Page 37 of The Devil and the Dancer
Giovanni’s eyes were sympathetic instead of judgmental. “Does she know?”
“I told her the other night. This particular obsession is a relatively new development since…”
“I see.” Giovanni took a long breath. “As long as she knows about the surveillance, you’re fine. It’s when you don’t tell them that they get really angry. Trust me on that one. I speak from experience.”
Gavin gripped his glass tighter. “Does it get better?”
Giovanni grimaced. “Honestly? No. Yes and no. Once you make your claim public, your status and alliances should help keep others away. They already keep their distance knowing she’s under my aegis and one of your employees. You’re in a better position than I was. You studiously avoid having enemies.”
“Enemies aren’t profitable.”
Giovanni’s voice dropped to nearly a whisper. “But Chloe will be seen as possible leverage until she becomes a power in her own right.”
Fuck me.“All this… I didn’t expect it. And it’s not entirely welcome, to be honest.”
“I understand completely. But don’t second-guess yourself for taking the chance. If it’s real—if it’s meant to be—you’ll never regret it.” Giovanni spotted Cormac a few seconds after he walked through the door. “My meeting is here.” He rose and finished the scotch before he looked down at Gavin. “I trust you to guard her, Gavin. Not only her safety but her heart. You’re capable of both; don’t doubt yourself.”
Gavin watched him walk away.
Dammit, why was Giovanni fucking Vecchio making Gavin feel like he’d just patted him on the head and said “good lad”? He swallowed the rest of his drink and turned back to his paperwork.
Chloe watchedBeatrice and Sadia from the corner of her eye as she completed her last set. Beatrice was smiling, and the little girl’s eyes were rapt on the twisting and turning dancers. They had been in New York for three nights, and this was the first chance they’d had to watch Chloe rehearse.
When the music went silent, Chloe followed her fellow dancers to the front of the studio to sit for notes from the director, which were thankfully minimal. Then she exchanged polite good-nights with everyone as she walked to the back of the room.
“Sorry you couldn’t see from the front,” Chloe said. “This space is pretty cramped. Did you enjoy it anyway?”
Sadia walked toward her and held out her arms before she spun in a circle.
Chloe was delighted. “Very good, Sadia! You want to practice with me more at home?”
To answer her, the little girl toddled over to Chloe and grabbed her fingers to tug her toward Beatrice.
“I think that’s a yes.” Beatrice smiled. “It was great. Really great. When is the show?”
“Three weeks.”
“I may have to fly out to see it. You guys already look amazing. That was wonderful.”
“Thank you.” It warmed Chloe’s heart to have someone she respected so much compliment her. She’d never hear anything like that from her mom. She couldn’t even imagine her mom coming to a performance. “The City Dance Collective is also going to be live streaming it on the first night. So if you can’t come out, you should be able to watch online.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Beatrice rose and held her arms out for Sadia, who went immediately to her mother. “But I’d really love to be here if we can work it out. I’ll talk to Gio when we get home.”
Chloe gathered her things and walked toward the door with Beatrice and Sadia following her. The car that had brought them to the rehearsal space in Hell’s Kitchen was already waiting for them.
“You need to come to rehearsal more often,” Chloe said. “I could get used to service like this.”
Beatrice buckled Sadia into the car seat while Chloe sat on the other side. “Doesn’t Gavin have a car?”
“He does. And he’d tell Abe to cart me anywhere if I let him. It just seems silly to me.”
“Hmmm.” Beatrice nibbled on Sadia’s fingers, causing the little girl to laugh.
“I mean…” Chloe felt oddly defensive of Gavin. “He already has someone guarding me all the time as it is. It feels wasteful to have a car following me around too. It’d attract more attention.”
Beatrice’s eyebrows rose. “He told you about the tail?”
“Oh yeah. Like… the day after he hired her.”
