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“Yes, so sorry–I didn’t get to return your call before.” The younger girl had been so sweet, leaving supportive messages when the scandal had broken out. Ana hadn’t seen them until much later, since her phone had been shut off.
Gio must have relayed the reason for her delay since Gabriella brushed it off amicably. “I totally get it. I’m just glad everything worked out.”
Ana smiled, relieved.
“Gabi was just saying the package has arrived.” Gio gave her a meaningful look.
Package?
Oh. She perked up in understanding. The body.
“Luke and his two men are still hanging around here. Do you want me to tell them to head back?” Gabi asked.
“Not yet. I want them to stand guard at the lab until we get the results. The last thing we need is the ‘package’ mysteriously vanishing.”
“Got it.”
“Once the results are ready, one of our P.I.s will join you. Don’t let anyone else hear the results except the P.I., you, and the Examiner,” Gio cautioned strictly. His sister readily agreed and reviewed the plan once more before wishing them both a good day.
“Gabi–” Gio cut in before she could hang up. “Please be safe. If anything seems off, call me. Immediately.”
“Of course,” she said quietly, a somber note in her voice.
In the ensuing hush after the call, Ana reached out to gently squeeze Gio’s arm, moving closer to his side. His black eyes were miles away, somewhere deep in a past she could not reach. There was so much responsibility on his shoulders, the burden of his sister’s safety, his wife’s, and the Family's.
“She will be fine,” Ana assured, though she didn’t quite believe it herself.
What guarantee was there with anything in their lives? For every hundred safety measures, there would always be one fatal loophole. Something they overlooked.
“I’m putting you both under a lot of stress.” Gio’s lips thinned, self-recrimination stiffening his expression. “Maybe it’s all for nothing.”
Ana pulled him into her arms, her robe fluttering around them like a cocoon as her cheek rested on his hard chest. After several long seconds, he relaxed minutely. His hands slid inside her robe, absently rubbing her back over her nightgown.
“You wouldn’t do this unless it was essential,” she said.
“Do you really believe that?”
“Of course.” Ana gazed up at him without severing their embrace. His thick hair fell over his eyes, but it did not hide the unusual expression lingering there. Once he blinked it away, she belatedly realized what it was–
Doubt.
Strange, for a man who was often drenched in conviction.
“Even if you weren’t my husband, I would support your leadership and decisions as Don,” she said sincerely. “You are careful and shrewd, and I see that in this investigation. I’m sure the men see it too and respect you for it.”
Gio’s chest inflated with a deep breath. He stared at her for a long time, some speech hovering on his lips, waiting to be expressed. She wondered if it was…that he loved her.
But the moment passed, and he simply kissed her powerfully before disentangling himself. “I should get back to my calls.” An apology crossed his face.
“Me too,” she admitted.
The number of tasks piled up on her plate almost gave her hives. At least she was meeting with Emma today to get up to speed. There were a few local orders that they needed to hand-deliver as recompense for shipment delays during her absence.
“Did you find a good web designer?”
Ana huffed in denial, frustrated. “Vitello’s was a dead-end, as you can imagine, so we’re going ahead with the referral we got from Connecticut. That employee doesn’t have the most advanced web skills, but he’s very eager to learn.”
“Good…fuckin’ Vitello,” Gio growled, shaking his head. “I can’t wait until we get the results, so I can rip him a new one. I already gave him a piece of my mind on his recordkeeping. Once I know where he hired this bastard of a guard, he’ll know just how lenient I was being before.”
