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Antonio’s eyes widen. “Piacere, Don Conte?—”
“So, you know who I am?” I turn to my men. “Load him up.” I walk out fully expecting my men to comply.
We make the trip home, and as much as I want to run in and see Aria, I have to deal with my intruder. We drive to the side of the house, exiting our vehicles and escorting my new prisoner along the path that will take us down to one of the buildings where we house what we call the dungeon.
On the way, our prisoner keeps stopping to look around the grounds. It’s an odd thing for him to be doing. This isn’t a vacation.
The next time he turns to face the main house, I reach my hand out and grab him in the throat. "What the fuck are you doing?"
He shakes his head. "Niente."
I don’t buy that he’s doing nothing. He’s up to something. I look at Paolo and Matteo. "Are you sure you searched him for cameras or recording devices?"
"Absolutely."
I can’t escape the idea that there is something on him recording what he's seeing. Perhaps he’s live streaming back to Enzo. Technology today has gotten smaller, easier to conceal. I can imagine Enzo thinking of himself as some sort of James Bond spy.
I pull out my gun and hold it to the center of his forehead. "What the fuck are you doing?"
For the first time, the man shows real fear, dropping to his knees. "I am at your mercy, Don Conte."
I lower the gun to keep it pointed at his head. "Then tell me what you are doing."
He brings his hands together in a pleading gesture. "Piacere, Don Conte. Don’t kill me. I have a family."
"No, you don't," Paolo says.
"I have a sick mother.”
I roll my eyes at the cliché line, although I suppose it could be true. But I’m tired of this bullshit. I have a woman I’ve been pining after for months waiting for me.
I pull the trigger and watch as he crumples in a heap. "Wrap him in a tarp and take him into the dungeon. Search every millimeter of his body and his clothing. I want to know for sure that he hasn't transmitted any information about our business or my home to Enzo. Got it?"
My men look a little green around the gills, not so much because I killed this man but because they know it's possible they've messed up if Antonio was able to get information to Enzo.
I turn and stride back into the house, holstering my gun. I take the stairs up two by two and make a beeline toward the guest room. It's time for me to make Aria Leone mine.
5
ARIA
When I arrived at Luca’s villa, I was disappointed to learn that he wasn't there, that he had been called away at the last minute on business.
But his housekeeper, Roberta, who spoke very little English, showed me up to a lovely room that made me think of a medieval castle. I explored the room, and now I sit in the plush chaise lounge chair next to a window that overlooks the large grounds and beyond to the sea. I did it. I’m here.
I imagine by now, Niko has noticed that I've gone. He's probably tried to call, but once we landed in Rome, Bruno took my phone, telling me I would be given a new one.
I'm not sure whether they don’t want me to have my old phone because it’s on an American cellular plan or to make it harder for Niko to contact me. A tinge of guilt settles in my stomach for having left the way I did, and I suspect that Niko is worried.
But he has Luca's number if he figures out that I'm here, and I imagine Luca will allow me to contact him to let him know that I'm safe.
With nothing else to do and accepting the idea that this will be my home, at least for a little while, I rise from the comfy chair to unpack my bag. As I put my clothes in the dresser and closet, I can see they are already filled with clothes.
At first, jealousy flares, imagining that this must be one of Luca's girlfriends’ rooms, but then I notice the tags are still on the items. I smile because there's something sweet about the idea of Luca arranging for me to have clothes to wear when I got here.
I put my toiletries in the bathroom and gasp at the size of the large standalone tub. I'm tempted to fill it and take a soak in it, but I want to be able to meet Luca when he arrives home, so a luxurious soak will have to wait.
I hear movement outside the door. It’s the type of sound that happens in Niko's house when he's arriving back home after being away for a bit.
