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Her eyes narrow. “Don’t play dumb, Declan. It’s beneath you.”
I set my cup down and stare at the condensation trailing down the glass. “There’s nothing to do. Catarina wants space. It was wrong of me to force her to move into the penthouse. She can stay at her apartment until she’s ready to come back.” And ready to forgive me for having sex with her and then immediately cutting our romantic weekend short.
I didn’t expect the normally composed Italian beauty to be so upset by the change of plans. She acted like it was fine when I told her I had to leave Newport early, but the way she retreated to her place after our return to the city told me I was an idiot to think she wouldn’t be upset.
I didn’t have it in me to force her to move back to the penthouse even though it’s by far the safest place for her to be. My security is top-notch.
Jane shares the same thought, “What about her safety? Or are we not worried about Luis Diaz anymore?”
I grind my teeth at the sound of the upstart’s name. The little shit has been causing me nothing but trouble these past weeks, and I’m getting tired of it. “He’d be a fool to touch her.”
Besides, I know for a fact Nolan and Liam don’t let Catarina out of their sight. My third and fourth most trusted men also updated the security at her place without me even needing to ask.
“Or a bold opportunist,” Jane counters, “who seems just as likely to make an enemy out of you than befriend you. Don’t forget, there’s a chance he knows what you and Santiago did.”
“I’m well aware,” I growl.
She holds up her hands defensively. “Hey, don’t come at me. I’m just the messenger. My contacts say Luis is blackmailing Enrique. And there’s a high probability you know exactly what he’s got on him.”
Unfortunately, I do. And the probability of this blowing back on me is too high for comfort. “Has there been any news on that front?”
“No.” She drops her hands. “But I told our contacts to reach out the moment they hear so much as a whisper about what’s going on in Harlem.”
“Good.” Our family’s alliance with the Puerto Rican gang has been tenuous in the past, but after the service I rendered for their organization, things have stabilized. Until Diaz came into the picture. Now, I fear Enrique Santiago is facing impending demise. And if he goes down, things will get ugly.
“Are you coming to the MET tonight?” Jane asks, changing the subject.
“I wasn’t planning on it.” Catarina is volunteering at the world-renowned museum for an event sponsored by Worldwide Geographic, the publication her brother works for. Liam and Nolan told me that my fiancée is using the event as an opportunity to try and rekindle the romance between Nero Furnari and Heather Lawson, the famous model my grandfather insisted I use as leverage to get the Furnari family to agree to our demands regarding repayment for the damage Catarina caused at Mystique on the night we met.
If I were a better man, I’d feel bad that my actions created a divide between the otherwise happy couple. But while I played a role in their split, it was Nero’s decision to keep his girlfriend in the dark about who he really was.
Heather had no idea she’d been sleeping with the presumed heir to the Furnari family, the most notorious Italian crime family in the city. It’s not my fault she decided she wasn’t interested in being part of that life. That’s on Nero.
Unlike me, however, I know Catarina feels responsible for the demise of her brother’s love life. I don’t spy on my future bride, but my men are never far away for her protection. Through them, I know she has a grand scheme planned to get the couple to speak at the museum. I wouldn’t say I’m a champion for love, but if Nero and Heather reconnecting makes my future wife happy, then I hope she finds success tonight.
“Declan,” Jane sighs, sounding disappointed.
“What?”
She shakes her head. “You need to go tonight.”
“Why?”
“Because you told Catarina you would.”
“That was weeks ago. She no longer wants me there.”
“You don’t know that,” she counters.
“I do. Unless there is something you aren’t telling me?” I try but fail to hide my subtle hope from seeping into the question.
Jane and Catarina have become friends these past few months. Out of respect, I don’t ask my cousin for details about my fiancée that she’s gleaned through their friendship.Usually. Right now, I can’t deny I’m anxious to use any resource at my disposal to try and figure out what’s going on in my beautiful fiancée’s mind.
“I had lunch with Catarina yesterday, and it’s obvious something is wrong with her. I didn’t pry, but she admitted you two haven’t even spoken this past week.”
“So?”
“So?” Jane straightens, placing her palms flat on the counter and leveling me with a disbelieving stare. “You told me you wanted a peaceful marriage, Declan. That you thought you and Catarina could be well suited. Is that still true?”
