Page 39 of Angelo

Without missing a beat, Alessandro assured her, "Valentina will make it look like an accident."

Dios, the mafia and their accidents. But she chose not to dwell on it. At this point, their future plans with Valentina felt so very far away. They needed to survive the funeral first. They also needed to convince Benedetto of her undying loyalty without letting him find out that Alessandro was in on the—

The fuck?

Before she could finish her thoughts, something very distracting caught her eye. Elyse noticed that Alessandro had started to undress again. Her gaze widened when, seconds later, he stood before her in the nude.

"Are you crazy? The music box is right outside!" she squeaked. Completely unbothered, Alessandro stepped toward her. Elyse warned him, "Behave."

His hands settled on her hips. He started to toy with the buttons on her blouse. "Instead of scolding me, you should reward me for thinking two steps ahead."

She countered, “I feel like your lower brain is calling the shots right now."

He shrugged and argued with a coy look, "We should put on a convincing performance before stepping back outside. The water has been running,no? It would not make sense for us to emergedrywhen we are supposed to beshowering."

"I guess you have a point," Elyse admitted. Unrest continued to billow within her, though.

He reached over to caress her cheek. "Do not look so troubled,cuore mio. Come what may, at least, we are in this together."

She rested her face against his palm. “I feel like everything on the other side of this door is just waiting to swallow us whole. I fucking hate it."

"I hate it, too," Alessandro admitted, "but..."

"Yes?"

"Strength is formed when we are brought to our knees," he uttered softly, "it forces us to bear the weight so that, when we rise again, our steps will land with more conviction than before."

Elyse gazed up at him with her heart in her eyes. "I hope you're right,Alessio."

Moments later, husband and wife disrobed and stepped into the shower together. Obscured in mist and spray, they discussed their strategy regarding Benedetto as streams of water dripped down their bare skin. It seemed crucial to act as normal as possible in the presence of the music box. Their body language and conversations needed to strike a convincing balance between Elyse’s loyalty and Alessandro’s ignorance.

Elyse raised an important concern, "My grandfather may grow suspicious if we never talk about anything important. He’ll expect me to coerce a few worthwhile secrets from you."

Alessandro frowned for a pensive lull. "You raise a good point."

"We'll need to choose what to share with him very carefully."

But what could they share? It needed to be something that wouldn't jeopardize their safety but interesting enough to capture Benedetto's attention. Renata's memory card suddenly came to mind.

Before she could voice her idea, Alessandro arrived at the same conclusion, "You know, the data my mother collected is mostly useless now, but it's not common knowledge. I wonder if your grandfather might fall for it?"

Elyse smiled when she realized their minds were in sync. "I think it's worth a shot."

"It should buy us some time until the funeral."

The mention of Vincenzo's funeral sent ripples of anxiety through Elyse. Their day of reckoning was fast approaching. They had only five days left to prepare. Her conscience curdled with dismay. Bloodshed was on the horizon. She willed her nerves to temper and still.

"I will share some of my mother’s findings tonight," he offered, "for your grandfather’s sake."

“Let’s hope he buys into it.” Elyse stiffened her upper lip. This matter was settled, but more fires needed to be extinguished. With a grimace, she informed her husband, "There's one more thing you should know."

Alessandro glanced her way. A question lingered in his eyes. “Do not kill me with suspense, wife. Go on.”

"My grandfather understands English."

Brown and blue-gray eyes flickered with unease. "Cazzo. You know, I had my suspicions earlier about Benedetto, but I thought I was being paranoid.”

“Do you ever speak English around him when I’m not there?”

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