Chapter 344
Soon. Soon he was going to have her. And have her, he will.
Val nodded. Words were beyond her. She watched him walk away and sat in the wreckage of what had just happened. Her underwear lay on the carpet.
“I’m such a bitch,” she whispered.
Don Genovese personally came to the airport. Massimo Genovese did not hand off important things to drivers and bodyguards if there was even the slightest chance he could make an entrance himself. So there he was, one hand buttoning his jacket as he watched the terminal doors.
“Veronica, give me the bag p>
“You are pregnant p>
“You are carrying my grandchild, so at this moment you are a national treasure and therefore not lifting anything heavier than a handbag p>
“I have earned it p>
Then he pushed off from the vehicle and strode toward them with that same infuriatingly smug smile Carol hated.
Massimo stopped in front of Carol first, eyes warming in a way that would have shocked anyone who knew him only as Don Genovese. He leaned in, clearly intending to kiss her.
Massimo let out a quiet sigh. “You wound me p>
His mouth twitched, but he let it go. Then he turned to Veronica. “Welcome to Italy,” he said. “Officially this time p>
Massimo, to his credit, seemed to understand that. “Still angry with me, then p>
Carol snorted. “On the bad side of the mother of your grandchild already,” Carol said, folding her arms as she watched him. “You are a lost cause, Massimo p>
“Carol!” Vee shrieked. “You were supposed to keep it to yourself p>
“Grandchild?” Massimo Genovese stared at Veronica, the word itself had struck him across the face. “You… you are He could barely force the sentence out.
But it was already too late. Massimo turned so sharply toward his men that even Carol groaned before he opened his mouth.
The men behind him erupted immediately. Clapping. Whistling.
Carol closed her eyes for one brief second, the way a woman did when trying not to commit a felony in public.
“Massimo,” she said, “is your brain attached to your ass like a tail and dragging on the ground p>
“No.” She cut him off with a finger raised between them. “You are not dragging my grandchild into this life. You hear me? This. This madness. This blood-soaked circus you men call legacy p>
“Can we not do this here?” he said through his teeth, lowering his voice while trying and failing to preserve what remained of his dignity. “We are beginning to attract attention p>
Massimo gestured toward the waiting limo, and the driver hurried to open the rear door. Veronica got in first, still dazed, wondering if there was still time to disappear back into the terminal.
He looked down at her hand, then at her face.
Massimo’s brows rose. “Carol p>
“Carol… for goodness’ sake p>
For one brief, glorious second, Veronica felt satisfied watching Don Genovese—this feared, polished, untouchable man—get ordered around by his estranged mistress.
Carol’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, I am not,” she said, her tone deceptively smooth. “I am here to keep an eye out for my family.” She paused just long enough for the words to sink in. “Something we both failed to do p>
Massimo gave a small nod. Then he stepped back, waiting while Carol got into the car. The driver shut the door carefully behind her. Massimo stood there another second, one hand braced briefly on the roof of the limo, then turned and made his way toward one of the other vehicles in the convoy.
Veronica turned to stare at her. “I cannot decide if you love him or hate him,” she said.
“Does Luca know we are here?” Veronica asked.
So when he felt arms slide carefully around him, soft and warm and impossibly familiar, Luca didn’t question it.
His hand lifted sluggishly, heavy with weakness, and found her hair. Silken. Real enough to make his chest ache. His fingers tangled there, holding on. His eyes struggled open.
He whispered her nickname against her lips. “Bambola p>
That voice was not imagined, not borrowed from memory. His eyes opened fully then.
She pulled back just enough for him to see her clearly. And Christ. She was beautiful. She looked tired. Her hair framed her face in slightly disordered waves. There was relief in her smile, tenderness in her eyes. She smiled wider at the look on his face. “How is it,” she asked lightly, one brow arching, “that you always land in hospital beds p>
She laughed softly at that. He shook his head once, still trying to make sense of her presence.
“Uh Veronica drew the word out as she settled more carefully beside him, still looking slightly amused by his expression. “I took a flight from New York. Your father brought me here and then, finally, told me you had been shot.” She glanced around the room with exaggerated suspicion. “Do all your houses come with a built-in medical wing?” Her eyes narrowed at him playfully. “And why are you looking at me like that p>