Page 25 of Unrelenting
“I don’t know. The old man seemed set on getting her married off as soon as possible.”
Benito grimaces. “I doubt Damiano would go that far to help you.”
That’s where Benito is wrong. My oldest brother would do anything to help me or Gabriele if we asked him to.
But I won’t ever ask him to do this. Just like he hasn’t tried to push me into marrying theprincipessafrom some rival family to form a new alliance, I would never try to push him into a union he didn’t want.
It’s one thing we’ve always agreed on. Our loyalty is absolute, but none of us will ever put another in the position of having to sacrifice his happiness for the good of the organization.
In this case, however, he might suggest marrying her himself. He’s always had a thing for Violetta, but for some reason he’s never acted on it.
“I’ll talk to him, see if he has any ideas.”
My phone buzzes. I take it out of my pocket and see Damiano’s name on the screen.
“Speak of the devil,” I say, motioning for Benito to give me some privacy. As he leaves, closing the door behind him, I answer the call. “Fratello.”
“Will you be at the vineyard all day?”
I don’t bother asking him how he knows I’m here because we have tracing software on each other’s phones and in our cars.
“That’s the plan.”
“Good. I’m bringing Olivia out for lunch. Matteo’s bringing his woman.”
“What woman?” He’s not exactly been sociable for the last few weeks. I can’t imagine how he managed to meet a woman. “It’s not Rosalia, is it?”
The housekeeper who looks after the villa for Gabriele is just about to turn eighteen. She’s a sweet kid and way too innocent for Matteo. H
er sister, another Lucia, takes care of Gabriele’s house in Rome, and she’ll be pissed if Rosalia gets romantically involved with a Volante.
“No, her name’s Giulia. She arrived from New York the night before last.”
“So how is this the first I’m hearing about her?”
“Because I didn’t think to tell you,” Damiano says in an infuriatingly off-hand manner. “I dropped her at the villa. Antonio sent her to coax Matteo back to New York. She seemed like a nice girl.”
“So what, they’re dating?” If they are, Matteo’s kept quiet about it.
“No, they’re friends but…hell, I don’t know.” Damiano gets frustrated. I can picture him tugging at his hair. “Ask him at lunch.”
“Oh, I will.” As I end the call, I smile. I can’t wait to grill Matteo about this Giulia woman. Today is going to be a lot more interesting than I thought it would be.
SEVEN
Lucia
After my unscheduled post-coital nap,I wake feeling groggy. It takes a couple of minutes for me to persuade my eyes to stay open. I stretch out my arms, reveling in a languorous yawn and smile as I think about Lorenzo.
He’s not what I expected. I mean, he is in some ways. He’s definitely got a darker side and a need for control, but he’s also funny and surprisingly considerate. I love that he went out to get coffee and pastries for us.
Other men I’ve been with would have expected me to prepare breakfast. Of course, that says more about them than it does about Lorenzo.
Though I was reluctant to get involved with him, he hasn’t tried to take more than I’m willing to give. I’m surprised at how secure I feel around him. That doesn’t mean I see a future for us, but this could be fun while it lasts.
Forcing myself out of bed, I head for the shower. I turn it on to a cool setting to compensate for the heat that’s already building. It’s been unusually hot this year.
When I’m done showering, I gather my hair into a bun and skewer it with decorative silver pins to hold it in place.
