Page 23 of Tormented Diamonds
“Becca, I sent that text to Gianni because I promised I’d do everything in my power to protect you, even if it put him in danger. I don’t like it any more than you do, but I gave him my word. It’s the only thing I have left. I can’t lose it, too.”
I refuse to cry. Mafia wives don’t fall apart at the first sign of danger.
Drawing in a deep breath, I turn toward him. “So, what happens now? Are we all just living on borrowed time?”
“I don’t know.” He lays a comforting hand on my wrist, forcing me to fight the tears that much harder. “Gianni feeds me information on a slow drip, but I suspect this goes much deeper.”
It always does.
I tug my glasses off and press my thumb and forefinger against my eyes. “Feeling helpless isn’t something I’m used to. I don’t like it.”
“I get that, but believe me when I say all it’d take would be the perception of you talking to the feds for the Authority to make good on their threat. Gianni left a lot of unhealed wounds when he broke his oath, and now with Marcello’s betrayal, their trust is at an all-time low.”
Ishift my fingers and side eye him. “ButGianniis talking to the feds right now. Isn’t that like refusing to skydive only to jump off a cliff?”
He shakes his head, his expression softening. “Not to him. He’d sacrifice himself in a hundred lifetimes for you. Besides, Gianni has dealt with these particular agents before. He knows how to keep them chasing their own asses. He’ll be fine.”
“And if he isn’t?”
“I gave him my word, Becca. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“Well,” I hear as the front door slams. “Isn’t this fucking cozy?”
Owen and I spring apart like two snapped ends of a rubber band, the sound of my husband’s sharp, hostile tone the equivalent of an air horn in a library.
“Gianni…” I slam my glasses back onto my face, my heart racing. “Is everything … I mean, are you okay?”
“I was until I walked in the door.” He saunters toward us, his gaze shifting between us. He looks worn and depleted. Dark circles cradle hollow-looking eyes, and the five o’clock shadow that’d been steadily ticking up the clock is now almost a full beard. “Care to tell me why you two were huddled together on the couch?”
“Come on, man,” Owen says, shoving his palms forward. “I was just comforting her.”
I wince.Ooof. Bad move.
“I see.” Gianni drags his tongue across his teeth, his arms folded tightly across his chest. “Owen, walk outside with me. We need to talk.”
For the love of…
This has gotten out of hand.
I grab Owen’s arm before he can take a step. “You stay right here, and you…” Pent-up emotion explodes across my face as I swing my other finger toward Gianni. “Pick your knuckles up off the floor. He’s right. Itwasall perfectly innocent.”
“He was touching you.”
“Because I was worried aboutyou!” The jealousy-infused rage on his face settles as the magnetic pull between us draws me toward him. “Now, let’s sit down and talk like civilized adults because if anyone has cause to be pissed here, it’s me.” I cup his face and ground both of us. “But I’d rather just be thankful you’re here.”
Before I can blink, his arm slings around my waist, and his lips are on mine. He kisses me like we’ve been apart for years and this moment is all we have. It’s hard and desperate, and I can’t get enough. He demands, and I submit because this is who we are.
We kiss.
And kiss.
And kiss.
Until the sound of a throat clearing slams us back into reality.
I spin around, my cheeks burning as I see Owen looking anywhere but at us. Mortified, I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, only to look back and find Gianni smirking. Before I can figure out how to apologize, he takes my hand in his and jerks his tie loose with the other.
“So, tell me what all I’ve missed,” he says, attacking the buttons on his collar while dragging me into the sitting room.
