Page 60 of The Thief

I open my mouth to correct her assumption, but before I can speak, her stomach growls loudly. “Have you eaten?” I demand.

“Not really.”

“In that case, we’re going to dinner.” I lift her to her feet. “According to Ignazio, you like Quadri.”

“Ignazio, that kid that was tailing me?” she asks ruefully. “I feel bad for him. I strong-armed him into letting me into your house. Is he in trouble?”

“No, it’s not his fault. He just followed instructions. My men have standing orders to let you into my house whenever you want.”

Her eyes widen. As much as she wants to pretend otherwise, she recognizes the significance of my revelation. And she’s struggling with how to respond. Finally, she says, “It’s after ten. Quadri will be closed by the time we get there.”

Yes.She turned down my dinner invitation last week, but she’s accepting it now. I love it. My sweet, elusive thief is finally in my grasp, and I don’t intend to let her go.

I help her get dressed and zip her up. “As you pointed out, tesoro, I’m the king of Venice. They’ll stay open for me.”

32

ANTONIO

Valentina is nowhere to be seen when we emerge from the private room, and neither is Enzo. I’m not bothered by it, but Lucia is. We head to the coat check and retrieve our phones. While I call Quadri and give them a heads-up that we’ll be dining there, Lucia checks her messages. “She hasn’t texted me,” she says. “It’s weird that she would leave without a word.”

“Maybe she’s in a private room with Peron,” I suggest. I happen to know that Enzo and Valentina aren’t involved, but Lucia might not.

She shakes her head. “No, she’s not interested in him. I should drop by her place and make sure she’s okay.”

I’m not about to let her go. “Dante might know where she is.” I text him, and he responds immediately.

She had a migraine, and I took her home.

“She’s not feeling well,” I tell Lucia. “She went home.”

“What do you mean she’s not feeling well?” Lucia demands. “What’s wrong with her?”

She sounds on the verge of panic. Given what happened to her mother, I’m not surprised. “She gets migraines,” I reply, squeezing her hand reassuringly. “She’s been getting them ever since Angelica was born. The attacks usually only last a few days. She’ll be fine by the weekend.”

She opens her mouth to ask me another question, and I can guess it’s probably about Valentina’s daughter. She’s on the verge of abandoning me to go be with her friend. If I were a better person, I’d let her. But I’m selfish and greedy for her company. “Knowing Dante, he’s probably watching Angelica while she recovers.”

“Dante?”

“My second-in-command. You met him in?—”

“I know who Dante is. Why is Angelica with him?”

“He’s her uncle.” She’s still looking freaked out. “Are you okay, Lucia?”

“I’m fine,” she lies, giving me a bright, false smile. My sweet thief doesn’t like her vulnerabilities on display. “Let’s go to dinner.”

* * *

We arriveat Quadri twenty minutes later. Stefano and Goran are on guard duty today, and they won’t let me enter until they have checked out the premises. Thankfully, it doesn’t take them long. It’s late, and while the restaurant isn’t closed, it’s definitely emptying out. There are only a handful of people left, lingering over their dessert.

Lucia watches them as they do a sweep of the room. “This is a little intimidating,” she says. “Is this your life? Does this happen every time you go out for dinner?”

“Regrettably, yes. There are times when I can get away without guards, but not now.”

“Because of the Russian guns.” She links her arms with mine. “That’s fair. It seems foolish to chafe at the restrictions that keep you safe.”

“They don’t keep you safe. They just minimize the danger.” There’s no such thing as perfect safety in my life. I’m so used to it that I don’t even register it any longer, but it’s clearly new to Lucia.

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