Armani lets out a relieved-sounding laugh. “Then congratulations, man. I’m thrilled for you both. This is wild. So what’s next? What can I do?”
“First things first, we’ve got to make some immediate changes in security.”
“What exactly do you have in mind?”
Glancing at the list I made earlier, I say, “Let’s get into contact with the cousins in Chicago. We need armed men.”
“Sure. What else?”
“Extra security around the winery, especially the visitor areas. Install more cameras, hire more personnel. Pay closer attention to who’s coming onto the property. No one that we don’t know gets anywhere near the house. What about attack dogs?”
“Uh…”
“Never mind. We can hold off on that for now. But find out where we can get an armored car in a hurry. I mean fully decked out. Better than whatever the Secret Service has.”
“Better than the Secret Service?”
“And I need you to call the airport and have the plane gassed up, since we’ll be leaving tomorrow morning. And if you can—”
“No, we’re not,” Frankie’s voice calls out behind me.
“Hang on,” I tell Armani, turning to face my wife.
She’s standing in the bedroom doorway, wearing the FBI shirt with the skirt half of her waitress uniform sticking out the bottom.
“Or at least,I’mnot leaving tomorrow,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest.
I frown. “Armani, why don’t you go ahead and start marshaling the troops. I gotta go. Talk soon.”
I hang up without waiting for his reply. As I get up and move toward Frankie, I realize that her expression is standoffish and cool. Whatever connection we had last night seems completely gone. Does she really think I came all this way only to leave without her?
“Listen,” I say gently. “I know it seems like things are moving really fast, but we need to be back in California as soon as possible so that we can—”
She closes her eyes as if I’m giving her a headache. “You’re nothearing me, Dante. I live here now. With my mother. My life is here.”
I scoff. She’s being ridiculous. “And that makes you happy?”
She glares at me. “It makes mefree.”
Involuntarily, I take a step back. It’s almost as if she’s slapped me. That…really hurt. More than it should have.
“You don’t need to be ‘free,’ Francesca. You’re my wife. You’re going to be a mother. To mychild. You have responsibilities, obligations. But believe me, your safety and comfort are my top priorities, and—”
“I’ve already called an Uber,” she interrupts. “The Jag is still at the diner, so thanks for that.”
She grabs her purse from a side chair, slipping the strap over her shoulder as she stalks toward the door. I feel like I should do something to stop her, but I can’t move.
Turning back toward me, door handle in her grip, she adds, “And damn it all, my first responsibility is tomyself. I’ve let the men in my life absolutely ruin it and I’m DONE. So please, do kindly fuck off.”
All I can do is watch in stunned silence as she whips the door wide open and leaves.
Yesterday, she gave me the best possible news I could have ever imagined—and today, she’s stormed back out of my life. Fuck. This little Florida experiment has run its course. She’s my wife and she’s coming home where she belongs. I can’t keep her safe if she’s this far away, and now that she’s pregnant, it changes everything.
I grab my phone and dial Armani.
It’s time to stop playing nice.
9
