. Makes you think.”

“Speaking of Orvieto, where did you go after? You vanished for two days.”

Adriano sighs, eyeing me from across the table. “We’re really going to do this, huh?”

“What. Trust each other? I suppose we are.” I chew my lip, forcing myself to meet his stare. How does he do that?

It’s like having a staring contest with a statue.

“I went to see my nonna. My grandmother,” he starts, shrugging. “It’s probably the last time I’ll see her. And the reason I told Dom I wanted to visit her.”

“Which was …”

“To get her blessing on my marriage. She’s the last elder in my family alive. Call me old fashioned but…”

“That’s sweet. So is she.”

“Who?”

“Natalia. Your grandmother.” My heart kicks off into a drum roll as I say it, waiting to gauge his reaction.

Adriano huffs a single, tight, incredulous laugh, his face locked halfway between a smile and suspicion. A little shake of his head seems to clear the irritation, regaining his composure.

“You know, if you were anyone else, I’d kill you for trespassing like that.”

“I know. It would be a direct threat on your family. But I had to take that risk, to find out who she was, and then, well.”

“Then what?” he asks.

“Once I was there and we were talking, I figured out she knew Dom.”

“Yeah, he visited her with Alessandro and me when we were younger.”

“A few times, from what she said.”

“Nonna isn’t always …there, though.”

“I know. But she got confused about who I was. She could tell I was his daughter, but then…”

“Did she start talking like she was in a memory?”

“Yes. She said my father lost a child. A boy.”

Adriano’s scowl deepens, shock blooming in his expression. After a few seconds of processing, he nods. “So he lost two kids. This son, then you, when your mother took you away. That would explain some of why he wants us to…”

“That’s what I was thinking.”

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