Page 13 of Daddy's Little Spy

Shit. Diana swallowed the rising panic and gave Teresa a confused smile. “I’m not a cop.”

“Oh.” Teresa’s lips dipped down. “Sorry, you just have a quality about you. I hope you’re not offended.”

“Not at all.” Sliding into the booth, Diana scanned the menu she’d been handed. Normally she drank her coffee black, but when in Rome, right? “Do you have cappuccino?”

“The best! One cappuccino coming right up. And I totally recommend the salmon tonight. It’s delicious.”

“Thank you.”

Teresa scurried off, and Diana took out her phone to check her messages and to make her seem like a normal, average person waiting on their companion for the evening. There was a short voice memo from Benito, telling her he would be a few minutes late, and she tried to ignore the sting of disappointment as she lifted her eyes to scan the other patrons. Nobody seemed obviously out of place, but then it wouldn’t be a very good front if they just had a bunch of thugs hanging around waiting for orders.

Despite the crowd, it wasn’t overly noisy, which she appreciated. Especially when Luca Rinaldi himself pushed through the swinging doors, his thick brows arching high over eyes nearly as dark as Benito’s.

“Hello. You must be Benny’s girl.” Without asking, he slid into the booth across from her, those dark eyes scanning her, as if seeking out her flaws. “I’m Luca, Benny’s cousin.”

Second cousin, technically. While Benito and Emilio’s father’s had been brothers, Luca’s mother was their cousin. But since she wasn’t supposed to know that, she simply let her eyes widen in surprise and smiled.

“Diana.” Reaching across the table, she slipped her hand into his, expecting a handshake. A small squeak escaped her when he lifted her fingers to his lips, just as Benito had done that morning.

“Benny neglected to tell us how beautiful you were.”

She was saved from having to answer when Teresa swooped over and placed a steamy, frothy cup of cappuccino on the table in front of her.

“I see you’ve met my husband. I hope he’s not bothering you. He can be a bit of a pest.” The tiny woman sent Luca a withering glare, but he only raised a single eyebrow in response.

“Do we need to talk in my office, princesa?”

His voice had that same quality Benito’s had when he’d admonished her and Amara to behave the night before. Lifting the cappuccino to her lips, Diana took a slow sip, watching Teresa’s reactions through her eyelashes.

Surprisingly, the tiny blonde didn’t back down. She just rolled her eyes and turned back to Diana. Judging by the glower on her handsome husband’s face, they would definitely be having that talk in his office later. Benito’s words from that morning came back to her and Diana nearly inhaled the foam from her cup. Was “discussion” really code for something else entirely?

“Can I get you anything else while you wait for Benny?” she asked, her emerald eyes dancing with amusement.

“I believe I can take it from here, Teresa.”

A warm, heavy hand came to rest at the nape of Diana’s neck, and she froze. Fear and desire swirled inside of her, a heady combination more potent than any champagne. A moment later, his breath tickled her ear as he spoke in a low, deceptively calm voice for only her to hear.

“Testing me so soon, bambolina?”

“I — um —”

Benito straightened, but the hand on her neck didn’t move. “You’re in my seat, cousin.”

“Merely keeping our guest entertained,” Luca returned smoothly, pushing to his feet and pulling his wife into his side. “Now that you’re here, I believe my little princess needs a reminder of who is in charge around here.”

“Now?” Teresa squeaked, her eyes going round with surprise.

“Yes, little girl. Now. You had better hope the kitchen is particularly noisy tonight.”

The pair disappeared through the kitchen doors, and the weight lifted from Diana’s shoulders — literally — as Benito slid into the booth across from her.

“Put the coffee down, please.”

Whatever self-preservation instincts she’d been gifted with at birth had obviously deserted her. Meeting his gaze head on, she lifted the cup to her lips and took another long, slow sip before placing the cup back on the saucer.

“I put it down,” she said, shrugging with a nonchalance she didn’t remotely feel when he raised a dark brow.

“Don’t worry. We’ll be addressing your defiance later this evening. I told you what would happen if you came tonight. Was I unclear about my expectations?”

---