Page 118 of The Proposal

“I’m not going to call anyone.”

“I know,” I reply. “I’m going to program my number into it in case you need to contact me.”

That has him digging into his pocket to retrieve it and passing it to me.

“You’ll be looked after, and your loyalty will be rewarded,” I say as I add my number to his contacts and hand the phone back. “Spread the word; I’ll be in touch.”

“Okay.”

He steps aside, allowing us to pass. When I reach the bottom step, I pause, glancing at him over my shoulder. “Let the house burn to the ground.” I descend another step before saying, “One more thing.”

“Whatever you need, boss.”

“We were never here.”

He nods. “Io capisco(I understand).”

When we arrived, I never expected this outcome, but in true Cosa Nostra fashion, justice was served swiftly, decisively, and without mercy.

Hours pass before we finally return to my family’s estate in Italy. After we left the Rossis, we went straight to the hospital to have Lucia examined. As suspected, her wrist is broken, so she’s now sporting a plaster cast, but despite that, she seems in good spirits.

Romeo has been unwavering, never leaving her side. He even sat beside her bed, holding her hand while the doctors worked on her, which was a bit unsettling.

I admire his passion for the people he cares about, but I’m not sure he’s aware of those cartoon hearts practically floating in Lucia’s eyes every time she gazes at him.

If he doesn’t watch his step, this could get messy. Whenwe get home, I’ll need to separate them. The last thing I want is more drama.

When I enter the house, followed by my entourage, I’m not surprised to find my brother pacing back and forth. He might be a ruthless businessman, but he’s on point when he says he doesn’t have the stomach for the Cosa Nostra.

“For fuck’s sake,” he mumbles under his breath as soon as he sees me. He closes the distance between us in a few long, purposeful strides and pulls me into a hug. “I watched the news update saying the Rossi estate was on fire. Why the fuck didn’t you answer your phone? I’ve been going out of my mind.”

“I’m fine,” I say, shrugging out of his hold. “We had to take Lucia to the hospital to get her wrist looked at.”

“What happened with Stefano?”

“You don’t want to know, big brother.” I glance around the room. “Where’s my little sis and nephew?”

“Sister-in-law,” he corrects. “They’ve gone to visit Lina and Theo.”

“Ah, okay.”

“I was supposed to go with them, but since I couldn’t contact you, I decided to stay behind in case something happened … in case you needed me.”

“I appreciate that, but I can handle myself,” I reply, briefly clasping his shoulder. When I grin, he narrows his eyes, clearly unimpressed.

I let my arm drop down by my side as I swiftly turn, giving Alexander my back. I stalk across the room with purpose, grabbing my wife’s hand as I pass.

“Where are you going now?” he asks.

“I need to speak to Arabella in private. Can you entertain Lucia while I’m gone?”

“What? No,” Alexander grumbles. “I don’t even know her.”

I glance back at him. “Alex, this is my other little sis.Lucia, this is my big brother Alex. There, you know each other now.”

“Sister-in-law,” he grumbles, correcting me again.

“Whatever, sibling police.”

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