Page 6 of Enduring Caine
“And that the codeine bottle was suspicious.”
Her lip curled, and she glared at the door I’d come through, as though casting an evil spell at the customs agent. “You have a prescription for that.”
“I can’t even talk about it.”
“Alright.” She brushed her palm across mine, intertwining our fingers. “Call your travel agent and book us on another flight?”
I brought her hand to my lips and held it against my chest. “We’ll get there sooner if we take the train from Termini. I’m not in the mood for more airline security today.”
“Fair enough.” She pulled her hand free and stood to give me the smile I normally gave her. The one that went with the wave of my hand to dismiss things she stressed over. “Which direction?”
I pointed to the exterior doors down the hall. “We’ll grab a taxi.”
“Perfetto!” she announced through a yawn.
Before retrieving my bag, I got up and stepped close to her, into the circle of calm she was attempting to exude, and kissed her forehead. “Grazie mille.”
She stroked a hand down my cheek and smiled. “I just want a nap.”
“You didn’t sleep at all on the flight?” I knelt to pick up my bag, more comfortable than leaning over.
Samantha hummed aloud. “Did you already call a car?”
“No,” I said as I straightened. “They had my phone in the room.”
“Because…” She shifted so her body was between me and the exit doors. “There’s a driver with a sign for Dr. Antonio Ferraro. That would be an awfully big coincidence if he was here for someone else with the same name and title.”
I looked over her shoulder and spotted the man with the chauffeur’s sign in his narrow black suit. A rock settled deep in my gut. I didn’t recognize the man, but things clicked in my brain. Elliot’s warning about my uncle having plans for me, the supposedly random search, and the agent’s ridiculous production of going through my bag.
It was all a delay so I’d miss our connection.
My cousin Cristian asked on innumerable occasions when I would visit him and Zio Giovanni in Roma. Each time, I saidlater. Last week, I’d told him I was in the States. They must have had one of their men ensure there would be no more laters.
“I suspect he works for my uncle Giovanni.”
Samantha’s eyes shifted to the side, as though wanting to turn around to look at him. “You think this is what Elliot—”
“Sì, this is exactly what he was talking about.”
The driver hadn’t seen me yet. Samantha and I could bypass him and take our own transport to Napoli. But Gio’s machinations would ruin my time with her and no doubt he’d attempt something again if he wanted to see me so badly he’d go to these lengths.
“I need to go with him. Do you still want to ride the train or would you rather we get you on a later flight?”
She tightened her lips and lifted her eyebrows, conveying how silly an idea she thought that was. “I’m not going to visit Mario while you’re dealing with this. I’m going with you.”
“I don’t want you to spend any time with these people. I don’t even want you to meet them.”
“Antonio, I’m not just here for a random vacation in Italy. I’m here to spend time with you. I don’t care who they are.” She moved closer, her hand drifting up my injured arm. “Partners, remember?”
“Again, I’m a lucky man.” I stared down into her stunning—almost glassy—exhausted eyes. Where there had once been fear and nervousness when she looked at me, there was now confidence, support, and love. I couldn’t have her anywhere near that side of my family. They were my greatest shame and would exert too much stress on my relationship with her—let alone on my health. I had healing to do. “And yet no, bella. We’ll go to Mario’s and I’ll deal with them later.”
Chapter 4
Samantha
Beyourself, Elliot had said.Eyes open and brain engaged.
This was my in. The TPC agent inside Antonio’s uncle’s organization was only getting rare communications out. I could help with that.