But Rae shook her head with a rough laugh. “Nice try, prince boy, but you’re not driving my car.”
Part of me was irritated. She shouldn’t be driving. The other was glad to see color returned to her cheeks and fire back in her step as she scooted behind the wheel. Maybe I hadn’t scared her too badly.
Maybe she’d heard me after all.
***
“That was the nurse,” my grandmother announced, sailing back into the dining room.
Arabella had a sharp look in her eyes that I couldn’t quite place. “Is everything okay?”
“No! They keep saying he’s been taking high levels of calcium. The idiot doctor listed other things like niacin that he should avoid. He doesn’t take vitamins!” My grandmother pinned me with a look. “It doesn’t make sense! But! To make matters worse, Enzo Rossi stopped by the hospital. Can you guess what happened?”
I folded my hands and leaned my chin against them. “I can guess, but it might be easier if you told us.”
Rae slid a salad plate in front of me, and I felt more than saw her smile.
My grandmother pursed her lips and waited until the butler and his niece retreated into the pantry. “Enzo has been dealing with a fire storm down at the docks. Apparently, someone thinkswewere the reason behind the attack.”
“They’re accusing the Zorzallo Famiglia of the same thing,” I said with a shrug and stabbed the bitter, leafy greens. “Enzo is an idiot.”
“He is.” My grandmother sat hard. “But I don’t appreciate him causing a scene at the hospital!”
Poor Nonna. She was haggard and worn. My grandfather’s bad health had finally taken a toll on her. If he wasn’t already on my shit list, the underboss would have made it to the top just for bothering my grandmother.
“I’ll deal with Enzo,” I assured her.
She chewed slowly and then nodded. “Good. I don’t want anything to upset your grandfather. You’ll run things exactly how he likes.”
“Of course I will,” I lied through my teeth. “Enzo just panics when things happen.”
“Exactly! And how am I supposed to keep Francesco calm and healing if he’s dealing with that pig.” My grandmother scowled. “I could ring his neck.”
“Your fingers wouldn’t fit,” Arabella muttered.
“Bella! What a terrible thing to say. Go to your room. At once!” My grandmother shook with rage.
“Nonna,” I hissed, but the girl was already leaving. “You’re being too hard on her.”
My grandmother sniffed. “She needs to learn her place.”
It was the stress. The signora wasn’t always that crabby with her ward. Was she? I didn’t miss the flash of pure hatred that showed in Arabella’s deep brown eyes before she slipped through the door.
I wasn’t the only one looking.
Standing with a pitcher of water, Rae stared at my grandmother with a look of pure disgust. She roused herself a moment later and came to refill my glass.
Like a balm of fresh air, the other troubles flitted away. I dropped my hand and grazed my fingers against her outer thigh. I hated that she was here, tired on her feet. Until the rest of my plans were in place, there was next to nothing I could do about it. But I would make sure she was taken care of.
Tonight, instead of jerking away, she lingered beside me for a heartbeat, as if answering my unspoken question. It was enough to send my heart galloping in my chest and my slacks tightening across the front. If there wasn’t an underboss to deal with, I would do something about her answer.
Fucking Enzo made it to the top of my shitlist after all.
Chapter 21 – Rae
Snuggled in a blanket, I flipped the page of the car magazine. It was an older issue, since I didn’t have money to pay for the subscription.
That’s changing….
