Page 74 of Enduring Caine

Chapter 33

Antonio

Thedoorclickedshutbehind me and I spun Samantha to face me. “Are you alright?”

“Did they find the camera?” she whispered.

“You first.” I ran my hand over her cheek and into her hair, tears still clinging to her lids. “You were so upset. Did Leo hurt you?”

“You saw that?”

“I was in the control room with Giovanni. The only thing I couldn’t see was the room at the back of the wine cellar.”

She took my hand and brought it to her lips. “I’m fine. I was a little shaken when I found Johann, but—”

“Only shaken?” I’d read so much more into her reaction than that.

“It was an act.” She waved a dismissive hand, something she normally only did to tease, but then paused. “Okay, mostly an act. But I really don’t want to talk about it. What about the camera?”

“Giovanni found it.”

She sucked in a sharp breath and covered her mouth. “No idea it was mine?”

I grit my teeth, easing my bad hand forward until it rested against her hip. “He knows it was yours, but he destroyed the security video proving it.”

“He what?”

“Che cazzo, bella. This whole night…” I kissed her salty cheek, wanting nothing more than to sink into her and never leave. So many ups and downs, panic, relief, and then more panic. And the overwhelming fear my uncle could change his mind about her at any second. “Tell me what happened.”

She combed her fingers into my hair and pulled me closer. “Henri was pulling a bottle of wine while I went into the tasting room. After I grabbed some glasses from the cupboard, I saw Johann’s body, half-hidden behind some barrels.”

“Dead?”

“It was clean, whatever happened. Maybe natural causes, but the way his body was shoved against the wall… I don’t know.” Her eyes were clear and the tremble I’d expected was not there. “I looked around some before Leo and Cristian arrived.”

Of course shelooked around.

“And I found this.” She pulled a scrap of paper from her pocket and placed it in my good hand. “It was underneath him, so it was either his or already lying there when he fell.”

I read, “‘Delivery complete. Pickup requested tomorrow.’ What does this mean?”

She shook her head. “It might be related to his death, it might not. But I found his body after the crates were delivered to the gallery, so maybe that’s the delivery.”

“Vincenzo told you he was waiting for a crate delivery to get some painting out of here. You think it’s his?”

“Maybe?” She stared at the paper, raking her teeth over her bottom lip. “Before you arrived in the kitchen this morning, Johann said something to Henri about a delivery coming tonight. He claimed they were talking about some American wine they were trying to hide from Leonardo, so it might be that, too.”

I shoved the paper into my pocket. “Did you tell anyone about it?”

“If Henri was involved, I didn’t want him to know I’d found it. And then Leo…” She shook her head. “He was soLeowhen he arrived, I didn’t tell him, either.”

“He’s always been his own worst enemy.”

She drew in a deep breath, her shoulders and chest rising, and let it all out slowly. “I didn’t get any time in private with Vin to find out if it was his.”

“You kept it a secret because you were protecting him, didn’t you?” I could have punched him in his pretty little face.

“I can’t help it.” Her head lowered to my shoulder. “I met Jimmy thirteen years ago, and I still can’t process what he did. It’s like the good times are frozen in my memory and I can’t adjust. I see him in my dreams every night. I don’t think I could handle another person from my past changing into something so evil.”