When I turn around again, Carina’s arm has lowered. “I thought you’d be back sooner.”
I scan her over as she sets the gun down. Her loose hair is damp, and all she’s wearing is one of my T-shirts.
I head into the bathroom before I do something dumb, like kiss her. Or find out if she’s wearing anything under it.
Carina follows, leaning a shoulder against the doorway. She watches as I turn on the shower and begin to unbutton my shirt. I was farther from the fray than normal since my main priority was her, not obliterating my opponent, so there’s no blood soaking the fabric. But it’s a ritual when I return from a job, and it gives me something to do.
She doesn’t look away when the scars on my torso are revealed. She’s seen them all before, but she studies them like they’re brand-new as my shirt drops to the floor.
“One of Nico’s men got on the shuttle I was taking to the airport. He said he’d kill everyone on board unless I went with him. They flew me back to Italy. Brought me to my father.”
“They didn’t find the papers?”
“No. I left the backpack behind. I didn’t mention your name to Nico, only to my father. I told him that you’d taken me for blackmail. He didn’t seem to want Nico to know about the flash drive. He barely asked him anything. I-I tried to use that.”
I nod. Carina is intelligent—much smarter than her family gives her credit for. Their mistake—again.
“I was right; that’s all they cared about. Well, mostly. They were angry I had run. So was Nico.” She touches her cheek.
I force my fists to unclench so I can unbuckle my belt. Nico Morello will pay for that.
“I told them you had it and that you’d come to finish the job if they made sure all their men knew they were moving me out of Italy. They believed me, or maybe they were just desperate to get the drive back. W-what was on it?”
“I don’t know. It’s encrypted.”
“What, uh …” She fiddles with the hem of my shirt, offering a tantalizing glimpse of thigh before the fabric falls and she meets my gaze again. “What happened downstairs?”
I step under the spray so I can avoid answering for a few more seconds. And to hide that I’m getting hard.
Something else occurs to me. “You told them we had an informant?” That’s the only way she could have ensured I found out about Madrid.
Carina nods, expression pained. “I’m so sorry. It was the only way they’d believe me. Can you—will you warn him?”
“It’s safer not to contact him if they’re on alert. He knew the risks.” I turn my head, letting the warm spray hit my face and drip down my chest. It does little to relax my tensed muscles.
If we did kill Salvatore’s son, in addition to kidnapping the daughter he’d promised to Morello, they’ll hit us back. And they’ll strike more than a warehouse.
When I turn back around, Carina is hoisting herself up onto the black counter beside the sink. My T-shirt drifts higher up her thighs again. She’s not being purposefully seductive, and that makes it sexier. So does the fact that I’ve stroked myself to thoughts of her in this shower more often than I’d ever admit.
She’s silent as she rests her head back against the mirror, although she’s surely noticed I haven’t explained what happened downstairs. Patiently waiting for me to figure out a solution.
She has so much fucking faith in me. So does Igor. And only one of them can be right about my loyalties.
I turn my head into the water again, feeling it run down my face and letting it muffle my hearing. When I emerge from the spray, she’s still sitting there, watching me.
“Did you need something?” I drawl.
She shakes her head, a hint of a smile appearing. “Just enjoying the view.” Her low voice is barely audible over the sound of falling water hitting tiles.
I catch myself before I smile back, but only barely. I should be strategizing a way to smuggle her out of the country. Instead, I have to turn the dial to cold, which doesn’t do much to cool the heat pooling in my groin.
“If she matters … you should take care of it.”
The echo of Elena’s earnest sentence kills my erection immediately.
Once all the suds have disappeared down the drain, I shut the water off and step out. My towel is already damp when I reach for it.
“I forgot to ask where the extra linens were before you left to decide my fate with your father,” Carina tells me.
