Page 30 of Unrelenting
“But he you about her?”
“Yes.”
My brother’s eyebrows pull into a deep V. “Why now?”
“He wants to see her married. Once that happens, he’ll consider my offer for the land.”
Surprise crosses his face, and then he laughs. “Are you telling me he wants you to marry his granddaughter?”
“No, he doesn’t want me for her, and I have Lucia now.”
Damiano scowls at that. “You’d let her get in the way of a business deal?”
“In a heartbeat.” Though I haven’t declared my intentions yet, I intend to marry Lucia, to bind her to me forever. “Besides, I think you might be more interested than I am.”
“Why? I’m not going looking for a wife.”
“Maybe not, but his granddaughter works for you.”
“Who?”
“Violetta Caruso.”
For a moment, my brother is frozen in shock. “Violetta? Are you joking?”
I shake my head.
“Not over something like this. Ricci wants me to find a husband for his granddaughter before we can do a deal. Thought you’d want to know since she works for you.”
“Yeah. Let me think about this. There must be some way we can use the girl to get what you need.”
“Okay, now get out of here. I’ve a shitload of work to get through before I can go see Lucia.”
Damiano sighs. “You’ve got it bad for this girl.”
“Seems like it.”
“Bring her to the club tonight.” It sounds like an order, not an invitation. “You can help me keep an eye on Giulia.”
I nod, unable to believe Matteo is allowing his woman to go to Damiano’s nightclub alone. The place is crawling with guys looking for an easy lay.
I’m not saying Giulia would fall for their crap, but if she was mine, I wouldn’t be taking any chances.
But at lunch, my cousin said he was happy for her to go. I guess he’s trying not to look like a possessive asshole around her. It won’t work in the long term. Men like us are too protective of what’s ours.
“Okay, I’ll do that.”
I haven’t taken Lucia out on a date yet. It’s time to show the world she’s mine.
It’s almostmidnight by the time I pull up at Gianetta’s. I park at the front door and get out of the car. I can’t help noticing the construction going on next door.
There’s a gigantic pile of timber lying on the sidewalk behind a wire fence. I’ll need to have someone come and speak to the construction crew about keeping things clean.
Lucia’s customers are discerning people. They won’t enjoy walking past this mess to get to the restaurant.
When I enter the restaurant, it’s quiet, with only two tables still occupied. Angelina and another server, whose name I think is Carina, hover at the back of the room, waiting to clear up after them when they leave.
Daniele, who’s Bruno’s replacement, is sitting at the bar. With his clean-cut, boy next door appearance, he’s a more presentable choice of bodyguard for Lucia. As soon as he sees me approaching, he jumps down off his seat.
