Page 9 of Dangerous Devotion

I knew I couldn’t make that promise, but for now, I simply held her close, savoring the moment of peace in the chaos around us.

I led the way into the house, my good arm around Jemma’s shoulders. The familiar scent of wood, lemon polish, and fresh flowers greeted us as we stepped into the grand foyer.

Marianna, the head housekeeper, hurried toward us, her eyes wide with concern.

“Mr. Salvini! We weren’t expecting you,” she exclaimed, her gaze darting between me, Jemma, and the group behind us.

I gave her a warm smile. “I’m sorry for the no-notice, Marianna. We had an unexpected change of plans.”

She nodded, already switching into efficiency mode. “Of course, sir. How many guests should we prepare for?”

“For now, seven, including myself and Miss Donnelly, who will stay in my room with me,” I replied, then turned to the others. “Marianna and her team will take care of everything. Make yourselves at home.”

I pulled Marianna aside. “I hate to ask this of you and the staff on such short notice, but there may be additional guests coming, and we may be here for a while. Can you prepare the rooms and arrange for additional supplies?”

Marianna’s eyes softened, and she cupped my cheek the same way she’d done when I was a teenager. “Don’t worry about a thing, Mr. Salvini. We’ll take care of everything. Your guests will want for nothing.”

I squeezed her shoulder gently. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Please, make sure the staff knows their extra efforts won’t go unnoticed or unappreciated.”

She beamed at me. “They already know, sir. We’re always happy to serve you.”

As Marianna bustled off to organize everything, I caught sight of Carlo, the groundskeeper—and Marianna’s husband—hovering nearby. I waved him over.

“Please tell Rudolfo to increase security patrols. And I’m afraid we’ve left quite a mess on the front lawn with the helicopter.”

Carlo’s weathered face broke into a grin. “Don’t you worry about that, Mr. Salvini. We’ll have everything in shipshape in no time. It’s good to have you back, sir.”

I clapped him on the back. “It’s good to be back, Carlo. Thank you for everything.”

Goofy stopped me and put a pressure bandage on my arm to stop the bleeding without uttering a single word, which was quite unusual for someone who earned his nickname because of his boisterous personality.

As I turned back to the group, I noticed Jemma watching me with a curious expression. I raised an eyebrow at her,but she just shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips.

I led the way into the living room, my mind racing with plans and contingencies. Marianna, bless her, had already prepared refreshments and was bustling about, making sure everyone was comfortable. But comfort was the last thing on my mind right now.

As soon as we settled, I pulled out my phone and dialed Matt. He picked up on the second ring.

“You better tell me you’re all okay, or I’ll kill you myself.”

“Sorry to disappoint, little brother,” I quipped, relief flooding through me at the sound of his voice. “But you’re stuck with your big brothers for a while longer.”

“What the hell’s going on?” Matt’s voice was tense, worried.

“We’re safe for now,” I said, cutting straight to the chase. “Are you with Alex and Fee?”

“Yeah, they’re here with me. We’re actually in your apartment. Dom and Michele are here, as well. We came as soon as we heard about the attack. Are you okay?”

I glanced down at my arm, the blood from my wound already seeping through the makeshift bandage Goofy had slapped on me. “We’re fine. Listen, I need you to get Isa and Mira. Bring them out to the country, and bring the pup.”

“Got it,” Matt replied, his voice steady. “Anything else?”

Thank God I didn’t need to spell it out for him to bring them to La Dimora Serena. My brothers just knew.

“Tell Michele to take only the most trusted guys,” I instructed. “And be careful. Make sure you’re not followed. Take every precaution. And stay silent.”

I didn’t know what all this was about. And I didn’t think this was the authorities’ doing, but just in case we were wire-tapped, it was better not to go into too many details.

“Anything else?” Matt asked.

---