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With those strict orders ringing in her ears, she watched him stride from the room and out the main door of the office.
What the hell was going on?
* * *
Retrieving his favoredWalther pistol from the holster beneath his perfectly cut suit jacket, Emilio pulled the slide back to load the chamber. Gun in hand, he moved into the shadows just off the entryway while one of his men opened the door.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Vitali.”
Shit.Giorgio obviously hadn’t been satisfied with the quick text he’d shot off the night before about Amara sleeping off a few too many drinks.
“Where is Rinaldi? I need to speak with him immediately.”
Re-holstering his gun, Emilio stepped out of the shadows. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Giorgio?”
Joey, the guard at the door, stepped aside, allowing Giorgio to storm inside. “Amara. Where is she?”
Emilio studied the man in front of him, debating on the best course of action. His behavior could be attributed to the nerves of an overprotective father figure, but something felt... off. Instead of worried, or even anxious, he seemed excited. But excited in a way he was trying to hide.
Something was definitely wrong here. It took only a few seconds for him to decide on his next move. “I’m afraid you just missed her. She left a few minutes before you arrived.”
“Really?” Snarling, Giorgio prowled the entryway. “Why isn’t she answering her phone?”
“She mentioned before she left that her battery had died. I apologize, I should have sent you a message letting you know she was on her way home.”
Giorgio stopped his prowling and stepped closer, nearly nose to nose with Emilio. At this distance, there was no mistaking the too-wide pupils and the erratic breathing of a man obviously riding high on his own product. Off to the side, one of his men silently removed his gun from the holster, but Emilio waved him off.
“If anything has happened to my Amara, I’ll have your head on a pike.”
“I assure you, Amara is perfectly healthy and unharmed.” That, at least, was the truth.
“She had better be.” With a final curt nod, Giorgio spun on his heel and marched back out the front door.
“Joey.” Emilio waited for his man to close the door and turn back to him. “Mr. Vitali is not to be allowed back into the house without my express permission. In fact, consider us on a soft lockdown until further notice.”
If his man considered the request to be an odd one, his face and voice didn’t show it. “Sure thing, boss.”
Satisfied his house was being well looked after, Emilio turned and headed back to his office. He still didn’t have the first clue what his sneaky little guest had really been up to, but he was almost certain Gio was part of it.
Whatever it was, he was going to get some answers one way or another. Once he was certain he had his temper under control, he returned to his office where Amara appeared to be pacing nervously.
“Who was it?” she asked the second the door swung open.
“Gio.”
Her face paled and she stopped pacing. “Uncle Gio? Was he looking for me?”
“Yes.” Keeping his own expression carefully neutral, he moved in and cupped her cheek with his hand. “Amara. Are you afraid of him?”
The shock on her face, followed by the surprised burst of laughter gave him his answer. “Afraid of Uncle Gio? Never. The man would cut off his own hand before he so much as laid a finger on me.”
“All right. I have business, so Benny will have to take you upstairs. I’ll have lunch sent up.”
“But I thought we were having lunch together.” Her pout was instinctive, not practiced like some of the women he’d played with, making her all the more alluring. It was all he could do to not kiss her senseless then and there.
He settled for brushing the back of his fingers over her cheek. “Gio’s visit has unfortunately messed with our plans a bit. Go upstairs with Benny, and I’ll be up later this afternoon.”
“Yes, Daddy,” she replied with a heavy sigh. In another lifetime, he might have believed she was going to miss him.
