Page 29 of Little Stolen Memories

I’d always been a tough, independent woman. A woman who didn’t always work well with others, even though I cherished the relationships I had with Simone and Hunter. We worked well as a team, in part because they knew how I operated, and they respected it.

And though I preferred being on my own during murder investigations, I no longer went out without a backup plan. Today’s backup plan came in the form of the Find My app on my phone, which shared my exact location with Giovanni.

I suppose I could have called Simone or even Whitlock to come to my aid, but there were times when a heavier hand was warranted—a hand that didn’t always answer to the law in the same ways others did.

Ever since Giovanni and I met in college, I learned he didn’t come from an average Italian family. His family was … in a word, connected. Nowadays, Giovanni’s sister ran the family business, bringing it into the present in a more legitimate, though still profitable way. But family was family and protecting one another mattered above all else.

The fact Danny was packing a bag concerned me. I had questions. And I was determined to have them answered. If it meant leaning on Danny a bit harder after what he’d done to me, I was prepared to do it.

In my opinion, he deserved it.

What had been fervent whispers between brother and sister in the back room had morphed into an audible discussion I could hear.

“Please, Danny, don’t go,” Dorothy pleaded. “Talk to Georgiana. If you apologize, I’m sure she’d be willing to put all of this behind us and start again.”

“She’s not going to forgive me for what I did,” Danny said. “She’ll have me arrested. The cops will say I assaulted her, and I’ll be locked up. End of story.”

“Allow me to talk to her, at least. You were scared. You did what you did without thinking. It’s not like you shot the woman. You pepper-sprayed her. There’s no permanent damage, now is there?”

“She’ll regain her sight any time now. I need to go.”

As their banter continued, the camper’s front door opened, and someone stepped inside.

I felt a hand on my leg, followed by Giovanni’s voice in my ear.

“I am here, cara mia. What’s happened?”

“I was pepper-sprayed,” I whispered.

“By whom?”

For a moment, all was quiet, and I wondered if Danny and Dorothy had clued in to the fact we were no longer alone. I tipped my head to the right, indicating the direction Giovanni needed to go. He kissed my forehead and backed away, his voice commanding as he said, “My name is Giovanni Luciana. I’m armed, and I expect you to do as I say if you don’t wish to be fired upon. You have five seconds to show yourself. Fail to do so, and I will use whatever force necessary to drag you out.”

“Please, don’t shoot,” Dorothy said. “It’s not what you think. I’m coming out. I’ll explain everything if you give me a chance.”

With each passing moment, my vision continued to improve. I turned to see Dorothy sliding the door at the back of the camper open, her hands raised as she walked toward Giovanni.

“It’s not her you want,” I said. “It’s her brother, Danny. She’s innocent. She was trying to help me.”

Addressing Dorothy, he said, “What’s your name?”

“Dorothy.”

“All right, Dorothy. I’d like you to take a seat next to Georgiana.”

“Of course. Can I just say something? My brother’s not a bad person. Please, don’t hurt him. He made a mistake. As you can see, we’ve been looking after Georgiana, staying with her until she could see again.”

Her voice trembled, and I felt a smidgen of sympathy for the woman.

Giovanni said nothing, his focus on the sliding door to the back room. I heard what sounded like something, or someone, hitting the ground outside.

Danny must have tried to escape out a window.

Stupid.

As Giovanni rushed toward the back of the camper, I heard a scuffle happening outside. The camper’s front door opened again, and Danny was shoved inside.

Behind him, Giovanni’s main security detail offered Giovanni a smile as he said, “Thought you might want this one returned to you.”

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