Page 55 of The Secrets We Keep

“Well.” He licked his lips. “I know what I’d like to taste.”

His eyes darkened when she rounded her mouth into an O. When he leaned forward, she quickly dumped the entire contents of the vial into his glass, grateful his body hid her hand from the view of the other table.

She expected him to go for her lips—Luca would hate that, she’d have to remember not to tell him—but instead he brushed a soft kiss on her cheek and whispered in her ear, “Maybe I’ll see you here again sometime soon.”

Sienna pulled back and smiled, trailing her tongue over her lower lip, satisfied when his eyes dropped to her mouth again. “Maybe you will.” When the waiter stepped up to the table with their dessert, she leaned back. “Thanks again for your help.”

“My pleasure.”

They both returned to their own tables seconds before Francesca stepped back onto the patio. She stalked across the space and flopped down into her chair with a huff. Sienna didn’t care to listen to whatever Francesca was getting ready to complain about, so she dropped bills on the table and pushed to her feet.

She passed them, turning to shoot a flirty wink at Maximo behind Francesca’s back. Maximo’s eyes darted from Francesca to her, and he smiled over the rim of his wineglass before taking a sip.

Forcing herself not to hurry, Sienna circled back toward the front door and around the side, stopping behind the privacy fence climbing with greenery that shielded the patio from the view of the street.

“Maximo!” Francesca shrieked. “Oh my God!”

There was the scramble of chairs scraping over the stone and desperate shouts for someone to call an ambulance. Francesca was sobbing and pleading with Maximo to just breathe.

Shifting, trying to find a clear view through the climbing vines, Sienna glimpsed Francesca sitting on the ground with Maximo’s head in her lap. Francesca was stroking his hair and talking to him. But when Maximo’s hand fell limply to his side, she let out a long, pained wail.

Whatever twinge of guilt Sienna might have felt was overcome by the satisfaction of knowing another one of her family’s murderers was dead. His final moments might have been brief, but she hoped he suffered through them.

Crossing the road, she climbed behind the wheel and fished her phone out of her purse. A few missed messages from Luca while she’d been in the restaurant filled the screen. Pulling away from the curb, she decided to call him, smiling when his voice filled her ear.

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Hey, baby girl.”

“Hey yourself,” Sienna replied, and Luca smiled. “What are you up to right now?”

“Working from home. Matteo is out, and the house is quiet. A nice change of pace. What are you doing?”

“Just finished lunch. Want to meet up?”

Luca checked his watch. He wanted nothing more. But there was no way he could squeeze in a six-hour drive and spending time with her today. And he had a late meeting with Matteo and Dom to plan their next series of hits that took staying over at her place off the table too.

“Unfortunately, I can’t. I’m swamped and don’t have the time.”

“What if I came to you?”

The smile in her voice had him doing the same. “To Palermo?”

“Yeah. Actually, what if I’m already here?”

Luca pushed off the couch and moved to the window looking out over the back of the estate as if he might somehow be able to see her. “You’re in the city?”

“I’m close. I’m in Trabia, and I want to celebrate. With you.”

“You killed someone.”

Her laugh was light and sweet and made him ache for her. “Don’t say it like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re proud of me or something.”

He grinned. “But I am proud of you.”

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