Page 26

25

ADRIANO

H ere’s the story:

Gloria surprised me.

She came with me to meet my grandmother.

Blessings. Feelings. Etc.

We toured the countryside. We toured Florence.

Lovey-dovey bullshit.

Alright, that part actually sort of happened. Kissing her under the moon, on the rooftop terrace of our hotel after dinner at il Paiolo was admittedly pretty spectacular. Unfortunately, instead of going back to said hotel room and capitalizing on that romantic evening, we snuck out on a little detour.

A detour to check on her sister in Paris. I only wish I could have let Gloria see her, talk to her. But at least we know she’s alright. Having some sway with the Le Nouveau Milieu, a new generation of the old French mob, I made sure someone is keeping an eye on her too.

With Anna’s safety secured, we’re heading home.

“You’re sure he won’t be able to find out?”

“Positive. Cicero owed me a dozen favors.” All cashed in to get us a private, untraceable flight from Florence to Paris and back. A rushed afternoon of driving back to Rome gets us on a nine-plus hour flight back to New York.

“Thank you.” Gloria squeezes my hand, looking out the window of the jet over the sun-drenched clouds. Chasing the sunset all the way back to the states always feels strange. All the same, Gloria gets some sleep, I nod off for maybe an hour.

I don’t know how things will go when we arrive.

Dom might not have bought our story.

Or he’ll act like nothing happened. If so, it also means that we’re on track to get married Sunday. Giving us one day and night before we follow through with our plan to out Dom to the family, to his so-called allies.

I only hope the shred of proof I dug up from my contact in AISE is enough to sway them.

The key will be waiting for the right opportunity. Put Dom on the ropes. Or get him to make a run for it.

Not my best work at planning.

But I’m running out of favors and the list of trustworthy contacts is painfully short these days.

We’ve worked ourselves into a corner here. Dom’s dug in.

The only saving grace is that he’s also stretched our syndicate thin with his payouts, promises, and threats. If we can even put a crack in his foundation, plant one seed of doubt in that crack, it may be enough to set things in motion.

“Did you sleep at all?”

“Sure.” I rub my red eyes, knowing full well she can see through my bullshit.

Scanning the terminal with blurry vision, I can’t decide if the crowds are a good thing or a bad thing. Dom could have someone watching us or waiting to spring on us, and I’d never spot them coming. Even at this hour, ass-crack-thirty in the morning, the airport is busy.

So after a nerve-racking rush to baggage claim, we catch a cab back to the apartment.

Uneventful.

Which is almost worse.

Waiting for the other shoe to drop has my nerves shot to shit.

Add to that the fact that I opened up to Gloria in Italy, truly and vulnerably. More than I ever have with anyone.

Which involved sharing my most dangerous, and personal secret. Not just mine, either. But fair is fair. Now, she knows about Alessandro and Isabella. And their baby. It’s a risk I had to take. She’s the only risk worth taking.

My only reassurance is that she feels the same. She shared as much of her life as I did, so at least we have equal footing. Or we have enough leverage on one another for mutually assured destruction if one of us turns.

God, I hate that I think that way.

Dropping our bags in the corner, I flop down on the bed, sitting back up almost immediately. I can’t stop fidgeting.

Rooting through my desk, I dig out an old device.

“What are you doing?”

“Making sure no one bugged our place while we were gone,” I whisper, inching through the room, checking anywhere I would hide one if I installed a listening device.

Gloria blinks twice, opening her mouth to say something, then snapping it shut.

Without another word she starts digging through drawers.

Way to put her at ease, jackass.

After thirty minutes I’m almost sure we’re clear.

“Adri.” Gloria turns me toward her, cupping my face in her hands. “You’re jumping at shadows.”

“It’s just too damn quiet. Everything went too smoothly.”

“I agree. And we’ll be careful. But it’s 4 a.m. Get some sleep. Then we’ll go see Dad.”

I flinch as she calls him that.

She should, so he won’t get even more suspicious. Doesn’t mean I have to like what it represents. How only a few days ago I couldn’t tell the difference between her good daughter act and the real Gloria.

Fuck. I’m spiraling again.

Until she pulls me into a fierce kiss, spearing her fingers into my hair. Ten seconds into it and I can’t remember where we are, let alone what I was stressing about.

Those fingers in my hair send me into a deep sleep a few minutes later, my head resting on her lap in our bed. Glorious sleep.

“Adriano.”

My eyes snap open. Feels like a few seconds, but the sun’s cutting through my blinds, golden and angled toward my eastern wall. Shit.

I slept all day.

Looking around, I try to pinpoint whose voice woke me up.

“Gloria?”

No answer.

Rising slowly, I poke my head into the bathroom, the closet.

Hm. Maybe she went across the street for a bite to eat.

Slipping into the hallway, I stay tense, strafing, keeping my guard up.

“What the …”

Out in the living room the whole place is a disaster. My couch is overturned, the bar stools, flowers Gloria put out on the table scattered.

How did I not hear this?

And where the fuck is Gloria?!

In a panic I scramble into a shirt, my pants, my car keys. Whipping out my cell, I punched her number.

Straight to voicemail.

I’m hopping through the mess with one boot in my hand, trying to wiggle on the other, when it hits me. How staged it all looks.

Take a breath.

Looking around, I almost laugh. The mess is coordinated, nothing is actually broken. Someone set this up.

Real question is why?

Dom isn’t exactly known for playing practical jokes.

But I know someone who is.

Another flick on my phone screen and the phone is ringing.

“Come on, you jackal, pickup.”

“Adriasshole! What’s up, big bro?” Ciro’s voice chirps on the other end of the line.

“Don’t play stupid. I found your surprise.”

“Wow. I took that upper decker in your toilet, like, four months ago, Adri.”

“What?! No. And gross . You’d better be lying. I meant the faked disaster in my living room.”

“Adriano, have you been drinking spoiled wine again?”

“I’m serious.”

“And I was sleeping. Maybe try calling your father-in-law. Love you, bro. I hope tomorrow is amazing. Wish I could be there. Gotta go.” The line clicks off before I can get another word in.

He’s only following protocol.

No sensitive info over our main line cells.

Sighing, I run my fingers through my hair, scanning the mess for any clues. Frustrated, I head toward the door when I notice that it’s open, just a crack.

One hand on my gun, I’m about to open it when my phone buzzes in my pocket.

Dom.

I know your secret.

Instantly a sickening chill sweeps though me.

Until another text comes through.

She told me everything.

My chest caves in.

Dom has her. She’s with him, either of her own accord, or he took her, forced her to tell him all about our plans, where we were?—

CONGRATULATIONS. For both of us. Gloria told me the amazing news! I can hardly believe I am going to be a grandfather!

The breath I didn’t know I was holding blasts out of me. With a shuddering, nervous laugh, I open the door, stepping out into the hall, momentarily forgetting about the scene around me.

Right into four black leather jackets, the only part of them I see before the sack is thrown over my head and I’m hog-tied and dragged into the elevator.