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As he cupped the side of my face, his hold possessive, I was swooning more than I had before. “Because I love you. Because I’ve never loved anyone like I do the woman I married.”
I allowed him to pull me tightly between his legs. No, it wasn’t about allowing him. It was because I wanted him to. I needed the man and his strong arms. I longed to hear him tell me everything was going to be okay. As he crushed his mouth over mine, I was driven into an instant moment of lust and need, happiness and fear. It was the strangest series of feelings I’d ever experienced in my life. How could anything make any sense any longer?
While I didn’t understand everything he’d told me, the fact he’d admitted his love for me made me the happiest girl in the entire world.
Daniel swept his tongue inside, tasting me as if for the first time. I heard Zorro’s thumping tail and giggled into the kiss, tingling all over. It was crazy to feel this way when my mother was in more danger than ever.
A sharp knock on the door dragged both of our attention from the passionate moment, just like we’d been interrupted before. Was that a sign of things to come?
“Both of you need to come downstairs,” Kane said from the doorway.
“Why?” Daniel growled.
Kane glanced at me, taking a deep breath and I could tell the man was nervous. “Because Leonardo, Maria’s bodyguard just flew in from Italy. There’s been another tragedy.”
Daniel and I looked at each other before he helped me to my feet.
“What?” Daniel demanded.
The soldier only shook his head. “He refused to tell me.”
I gripped Daniel’s arm, my gut telling me Maria was dead.
We headed downstairs, Leonardo pacing the floor of the living room. As we walked in, he locked eyes with Daniel. Zorro had followed, immediately lying down in front of both our legs.
“He knows the truth, Leonardo, and not because I intended on telling him,” I said, noticing instantly there was blood on his shirt. “He was sent photographs.”
“Che mucchio di merda,” he muttered, glaring at me as if I’d sold his soul along with mine to the devil.
What a bunch of shit.
“What is this tragedy?” Daniel demanded as he turned his head from the Italian toward me once again. I could tell the man was poised to reach for his weapon if necessary.
“This is not something I wanted to do,” Leonardo said gruffly.
“Yet you’re here for a reason. What happened?” I asked, trying everything in my power to keep from being angry with the situation or the Italian. He was obviously under the same kind of horrific duress I was under.
“Giovanni and Lucia were gunned down, several of their men in the process. Word on the street is that an unknown American syndicate is poised to take over operations in Sicily. You cannot allow that to happen, Don Thorn. You were handpicked for a reason. You must come to Italy or there will be chaos.” He pointed his finger at my husband. “You need to help the soldiers who are trying to protect the estate.”
Leonardo’s Italian accent and intense pleading caught us all off guard. He wasn’t that kind of man. Whatever had occurred had obviously been horrific.
“Help the soldiers?” Daniel laughed.
“And Maria,” he said so quietly, as if he was breaking like the rest of us.
“When all of this was a lie?” Daniel asked.
“They had their reasons, threats made over the last several months. There were several open acts of violence, men lost. Mr. Rossi couldn’t seem to get a handle on the situation. The family had no choice. They wanted…” Leonardo looked away but not before I noticed a haunted look. He cared about Maria more than he’d been allowed to let on.
“When did this happen?” I asked.
“As soon as we arrived back in Italy.”
“How the fuck did they know you were returning?” Daniel had a good point.
Leonardo huffed. “A mole.”
Hissing, Daniel cursed under his breath. “Do they know the entire marriage is a fucking hoax?”
