Page 40 of Cara & Gian: The Guzzi Duet

“Gian.”

He almost missed the call of his name by the familiar voice, as he started his ascent of the church steps. It was unusual for his closest enforcer—Chris—to call him by his name, as it was usually “boss” only to the man, but Gian understood why the sudden change.

Edmond clapped Gian on the shoulder as he continued climbing the church steps to a waiting Mass. When the boss was around, Gian could not be “boss” to his own men, as anyone in a higher position than him took precedence.

It hadn’t much mattered with his grandfather, but Edmond was not Corrado.

That was obvious to everyone.

“I messaged you this morning,” Gian said, turning to face the enforcer standing on the bottom step. “It’s not like you to be late, Chris.”

The barrel-chested man shrugged his wide shoulders. “Sundays are my off day—that’s what you always say, anyway. No business on Sundays. I put the phone away.”

“All right, I’ll take that.”

Only because it was true.

“You needed me for something?” Chris asked.

Gian ignored the passing people—many he recognized—as he reached for the velvet case inside his jacket pocket. Pulling the item out, he rested it on his palm. It was as long as his hand, and about as wide. “I need you to run this across town for me.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes. I don’t make you run errands very fucking often, so don’t start complaining now.”

Chris held his hands up, a silent apology. “No worries. Where’s it going to?”

Gian didn’t answer right away, instead, opening the velvet case to check the item inside for a fifth time since he had picked it up earlier in the week. He’d wanted to give it to Cara himself. He hadn’t seen her since the weekend before, but it looked like it was going to be another couple of days before he could drag himself away from the nonsense that had become his life. He figured the gift would be a nice way to tell her to look forward to a visit, and that he hadn’t forgotten about her.

In a way …

Inside the case, a black lace, Victorian-styled choker rested on crushed velvet. A small, oval diamond hung from the middle, giving it a bit of regal beauty to go along with the classic. He’d found the item by chance, when he had gone into his jeweller’s to pick up one of his Rolexes that needed to be fixed.

There was something about the choker—and the way he thought it might look on a delicate throat—that made him purchase the item without even hesitating.

“A woman, then,” Chris assumed as he glanced down at the choker.

Gian quickly snapped the case shut. “A woman.”

“You don’t usually give gifts to women.”

He didn’t.

It wasn’t appropriate, really.

“She’s worth the step out from my usual,” Gian replied vaguely. He handed the case over, and rattled off Cara’s address. “Redhead, tall, beautiful. You won’t miss her, and you might even recognize her. You’re not to leave until this is in her hands, and you’re not to allow her to refuse it. Understood?”

Chris nodded. “Got it.”

“Tell her to text me if she wants someone to argue with about it,” Gian added with a chuckle.

He’d plugged his number into Cara’s phone the weekend before, and occasionally sent her messages throughout the week, but no actual phone call. He wondered how she would react to the gift, but he would have to settle with the aftermath.

“Go,” Gian ordered, pointing in the direction Chris had come.

“Later, boss.”

Gian didn’t correct Chris’s slip that time, but only because the steps had mostly cleared of people. No one was close enough to hear the man’s casual use of a title that technically didn’t belong to Gian.