Page 82 of Savage Prince

“With that little unaccounted rest stop,” Antonio murmurs, keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead, “I don’t think we’ll have time to swap out the car. I’ll stick to the side streets and hope for the best.”

“Okay.”

We lapse into silence once again, and this time keeping quiet is almost impossible. A part of me needs to know if he feels this weird connection as intensely as I do, but the other half is terrified to ask. Mostly because I’m sure he does. And I don’t know what that means for either of us.

So I spit out the first thing that comes to mind instead. “Where are we going to sleep tonight?” Really, I want to know if we’ll have another chance to fuck before he drops me off with Alessandro. Because it’s only been a few times and I’m already hopelessly addicted to that cock, to that man’s fingers, to his tongue…

I blink quickly, trying to chase away the heated thoughts before I work myself up again. Hell, who am I kidding? I could go again right now. I’m tempted to reach across the console and slip my hand into his pants just to feel his silky hardness again.

I’m so wrapped up in the idea, I don’t realize he’s already answered me. “Huh?”

“I said we can’t stay at your apartment for obvious reasons, but I have a friend in the city, the one who is a genius hacker.”

“Oh, right.” I glance down at the purse between my feet. “We should probably check if he’s responded to your messages.”

“Yes, and I’m going to need you to send him another one informing him of our arrival.”

“Or we could stay with my friend, Santi.”

“Not a good idea. The smaller number of people we involve the better. Otherwise, there are too many possibilities for leaks.”

“Santiago is one of my best friends,” I hiss. “He would never betray me.”

“How well do you really know him? Do you know anything about his family? How long have you known him?”

Well, shit, maybe I don’t know that much about Santi. “Four months now,” I mumble. That’s the only answer I have.

“We’ll stay with Valerio.”

Fine then. I reach for the phone and pull up the most recent messages, easily finding Valerio. Antonio hasn’t reached out to a single soul besides him. Me, on the other hand, I’m twitching to send out a few more messages to Bella, Matty, and the whole cousin crew, not to mention my mom. Even thoughPapàis being an overprotective dick, I know Mom would understand.

“Tell Valerio we’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“That’s it? You’re not even going to ask if we can stay?”

He shakes his head. “He’ll understand it’s urgent.”

I type out the message and wait for a response. Despite the late hour, it comes almost instantly in the form of two letters.OK. I guess this Valerio guy is a man of few words. Then again, I’d be pretty grumpy if someone woke me up in the middle of the night and told me they were coming over.

Before long, we’re pulling into an underground garage in a modern apartment in the center of Milano. It looks a lot like mine, only a few floors shorter, made entirely of tinted glass windows and heavy security along the perimeter.

What exactly does this Valerio guy do for a living anyway?

I’m about to ask when we’re stopped at the gate and a scary looking tattooed guy bends over the driver’s side window and stares into the car. “I.D.,” he barks, clutching a tablet to his barrel chest.

Antonio shakes his head, steely determination in his eyes. “The name is Giovanni. I’m here to see Valerio Palermo.” His dark brows furrow but before he can open his mouth, Toni barks again, “Just check the damn list forSignorPalermo.”

“Listen—”

Toni raises a hand, moving so fast my head spins. He has the guy by his necktie, using it as a noose around his throat. He jerks him into the driver’s side window and tightens his grip. “Don’t make me kill you for no reason. Just search the list,stronzo. You’ll find my name along with detailed instructions.”

He tries to nod but with Antonio choking the shit out of him his head barely moves. Finally, he releases the security guard and the man coughs and splutters, catching his breath before he scans the tablet. “Ah, here you are,signore.”

He flicks a button on the screen, and the gate opens. Antonio offers a tight smile before driving through. “Coglione,” he mutters.

I nearly choke on a laugh. “Him? He’s just trying to do his job. You were the asshole who tried to suffocate him for it.”

He shrugs. “I’m not showing anyone my I.D., not until you’re safe and sound, flying thousands of miles away from here.”

---