Page 41 of Dagger in the Sea

“Do you think we would discuss it with you?” Luca said.

“Why do I get the impression this is not the first time this has happened to Adriana?”

“Because it is not,” said Alessio

“Was it recently? Another occasion with you?”

Alessio let out a rolling chuckle, a hand going down his middle.“No.Not with me. With her boyfriend.”

Her boyfriend?Wasn’t he her boyfriend?My grip on the glass tightened. Shit only seemed to get more interesting.

Alessio’s head slanted at me. “You should be careful, eh?” He drank, his gaze returning to the choppy dark sea.

“How long do you plan on staying in Mykonos?” I asked.

“For about a week or more. Then going on to Santorini and a few smaller islands, depending on the weather and the winds. The winds are very eccentric here.”

“And you think Adriana will be safe with you after tonight?”

“That’s why you’re here, Turo DeMarco. Will she be safe with you?” his voice snapped, his jaw clenching. He wasn’t so sure.

Luca let out a dark laugh, stretching his arms over his head, muttering something about girl problems in Italian. One of Luca’s bodyguards appeared on deck, sitting down in a low armchair farther up from where we sat, his arms spread wide over the top. His holster and gun visible.

A slight smile I couldn’t quite figure out shimmied over Alessio’s mouth. “You ever been to Greece before, Turo?”

“No.”

“Nothing like the first time.” He chuckled softly. “Your first time will be very memorable.”

Luca made a noise in his throat, muttering an agreement in Italian.

“It’s magical, quite different from other places.” Alessio leaned back in his seat.

“It is,” I said. “Very different.”

Alessio inhaled long on his cigarette as he continued to stare at me, the red glow of the tip flaring brightly. A signal.Enter at your own risk.

“One thing, Turo DeMarco.” Luca’s eyes glinted as he released my name from his lips, the “R”s rolling exotically on his deep voice. “You fuck with my uncle, you fuck with Alessio or Adri, and I will fuck you right back.”

I pushed my glass to the side. “I’m interested in talking to your uncle on behalf of my boss to offer an apology, an explanation for his son’s unfortunate behavior.”

“Hmm. I heard all about it.” Luca licked his lips. “And did you arrange for all this to happen to Adri so that you could get an in with us? With her?”

“Frankly, I don’t even know who Adri is. She literally bumped into me at Island tonight. I was annoyed, in fact, thinking she was probably a set up on your end.”

Alessio’s dark eyes narrowed into slits. “Adri is not someputtanaI use for my own means.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” I replied.

A harsh smirk slashed Luca’s features. “You may have saved Adri’s life and ours, so I won’t throw you overboard right now like I want to. But all it takes is one signal to Ciro here—” he gestured at Mr. Bodyguard. “—and he tips you over like a doll and you’d be in that cold water and gone, and no one would know.”

I sat back in my upholstered seat. Looking relaxed was my modus operandi. Even the pretense helped me refocus. “You just hired me and now you want to kill me?”

“He’s a Gemini, deal with it,” said Alessio, rolling his eyes. “I do.”

“Luca, I came to Greece to apologize toSignorGennaro for my boss’s son,” I said. “His ill chosen words were most unfortunate and quite disrespectful.”

“Ahhh.” Luca slanted his head, a slight nod. “Very pretty words. I see why you were sent. That was wise, because that Valerio Guardino is a little shit.”

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