Page 51 of Blood Money

I reluctantly stepped out onto the landing. At the same moment, we leaned into each other, and I gave her a kiss goodbye. When we broke apart, I smiled and framed her face with my hands. “Thank you.”

“No, thankyou,” she replied impishly.

But I remained serious. “Kendall, I mean it. What you gave me tonight was a gift, and I don’t accept it lightly. I’ll see you after you get off work?”

With her lower lip caught in her teeth, she nodded.

After one last kiss, I descended the stairs like a thief in the night.

Which I absolutely had been.

“GoneAway”—Noctura

Present Day….

Nonna was true to her word and wasted no time in contacting her doctor. My parents stayed once she told them her plans because they didn’t want her flying on her own. Thankfully, my father was able to work remotely for a while.

It took a couple of weeks, but the second she had clearance from her doctor, she was ready to leave with my parents. Since they had to take their rental car back to the airport, they all told me goodbye at the bakery.

“You’ll do wonderfully,” my mom assured me as she cradled my face and stared at me with pride. “This was never my dream, but it’s your calling. I know you’ll make the bakery flourish.”

When Mom stepped back, Dad swooped in and gave me a big hug. “Love you, little bit,” he told me, his accent thicker since they’d been back in his homeland. I loved it.

“Love you, too, Dad,” I told him, blinking away my tears.

We parted, and he quickly pressed the back of his hand to his eye and looked away.

Next Nonna gathered me close. “I know my baby is in good hands. But if you ever have any questions, Tillie knows the business side inside and out, and you can call me anytime.”

“I know, and thank you.” I held her tightly.

“I need a moment with Kendall,” she told my parents as she took a step back.

They both looked confused but nodded. Dad said, “Okay, we’ll take your bags down to the car.”

“Thank you,” Nonna replied.

Once they were outside and the door was closed, my grandmother looked at me. Guilt swam in her eyes.

“Nonna?” I tilted my head with concern.

“A long time ago, I made a mistake. But I need you to know I did it with your best interests at heart.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m not sure it matters now, but I know for the last two weeks, Vittorio has been a regular at my—the bakery again. I’m sure it’s not because of me.”

“You already said they want to buy the bakery,” I threw out as my heart pounded and my palms started to sweat.

“I don’t think that has anything to do with this. He comes in the bakery. Eats. Watches. Waits.”

Trepidation made my chest tight, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Oh?”

She wasn’t wrong. The fucker stopped by the bakery every morning for coffee and a bran muffin. It was disgusting, but I imagined he didn’t get a body like he had by eating donuts every day. When he left, one of his goons stayed across the street or chilled in the bakery pretending to read. It was so obvious.

It was more than that, though. Everywhere I went, I conveniently “ran into” him.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he said when I ran into him at the grocery store Sunday afternoon.