Page 62 of Hers to Control

Well, if they’re headed to meet their boss, we might be going the same way. Still, I shoot a quick message to Gianna, alerting her to Angelo’s men being on the move. Something is definitely going on, and I speed to Gianna’s house, wanting to get there before Angelo’s men do.

This feels a little too much like the time I left Mia behind at the cabin. Only, she isn’t alone. Gianna is there. And Mikhail, which, oddly enough, is actually reassuring.

Fortunately, when I arrive at the villa, the only other car in the driveway is Riccardo Angelo’s Bugatti. It’s an easy car to recognize since it has a similar, if lesser, effect on me as seeing Mia naked. Not quite as potent, sure, but I definitely get hard for a Mistral.

When I reach the entrance door, Anton isn’t there to greet me and tell me where Gianna is. Shoulders tense, I head straight for her office, the most likely location to find her when she has business to discuss.

Before I reach the office, though, Anton leaves the room looking like he saw a fucking ghost. Alarm bells go off in my head, and I close the distance between us.

“Anton?” I ask, but the man doesn’t meet my eyes.

“I’ll take him,” Mikhail announces as he comes down the staircase. “Gianna told me to keep him somewhere until she can deal with him.”

“What the fuck is going on?”

Mikhail shrugs. “Not sure. Gianna is meeting with Angelo. She figured the asshole might not enjoy my presence, so I’ve been sharpening my knives.”

I nod at that. We might not share a lot in common, but the guy knows how to care for his tools and how to use them, too. Okay, maybe we’re not all that different, though I’m not about to braid him a friendship bracelet.

“I’ll see what’s going on,” I tell him and head to the office.

Anton closed the door behind him when he left, so I knock, waiting for Gianna to call me in.

“Who is it?” she asks, her tone giving away her stress and I hope Angelo doesn’t hear it.

“Eric.”

“Come in.”

Angelo and Gianna are both standing, with one of our capos, Romeo, and Angelo’s guy off to the side. Hardly the most relaxed-looking meeting I’ve ever walked in on.

Angelo looks me over carefully, determining what I’m carrying, I guess. He definitely seems wary. This whole thing isn’t making me feel good about having Mia in the house, and I wonder where she is, though I’m not about to ask Gianna in front of Angelo and his man.

“Gentlemen, why don’t we have a seat?” Gianna suggests, but at that moment, the doorbell rings, and Gianna shoots me a look.

“Check who it is.”

Angelo steps forward. “I believe that would be my men. I asked them to arrive later since I wanted to have this initial discussion in private to ensure…” He pauses briefly. “To ensure that nomisunderstandings would lead to any conflict we don’t wish to create. Perhaps my second in command, Toni Mancini, might join us inside now that you have invited Eric to be part of the conversation.”

Gianna huffs and I can tell she’s annoyed.

“Fine. Eric, you can let Toni in. And then it’s time to sit down and have some words.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Mia

When Eric leaves Gianna’s office to answer the door, I step in his way.

“What is going on? Does this have anything to do with me and the Russians? I heard them say my name, and I doubt that’s a good thing, given I’ve never met the man!”

Eric turns my way, his usually calm expression stormy. “I don’t know what’s going on yet, but you should stay out of sight.”

“That’s what I’ve been doing, but if this is about me, I want to know what’s going on.”

Footsteps and the rustling of clothes sound before Gianna and her guard step into the entrance area, followed by Angelo and his man. “I don’t see why you shouldn’t join us, Mia. Eric, please, letToni in and then let Mikhail know we are meeting in the dining room. He’ll sit in on this, too.”

Behind her, Angelo raises an eyebrow, but we all ignore him.

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