Page 80 of The Thief

Before Antonio loses his temper entirely, I give him a little wave. “Go. I’ll be fine.”

With a frown, he gets up. The guy pulls him to the back and says something in a low voice. Antonio responds, his expression annoyed. The guy throws up his hands in the air. It’s like watching a play, so I’m almost disappointed when Claudia’s sister Miriam bustles up to me and interrupts my view.

“Lucia!” she exclaims, bending down to kiss my cheeks in her typical exuberant manner. “You’re very dressed up today. What’s the special occasion?” Without waiting for me to respond, she continues, “A half-liter of wine to start and some cicchetti? Our specials today are bigoli con l’anatra, and risotto al limone con gamberi e zucchini. Or do you feel like soup? The creamy pumpkin soup is very good today.”

“Umm, I’m here with someone.” I gesture in Antonio’s direction. “Can you give us a few minutes?”

She glances at Antonio and does a double-take. Her mouth falls open, and her eyes go wide. “Is that. . .?” she whispers, her voice trailing off.

“Antonio Moretti,” I finish for her, realizing as I do that I may have made a mistake.Crap.Do Miriam and Claudia have a history with the mafia? I wasn’t thinking through the implications when I invited him to dinner. Should I not have brought him here?

“That’s who you’re here with?”

I nod mutely. The two women who run this restaurant have known me since I was a baby. They can be a little protective of me, so I’m pretty sure I know what Miriam is going to say. She’s going to remind me that sensible women do not hook up with violent, dangerous men. She’s going to warn me to stay the hell away from Antonio.

“Miriam, I wasn’t thinking straight. Do you want us to leave?”

“Leave?” Her face breaks into a huge smile. “Why? Just wait until I tell Claudia who’s eating with us tonight. She’s going to be thrilled.”

I’m missing something. “You know who Antonio is, right?”

She rolls her eyes. “Am I an ostrich? Of course, I know who he is, Lucia.” She lowers her voice. “A few years ago, Bruno fell in with the wrong crowd and got into trouble with the carabinieri.”

“He did?” Bruno is Claudia’s twenty-year-old son. He’s quiet and serious and wants to be a doctor. I can’t imagine him running afoul of the law.

“He might have gone to jail if the padrino hadn’t intervened,” she says solemnly. “And Bruno’s not the only person he’s helped.” Her eyes shine. “Signor Moretti will always be welcome here. Always.”

She hurries to the back, undoubtedly to tell Claudia about the celebrity in their midst. Antonio finishes his conversation and returns. “Leo, my head of security, insists we move away from the window.” He looks pained. “I’m so?—”

“It’s okay,” I say before he can apologize again. We need to move away from the window because a sniper could shoot Antonio through the glass. My stomach does a weird flip, and my palms go damp.

He does his best to keep his face expressionless. “This isn’t what you thought you were getting into. I’ll understand if you need to leave. You’ll be safer that way.”

Leaving would be the smartest thing to do. But I’m past that. Maybe I was past that when I asked him to stay with me ten years ago.

I get to my feet and lace my fingers in his. “Stop apologizing. It was cold by the window anyway.”

I can’t decide between the risotto and the steak, so Antonio suggests we get both and share. Claudia pops up with a platter of cicchetti and a complimentary bottle of wine. She fusses over Antonio, promises to make him a meal to remember, gives me an approving nod, and disappears into the kitchen.

Once we’re alone, I lift the bottle of wine. “I’ve known Claudia and Miriam all my life, and I’ve never gotten free wine,” I grumble. “Then again, I’ve never kept Bruno out of jail.”

“Is that what Miriam said to you?” Antonio looks uncomfortable. Hang on, is he blushing? I love it. “She’s exaggerating.”

“You don’t even know what she said.”

“I can guess.” Yup, he’s definitely blushing. “All I did was make a couple of phone calls.” He gives me a stern look. “And you’re having entirely too much fun at my expense.”

Oops. “Guilty.” I pour us both some wine and sip the complex red. It’s glorious. Claudia really is pulling out all the stops. “Maybe I’m looking to get punished.”

A smile curves at the corners of his mouth. “Are you, now?” Our food arrives before he can elaborate on how he’ll make me pay for my teasing. Pity. There’s nothing like anticipation to make a spanking even sweeter.

My meal is delicious, and I’m stuffed by the time I finish, but I greedily insist on ordering dessert anyway. “How’s your work going?” Antonio asks as we share the orange liqueur-flavored panna cotta. It’s served with chopped kiwi, passion fruit, and mango, and it’s irresistible. “Any blowback from our Quadri meal?”

He’s frighteningly astute. “Let’s see. Signora Sabatino offered me a full-time jobanda larger office if I talked you into giving the Palazzo Ducale more money, and my most sexist co-worker, who usually expects me to bring him coffee and take notes at meetings, actually apologized for the sexism and brought me pastries. Dating Antonio Moretti comes with its perks.” I roll my eyes. “The director, I understand. Felix, though? I can’t even. Does he really think I’m going to turn to you when we’re in bed and say, ‘Do you know who’s really good at acquiring fine art? Dr. Mayer.’”

His eyes narrow. “Felix Mayer,” he says, a touch of frost in his voice. “Good to know.”

I glare at him. “Do. Not. Do. Anything. This is my problem, and I’ll handle it.”

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