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Her mom read her mind."Don’t think of it as a favor from me, Isabella, just a lure to get you back for another visit."
"I guess?—"
"No."Nick shook his head."We'll rent a car.We shouldn't be in a vehicle tied to your mother.Is there a rental car agency nearby?"
"Two blocks over," her mom said."On Via Corso.I used it when I first arrived."
"Good."He paused."Sylvie, do you have somewhere else you could stay?Or perhaps I could put you up in a hotel for a few days, maybe in a different city."
"You think I'm in danger?"she asked in surprise.
"I honestly don't know," he replied."But until this is over, it might be wise to stay elsewhere, just in case it occurs to someone else that you might know something."
"I haven't made many friends here yet.But I was thinking about going to Milan before I start full time at the gallery next week.I haven't been there in a long time."
"Then go there," he said."Go as soon as we leave."
"I suppose I could."
"He's right, Mom.You should go somewhere else for a few days.I don't want you to get hurt."
"I don't want you to get hurt either," her mom said worriedly.
"I can take care of myself, and I have Nick.He's a trained FBI agent.We'll be okay."
"Okay, but you're going to need to text me later and tell me what's happening.I know you probably don't believe this, but I do worry about you."
She wanted to believe it, but she wasn't sure she did."I'll text you."A tense moment passed between them as they gave each other a long look.A part of her wanted to hug her mom, but she couldn't quite get there."We should go."
"Take care of my daughter, Nick," her mom said.
"I will," he promised.
As they left the house to go to the rental agency, she said, "You shouldn't have made my mother a promise you can't keep."
He gave her a determined look."I will keep it.I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Isabella.A lot of other people have let you down in your life; I won't be one of them."
She felt a rush of emotion at his words."I don't want you to feel responsible for me."
"Too bad, because I do.I care about you, and you're just going to have to deal with that.Now, let's go get a car."
ChapterTwenty-Five
It took over an hour to get a rental car as the agency had only one vehicle left and it was still being cleaned, so they weren't able to get on the road until after one o'clock.But Nick was happy with their ride, a sporty SUV with plenty of power and maneuverability.He stayed on the main highway, changing lanes often to see if a car was sticking with them, but the trip had been unremarkable.Now it was half-past two and Cortona was only a few miles away.He was hoping this would not be a wasted trip and that Jasmine Pariso would have the answers they'd been searching for.
Isabella had been unusually quiet since they'd left her mom's house and gotten in the car.She always had plenty to say, questions to ask, or theories to float.But she seemed distracted as she looked out the window at the passing scenery.He suspected she was thinking about her conversation with her mother.He felt like they'd had a small breakthrough in their relationship, but he didn't know for sure.
Sylvie had owned up to her mistakes, and she seemed determined to start over and have the life she'd once envisioned.She wanted to make Isabella proud of her.He thought there was hope for them.If Isabella was willing to give her mother a chance.That wouldn't be easy, and he couldn't judge her for how she was feeling.He had enough of his own baggage to deal with.He might have to address his stubborn determination to keep a distance from his parents, too.Being so caught up in the past the last several days had reminded him that his family, as dysfunctional as it might be, was still his family.
"Did you believe her?"Isabella suddenly asked.
He glanced at her, seeing the troubled question in her brown eyes.She never wanted validation for her thoughts, so the question surprised him."Are you talking about your mother?"
"Yes.What did you think of what she said?I need an objective opinion."
"I believe her desire to change is real.She looked at her life and saw a need to make a big change.What did you think?"
"She said all the right things.Things I wish she'd said ten years ago or even before that.But it's hard not to think she'll end up back in another bad situation."
