Page 125 of Empire of Temptation

I reached for an empty glass and the open bottle. “Exactly what I needed. Thanks for breakfast, Mags.”

She put a hand on the bottle, stopping me. “Let’s start with coffee instead, okay? Adam, will you grab Val a cup of something strong andblack?”

“Sure.” Adam was a guy we went to high school with, and he’d been working at the winery for a few years. He walked toward the bar while Maggie asked the other men to give us a minute.

When we were alone, she said, “I know you’re heartbroken, but let’s wait until five o’clock before we start drinking.”

“How about noon?”

My friend didn’t laugh. “Val, he’s not worth it. No man is worth it. But especially not a criminal who lies to you and wants to turn you over to the Italian police!”

I’d confessed everything to her yesterday in a blubbering mess as I demolished a box of tissues. “I know. I just . . . I need this feeling to go away.” I rubbed my chest, which felt hollow and sore. “I’m so tired of being sad, Mags.”

Maggie’s expression softened as she squeezed my arm. “I know, babe. This is a lot on top of the grief you’ve been dealing with the past few years. It hardly seems fair. Which is why I’m going to kick that Italian in the nuts if I ever see him again.”

“I’d like to see you do that, actually.”

“Has he tried to contact you yet?”

“I don’t know. I still haven’t turned my phone back on.”

Yesterday I used Maggie’s phone to check in on Roberto’s condition as well as to touch base with Giovanni. Roberto assured me that he was fine, but I insisted he take a few days off to rest. Giovanni seemed to have the trattoria well in hand and he told me not to come in last night. I decided that one evening off wouldn’t hurt anything.

Two mugs of coffee arrived, one for me and one for Mags. Hers was light with cream, exactly as she preferred. We thanked Adam and he left the tasting room.

“He knows how you like your coffee,” I said as I lifted the mug to my lips. “Interesting.”

“Shut up.” Maggie’s lips curled like she was fighting a smile. “He’s my employee.”

“Which means you’ve thought about it.” I sipped my coffee and the almond liqueur hit me immediately.God bless Adam. He’d spiked my coffee. “This is the best coffee I’ve ever had. I think you should marry him.”

Her brow wrinkled as her eyes narrowed. “Don’t be weird. And why are we talking about me? I want to talk aboutyou.”

“There’s not much to say. We’re done.”

“Do you think he’ll go back now?”

“I assume so. There’s nothing keeping him here. My father didn’t kill that girl and I’m certainly not getting on a plane bound for Italy. Luca can deal with his own problems from now on.”

“Oh, shit.” Maggie’s eyes were focused on something behind me. “Don’t look now, but here comes your wanna-be kidnapper.”

Fuck.

My entire body clenched, muscles tightening in shock. “Donotleave me alone with him.”

“Don’t worry, girl, I’m one step ahead of you.” Maggie darted around the table and put her back to mine, her front facing Luca. “We’re closed, sir.”

I could see his reflection in the glass, how he stopped halfway across the floor and slipped his hands in his pockets. “Signorina Fiorentino. I would like a moment with Valentina, per favore.”

“There’s no Valentina here.”

I heard Luca sigh. “I have no time for games, signorina.”

“This is my girlfriend,” Maggie tried. “And she’s not out, so if you don’t mind? Skedaddle.”

“Valentina, amore,” he said in his deep, accented voice that I loved so much. “I need to speak with you.”

There was no use dragging this out. I just needed him to go away. “I told you to text me.”

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