Page 17 of Savage Heart

Alaric

The Villa Aurelia sparkles like a new penny, impressing even me as I walk through the front doors to Gideon’s hotel. In truth, it’s Helix’s since he handles all the hotels he owns, but this one is his younger son’s responsibility, and I have to say he stepped up to the challenge.

Not that the place was a run-down slum when he got control of it, but his work over the past two years has made it one of the premier destinations on the Amalfi Coast. He stands at the foot of the grand marble staircase in the center of the main lobby looking pleased as I make my way toward him.

Much like his father, Gideon cuts an impressive figure no matter where he is, but right now, he reminds me of some wealthy landowner overlooking his holdings with utter satisfaction. As tall as I am at six foot four, he wears a dark gray expensive Italian suit like always when he’s in the view of the public here at the hotel. His dark hair and deep brown eyes are similar to mine, typical Rule family traits, but unlike me, he always appears so cool and calm every time I see him.

“Alaric, I thought you were getting here later this afternoon,” he says with a smile as he extends his hand to shake mine.

“The pilot must have caught a tailwind or something because we made it to Naples in record time. The traffic on the drive here was the same as always, though. I don’t miss that part of Italy when I leave. That’s for sure.”

I shake his hand and slap him on the back. “This place really has become impressive, Gideon. Is the chandelier in the middle of the lobby here new?”

He looks up at the ceiling and nods his appreciation. “The old one didn’t have the same effect, so I had a craftsman come in and create something entirely unique to the hotel. It must be good if you noticed it. You’re not exactly the kind of guy who pays attention to chandeliers.”

That makes me laugh, but I need to focus on the job that’s brought me here to the Amalfi Coast again. “Not generally. Your father told me you’d have some information that will help me find Sienna. Is there somewhere we can talk?”

Gideon’s expression turns serious, and he points over toward the entrance to a conference room across the lobby. “We can discuss things freely in there.”

Taking a seat at the end of the long conference table, I settle in to hear what he knows. I can never tell with Gideon if he has good news or bad news. He’s far too icy most of the time to even hazard a guess.

He doesn’t sit down, preferring to stand and lean against the wall as we talk. I don’t know if it’s that he doesn’t like to relax at work or if he’s always like this, but as I look at him positioned across the room from me now, I realize I’ve never seen him just kick back.

“So you know about Matteo Rossetti leading the family since you took the father out. That’s been pretty much status quo for the past two years. Nothing big happened. He stepped into his father’s place easily, it seems, and from what I hear, while he’s not as well-loved as Salvatore, the son gets the job done and the Rossetti family is wealthier than ever.”

I nod as Gideon goes through this introductory stuff I know most of and other details I don’t care about. If Matteo and the rest of his family are making bank, I don’t give a damn. As long as he left Sienna alone, I left them alone.

Now all that’s changed.

“Good for them, I guess. What I want to know is if they brought Sienna back here and why.”

Gideon winces, and I sense I’m about to hear bad news. Folding his arms across his chest, he says, “She’s definitely here. Matteo couldn’t stop himself from bragging the other day at his favorite restaurant. He told the entire place about how his sister was back in the fold and how happy he was.”

“Why?” I ask, still not understanding what the point of dragging Sienna across the damned Atlantic was. “Is this just to make her life miserable and make sure she knows who’s running the family now that Daddy’s gone?”

“Not exactly. I’ve been hearing things since yesterday that tell me it’s more than showing his sister who’s boss. From what I’m told, the Rossetti family is planning a wedding.”

My heart sinks at those words, but I ask, “Any chance it’s Matteo or one of the other brothers who’s getting married, and he wanted the entire family together?”

I know that’s not the case. He’s not going to kidnap Sienna just so she can be there when the happy couple lifts their champagne glasses in a toast to their nuptials.

With a shake of his head, Gideon dashes my hopes. “No. He intends on marrying her off to a man named Lucius Angeloni.”

Now my heart skips a beat at the mere thought that Sienna is here for that reason. “Who the hell is he?”

“A friend of their father’s. He’s in his mid-fifties. From all I’ve heard, he’s not a good choice for a husband. That’s for sure.”

A man twice her age? No, that’s rarely a good choice of a husband for a woman in her early twenties. The fact that she had to be kidnapped to be there to marry the guy makes him even a worse choice.

“Let me guess. Son of a bitch? Probably has a thing for being a shit to young women?” I ask, imagining this old asshole thinking he’s gotten the golden ticket with Sienna.

“Well, let’s put it this way. He’s had a handful of women over the years. Nearly every one of them didn’t make it out of the relationship with him alive.”

“He has them killed?”

Jesus, Matteo Rossetti is even worse than I thought. I’m going to enjoy putting two into the back of that fucker’s head.

Gideon corrects my mistaken assumption about Lucius Angeloni. “No, he does it himself. The old man likes it rough. Like really rough. His women get the worst of it. The last one was barely twenty. He beat the hell out of her, and rumor has it he gets off on it. She got away, so he’s in the market for a new lady in his life.”

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