Page 14 of Bellini Born

She had several very valid points. Ones that had never crossed my mind before today’s incident.

“I’m in your debt, Miss . . .”

Before she could offer me her name, those around us uttered in unison, “Debts must always be paid.”

That was the Bellini Family motto. If you incurred a debt, you were forced to repay it. No exceptions. Ever.

The young woman’s eyes scanned the crowd, likely wondering if she’d found herself in the middle of a cult. And she wouldn’t be far off in that thinking. Like a cult, the mafia was an organization that relied heavily on indoctrination, featuring a strong leader. Not everyone was born into it; some joined voluntarily. And once you found yourself on the inside, it was damn near impossible to leave.

Realizing that she was in over her head, she stammered, “R-reynolds.” Then she stiffened, correcting, “D’Amico.” Her eyes slammed shut, and she muttered something unintelligible under her breath.

Cecila D’Amico was a Bellini by blood, a distant cousin of my father’s, and if memory served, she had a daughter in her early twenties. Though I’d never met the girl, her Italian ancestry wasabsolute. Even without the slip of tongue, I would never have believed this golden-haired goddess was who she claimed to be.

No, she wasn’t one of us. If she were, she would never have dressed me down so publicly. That, I knew with total certainty.

Sirens sounded in the distance right before EMTs made their way onto the pool deck. While I was distracted, my focus on Bianca, the little liar saw fit to escape. But as I walked alongside the gurney headed for the ambulance, I paused to relay an order to Enzo.

“Get me everything you can on the lifeguard.”

Chapter 4

Matteo

TheywerekeepingBiancaovernight in the pediatric unit at Windy City General for observation. The doctors explained this was primarily out of precaution but warned that secondary issues associated with a near-drowning could present up to twelve hours after the incident.

My girl was extra clingy, demanding to be held, so I found myself curled up beside her on the hospital bed as she snoozed, wiped out from all that had happened earlier.

I was seconds away from passing out myself when a voice crooned from the doorway, “Well, isn’t this adorable?”

Lifting my heavy head, I glared at Enzo as he sauntered closer. “Wake her, and I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”

Concern filtered into his gaze as it swept over Bianca. “She gonna be all right?”

Swallowing, I nodded. “Yeah. Thank God.”

“Good.” His chest expanded on a deep breath. Lifting a manila folder, he waved it gently. “Got what you asked for.”

Gently, I untangled myself from my sleeping daughter and climbed off the bed. With a curl of my fingers, I demanded, “Hand it over.”

Enzo didn’t hesitate, passing over the file he’d compiled on the girl who’d not only saved my daughter’s life but had captivated me from the very second I’d laid eyes on her.

Never. Not once in life had I been rendered speechless by the sight of any woman.

My visceral reaction was mildly unsettling and had shaken me to the core. When she ran off and I realized I might never see her again, my lungs had seized, and I knew I needed to track her down. For what? I wasn’t quite sure.

Hell, I didn’t even know her full name, and I couldn’t get her out of my brain.

I opened the file, and there in black and white was everything I could ever want to know about one Summer Reynolds.

“Wasn’t hard to find her,” Enzo remarked. “The license plate on the car she drove was registered to Silvio D’Amico. Turns out he bought it for his daughter Gabriella, who, according to Francesca, was the one they were expecting to be the lifeguard for the party.”

Huffing out a laugh, I said, “That’s who she claimed to be when I asked for a name. What’s her connection to the D’Amico girl?”

“Current roommate. Former teammate on the swim team at Northwestern.”

I hummed. It made sense that both girls would be lifeguards. It also explained those muscular thighs I couldn’t help but stare at with her kneeling opposite me earlier. Fuck, I bet they were so strong I wouldn’t even need to hold her up with them locked around my waist, her back pinned against a wall, as I pounded ruthlessly between them.

A chuckle broke through my lust-induced daydream. “Oh boy, I know that look.”