Page 58 of Diavolo

Finally, after a long moment of deliberation, Alessandro nodded toward a small cluster of dark-haired men standing across the room."They—are not our friends."

"Who are they?"

"Stidda."

This was all Elyse could pry out of Alessandro before they were approached by some French bankers. As Alessandro fell into a deep conversation with the newcomers, Monte and Luca began to converse in Italian behind her. Their voices were hushed, and her Italian was still on very shaky ground, but a single word kept jumping out at Elyse. They said it three times.

Malattia—asinillness.

Elyse thought she also heard Monte mutter the wordcancro, but she couldn't be sure. It meantcancer. As chatter continued to flow around her, Elyse gave nothing away with her expression, but she desperately wanted some peace and quiet. Just a few minutes to figure out if the tidbits she'd eavesdropped from Monte and Luca added up to anything significant. Were theytalking about an acquaintance who had been diagnosed with cancer? Or was it mafia code for some nefarious activity that she didn't understand?

The whole evening was giving Elyse a migraine. She'd been surrounded by members of the Colombian cartel and Italian mafia for the past few hours. She'd also been forced to smile and simper at intolerable, old men all night. A few minutes later, she excused herself to the ladies' room. Just to catch a breather. Alessandro was too involved with the Frenchmen to accompany her, so he, very reluctantly, sent Monte in his place after Elyse promised that they would return within ten minutes. Monte waited outside in the hallway for her.

"I'll be out soon," Elyse told him as she entered the restroom.

Monte merely grunted in response.

The interior of the ladies' room was as lovely and extravagant as the rest of Hotel Imperial. There was even a goddamn chandelier dangling from the ceiling. With a heavy sigh, Elyse sank into one of the tufted velvet chairs to decompress. She inhaled a few breaths in and exhaled a few more out. When her nerves finally felt slightly more settled, Elyse rose from the chair to gather her thoughts. Malina had advised her to watch and learn if she didn't know how to help the situation.

Whatwasthe situation? Elyse tried to replay each piece of information that she had gathered so far. Alessandro was likely working hand in hand with the cartel. Was he involved in drug trafficking? Cocaine, perhaps? TheStiddawas probably a rival syndicate. Did they want to steal from Alessandro's business? Or had they become adversaries for another reason? Then, there were the businessmen and politicians whom Alessandro had been in contact with all night. Were they involved in the mafia's criminal activities as well? As Elyse paced and paced around the ladies' room, she soon came to realize that there was an adjoining lounge connected to the restroom. It had a separateand unguarded exit. Her heart rate sped up. All thoughts of Alessandro, the cartel, and theStiddadisappeared. Opportunity called to her like a flame to a moth.

Run.

Elyse's heart and her mind went to war with one another. Half of her wished tostay, stay, staywith Alessandro. He might still be in danger, after all. He might need her help if someone tried to hurt him. Yet, her other half screamed torun, run, run. Common sense told Elyse that an impromptu escape was a terrible idea. Downright stupid. This shit needed to be planned out ahead of time. It seemed utterly insane to expect to stroll out of this hotel, undetected, into the streets of Paris in a goddamn evening gown. Monte was waiting at the other exit for her. It wouldn't take long for him to discover that she had slipped away.

However, she might not chance upon another opportunity like this one before the wedding. Instinct overrode everything else. A panic attack hastened her to act. Like a fugitive on the run, she started hurrying toward the exit. So muddled was her mind at the moment, Elyse didn't even know if she intended to follow through with this crazy foolishness.

She was just thinking about turning back when a soft, feminine voice called to her, "Pardon, mademoiselle!I think you dropped your lipstick."

"It's not mine," Elyse growled over her shoulder. She didn't slow her stride. Maybe she simply needed to step outside for a minute. Some fresh air might calm her nerves.

The same voice asked pointedly, "You are Dr. Romero,no?"

Elyse halted in mid-step. How did this bitch know her name? Elyse turned around. Annoyance wrinkled across her brow, but then her green gaze widened as she came face to face with a statuesque blonde woman with angelic blue eyes. The blonde beauty smirked at her. "Pleased to meet you, Dr. Romero. I have heard so much about you from Alessandro."

Trepidation arose as Elyse scrutinized the woman standing before her. For some reason, this stranger looked familiar. A sense of foreboding settled over Elyse. Her green eyes widened as, suddenly, she recognized the woman as the blonde from the clinic. The night Marcello was shot. Could this woman also be—

The blonde extended her hand and introduced herself, "I am Valentina Rizzo. Alessandro's stepsister."

Elyse's jaw tightened by a fraction. It would seem Malina had been right again. Valentina had, indeed, made the first move. With a strained smile, Elyse accepted Valentina's hand. She shook it firmly. "A pleasure, Ms. Rizzo."

"Congratulations on the engagement, by the way," Valentina cooed. "I have known my dear brother for almost ten years now, and I have never seen him settle for only one woman. You must be quite a catch, Dr. Romero."

Malina's warning crept through her head.Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.Elyse feigned a smile. "Thank you, Ms. Rizzo."

"I must commend you for being such an understanding woman," Valentina remarked with a shrewd expression. "Many brides-to-be would not be so forgiving in your position."

Elyse eyed the other woman warily. "I'm not sure I follow? I didn't realize there was anything that needed to be forgiven."

She wondered where Valentina was headed with this backhanded compliment. She didn't need to wait long. The blonde's gaze soon locked onto Elyse's ringless hand. Valentina scoffed as though offended for Elyse, "What in the world was Alessandro thinking? Proposing without a diamond? You should not have agreed to marry him without securing a ring."

Technically, Alessandro hadn't proposed to her yet. Not officially. She hadn't agreed to marry him, either. But Valentina didn't need to be privy to this information. Elyse sighed, "I don't need a ring to be happy."

In fact, she'd be thrilled if Alessandro called off their wedding altogether. Valentina seemed oblivious to Elyse's true feelings about the matter of marriage. She tittered sweetly, but her expression turned feral. "Such a diplomatic response. What a good wife you will be. I do wonder, though—"

Elyse eyed the blonde with caution. Valentina glanced toward the second exit, grinning much like a triumphant fox cornering a hen when she trilled, "Where were you headed earlier? If I had not stopped you, would you already be on your way to the nearest airport?"

So, Valentina figured it out. She knew that Elyse had been trying to slip out the back door. Anxiety bristled through her. Was this bitch going to tell Alessandro about her laughable, lame-ass attempt to run away? How would Alessandro react once he found out?Dios, she was such a fuckingidiota. Elyse released a silent train of expletives. She should've never tried to walk out of the restroom in the first place. Unease bled into a heady mix of dread, her face grew hot with embarrassment, but, miraculously, Elyse managed to keep her response relatively dignified. She touched her temple. "I had a migraine, so I was hoping to get some fresh air. I would've come back after a few minutes."