Page 56 of Righteous Deceit

“Why are you here, Bianchi?”

I look at CJ. “Ranks are circling,” I tell him honestly. “They want her married.”

He tips his head back, the groan of disgust and frustration echoing toward the ceiling.

“You’d marry her?”

He looks me dead in the eye. “In a heartbeat.”

I stare at him.

“I love her. Not intimately. But I love her.”

I stand. “That’s as much as anyone can hope for in our world. Let me talk to her.”

I’ve reached his office door when he calls my name. I glance over my shoulder.

“Next time you want to see me, make an appointment. My time is more expensive than yours.”

I flip him off as I walk through the door.

CHAPTERTWELVE

ALESSIA

I’m shredding chicken to add to my salad when my front door handle rattles. A loud knock follows. “Alessia.” Salvatore’s voice carries through the door, and I move toward it.

I flick the three locks Diego installed—overkill, in my opinion, necessary in his—and open the door.

“Why the fuck is the door locked?” My brother kisses my cheek and brushes past me.

“I had my security systems redone. The lock mechanisms are automatic.”

“What if there’s a fire?”

I walk back into the kitchen. “I’ll break a window. Do you want lunch? I’m making a chicken salad.”

“If you throw that chicken and salad between two slices of bread, sure, I’ll take two.”

I sigh but retrieve a loaf of bread.

He busies himself with my coffee machine. “Espresso?”

“Please.”

We work in silence and eat in the same way. His visit isn’t unusual, but his demeanor is out of sorts. We spend a lot of time together, and conversation always flows effortlessly between us.

He finishes eating before I do and pushes his plate away. “What happened to your roses?”

“My what?” I pause with my fork at my lips.

“The rose bush outside your front door. The flowers are gone.”

Oh, Diego Greco trampled them when chasing me through my house in a mask.

I shrug nonchalantly. “They’re seasonal. I had to replant.”

He looks around my living and dining area, his gaze snagging on the new coffee and side table Diego had replaced after breaking into my home.

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