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“So maybe it’s that,” Donovan says. “He wants something from the chief.”
“Keep working on it. In the meantime, let’s return to the city.”
“Little lady chasing you out of your own home?” Donovan is joking, but his words cut too close to the truth. I can’t be around Elena. Not right now.
“Careful, Niko has his want-to-kill-somebody expression,” Liam warns.
Donovan’s brow furrows. He looks like he’s going to ask something, but then he apparently thinks better of it. Good, because Liam is right and I don’t want to kill Donovan.
He shrugs. “Want me to stay behind? Make sure they don’t do anything stupid?”
It’s an odd question since I have plenty of men here to make sure Elena and her sister stay put. And if Lucia were smart, she’d convinced Elena that their safety right now is in my hands.
But then I think back to Donovan’s behavior around Lucia. “She’s married to a Don, you know.”
Donovan gives me an expression of confusion, like he doesn’t know what I’m insinuating.
Liam laughs. “Even you’re smart enough not to turn a Don’s wife into one of your whores.”
He frowns. “Fuck off.”
In the end, I decide maybe I will leave Donovan behind. Not because he has a strange attraction to Elena’s sister, but because they both know where Donovan sits in my Family. It’s possible the two women would attempt to get around my other men, but they won’t fuck with Donovan.
“Fine. Stay. Keep them out of trouble.”
“Absolutely. I’m getting more cookies.” He heads back to the house.
“What’s that about?” Liam asks as we watch Donovan disappear through the door.
“Not sure. I’m going to the penthouse. Let me know if you discover anything.”
“Will do.” Liam gets in his car and leaves.
I stand feeling torn. I should go in and let Elena know I’m leaving, right? But I push away the feeling of obligation or good manners. She’s my prize, not my wife. Considering the disrespect she showed me moments ago, she doesn’t deserve my consideration.
Since Donovan is staying, I drive myself, deciding the solitude in the SUV will be nice. The drive is uneventful for driving from Long Island to Manhattan. For a moment, I consider going down to New Jersey to check on business there. Hell, maybe I’ll be lucky and walk in on another virgin auction. It would be nice to clip the tether Elena has on me in the pussy of another woman. If only that would work. Fucking hell.
Instead, I go to my office in the basement of the pizzeria. It’s time to stop fucking around and decide my next move. The sooner things end for Giovanni and Tiberius, the sooner I can send Elena on her way. She’ll be happy to go to Italy, and while I’m not sure Giuseppe Conti can keep her safe, I feel fairly certain that his son, Luca, can.
Maybe Luca can marry her.Lucia’s words come back to me. My fingers grip the steering wheel as I imagine Luca Conti fucking Elena as his wife. I can’t stand the idea even as I know it’s a good solution to my problem. How do I excise Elena from my soul?
I spend the evening buried in business. It almost works. I almost forget about Elena.
As I head to my penthouse, I call Liam. “Any updates on Emerson?”
“Not where Fiori is concerned.”
“What about the Abates? I can’t help but think this move is something Romeo would do, although how did he know about Kate?”
“Already working on that.”
“Keep me posted.” When I hang up, Elena’s tirade comes back to me. It was the first time I’d seen that much life and fire in her. It made me hard just thinking of it, even as it pissed me off. She should know better than to be so insolent. At the same time, it showed her capability for loyalty. What would it be like if she showed that level of care toward me?
I shake my head.Don’t go there, Leone.
When I get to my place, Maria greets me. I haven’t let her know I was returning, but my staff knows to be ready for anything.
“I’m going up to my room.”
