Page 68 of Captivated

“What guy?” Lucian asked again.

“Joe Rossi,” Liliana muttered, and then sharply to her sister, “And no, it’s not about him, thank you very much.”

“Oh-kay.” Cella’s brow lifted high. “Considering your tone right then, yes, it absolutely is.”

Liliana sighed loudly.

Lucian was still staring at his daughter. “Care to tell me what’s going on between you and Joe?”

“Not particularly, and nothing, now.”

“What?”

“Lucian,” Jordyn said, tugging on the arm of his jacket, “let’s move into the auction room. They’re opening the doors.”

Joe could plainly see the man was not quite finished with his discussion, but his wife had spoken. Clearly, when the wife spoke, the man moved. Much like the men in Joe’s family, too. It was almost comical how no matter where he went, that same thing never changed between husbands and wives.

He glanced at Liliana again …

She was pissed.

Sad.

Uncomfortable.

This was supposed to be a fun night for her, he imagined, and his refusal had ruined her mood and the whole thing.

So, yeah. Maybe Joe understood why when a man cared a great deal about a woman, he simply gave her whatever she wanted to always keep her pleased, smiling, and happy. He would do just about anything to make Liliana happy right then, but he couldn’t.

Duty called.

People were moving.

Joe had to move, too.

Shit, where did she go?

Joe had moved toward the front of the venue when he heard Liliana mention she was leaving the event early, but here it was ten minutes later, and the girl still hadn’t passed him by to exit the building.

Fucking hell.

He had no real reason to be concerned—Liliana might have gotten mixed up in a conversation with someone she knew, or maybe her sister or parents convinced her to stay for a little while longer. It wasn’t necessarily a reason for him to be worried like he was.

Still, he did worry.

A lot.

Something just didn’t sit right with him, and Joe wasn’t the kind of man who ignored when his instincts started screaming at him. Men who had a death wish ignored when something felt off because that’s all it did for them—brought death.

Moving back through the crowd, Joe quickly scanned the people. He searched for the one dress in the crowd—finding Liliana’s wine-red gown would be easier, considering no one else had worn that color. Or at least, not that he had seen.

And then … shit.

There she was.

Tucked into the corner of the room with a man Joe didn’t recognize. The two stood a little too close for his liking. Maybe only a foot apart. The man was smirking, and not in a very kind way. Although, when was smirking ever kind?

It didn’t matter.