Page 35 of Savage Proposal

“It’s the middle of the day,” Damian spat at him. “Keep it in your pants.”

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you had a hot wife to help with all of your tension.”

Damian stared at him, mouth agape, for a second, and then he held up his middle finger and went back to his laptop. He was looking at security footage from the Gallos’ warehouses, and so far, he’d come with absolutely nothing. Whoever was lightening our deliveries was a damn ghost.

“I need you to do something for me anyway,” I said to Elio, bringing his attention to me. “Take Isabella into the city to visit her sister. I’ll send you the address of the café where she works. Get a coffee and let them talk for as long as they want.”

Elio didn’t look any happier. “Why can’t Damian babysit?”

“Because he has to go pick up Gia. Would you rather do that?”

“Can I take Amalia with me? They are cousins after all.”

“You just want to fuck in the backseat.”

Elio whirled on Damian. “Do you have a problem with me today,stronzo?”

“Enough!” My voice came out as a boom. Both men looked at me, all traces of irritation and humor gone. “Damian has to deal with the Gallos, so you’re taking care of Isabella.” I shooed him toward the door. “Get going. Gemma’s shift ends at two, and if you aren’t there by then, you’ll miss her.”

“Goddamnit,” Elio muttered as he turned and stalked from the room.

Silence fell between me and Damian for a moment. “So, you don’t care about Isabella’s feelings, but you’re letting her go visit her sister so that she’s in a good mood when she meets Gia.”

“Shut the fuck up, Damian.”

“Right, boss.”

CHAPTER 22

Isabella

“You’re taking me to see my sister?”

Elio stood next to the blacked-out SUV, keys in hand and a too-friendly smile on his face. “That a problem,piccola?”

Literally nothing would keep me from seeing Gemma…but it was weird not to see Lorenzo waiting for me. He hadn’t let me out of his sight, practically, since he moved me into his room. “Where’s Lorenzo?”

Elio’s good-natured smile flattened out. “He’s busy. Do you want to go or not?” He opened the passenger side door. We stared at each other for a split-second, and then I scrambled into the SUV. “Good choice,” he said and closed the door behind me.

For the first twenty minutes, we sat in absolute silence, and then Elio rolled his shoulders. “The address Enzo gave to me is for a café,” he said. “Is the coffee as good as Starbucks?”

What is it with this man and coffee?“I didn’t have any last time,” I said. “But they seemed busy enough when I was there.”

Elio’s face scrunched in displeasure. “That doesn’t mean they have good coffee.”

“If you don’t like it, we can hit a Starbucks on the way home,” I said. “I won’t tell Amalia.”

He chuckled. “She’ll know anyway; she always does.” But he lookedexcitedabout the prospect of his wife being upset with him. I wanted to ask why and the question was on the tip of my tongue, but I ultimately decided against it. He either wouldn’t tell me anyway, or he would tell mewaymore than I ever needed to know about his and Amalia’s sex life.

“You’re not going to sit at the table with Gemma and me, right? Lorenzo waited outside last time.” Theyou should do thathung in the air between us.

“I have to come into the café,” he said, not needing to explain who passed that particular order along. “But, no, I won’t crowd you and your sister.”

“Thank you.”

He shrugged my words off. “Just be ready to get me a second coffee on the way back, all right?”

“You have an addiction.”

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