Page 46 of His to Honor

Alessandro mutters something about making sure I don’t fuck up. I ignore his warning. Despite what he just called me, I’m not a kid anymore. When Antonio needed time off to be with Isabella, I stepped up and ran things. It was only for a couple of days, but I oversaw a couple of important weapons deals in that time. I should get some credit for that, but my older brothers love to remind me of my place.

“Give my love to Emilia.” My brother’s wife is one of the sweetest people I know.

“Sure.”

I’ve barely ended the call when my cellphone rings again. It’s Damiano this time. Fear freezes my blood. Has something happened to Giulia?

I answer immediately. “What’s wrong?”

“Giulia’s on her way home.”

“Why?” It’s barely eleven-thirty. I didn’t expect her until the early hours of the morning. Clubs are open late here in Italy.

“There was an incident.”

My heart hammers at my ribcage. “What happened? Is she okay?”

“Yes, she’s fine. A little pissed, but unharmed. Adamo Gianotti approached her.”

The kid who was spying on the house? My fists clench as anger surges through me. There can be no doubt now that his intentions when I saw him in the woods were sinister.

“Is she okay? He didn’t touch her?”

“No, he didn’t touch her.” There’s something in Damiano’s voice that makes me think there’s more to the story. “What? What is it?”

“She had her hand on his cheek.”

I frown deeply. “She was touching him?”

“Yeah, like she was trying to make him feel better, or something.”

Why the fuck would she be trying to console a complete stranger? My temper rises at the thought of Giulia stroking some other guy’s face.

“Tell me you grabbed the asshole.”

“We did, but he got away.”

It’s hard to believe the skittish boy I saw in the woods escaped Damiano’s highly trained men.

“How the fuck did that happen?”

Damiano blows out a breath. “One of my security guards locked him in a room next to my office so he could deal with another issue. One of my hostesses let him out.”

“Deliberately?”

“I don’t know yet.”

I recognize the determination in his tone and feel a brief pang of pity for the hostess he’s going to interrogate over this. Damiano won’t hesitate to hurt anyone who poses a threat to our family, woman or not.

“There’s a team of six escorting Giulia home,” Damiano continues. “They’ll stay on site in case of trouble.”

I assume he means at the gatehouse that’s been unoccupied since I arrived. “I appreciate it.”

Though I can keep Giulia save within these walls, I won’t turn down additional security. I’d prefer for any intruders to be apprehended long before they reach the house. I end the call and go back downstairs to wait for Giulia to get home.

I try to stay calm, but my mind is racing with thoughts of what might have happened to her. We have no idea who this boy is, what his motivation in approaching her might have been, but I have to assume it wasn’t good. The mere idea of someone harming Giulia is enough to drive me to the brink of insanity. I want to tear this boy limb from limb just for daring to breathe in the same air as her. It’s irrational, I know, but I want tobind Giulia to me so inextricably nothing bad can ever touch her again.

Thankfully it doesn’t take long before I hear vehicles rolling up outside. I go to the front door, just as Nicolo, one of my cousin’s trusted lieutenants, lets Giulia out of the back of an armored SUV. With uncharacteristic rudeness, she barges past him and marches to the house. Fury etched in the scowl on her lips, the narrowing of her eyes, she passes me without a word and goes straight upstairs.

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