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"It's not your call," she interrupted."I can take care of myself.I've been doing it most of my life.You don’t have to worry about me, Grandma."
"If I was twenty years younger, I'd fight you both," her grandmother said."But today was exhausting and I don't have the energy.Just remember that working together will get you further than going it on your own."She got to her feet."Let's go look up flights, Anna."
"I want you on the first flight out," Nick said."And first class only.No coach seats.I want you to be comfortable."
As they left the room, he turned to her."I understand why you want to stay, but there's real danger here, Isabella.I didn't want to say that in front of our grandmothers, but this isn't a story you're chasing.These are people who shot and almost killed a security guard.And after what happened earlier with the tail and maybe someone in the shed here, I don't think they're done."
"I'm aware of the risks, Nick, but I can be helpful.We won't find those paintings unless we know more about the people who painted them.You're not interested in that, but I am.We can each play to our strengths.You can deal with law enforcement, and I'll do research.We might make a better team than you think."
He blew out a frustrated breath."Your stubbornness could get you hurt, or worse."
"So could yours.You're taking the same risks I am."
"I'm a trained agent.This is what I do.Why would you want to risk your life for some old painting anyway?"he challenged."And don’t you have a job you love, one you want to get back to?What are you really going to accomplish here?"
His questions gave her pause.She did have a job she would need to get back to, but not immediately, and today she'd been introduced to her family, and she wanted to know more about them."I want to help get Lucinda's painting back," she said."But it's more than that.Today when I met Joelle and Victor, I realized that I have a family I don't even know, a history that's never been allowed to be mine.For the first time in my life, I felt like a Rossi, but I don't know what that means because I don't know my history."
"You could find a history you don't like."
"I could.But I still want to look."
"That's not a good reason to put your life in danger."
"What's your reason?You could go back and leave this to the Carabinieri to solve.If your grandmother isn't here, she's no longer in danger."
"I don't think she'll go if I don't stay.She's so guilty about losing that painting.I have to make it right for her."He paused."I can't make you leave, but I still don't believe you staying here is a good idea."
"Then you can tell me 'I told you so.'"
"Not if you're dead," he said darkly.
A shiver ran down her spine."Well, I'm going to try to not let that happen.And then I'll tell you, 'I told you so.'"
"I hope you do."
ChapterEight
The rest of Friday passed in a blur for Isabella as she helped her grandmother and Anna pack their bags.She arranged for a car service to pick them up in Los Angeles and another service to deliver food.Nick had told her he had some food that his friends had dropped off after he'd finished his undercover assignment, but his refrigerator and pantry could use a refresh, as he'd barely been living there the past few months.Fortunately, he had a colleague at work with a key to his apartment to help facilitate the delivery.
She wasn't looking forward to spending time alone with Nick, but she was feeling better about getting her grandmother to a safe location.She'd seen how breathless, pale, and anxious her grandmother had been when she'd rushed her up the stairs earlier.She had been through too much the last few days.She was eighty-one years old.She needed to rest and breathe more easily and just be free of all this.And Anna needed the same.
A little before eight, Nick drove Anna and Gloria to the airport for their late-night flight while she cleaned up the kitchen after a hastily eaten dinner.After they left, it felt strange to be in the big house alone.Every creak seemed magnified.She told herself not to let her imagination run away with her.She'd be fine for an hour, and Nick would be back soon.
Nick had wanted her to come with them, thinking they should all stay together, but there hadn't been room in Anna's compact car with their bags, and he hadn't wanted to get anyone else to take them to the airport.She'd agreed with that.She could handle herself.She'd been alone a lot growing up.Her mother had often worked at night to make ends meet and had left her on her own when she was as young as ten years old.
Back then, she'd pushed a table against the door when she got nervous.Once she had hidden under the bed for almost an hour until whoever had been playing with the door handle of their apartment had left.She'd told her mother she didn't like to stay there by herself, but it was that or starving, so she'd had to be brave.In the end, she'd been okay.No one had ever gotten in.
Instead, the danger to their lives had come from a friendly man who she'd initially liked very much, her stepfather, Gary.Unfortunately, that good beginning had ended badly.
So many good things ended up exploding in her face.She blamed most of them on her mother, but her last career explosion was all on her.And this trip to Rome had come at a good time because she was in the doghouse with her boss.She'd had a feeling he'd been on the verge of firing her when she'd told him she had to go to Rome to save her grandmother.Instead, he'd said he hoped the break would be good for her and that she'd come back with a better attitude.She would try to do that because she had been a little in the wrong, even though she hated to admit that.
Once the dishwasher was loaded and running, she wandered into the living room and sat down on the couch.She hadn't looked in the boxes that Nick had brought back from the bank, and she was eager to read the letters.
But first, she opened the velvet pouch and took out a large, heavy male ring.It was silver and black with a design of lines and swirls around the letterP.That didn't match Tomas's initial or the initial J of the person he'd been writing.What did the P signify?
She turned it over and over in her hand as the light caught it from different angles.It felt like there was something more to the design, but she couldn't figure it out.Setting the ring down, she pulled out the stack of three letters.The first one was in an envelope with no return address.It had been delivered to Tomas Caruso at an address in Rome, which she assumed was where he used to live.
Opening the envelope, she pulled out a single sheet and saw a date at the top, but no year.She quickly realized the letter was written in Italian.She could speak some Italian, but not a lot.When she was with her grandmother, they'd always spoken English.
