Page 47 of Little Dove

“Fine,” I tell Mario briskly. “Please make note of the list she gave and have it sent to me so we can replicate it before we get home.”

“No problem. And, Lazaro, I will let you know thatSignoraStanley is still not fully comfortable with the other women, but she has relaxed the longer she spends with them.”

I frown at that. “Have they been unkind to her?” I demand. I don’t give a damn who they are, they will not treat her with anything less than respect. It’s the least she deserves.

“No, nothing like that,” he assures me. “ButSignoraStanley isn’t like Gia and Sienna, and she is slower to come out of hershell. She is struggling to find her place, but this is helping. The other women have been kind and eager to make her comfortable with them. I merely tell you so that you know what to expect.” He gives me a pointed look before adding, “She strikes me as the kind of woman that does not want interference when she wants to handle things on her own.”

That may be, but she’s going to have to get used to that. I nod to let him know I’ve picked up on his warning, before I step around him and enter the room. I stop just inside the door and stare around, wide-eyed. Holy shit, Nico is going to be pissed if he cared about this space at all.

The walls are a dark, moody gray color, but from the way things are moved all around the room, the women have been hard at work in getting it exactly right. I see a salon sink and chair that looks like it’s just been brought in, with a few other tables and chairs scattered around, along with some bins of what looks like instruments and products. Right now, all the women are standing in the middle of the room, discussing the best placement for things.

“I think you need to put your station on the far wall,” Sienna suggests, hands on her hips as she looks around thoughtfully. “It’s got the most space, and then you can set up the shampoo bowl on this right-hand wall and we can put the shelf with all your spare supplies above it so it’s in easy reach.”

“I don’t want my back to the door,” Amara says firmly. “I won’t know if people are coming and going. I think my station needs to go on the left wall, and the shampoo bowl on the back. Besides, the plumber that came in already said that the back wall has better and easier access for the water and drains that will need to be added in.”

“I think that’s better too,” Gia agrees. “Then you can have a little sitting area as soon as you come in, and a shelf orsomething that can hold all your spare supplies. It will function and flow better for you.”

“Fine, but can we at least paint this room a less dreary color?” Sienna whines. “It’s so gloomy. You need some brightness to make it more homey and cozy feeling.”

“I kind of agree with her,” Rori chimes in. “Or, if you don’t want to do the whole room, at least do an accent wall or something in a slightly brighter color.”

They continue to talk, still not noticing my presence. I look over into the corner of the room, and I see two soldiers putting together a shelf, talking quietly. I tense knowing that they’re in here, but I also see that they’re two of my own men, so I manage to keep my unhappiness at bay. For now.

“Oh, there you are, Lazaro!” Sienna says excitedly, bringing me out of my thoughts. Sienna moves toward me, but my attention stays on Amara, taking her in. Her face flushes when my gaze connects with hers, and I can’t help but smile, even when she looks away shyly. “Come and give us your opinions,” Sienna invites when she reaches me, craning her head back to look up at me.

“I don’t need to give an opinion.” I follow her over to the group, and maneuver myself to stand directly behind Amara, who stiffens slightly when I place my hands on her shoulders. Then she relaxes and I feel her body swaying back toward mine, as if on instinct, and I step forward to let her nestle back against me. She stiffens again, as if she’s just realized what she’s done, but she doesn’t pull away. Progress, and one that pleases me immensely. “Whatever Amara wants is what she gets. She knows what’s best,” I finish firmly.

Rori grins up at me, while Gia smiles, and Sienna rolls her eyes. “Of course you say that.” Sienna sighs. “Okay, fine. How many days did they say before this is ready?” She looks at Gia for the answer.

“The plumber and electrician that Nico has on staff said they can have it done tomorrow if they start tonight. To get everything else in place, the day after will be the first day it can be used.”

“Damn that’s fast,” Amara gasps. “Really? That sounds almost impossible. And how on earth did you get all of this in here so fast, by the way?”

Gia gives a simple shrug. “When you’re the wife of the Don, people jump to help you. Either to stay on Nico’s good side, or because of the tip they hope to get.”

“There’s perks to being rich and dangerous,” Sienna jokes.

Amara doesn’t reply to that, but she turns her head slightly and I can see the small frown on her lips, and the worry in her eyes. Shit. What’s that about?

“What matters,” Gia continues, oblivious to Amara’s inner turmoil, “is that you’re going to have your salon in just a couple days. And we can make sure you have everything just how you want it.”

“This seems like so much to do for me when I might not be here very long,” Amara points out carefully.

Sienna and Gia share a look, but Gia quickly assures her, “Don’t worry about it. It’s a fun project, and then when this is all done, you can take everything and set up your new shop you were talking about, right?”

Amara doesn’t look convinced, but she slowly nods. Yeah, I don’t want her thinking too hard about this. That’s not an argument I want to get into with her right now.

“Good. Let’s get out of here and let these guys work. The sooner they finish, the sooner you can get started on our hair,” Sienna beams. “And just so we’re clear, I want to do something bright and colorful this time. We need it around here.”

“We need it so we can find you when you get lost.” Rori snickers. “Just look for the beacon running around.” She yelpswhen Sienna slaps her hard on the arm. “Bitch,” she hisses, rubbing the sting. “You keep hitting me and I’m going to pound you into the mats the next time we spar.”

“You can try.” Sienna sneers. “You’re getting slow with all the training you’ve been missing. I’ll be able to take you out with a few well-placed hits.”

Rori narrows her eyes. “Is that so? You want to put your money where your mouth is?”

In response, Sienna heads for the door, Rori and Hades quickly following her. I see Mario trailing them, leaving me alone with Gia and Amara. “Should we follow them?” Amara asks worriedly.

“I’m not getting in the middle of that,” Gia says firmly. “They’re best friends, but the two of them have the strangest relationship I’ve ever seen. Besides, they won’t really hurt each other.” Though that last statement doesn’t sound all that convincing if you ask me, and from the expression on Amara’s face, she doesn’t believe it either. “While they do that, I need to get a few things of my own done. Are you going to be alright?” she asks Amara.

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