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“Felt me?”
She clenched around him.
“Good,” he groaned, running a possessive hand along her spine. “Now you know…nothing and no one else can touch you as long as I’m alive.”
Tears fell out in slow drips, mingling with the sweat on her face.
She’d wondered if Gio had noticed the fear snaking back through her in those brief seconds, the present and the past warring together. Her reaction had been fleeting, gone so quickly that she had almost forgotten. But he hadn’t.
Even in the heat of the moment, he had pulled her back to the present.
Relentlessly.
Unyielding.
Ana had slayed the monster a long time ago until it had bled out on the floor. But Gio was determined to extinguish even its ghost from her mind–until there was nothing else but him.
Chapter 22
“You doing okay?”
Ana blinked at Tony, who looked uncharacteristically concerned as he peered over at her. She could imagine why. This was the first time she had emerged from her bedroom in days. Soon after the scandal had broken, he’d burst in with a joke about the Family not knowing what ugly-ass guards they had here for hookups and abruptly sobered up when he’d found her staring out the window, insensible to any conversation.
He had awkwardly retreated then, mumbling that everything would turn out fine.
He seemed just as uncomfortable today.
Perhaps because Gio was observing him closely, a clear warning in his eyes.
Ana curled a hand around her husband’s thigh. His protectiveness was still raging and unnecessarily directed at her poor cousin. Antonio hadn’t even tried to crack a joke yet. If he did, it would be a welcome distraction. Her cousin was very much a kid in many ways. He’d grown up as the pampered Mancini heir, after all. And though he remained humble, he was oblivious to many of life’s harsh realities.
“I’m doing fine,” she assured, folding the napkin on her lap.
Auntie was also inspecting her with a pinched frown. “Everyone seems to be moving on from you. They’re already onto the Russos and their nasty scheming. Who knew they would try to dishonor you this way?” She glanced askance at Gio.
Chewing unhurriedly, he said nothing, even as tension crept into his jaw. “They will be taken care of.”
A long pause ensued as his sinister vow hung in the air. Auntie shot him a concerned look. She had already taken care of Celia, per his instructions. What more was he planning?
“It seems like the rumors are dying down, so we don’t have to worry about that right now.” Ana smiled divertingly.
Thankfully, Gio took her cue and relaxed his expression. “All thanks to you, Marta,” he said sincerely. “It would have taken my men days to interrogate everyone, and even then, there would’ve been no guarantees of getting useful information. Your connections with the families have proven invaluable.”
“Oh, of course.” Auntie tittered in pleasant surprise, a high tinkling note that was so unusual for the stern woman. Antonio’s eyes widened comically at the sound.
What was that? He mouthed at Ana. She stifled a grin and politely returned her focus to her husband and aunt, who were both looking a lot brighter as they chatted over the success of their collaboration. “I’m so glad you trusted me with this task, Don,” Auntie cooed.
He waved off the formality. “Your focus on this has helped expedite things much faster than I was hoping. After that warning message, I was concerned there was a deeper plot at play.”
“Oh…yes, a shocking message to receive–just deplorable. But what else can you expect from the Russos?” Auntie tutted to herself as she bit into the salad.
Gio merely sipped his wine, his shoulders pulled tight.
Before he could work himself up into a bloodthirsty rage, Ana interjected graciously as well, “Thank you, Auntie. Truly. I wasn’t sure it would ever go away.” The last two days had felt interminable. “Please thank all your friends and staff too, anyone who helped.”
“Yes, a superb staff,” Gio eyed the housekeeper standing at attention by the doorway. “I am impressed by their quality of service and dedication to the family.”
Auntie perked up proudly.
