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“You keep saying stuff like that and I may not want to let you go,” I teased.
“Okay, well in that case, I will just saygrazieand leave it at that.”
“Prego. Now, come here.” I stood and Dario and I embraced as brothers before I sent him on his way. I’d have to find someone else to run the club and I would miss my cousin greatly, but the smile on his face as he turned to leave, told me that I’d made the right decision.
Once Dario left my office, I decided to give Alessandro a call before diving into my regular work.
"Ciao, boss."
"Ciao. I was just calling for a status report.”
“We arrived in Corsica undetected and have settled into the safe house.”
There was some hesitation in his voice that gave me an uneasy feeling. “But?” I asked expectantly.
“But we've got a small hang up with my informant. We were supposed to meet so he could give us the location of the Corsican men, but he never showed. I got a text from him afterward, saying that there were some suspicions, and he couldn't risk meeting yet. I haven't had verbal or visual confirmation from him. Only the text.”
“So, it could really be anyone?” I said with a sigh.
“Unfortunately.”
“Be careful. I don't like the sound of this, and it could all end up being a setup.”
“We're being careful, taking every precaution we can, but boss, I want to get this guy for you and for Mia. They almost killed you five years ago and that can't stand. If you ask me they've been on borrowed time for years and it's time for us to collect.”
The determination in Alessandro's voice at avenging my near death was touching. I was happy to have friends, capos, who care so much about the man who will be there don even when I was never truly supposed to be.
“I'm going to arrange another meeting tonight but we're going to arrive early, scout the place out, and have a few snipers around the perimeter. That way we’ll be prepared for any surprises and may even lure out our enemies if it is a trap.”
“I don't like the idea of you doing that. It's too risky.”
“We've run this kind of thing plenty of times before.”
“It's harder when you're the one calling the shots,” I admitted. “More responsibility. More lives in my hands.”
“I know. But we've got this.”
“Okay. Just be smart about it.”
“Aren’t I always?”
“Most of the time.” I chuckled.
“I'll check in tonight and let you know how things went. That is unless you're going to be too busy on your honeymoon.” I heard the teasing tone and his voice and smiled.
“Oh, I plan to be extremely busy for the entire week of the honeymoon. But you can call. Mia understands how important this mission is. Besides, if I'm in the middle of something, I'll just call you back.” I chuckled.
Alessandro laughed. “I see where your priorities lie, boss.”
We ended the call, and I dove into my work for the rest of the morning. I worked through lunch, having Bianca bring me something to eat at my desk.
By midafternoon I wrapped up a conference call with some of our suppliers and closed my laptop for the day. I went upstairs to finish packing and make sure that we had everything that we would need for our trip, knowing that Mia should be home anytime for us to head to the airport.
I couldn't wait for a week away with her. I just wished that Alessandro and Luca hadn't had to take off to Corsica right as we were leaving. I would have preferred not to have been so distracted with their safety and the mission they were on so that I could devote my entire attention and all my energy on Mia. Then again, I wasn't sure that she could handle that much of my focus. What I felt for her was so intense that sometimes I feared that I might end up chasing her away.
Part of me wanted to lock her up to keep her safe and all to myself but I couldn't do that. Mia was a strong woman, smart, intelligent, and driven. Those were all the things that I loved about her, but they were also the things that made protecting her all the more challenging. I realized early on that I couldn't keep her locked away. It only caused her to put herself in more danger and created conflict between us.
I was carrying both of our suitcases down the stairs when Mia walked through the door. She didn't look quite herself. Her skin was more pale than usual, her eyes were a bit heavier, and I worry that something might be wrong. I jogged down the stairs and dropped the suitcases at my feet.
