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Just looking at her, seeing something ethereal shining through her eyes, I was caught. There was a light in her I’ve never noticed in anyone else. A vivacity, a greed for life that came through. There’s something undefinable about her, what the French callje ne sais quoi,something that made me want to look at her again and again. And then I slept with her, and I knew I didn’t want to let go of her. It’s why I’ve spent the last week trying to find her, with no success.
And that’s in addition to helping my brother Luca track down the man responsible for attempting to kill my half-brother Seb and his wife Elsa.
In the process, Luca got himself kidnapped. He escaped, along with his fellow prisoner, a woman called Jeanne. Unbelievably, he ended up proposing to Jeanne.
In a last-minute decision, he took one of our private planes to Malta, where they could get married without the need for paperwork, or any of those practical matters that could have delayed it.
And then he roped me in to getting Jeanne’s best friends to the airport and on another of our planes so they could join their friend as bridesmaids. But first, I need to take them to the boutique so they can choose their dresses.
Which is why I’m standing next to my car outside Jeanne’s friends’ apartment building, waiting for them to join me. I should be out pounding the pavement, looking for Via. Instead, I’m playing chauffeur to people I’ve never met before. The things I do for my siblings. The next time I see Luca, I’m going to make sure he appreciates the favor I’ve done for him. I pull back the cuff of my jacket and check the time. We need to get a move on if we’re to make it to the airport and then onto Malta in time for the wedding.
A giggle reaches me just before the sound of footsteps. I glance up to find a petite woman with dark blonde hair walking toward me. "You must be Massimo."
"Penny?" I shake her hand. Luca shared her contact details with me, and I called her earlier to let her know I was on my way.
"This is so exciting. I’m so thrilled for Luca and Jeanne. Are they really getting married?"
"It would seem that way, yes." I half-smile. Her happiness is infectious. Apparently, Jeanne has genuine friends who don’t mind dropping everything in the middle of the day and rushing to attend her surprise wedding.
"Shall we?" I open the back of the car and gesture for her to get in.
"Oh, hold on, we’re waiting for—"
"Penny, did you take my passport? I can’t find it." A new voice. A familiar voice. The hair on the back of my neck rises.
I pivot to find the woman who’s haunted my every waking moment in the past week walking toward us.
She spots me at the same time and her jaw slackens. She blinks rapidly, then shakes her head as if to clear it. Her footsteps slow, until she comes to a pause in front of me. I rake my gaze over her flushed cheeks, her pink lips slightly parted, her gorgeous green eyes, wide with surprise.
"You? What are you doing here?"
8
Olivia
"I’m here to pick you up and take you to the boutique,” he rumbles.
Oh, my goodness, that sinfully deep, caramel custard voice which I never thought I’d hear again. What is he doing here? How did he find me?
"You’re taking us to the boutique?" I burst out. "Why would you do that?"
"I’m Luca’s brother," he replies.
"You’re Luca Sovrano’s brother?"
"Massimo Sovrano, at your service." He holds out his hand.
I ignore it. "If you’re Luca’s brother, then—" I stiffen. "You’re part of theCosa Nostra," I state flatly.
"My brothers and IaretheCosa Nostra."
"Do the two of you know each other?" Penny glances between us.
"No," I say at the same time he says, "Yes."
Her gaze bounces between us.
"So, you don’t know each other?" Her forehead crinkles.
