Page 75 of War Within
“No.” Shaking my head, I exhaled. “I mean, I did. We broke up about a year ago. She couldn't handle my line of work.”
“Hey, I heard you'd be coming.”
Jane had snuck up on us from behind. We both turned to see her and Valentina hovering over us wearing their swimsuits with towels tucked under their arms. Valentina offered a small wave and smile, remaining quiet.
“Yeah, G..Mr. Rovati sent me here to keep an eye on things.”
I stood, holding my palm out for Lily. She wrapped her fingers around my hand, allowing me to pull her to her feet. Smiling, she opened her mouth to speak, but Jane interrupted.
Jane pivoted to the girls. “Can you please excuse us for a few minutes?”
Lily’s eyelids fluttered as she slowly turned away. It was hard to tear my focus away from her. Valentina caught me staring at Lily. She smiled back over her shoulder, causing me to avert my attention to Jane immediately.
They battled the resistance of the sand under their feet, moving further away. It was hard to keep my concentration on Jane, but I managed. The moment they were out of earshot, Jane spun to me crossing her arms over her stomach.
“We need to talk.” Her expression suddenly softened. She clutched her hands over her chest, dramatically.
My right eye twitched as I stroked the stubble on my chin. Something wasoff. I was unusually fantastic at discerning people’s true intentions. It was a gift. Sadly, Giovanni had not sensed this. Maybe I was being overly suspicious, and she was still angry after everything she had been through. Perhaps it was finally settling in, and I was reading into it.
She sighed, running her fingers up and down her forearm. “Giovanni told me more about how he knew you, so I know the whole story, I think. About how you guys were torn apart? While I'm upset you worked for Marco, I know there is a heart in there that saved me, a heart that’s still Giovanni's best friend.”
Deciding I should be nice for the sake of my friend and knowing I may be assuming the worst without proof, I smiled. Masking my suspicion, I removed my sunglasses so she could look into my eyes. “I need to tell you something.”
Brow arched, she lifted her hand to her jaw. It was as if she were trying to disguise her own emotions. I had never seen expressions alter so much unless the person was guilty of something.
“So, you know Gio and I were once really close. Before we were no longer able to talk to each other, we made an agreement. Did he tell you that part?”
She tilted her head. “No?”
“No matter what happened or where our lives took us, we would always find our way back. We came up with code words. If something ever happened, we could get a message to each other.”
She gulped, puckering her lips, shifting her weight. I hoped that worried her just a bit. I wanted her to know where my loyalty would always be if she tried anything. Yes, I rescued her, but it was for him.
“I don’t understand why you were with Marco if you and Giovanni were so close.” She gripped her hips.
Nodding, I smirked. “That’s complicated, but it gave me a chance to save you, didn’t it?”
Posture relaxing, she averted her gaze.
“Marco told me to kill you. Instead, I took you to safety. In the abandoned house, I tried to get you alone to tell you my plan, but Marco would not let me alone with you.”
“Oh.” Her mood diminished completely. “I don’t know what to say, except thank you.”
“No problem.” I shrugged, rolling my tongue across my bottom lip. “From the bottom of my heart, I’m truly sorry. I hope you will forgive me.”
Sighing, she twirled a strand of her hair around her finger before meeting my gaze. “I’m not sure I forgive you yet, but I’ll try.”
Wow. Gnawing the inside of my cheek, I nodded. “I totally understand.”She was terrible for Giovanni.
“Instead of us talking about this,” she glanced back over her shoulder, “let’s talk about why you were gawking at my friend.”
“I don't know what you mean.”
She giggled, looking back over her shoulder once again. “You girls can come back now!”
Later in the evening, as I was checking doors and windows, I noticed Valentina was missing. I knew she had not snuck off the island and there were cameras all over. There was only one place she could have been.
I sauntered outside to the long, back deck that stretched around the back of the house. There she was, standing down on the beach, close to the ocean, looking out across the water. Trekking through the sand, I came to a standstill behind her.
