Page 66 of Enduring Caine

His right arm tensed around my waist and he let out a low groan, easing his arm back.

Panic splintered like ice in my veins. “It’s missing.”

Neither of us budged. But both of our bodies had gone rigid.

He tucked his mouth close to my ear to whisper. “Are you sure?”

I turned slowly in his grasp and kissed him. My lips traveled along his jaw to his ear, and I combed my fingers into his hair. They settled right behind his ear to mask that I was talking to him. “It was definitely there when we were in the gallery. We need to find it.”

“There you are.”

Antonio and I both jumped, spinning to see Henri at the top of the stairs, smiling at us.

“Giovanni suggested this would be a perfect time to show you the wine cellar.”

Antonio backed away from me, supporting his bad arm with his good. The muscle clicking in his jaw was no doubt a combination of pain from the arm and worry about the tiny camera. “That sounds wonderful. I need to head back to my room first, though. I threw the sling in there on our way upstairs and I’m paying for it.”

Henri nodded. “I’ll take Samantha down and you can meet us there.”

No, I had to find the camera. Unless that was Antonio’s plan? No one would question him retracing our steps the way they’d question me. I had to let him take care of this. I gave him a peck on the cheek. “Take your time. I expect this won’t be a quick tour of the wine cellar? Is it huge?”

Antonio forced out a weak laugh. “That’s an understatement. I’ll see you down there, but it may take me a few minutes. I think I need to sit down.”

I gripped his forearm. “Do you need help?”

“No need, bella.” He pressed a kiss to my cheek and waved me off with Henri. “I’ve had worse.”

His plan must have been to start with this room. How many security cameras would catch him searching through the estate? How many people were manning those cameras? Were they always on? Did they rotate?

Losing Elliot’s camera put us both in danger.

Being obvious about looking for it put us in even more.

Chapter 29

Antonio

Isliddownthewall until I was sitting on the floor. Leaned forward, cradling my arm. It was sore, but this was mostly a show for the security camera, in case someone was watching me. Our story was that Samantha was off with Henri because my arm hurt too much for me to go with them without my sling, and I had to support that narrative.

Being closer to the floor also gave me a better angle to sweep my gaze across the room and look for Elliot’s tiny camera.

My stomach twisted in knots at the prospect of them finding it. Marone, what if they found it and could link it back to her?

I could imagine the consequences.

Bringing her here had been a stupid enough choice, but letting her talk to Elliot? Letting her talk me into this investigation?

It’s who she is, Tony. This is the woman you love. Reckless. Passionate. A heart which wouldn’t let crimes go unpunished.

I leaned forward, clutching my arm. We’d looked out the windows in each direction, but I couldn’t see anything that looked like a spy camera. It could have been on the stairs. It could have still been in the gallery.

Or anywhere in between.

I rolled to my left side and pushed myself up.

If she dropped it in here, the odds of someone finding it were low. People rarely came up here. The upper floor stairs? The guards used them more than anyone else. I should hurry over those spaces. Cursory glances only.

The higher risk areas would be the hallways between the tower at the end of the eastern hall and the gallery in the northern corner of the villa. Few people had full access to the gallery, so the odds of it being found there were low. Unless someone was in the room opening the crates.