“My friend, my friend, that is because they fear you.”
“You say that as if it should make me smile.”
“But it should, paesano. Stories of the vendetta your brothers fulfilled following the deaths of your parents? Madre di Dio,” Nandi gave the sign of the cross. “That epic remains fresh on all minds to this day. How is it you think you live so quietly without being pestered by the bandits and bosses who run the region, uh? None of them wants to incur Tesano wrath.”
Liam twisted his mouth as though the whole idea struck him as nonsense. “We’re not a family to be feared,” he said.
“Oh...but isn’t it wonderful to be, my friend? Fear breeds respect and that’s not only wonderful, but useful, no?”
Liam cut off a corner of the hard cheese still remaining on the center of the table from a saucer they’d shared. “A feared name doesn’t protect you from rumor, though, does it? Show me a name that could do that and I might see the point. I didn’t duel with Cavalese. I only made him see that it wasn’t in his best interest to pursue his daughter with a gun. He didn’t seem to care my name was Tesano, either.”
“Ah,” Nandi threw out another dismissive wave. “He was too upset over his daughter to see the danger. Are the whispers false in rumoring that he chased the bellisima into the hills without a stitch of her clothing?”
“No,” Liam eyed the cheese knife with dark regard, “that part’s true.” He couldn’t help but smile when Nandi’s robust laughter hit the air.
“And the rumors of her beauty? Also true?”
Liam studied his thumb scraping the knife blade. “That rumor is most definitely true.”
“And now you have her at your disposal. What was she like?”
“She slept,” Liam’s tone was flat.
Nandi appeared stumped. “Lies...” he leaned forward affixing both fists to the tabletop. “You actually had a voluptuary like that in your home, mere steps away from your bed and...and you didn’t take the exquisite pleasure you were, no doubt, offered-?” Nandi blinked, straightening suddenly as though he had been struck.
Liam’s expression had sharpened. The warmth in his gaze froze over in a manner that was as lethal as a physical blow.
“Apologies, paesano.”
“Why did you assume she offered?”
Nandi averted his dark, deep-set gaze.
“Speak freely Nandi.”
Nandi waited until the plump, pretty serving girl-one of the cafe owner’s daughters- moved on from topping off his and Liam’s espressos. “It is known that she is a terror to her family’s name,” he confessed. “Some would say a stain.”
Liam grimaced, but took no other offence to the news. “She doesn’t seem to mind following a strange man to his home,” he noted.
Nandi’s brows lifted resignedly. “I hear she’s followed many strange men home. Do you know what you are doing, paesano?”
Liam grinned, raised his cup in toast. “Not at all,” he said.
~6~
Despite the overall spotlessness of Liam Tesano’s home, Athena found several small household tasks to see to. She launched into the chores with relish, slowly transforming the inviting yet lifeless house into a warm home.
The air was just beginning to flavor with the aroma of the slow-simmering sauce on the wood stove, when she decided to take a quick bath. Liam would hopefully be home soon. Mariana had left hours earlier.
The girl had been close to tears, but Athena was in no mood to offer coddling. She promised they’d speak soon, but neither confirmed nor rejected Mariana’s request to return the next day. Athena didn’t know what future, if any, she saw for herself and Mariana but she wasn’t ready to cast her aside yet.
With Mariana gone and the house looking more to her satisfaction, she’d drawn a bath in the tin tub she’d pulled from a closet. She’d found several more of Liam’s shirts there as well. She liked the feel of the material between her fingers. The garments were finely woven and she’d considered trading the one she’d worn for one of those.
Alas, she wasn’t too eager to be rid of the shirt Liam had given over from his back. Especially when it mingled both their scents.
She made quick work of filling the tub with cold water and was on the way to add the boiling water from the stove, when heavy pounding fell to the door. She froze halfway between the stove and her room. She held her ground instead, hoping the visitor would leave. She realized the hearth blazed in the sitting room at the far end of the house. That, along with the wood stove would be sending smoky clouds above the roof and were sure to be noticed.
Nervously, she tugged the hem of Liam’s shirt. She’d removed the pants shortly after putting the sauce on to simmer. The sound of her name roaring through the door, sent an exasperated sigh past her lips. She sprinted toward the door and threw it open.
“Silenzio!” she ordered.
Two visitors stood on the doorstep. The burly men didn’t wait to be asked inside, but crossed the threshold with hearty greetings and laughter.
“Quiet!” Athena ordered once again, waving her hands above her head.
“Calma, Athi,” Georgano Llama’s tone was like the sly purr of a big cat. “No one is around for miles. We should know, we’ve been keeping out of sight for a day and a half.”
“That pretty boy of yours isn’t on his way, either,” Dante Borja put in.
“What are you two brutes doing here?” Athena’s voice was a hiss.
The men dropped their belongings near the door. Dante plucked Athena off her feet and kissed her neck.
“We came to get you, Bellissima,” he said.
“Idiota!” Athena slammed her fist into his arm and wasn’t surprised when he gave no reaction to the blow. “Put me down! What do you mean, came to get me? I’m not going back to face my father’s wrath anytime soon.”
“Smart thinking,” Georgano drew a hand across the tight cap of onyx curls covering his head. “Avoiding the wrath of Ronaldo Cavalese is what we’ve been trying to do for the last twenty hours.”
