Page 19 of Lies like Rubies, Part One

He poured a finger of the Italianeau de vieand handed me the glass, watching me, his black eyes filled with intensity.

“What can I do for you?”

“I’m looking for someone,” he replied, swirling the clear liquor in his glass.

“Don’t be cryptic, Oscuro. You didn’t come to the States on vacation. Why are you here?”

“Sergio Accardi stole from me. He returned to Yorkfield last week.” Of their own volition, my eyes shot to Sofia. The last thing she needed was that asshole back in her life. The Irish ran him out of town as a favor to her sister. The Russos would’ve married her off to him and been done with it. Would still, the moment they found out he was home.

Why was he back?

“He seems to be quite interested in your kitten,” Dante continued.

“What does that mean?”

“I need intelligence,” Dante said, grimacing as he threw back the expensive liquor. “My businesses here are primarily to launder money. I’m not connected to the Italian-American community like you are.”

“Why aren’t you going directly to Tony Russo?”

He scoffed. “Because Tony Russo is a weak man whose empire is propped up by his daughters’ charm. Ginevra Russo saved him four years ago, and Sofia is saving him now. And he’s too stupid to realize it.”

I clenched my jaw, once again hating the truth of his words. “I don’t keep secrets from the Russos.”

Oscuro looked at me, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “I’m not asking you to keep secrets. Feel free to tell Tony that Accardi is in town, that he owes me a million euro, and that I intend to take it out of Accardi’s hide.”

A million fuckin’ euro.

He looked at me slyly. “I see the way you watch Sofia. She may be damaged goods, but she’s still a Russo, and Tony will marry her off in an instant if he thinks it’ll help him. Letting her fall into Accardi’s clutches would be a damn shame.”

Was I so transparent? “Accardi worked for Giovanni Costa before he left. If he’s really back, he’s with the Costas.”

Ifhe’s back. I snorted softly to myself. A man like Dante Oscuro didn’t fly all the way to Yorkfield from Sicily to chase a rumor. If Accardi were smart, he’d go after Sofia and Lizzie first and exploit those ties to keep him safe from Oscuro.

Oscuro’s gaze followed mine. Only a few visitors remained, including close family members and Oscuro. He crooked his finger, and Sofia wove her way around the garden furniture to join us. When he jerked his head at an empty chair, she dropped down into it with a wary glance at the two of us.

He poured another finger of grappa into his glass and passed it to her. Their fingers brushed when she took it, and I could feel the electricity sparking between them, the sexual tension obvious from several feet away. Jealousy wound through me once again, hot and painful, but, as Sofia had pointed out so adroitly only a few hours before, I lost the right to those feelings years ago.

She kicked off her heels and folded her legs under her on the chair, still elegant but looser and more relaxed than I’d seen her in a long time. I’d give an arm to understand why she felt safe enough to relax around Oscuro.

“What’s up?”

“Sergio Accardi’s back in town,” I told her.

She frowned. Sofia was an accomplished liar. She had to be, to tolerate the bullshit her family threw at her every day, and she didn’t even bother pretending this was a surprise. “So I’m told,” she answered slowly, swirling the clear liquid in her glass.

How did she know? Oscuro stared at my girl like a lion eyeing its prey.

“We’ll bump up security on you and Lizzie,” I promised.

Her lips curved into a cynical smile. Lost in my gratitude for whatever miracle made Sofia feel like she could lower her icy mask around me, I almost missed her response. “Will you, Lorenzo? What does that look like, exactly? A man at my apartment, reporting my movements back to you and Papà?” Her eyes cut to Oscuro. “No, thank you.”

Sergio Accardi was back in town, and she was worried about her fucking privacy? “Your priorities are fucked up, Miss Russo. Nothing’s more important than your safety. And Lizzie’s.”

She scoffed and downed the rest of her drink. I noted how careful she was to avoid Dante’s touch when she handed him his glass back. “Nothing is more important thanLizzie’ssafety.”

“And how are you going to accomplish that?” I snapped, furious at her casual disregard for her family’s protection. “You havenothingyour family doesn’t provide for you.”

Sofia flinched, and I immediately regretted my cruelty.

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