Page 66 of Alessio

Corrado didn’t have to like it all.

“And how does Dare feel about that?” Corrado asked.

Alessio shrugged. “It’s not his choice.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“I’m aware.”

It didn’t matter, Corrado decided.

Alessio was right.

No one else but Alessio got the final say.

Standing from the bed, ready to start his day in a far better mood than he had in a month or more, Corrado turned to face the doorway of the bedroom.

The opened door, he realized.

He blinked, staring across the hall to the open doorway of the bedroom just across from his. There, Ginevra slept on top of her blankets, like usual. There was nothing strange about that, and yet, it still seemed like he was missing something.

“Hey,” Alessio said behind him. “We cooking food, or not?”

Corrado didn’t move. “Did you close the door last night?”

Alessio didn’t answer.

Because he didn’t need to.

A sound escaped Corrado, wary and curious at the same time. “Les?”

“I can’t remember, and I don’t, no. That’s your thing, not mine. Someone is in the bed, you close the door. I came in, Corrado, and we didn’t get out of the bed.”

“I didn’t open it this morning.”

“Me, either.”

They had yet to leave the bedroom. So yeah, the door had been open all night.

Had Ginevra’s also been open?

Fuck.

“If your first ten calls and messages went unanswered,” Andino Marcello said, his tone cool in Corrado’s ear on the other end of the call, “then maybe that should have been a clue to you about the fact I wasn’t willing to chat.”

Corrado stiffened, trying to subdue the urge to tell this asshole where he could fuck himself, and with what tool to use to do it. “Despite this … favor,” he said, choosing his words carefully although he wanted to make himself clear, “I don’t answer to you, Andino. When this is all said and done, remember that, yeah?”

Alessio peeked over his shoulder, arching a brow in silent question. Corrado shook his head in response, not wanting the man to worry about it. They would talk about this after. Alessio needed to focus on not burning the pancakes.

Because apparently, standing next to the stove while he cooked was too big of a hassle. That was every reason Corrado was standing behind him while on the call to make sure Alessio didn’t move from his spot.

That, and he wanted to be close.

“I have nothing to tell you,” Andino snapped.

“She would like to speak to her sisters.”

“Absolutely not. As far as they know, she is missing, and dead. I want them to keep believing that. They are too young to understand the consequences of outing the fact she’s still alive.”