Page 40 of Thin Lines (Donati Bloodlines 2)

Calisto glared at Emma, and she glowered right back.The silence in the vehicle stretched on, but Emma didn’t mind.

Shifting in the seat, she tried to find a comfortableposition. No matter what she did, she couldn’t seem to soothe the small twangsof pain in her back.

“You all right?” Calisto asked.

“Tired.”

“You said that earlier, too. If there’s somethingwrong—”

“There’s nothing,” she interjected.

There couldn’t be.

Calisto opened the passenger door and stepped to theside before helping Emma out of the car. They had arrived in just enough timeto see Affonso stepping out of the backseat of his own car.

“He left twenty minutes before us,” Emma said.

“Yeah.”

“How is he only just getting here now?”

Calisto shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

The ache in Emma’s back started up again as shewatched her husband lean into the backseat like he was chatting with someone.Emma ignored the pain that traveled around to her front and down to her thighs.She had mentioned the issue to her doctor the week before, but the man said itwas likely just her body growing with the child.

A little pain was expected.

Still, it made her nervous.

Blowing out a breath, Emma took another look atAffonso’s car. Calisto was looking that way, too.

“Jesus,” Calisto muttered.

Emma didn’t bother asking what warranted his cussing.She could plainly see just by following his gaze. The shadow of a woman’sdelicate features were clear through the back window of Affonso’s car.

She wasn’t surprised.

“He has women all over the city,” Emma said. “Hedoesn’t bother to hide it.”

“He’s leaving you alone,” Calisto said under hisbreath.

“You could say that.”

It did bother Emma on some level that Affonso couldn’teven try to at least hide his affairs, but she had learned that questioning himdid nothing. It certainly didn’t help.

“I’ve become good at turning my cheek,” Emma said.

Calisto smiled sadly. “I can see that.”

She smoothed her dress over her swell, and Calistoclosed the passenger door. By the time they had turned back to the restaurant,Affonso was smacking the top of the car and moving back to the sidewalk likenothing was amiss. He must have caught sight of Calisto and Emma, because hewaved a single hand in their direction, beckoning them over without evenlooking at them.

“Any advice for this breakfast?” Emma asked Calisto.

“Smile. Let Affonso do the talking. Carl Calabrese isa flamboyant man that likes to show off the things he has. Try to pretend togive a damn, but I know it’ll be hard. It’s hard for us all. His wife is …nice, but a little in the clouds, if you know what I mean. Their adult childrenare spoiled rotten, but they probably won’t be here today. His son, maybe. Beyour usual self, Emmy.”

“Okay.”

“You’ll do fine,” he assured.