Page 8 of No Stone Unturned

She fell silent, returning her head to his chest. He liked that she didn’t try to change his mind with false assurances. Still, he wasn’t sure what he’d do about her father, so his mind added it to the part of his brain assigned to work on long-term problems. That was going to take time, finesse, and perhaps an entirely different approach.

He stroked a hand down her arm. Soft skin, a brilliant mind, and a kind heart. When he bent to kiss the top of her head, the sparkle of his Nonna’s engagement ring caught his eye. Emotion tightened his throat. He’d asked her to be his wife and soon she’d be part of his family. As far as he was concerned, it couldn’t happen fast enough.

“Slash, I’m still thinking about the firecrackers and the Bible verse,” she suddenly said. “Those are just really odd ways of getting your attention. Almost theatrical. Do you know what I mean?”

He continued to stroke her hair. “I know what you mean.”

“If it were someone from your past, like from the Vatican or something, wouldn’t there be a specific protocol if they had to reach out to you?”

“There is, and this is not it.” Messages were always sent through approved channels with specific passwords and clear instructions. Fireworks seen by dozens of people and a Bible verse left out in the open where anyone could have found it were not approved methods.

“So, whowouldapproach you this way?” she probed. “Who would cite a Bible verse insinuating you’re wicked and have lost your way, shaming you into returning to Italy?”

He dropped his hand from her hair and rested it on her shoulder. He’d considered many possibilities, but discarded them all. None of it made sense. He’d done many things in his life he wasn’t proud of. But those were done under orders, to serve a higher power and bigger purpose. His work at thesodalitium pianum,the top-secret intelligence agency whose existence the Vatican still publicly denied, had hardened him, made him into the man he was today. He was a dangerous man with a past that, if exposed, could hurt a lot of people. A possible chess piece in a game he knew nothing about.

Yet.

But who would summon him like that, and for what purpose?

“It’s someone who can’t, or doesn’t know how, to reach me through normal protocol,” he finally answered. “Someone who thinks I’m susceptible to intimidation.”

“Well then, clearly someone who doesn’t know you well.”

He smiled at the conviction in her voice. “Possibly.”

She sat up, crossing her legs and pulling the sheet against her chest. He immediately missed the skin-to-skin connection. “Slash, do you trust me?” she asked.

He paused, wary of the question and yet intrigued as to why she asked. “With my life.”

“Good. Because when I accepted your proposal, I signed up to work through the hard stuff. This letter, Bible verse, firecracker thing could turn into hard stuff. So, I want you to know you can count on me. That’s part of the couple deal, right?”

Her sincerity gutted him. He didn’t deserve this woman. “Right. Now, I wantyouto know something,cara.” He gently cupped one of her cheeks in his hand. “I’m deeply and intentionally in love with you. You can rest assured I’m not going to let anything touch what we have. You—our life—it means everything to me.”

He kept his voice calm, but his insides were churning. Their relationship was on the line and something, orsomeone, was coming for him. For what purpose, he didn’t know.

She studied his eyes, looking for any double meanings or perhaps trying too hard to interpret what he meant by that. Thankfully, she didn’t ask. He would never lie to her and they were veering dangerously close to topics he didn’t want to discuss.

She furrowed her brow in an expression of disapproval, which meant this discussion wasn’t over. Lexi was like that when she encountered a problem—deliberate and incredibly reluctant to let something go until she’d discovered all its secrets.

Mio Dio.

How would he keep her out of this? That part of his life was over, and he couldn’t stand for her to know any of the details. He’d been a soldier of God, had always done as he was asked to serve the greater good, even when his actions left him riddled with guilt and shame. But that was before he had anything to lose. This life with Lexi—he’d earned it. So as far as he was concerned, the greater good could be damned from this point forward.

“I’ll take care of everything,” he said firmly. “I promise you that.”

He didn’t give her a chance to respond. Lowering his head, he softened his mouth against hers, sinking into the comfort that was her. After a moment of hesitation, she relaxed against him and wound her arms around his neck, threading her fingers through his hair.

For once in his life, he had something precious to protect. That meant only one thing.

He’d never let anyone touch what he had with her.

Ever.

Chapter Seven

Lexi

I dreamt I was in Italy with Slash’s grandmother, Nonna, chasing me around the kitchen table with a wooden spatula telling me I was leading her grandson down the path of perdition for living in sin with him. Church bells rang loudly, bringing both of us to a sudden halt at the table, staring at each other in surprise. Then, with a gasp, I woke and realized it was Slash’s phone that had been ringing and he’d already picked it up and was talking.

---