Page 59 of His Vow
I didn’t really think Lucia’s father was involved, but I had to ask. Either way, it does nothing to wipe out the fact that I can never respect Franco Romano after the way he’s treated hisdaughter. Lucia is not a commodity to be used to increase the family’s social standing. It’s sexist behavior that belongs in the history books, not in modern Italy. But if this is the safest option I have to protect her, then I’m willing to swallow my pride and take it. I just hope she is too.
“Could you speak to her father?” I ask, as I doubt Franco would even take my call after our last exchange.
“Of course. I’ll do that now.” He straightens and steps back from my bed.
Nico stands as well. “I’ve got some calls to make,” he says by way of an excuse to leave. “Do you need anything before I go?”
“Just find out who is fucking with my family.”
He nods. “And congratulations to you and Lucia.”
“She didn’t want to make an announcement, so keep it to yourself,” I say, my body feeling as flat as a deflated balloon.
I close my eyes, concentrating on steadying my breathing because the deeper, lung-expanding inhales hurt like hell. The snick of the door closing leaves me alone with only the rhythmic beep of the machine for company.
What feels like only minutes later, Gio returns, his mouth pulled into a grimace. The expression he gets when a deal goes south.
“What the fuck has happened now?”
He releases a heavy sigh, and deep lines crease his forehead. “Franco is coming, and he’s bringing bodyguards. I had to tell him some of what happened, and unfortunately, he blames you for putting his daughter in danger.”
“Huh! As if he needed any more reasons to hate me. But I don’t care. As long as he can keep Lucia safe, then none of that matters.”
“I do have some good news. The jet will be landing in forty minutes, so she’ll be here soon.”
While Gio doesn’t know exactly how close Luce and I have become since the wedding, he can probably guess now that she’s carrying my child. Suddenly, it’s important for him to understand. “I love her. And she loves me. Our marriage might have been one of convenience, but it’s completely real now. Gio, I can’t let anything happen to her.”
“I understand,” he says, and I know he does. It wasn’t that long ago that he feared he’d lost the love of his life, Tori.
“What did you tell Luce had happened to me?”
“Just what I knew at the time, that you’d been mugged but were okay.”
I nod, glad she’ll hear the truth from me. She’s not going to want to go with her father, but when I explain that it’s the only way I can protect her this time, hopefully she’ll agree.
“While we wait, how about you start reading aloud those documents from Salvatore.”
And that’s what he does, stopping only when we get to a section that mentions a BB and DL as receiving hundreds of thousands of euros each from one of the LLCs.
“Of course there are no actual names,” I grumble, fucking tired of taking one step forward and two back.
“No, but we’ve got initials, and maybe the carabinierican fill in the gaps.” It’s unusual for Gio to be the positive one out of the two of us. But before I can ask him why that is, Lucia bursts through the door.
She’s a beautiful whirlwind of energy, and for the first time since Gio read that threatening message aloud, my fear for her safety is quieted. She rushes to my side, tears turning her eyes a watery green as, without a word, she bends to seal her lips to mine. A silky swish of her hair falls over my bare chest, and I breathe in her familiar floral fragrance. She smells of home, and I want to drink in her sweet taste as our tongues tangle. I lift ahand, then instantly drop it again with a pained groan that has Lucia jumping back.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“It’s okay. I just forgot to not move.”
“I’ve been so worried about you.” She swipes a few tears from her cheeks. “That flight was the worst twelve hours of my life.” She places a gentle hand on my cheek before bending to touch her lips to mine again.
A throat clearing has us both turning our heads in Gio’s direction. “I think I’ll just wait outside.”
And as the door closes behind him, Lucia launches into a series of rapid-fire questions. “Tell me what happened? Where does it hurt? Who did this?”
She stops to take a breath, and I jump in before she gets her second wind.
“Hey, I’m okay. A few cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder, bruising and split knuckles. No major organ damage, but I’ll be pissing blood for a few days.”
