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“It can be whatever you want it to be. Either way, you have a week to make up what you owe me, or I’ll make the call.”
I stood and took a moment to tuck my book into my bag. She leaned over and held her son close to Niccola. “Hello.” She mimicked a sweet baby voice. “We wouldn’t want anything to happen to you, now, would we?” She looked up at me with another of her crazy smiles. “That would be a shame, wouldn’t it?” As she straightened, I got a good look at her son, Hector, and looked away, feeling sick and trapped all at once. “It was real nice running into you today, Mrs. Capri. I hope you both enjoy the sunshine as much as we are.” She turned and walked away, and I dropped back onto the bench with a thud.
I pressed my hand to my chest to try to relieve some of the pressure. How was I going to come up with that money without Bosco or Greta noticing?
Florence, Italy
“I’ve made the calls, and everyone’s been—” Vinni stopped short when he unlocked the front door. I was helping Sienna out of the car but slowly eased her back inside at the tone of Vinni’s voice. A strange feeling had us all on edge. Wyatt had also stepped out of the car but popped back inside.
“What?” I shot at Vinni.
“Your alarm isn’t on.” He stepped back, and I looked through the door at the disabled system.
“Permission to clear the perimeter?” Officer Hector pulled his weapon, and I nodded. He motioned for a few of his men to search the grounds, and then he and another man went inside the house. My two soldiers, Gain and Harris, took the outside as well while I pulled up the camera footage on my phone.
“The power was shut off,” I muttered then switched over to a different app. “Forty seconds later, the alarm was deactivated from inside.”
“Which code did they use?” Vinni asked. He knew I used different ones depending on the situation.
“It’s not important.” I tucked my phone away and glanced at Sienna, who was watching me carefully from the car window. Ten minutes later, the place was clear. “Thank you, Hector. You’re relieved of your duties.”
“I don’t mind sticking around if you’d like.”
“No, that’ll be all. I’ll wire your payment in the morning.”
He turned and nodded at Sienna then rounded up his men and left.
Sienna got out of the car, and Wyatt took the things she held in her arms as I hurried them inside. She laughed quietly.
“What?”
“You’re acting like I’m nine months pregnant, ready to deliver. I’m not made of glass, Elio.” Her expression changed. “What do you think happened here?”
“I’m not sure, but I don’t like it. The guys cleared the area, but something still feels off. The fact that you’re pregnant does change things for me, I’ll admit. I can’t have anything happening to the two of you. So, sit,” I ordered, pointing to the couch. “Humor me, please. Also, I’m going to call our doctor to start a chart on you and the little heartbeat.” She smiled, and I was thankful she didn’t argue.
“Little heartbeat?” She questioned my nickname for the baby.
“Yes.”
“That’s cute.”
“Feet up.” I ignored her and placed my hand on her tummy once she was stretched out right where she should be. “You two stay put.”
When I left the room, I heard Wyatt whisper if he could get in on the pampering, and her laugh made me smile.
The doctor arrived within the hour and checked Sienna over twice at my request. She could glare at me all she wanted, but I knew she’d been through entirely too much the past few days, and I needed to know they were both in good health.
“Well?” I asked as the doctor stepped away from a sleepy Sienna, who wanted nothing more than to close her eyes. She’d already reassured her that both she and the baby were exactly where she expected them to be at this point in the pregnancy and had urged Sienna to go upstairs and get some sleep, as she had yawned her way through the checkup. I, on the other hand, wanted more information.
“I promise you, Mr. Capri, mama and baby are just fine. It’s too early to know much more, but in a few weeks, I’ll come back and do a more thorough checkup. For now, just make sure she eats, drinks plenty of water, gets lots of sleep, and stays away from stress.” She closed her bag. “I left her with a daily folic acid prescription, and if you have any concerns at all, you have my number. I’ll come right over.”
“Thank you.” I felt I should ask more questions, but I couldn’t think of any, so I walked her to the door where she turned around with a smile.
“Congratulations, Mr. Capri. Be sure you two enjoy this time together, because it’s short, and before you know it, this part will be over, and a whole new adventure will have begun.” She gave a me look that said she knew what she was talking about.
I thanked her then closed the door and locked it. After a brief check on Sienna to make sure she was asleep in our bed, I took a breath and decided I needed to work off some steam. I made a quick call to my trainer, but he wasn’t available, so I took a chance and called my old sparring partner in hopes he hadn’t left yet.
* * *
