AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Enzo shook his head. “It’s quite all right, Greta.”
“So, I hear you’ve been getting yourself into trouble,” Cielo said, wearing an amused grin.
I shrugged. “That’s nothing new. I’m always getting myself into trouble. But what are you doing here?”
“Idolive here, you know?” he said, laughing.
Actually, the guy spent less than a few weeks here in a whole year, from what I understood. I don’t think that counted.
As a Harvard graduate with an MBA, he was usually off overseeing the Lucianos’ legitimate business interests in Las Vegas and LA. That’s where we’d met, completely unbeknownst to the both of us at the time of the Luciano affiliation between us. I’d been friends with his girlfriend, so the three of us had gone out.
“But since you seemed surprised to see me, I imagine something else brought you here?” he asked.
Shit. Right.“I came to see Freya.”
“She’s out,” Enzo said, “but I expect her back any minute.”
That made Cielo check his watch, and his eyes widened a little. “Speaking of which, I have a conference call in five. I’ll catch up with you later, Greta,” he said as he hurried out of the room, back into the foyer, and his footsteps sounded down the hall toward the main floor office.
There was one of those awkward moments where two people knew they should say something to fill the silence but, put on the spot, couldn’t quite come up with anything. It didn’t happen often for me, butSignorLuciano, don of the Luciano family, wasn’t exactly the guy you sat down with for a casual chat.
“Deo filled me in on the difficulties in Mexico,” he said finally, and I kind of wished we could go back to awkward silence. “I trust you and the Costas are looking into that?”
“Si, Signor.Of course.”
He eyed me for a moment. Admittedly, he did that a lot. It wasn’t creepy; he never looked me up and down like I was something to eat. He just… looked.
Eventually, he nodded. “You’ll take care of it. I have faith in you.”
Whoa.That was new.
He cleared his throat, and for what I was sure was the first time ever, the unflappable Enzo Luciano looked a little uncomfortable. “I’m very glad you and your uncle decided to stay in New York. The things you’ve done… they’re good things, Greta.”
I’m pretty sure I was supposed to say something… anything, but words eluded me.Poof. Gone.I couldn’t find a single one.
“I know I am proud of you,cara.”
Holy shit. Wasthis real?
Yup. Pretty sure I wasn’t hallucinating.
Okay, stop standing around with your mouth open.
“Grazie, SignorLuciano.”
Way to go, Greta. The don of the Lucianos pays you a compliment, and that’s the best you can come up with?
He opened his mouth to say more, but the front door opened at the same time, and Freya came in, her arms laden with shopping bags.
“Ciao, Papà,” she said, spotting her father first. “Buongiorno, Greta,” she said, smiling, as she came into the room and spotted me.
Was I still standing here, staring dumbly, like every coherent thought had been sucked out of my head? Yup, I sure was.
With the bags still in her arms, she hugged Enzo, then kissed him on the cheek.
I forced myself to blink and arranged my features into something that looked normal, if not quite a smile.
“Come with me, Greta,” she said, latching onto my hand with one free finger. “I’ll show you what I’ve found.”
