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‘Come,muchacha. Let’s get you upstairs.’
She let Lita and her retinue lead her out of the room and by the time she reached her bedroom, Genie was grateful for the breather. Her back ached, the size of her stomach seeming to have grown since she woke up that morning.
Her baby, wanting to make its presence felt, kicked, distracting her from her thoughts. But they soon came crowding back. And since she was installed on her sofa with Sofia gently lowering her aching feet into the spa, Genie cradled her cup of tea, glanced at Lita and went for it.
‘What’s going on between Seve and his uncle?’ she asked. Now wasn’t the time to edge her way into the subject.
For a second, the older woman stiffened, but then she gave a smile tinged with sadness. ‘A past I’d hoped could be put behind us once and for all. Lorenzo and Seve’s father were as thick as thieves, unfortunately not in a way that would make any mother proud. It would be easy to blame Lorenzo for leading my other son astray, but a man creates his own path.’ Her eyes speared Genie’s and held with that core of steel Lita displayed when she made a point. ‘Trust that your husband will not forget who he is,’ she added cryptically.
‘What do you—?’ The question was cut off when Lita, deciding the conversation was at an end, strode away, bustling the other women into their designated roles for the evening party. Genie pursed her lips, attempting to stem the rising disquiet within her.
It didn’t work as efficiently as she wished, and by the time she’d changed into the deep champagne-coloured gown with thin gold stripes that made each step she took shimmer, the disquiet had only grown. Low gold pumps were manageable after her foot spa and after a quick refresh of her lip gloss, she was ready.
The first thing she saw when she rejoined the party was that Seve had changed too. His morning suit was swapped for a more casual but bespoke one that matched hers. Hard on the heels of that, she noticed that his demeanour hadn’t changed. If anything, his face held that same determination from the day he’d walked into her office demanding she sell him her algorithm.
Her algorithm...
Was that what his uncle had been referring to? No doubt the older man would be aware of what Seve was doing by now.
Unease building inside her, he’d barely reached her when she blurted, ‘What’s going on? What did your uncle mean earlier?’
Something dark and forbidding flashed in his eyes but a moment later, he’d blinked it away. ‘It’s nothing for you to worry about,querida.’
‘I’d be reassured if you enlightened me so I don’t make assumptions.’
Again something flashed in his eyes and this time it stayed. Something that surprisingly resembled bleakness. ‘You don’t trust me, Genie?’
That brought her up short. Not once in her life had trust been demanded of her. Her parents hadn’t wanted or needed her trust. They’d simply desired a cash cow they could milk. The authorities she’d had the misfortune of dealing with had merely required her compliance so they could take advantage of her.
But these last few months, she’d lowered her guard and let others in.
Because of Seve.
The rush came again, drowning out an echo of the disquiet. ‘Yes, I do.’
The light now burned a different shade, almost consuming her as it stayed on her face. Then he held out his hand. ‘Then believe that everything will happen as it’s supposed to.’
Genie swallowed the next dozen questions. She might not be built to simply accept a cipher and patiently wait for it to unravel itself, but, with Seve, she was learning that she could bend whichever way he wanted her to without losing herself. It was a tightrope she was learning to navigate.
Her questions could wait. It was her wedding day.
And while her baby bump stopped her from exerting herself too much, she could sit at the banquet table set out in the garden and watch the sun go down while guests she didn’t know laughed and danced. While Lita affectionately pushed tiny dishes Genie’s way in a bid to fatten her up, and Seve helped her up when she needed to stretch her legs and rubbed her lower back just when she needed it.
She breathed a sigh of relief when Lorenzo abruptly left but Genie couldn’t totally relax because Alessio strode up a minute later.
‘It’s time for me to say goodbye too.’ He reached for Genie’s hand and, ignoring the rumble of warning from Seve, pressed a kiss to her knuckles. ‘Until we meet again,dulce.’
‘Did what you were looking for arrive?’ Genie asked, indicating the phone clutched in his hand.
Alessio’s face morphed, a mixture of harshness and intrigue glinting in his eyes. ‘Not quite. But cast your net wide enough and all manner of interesting things get caught in it,’ he replied cryptically.
He held out his hand to Seve. And like with many of the people her husband was close to, a secret conversation passed between the two men that set Genie’s hackles on alert all over again.
‘I will keep you apprised, friend,’ Alessio said in rapid Sicilian.
To which Seve replied, ‘I am in your debt.’
With a nod, the other man strode away.
