“Detonator? Is there a bomb??” Her voice was very steady. “Giovanni, I’m not the fainting type. If he’s done something else and I see it, there’s a possibility that I can identify him through something he’s used, or the way he does it. You know that. I don’t fall apart easily.”
She didn’t, but he wanted to protect her from everything. What was the use of his family? Of all his training? He might not be able to ride shadows because of the hardware in his leg, but he still was lethal as all hell. He had money. Power. None of that seemed to matter. All the security at his disposal and Sasha was still being terrorized.
“I’m not calling the police this time, honey. I’m sending you back to the hotel to stay with Francesca.”
Sasha remained at his side, not moving around him, not trying to fight him, although her gaze continually strayed toward the car. She waited patiently until he was finished with the text messages and then looked at him expectantly.
Giovanni couldn’t have told anyone why, but just the fact that she did that, waited for him to call in reinforcements without harassing him or asking questions when she had every right to, made him want to fall right at her feet. She was amazing to him. He almost couldn’t believe she existed—a woman who actually told the truth. She said what she meant. She looked him straight in the eye without guile. She didn’t get hysterical or cry to manipulate him—and her tears would work. She had every right to break down, but she didn’t.
“He’s put a bomb in the car. I only glanced at it, but I didn’t see the wires connected to anything. That doesn’t mean it’s safe. I’m okay with bombs, but Vittorio is an expert. He’s going to take a look and tell us if it’s legit or not. In the meantime, I’m going to have Demetrio and Drago drive you to the hotel where Stefano lives as soon as they get here; they’re on the way. They’ll take you up to Francesca.”
She was already protesting, shaking her head. “Absolutely not. I’m staying with you. This is my mess, and I’m not taking it to Francesca.”
“Francesca is safe at the top of the Ferraro Hotel, Sasha,” he said. His brothers were converging from every direction, moving out of the shadows, their pin-striped suits making it nearly impossible to see them until they stepped completely out of the dark. “That’s the safest place I know for you, right now,” Giovanni said. “If you’re there, I won’t have my attention divided, trying to keep my eye on you and deal with this mess.”
“You can’t deal with a bomb. They have professionals for that.”
“We were all taught to disarm various types of bombs, honey.” He brushed back her hair with gentle fingers. “It wasn’t like he had a lot of time to put this thing together. For all I know, it’s all show. If he wanted us dead, why didn’t he hide the damn thing? Or blow it when we walked up to the car? It’s probably not armed, but I’d feel better if you joined Francesca, got a little sleep and then we can figure things out when we’re all feeling fresh in the morning.”
Sasha looked startled as Stefano and then his other brothers strode up to them. “Where did you all come from? That was fast.”
Riding shadows was fast. Sometimes it felt as if his entire body was torn to pieces and parts of him were left behind. The faster the tube, the worse the sensation. Still, it was what he’d been born to do. Sasha and her brother, Sandlin, had also been born with the ability, but it was too late to adequately teach her to do anything but get from one place to another. Giovanni’s father had used the ability to carry on affairs. He wouldn’t want to think that his wife might do the same.
“Sasha, are you all right?” Stefano asked immediately.
“Yes, I’m fine. I’m actually more shaken up that this man managed to walk right into a closed and guarded facility and see my brother. That made me feel as if Sandlin was extremely vulnerable. He can’t take care of himself and I have no idea what this person wants with me, let alone with him.”
The little catch in her voice was nearly Giovanni’s undoing. He pulled her into his arms and nuzzled the top of her head with his chin. “I’m so sorry, baby. We’ll sort this out.”
“I hate that you’re having to get involved and I may have inadvertently put you in danger.” Her head came back against his chest and she briefly closed her eyes. “Tell me why you aren’t going to involve the police.”
“The fact that he broke into your house made him a stalker, Sasha,” Stefano said. “Police can help with that sort of thing, perhaps investigate where we can’t as fast. This puts him in an altogether different category. We can work this far faster than they can. You’ll have to trust us.”
Her gaze was fixed on Stefano’s face. “You’re saying that you believe he’s a real threat to my life, or my brother’s life, maybe even Giovanni’s. And your family plans to take care of him yourselves.”
Giovanni held his breath. His woman was intelligent and reading between the lines.
Stefano nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“I have a concealed weapons permit,” she volunteered. “I don’t carry, but I could if you think it’s necessary. My guns are locked up in the safe at the deli. Pietro was sweet. I inherited my grandparents’, parents’ and my brother’s. They’re all hunting weapons, and the handguns were for shooting ground squirrels and snakes. I’m a good shot. Well, actually a marksman, but that’s neither here nor there. Do you think I should be armed?”
“Right now, I think you need to be anywhere but here,” Giovanni answered.
“Don’t.” Her protest came out a whisper. She looked at each of his brothers’ faces, then his. “You intend to kill him if you find him, don’t you?” She stared Giovanni straight in the eye, just as Emme entered.
He couldn’t look away. This was a telling moment. Most people would give them a lecture about taking a life and say that it was up to the criminal justice system. She either accepted that some men were outside that law and got away with crimes all the time, or she wouldn’t. He didn’t look away. He had to know if she could accept who his family was and what they stood for. He nodded slowly. He’d learned not to speak aloud anything that might incriminate his family. Stefano had all but said the same thing to her.
“I would, too,” she said. “I think I’m getting one of the handguns out of the safe.”
“Taking a life is never easy, nor should it be done lightly,” Stefano warned.
“It’s called self-defense,” Sasha said. “I have the right to protect myself and my brother. Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I’m not capable of shooting someone coming at me.”
“I’m a woman,” Emme reminded gently. She reached for Sasha’s hand. “My brothers know a woman can be strong. Right now, Francesca, who we all love dearly, is being guarded by Mariko, a woman. She’s trusted to look after Stefano’s and our family’s most precious treasure. Nothing is going to happen to your brother. We won’t let it. You’re not alone in this.”
Sasha looked around at the tight circle and then the four men standing guard over them. She swallowed hard and nodded. “Thank you. All of you. I don’t know why you’re helping me like this, but I appreciate it.”
“Demetrio and Drago are going to drive you back, Sasha,” Giovanni reiterated. “Please go with them and stay in the hotel with Francesca and Mariko. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Go to bed and just forget all this.”
She glanced at her watch. “I do have to work tomorrow. Both jobs.” Before he could protest, she stopped him. “You know why. I can’t miss any hours on my paycheck. Sandlin deserves the best of care, and I’m going to give it to him.”
“Honey, it’s absurd for you to think that I wouldn’t help you,” Giovanni said.