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And now I can’t help the way my heart softens. A man doesn’t talk about a woman the way he talks about her without having loved her. He loved her, and now she’s gone, and all he can do is talk to her headstone.
What happens if that’s all I have of Luca by the time this is over?
No. I can’t let myself think that. “I’ll leave you alone now,” I offer, eager for a way out of the awkwardness that now stands between us.
“For what it’s worth.” I stop and wait to hear what else he has to say. “It’s never been personal. I know you think it is, but what matters most to me is the family. I might not be a Bruno by blood, but this is the only family I ever knew. And while I never had the chance to talk to the boss about it, I hoped for a little while that I would be a Bruno by marriage.”
He chuckles, shaking his head while wearing a pained frown. “Not that it would have happened. Dominic might’ve looked at me like a son, but he wanted his only daughter to marry an ally. Somebody who would help strengthen the family. That wasn’t me.”
“You don’t know,” I murmur. God, this is awkward, but I feel bad for him, too. “From what I’ve heard about Serafina, she was kind of…”
“Stubborn as hell?” For the first time since our illustrious meeting on the street, I hear him laugh. His smile takes years off his face, and now I can understand how a girl could fall in love with him. Until now, I kind of figured he was all molded plastic down there like a Ken doll. “She was. And feisty and a pain in the ass when she felt like it.”
“I get the feeling that’s a family characteristic.”
“It is.” We share a brief smile before he shakes himself a little, almost like he forgot himself. “Anyway, I wanted to let you know that. I’m only trying to look out for him, which I know is what his father would have wanted.”
I can’t help myself. “She would have wanted it, too, I bet.”
“Yes. She would have.” He clears his throat, looking away from me. “You know, there’s a tunnel running under where we’re standing right now.”
Okay, abrupt subject change. “Excuse me?”
“A tunnel. Were you aware of it?”
“No.”
“It runs from the pantry floor, out past the edge of the property, to an access road running alongside it.” He points in that direction, and I see a narrow road beyond the stone walls surrounding the property. “The door opens onto the road, hidden in the wall. It’s easy to open from the inside.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
He shrugs, turning back to me. “I don’t know. I thought maybe it’s something you might want to keep in mind, just in case.”
He thinks somebody is going to come here. He thinks something bad is going to happen on the property. Or else why would he tell me?
“Thank you. And, um, thanks for not shooting me before. Next time I’ll announce my presence.” I hurry away, not interested in weeds or gardening or any of it right now. Not when there’s anxiety churning away in my gut. An attack, here. Part of me was hoping the guards were just a precaution. Like nothing would ever come of it, at least not here, where I am. Where Luca is.
I march into the house, through the kitchen, and down the hall to the study. Rob is on duty, and he barely has time for his mouth to fall open in surprise before I open the door without waiting to be announced.
Luca looks up in surprise from whatever he was reading on his computer. “What—”
I cut him off, breathless. “Sorry, but this couldn’t wait. You need to call off this thing with Bernardi. Now.”
