Page 120 of Dangerous Intent

In the faint lighting, movement flickered in front of me. A bloodcurdling scream ripped through the villa as Lissia lunged toward me with a large object.

“Whoa!” I ducked as she launched it in my direction.

The object hit the wall and cracked into several pieces.

“Marchello?”

I flipped on the lights to find her standing in front of me in a white tank top and a tiny pair of pink panties. How I wished this night had gone in another direction.

“You’re back.” She leapt into my arms and held me tight. “You’re not in jail.”

“It never got that far.” I carried her to the bedroom. “Is there a reason you’re throwing vases at my head?”

“Oh.” She pointed toward the hallway. “I guess Lorenzo needs to add that to our tab.”

“You didn’t answer my question.” I set her on the bed. “Why are you lurking around in the dark, ready to attack?”

“I heard someone trying to get in,” she said. “Dom was out back, and I didn’t think you would be here already.”

“So you armed yourself with a vase?” It wasn’t a bad move. “Next time, make sure you disarm your attacker. If you don’t, they will use that to their advantage. You might only get one shot to protect yourself, so use it wisely.”

“Let’s hope there isn’t a next time.”

“We have to be prepared for anything.”

“What happened with the police? Why did they let you go?” She patted the spot next to her.

“Diego changed his mind.”

“Why would he do that?”

“It doesn’t matter.” I sat beside her. “We have to talk.”

“About what happened in the restaurant?” She pulled her legs into her chest and hugged them. “I screwed up.”

“It was a pretty big screw up.”

“Are you mad?”

“Furious.” I caressed her hair, trying to keep myself in check. “You could have caused a lot of unnecessary chaos for me tonight.”

“But I didn’t.”

“That’s not the point.” Why didn’t she get the severity of the situation? “Do you see why I don’t need your help? Your impulses take over and you don’t see logic.”

“I know,” she whispered. “I thought if the cops knew Diego provoked you, then…”

“Do you see how stupid that sounds?” I got off the bed and ran my hand through my hair.

I was doing my best not to explode, but maybe that was what she needed. I had to get her to understand.

“If you told them Diego provoked me into assaulting him, they would know that I did assault him. You were incriminating me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Your apologies would not have kept me out of jail.” I pointed at her. “You’re a fucking disaster when it comes to my business. Everyone around me sees it. Everyone but me.”

“Marchello, I didn’t mean to cause a problem.” She released her legs and went to get off the bed.