Page 51 of Secrets of the Brother
She picked up her caffe cup and brought it to her lips. “You almost sound like you are speaking from experience.”
In that moment, Cesare walked up. He leaned down and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Sorry that paperwork took so long,carissima.” He placed a protective hand on my shoulder as he stared down at Bianca. “Why is Alfonso not sitting with you?”
Translation, why the fuck is Bianca Moretti sitting with you?
Bianca’s cup clattered to the saucer. Her gaze shifted between me and Cesare and back.
She reached into her purse as she rose. Tossing a few euro onto the table, she glared at me. “It seems youwerespeaking from experience.”
I stood. “I can explain.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t bother.”
She turned and stormed away.
Cesare rubbed his forehead. “I can’t leave you alone for one moment without you getting into trouble.”
“This is hardly my fault. Alfonso is my witness. She walked up to my table and sat down!”
Alfonso raised up both of his palms. “Leave me out of this. I’m heading back to the villa.”
With that, he folded up his newspaper and walked off.
I slung my Alexandra De CurtisLorennavy tote over my forearm and pulled on the matching soft leather gloves, then turned so Cesare could slip my Falconeri Sabled Cashmere cream coat over my shoulders.
He hugged me briefly from behind before giving me a quick kiss on the neck. With his arm wrapped around my waist, he led me to his car parked around the building on the other side of the piazza.
“It was dangerous talking to her, Milana. The third man is still out there. We suspect Renata’s parents were involved in the Agnello property scheme and we can’t rule out that Bianca wasn’t as well.”
I rolled my eyes. “Trust me. She’s not involved. “
He opened the car door for me. “How do you know that?”
I turned to face him before getting in. “That poor girl is clueless,about alotof things.”
He pulled up the collar of my coat, inching me closer to him. I inhaled the familiar scent of his cologne, always a turn-on for me.
Leaning down, he kissed the edge of my mouth. “So did you at least learn anything interesting?”
CHAPTER13
AMARA
“Oh my God!”
Barone had just yanked the heavy wicker picnic basket out of the back seat of the Fiat Spider Lusso.
He dropped it back onto the seat and approached me. Cupping his hand around mine, he tilted the phone in my grasp so he could see the screen. “What has happened? Have they heard?”
We had come to the point in our relationship where we nowsharedmy phone for work and family. Since Barone’s disdain for mobiles was well known, staff and family had slowly started calling me to get ahold of him since we were almost always together. Now it was just an accepted thing.
“No. They are headed to Dr. Pontano’s now. Milana had a run-in with Bianca Moretti, Renata’s sister, at the cafe while she was waiting for Cesare.”
Barone frowned as he returned to unpacking the car.
We were at my mother’s cottage.
Enzo had thoughtfully repaired the damage wrought by my stepfather and stepbrother.
