Dante's Honor-Bound Husband (16 page)

She sighed and did as he requested. “There's no need to worry, Constantine,” she reassured. “This will be over before you know it and I'll call you the minute it is.”

“What do you mean?” Constantine asked sharply.

“Oh, well, you know,” she said, a trifle distracted. “It won't take long to discuss the situation with Mrs. Mereaux. I'm sure Primo will pay her a generous price for Brimstone and that'll be that.”

“Gianna—”

“Oh, someone's looking out the window. I have to go. I'll call you as soon as I'm done.”

She flipped the cell phone closed before he could say anything further and exited the cab.

 

Constantine stared down at his cell phone and frowned. Something about his conversation with Gianna felt off, and a sense of wrongness sizzled through him. He glanced at the group hovering over the blueprints spread across a table in the center of the Diamondt building foyer. Getting the account was vital to Romano Restoration's continued growth and expansion. Maybe that explained why he'd been so distracted. So distracted that he hadn't really given his full attention to this Brimstone business.

But now that he did…

It hit him then and he swore, praying he was wrong. He flipped open his phone and dialed Luc's number. No answer.

Juice's number. No answer.

Rafe. Draco. No answer.

He barked an excuse to the men waiting for him and took off at a dead run. Why was it that his future wife always had him running? Even worse, why was it always in terror that something horrible had happened to her?

 

Gianna knocked on the front door of the Mereaux residence. It opened a moment later and a woman of mixed race, slightly younger than herself, greeted her. She eyed Gianna nervously.

“How long are we supposed to stand here?” she asked, a strong hint of Louisiana Cajun clear in her voice. “I'm sort of new at all this.”

Gianna smiled. “Me, too. I think we just need to talk for a minute or two. I'm Gianna, by the way.”

“Mia.” They shook hands.

“I'm surprised Juice allowed you to do this, Mia. He tends to be very protective about innocents, as he calls us. He was forced to enlist my help or David wouldn't have taken the bait. But you…”

Mia grimaced. “No choice. They had some other woman all set to pretend to be me, but Mr. d'Angelo got the jump on 'em. Nearly caught Mr. Juice standing right over yonder in my front parlor.”

“David was here already?” Gianna asked, shocked.

“Surely was.” Mia stepped back as planned and allowed Gianna to enter. “Fortunately Mr. Juice had time to hide in the kitchen. And my neighbor was here to take my daughter, Bebelle, for the day. She had her children with her—all five. That d'Angelo man couldn't do much with all them witnesses, now could he? So, he made up some fine excuse about a wrong address and left. Since he'd seen me, I insisted on staying put until they could arrest him.”

Gianna closed the door behind her. “I'm so sorry, Mia. We all thought David would follow me. He must have gotten the address from the concierge, instead, and come straight over. So much for careful planning.”

“That's what Mr. Juice said.” A hint of warmth touched her cheekbones. “He wanted to pull the plug, but I wouldn't let him. Can't risk that man coming back thinking the doll is still here, now can I? That wouldn't be safe for my Bebelle.”

“Well, this won't take long. We'll just let David take the doll and our part will be over.” Gianna threw an arm around Mia's shoulders and gave her a swift hug. “Are you nervous?”

“A little,” Mia admitted. “My main concern is Bebelle. Mr. Juice has assured me any number of times that she's safe with my neighbor.”

Gianna grinned, sensing Mia felt more than a passing interest in Mr. Juice. “Well, if Juice said it, you can believe it.”

“Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thanks.” She wandered over to the couch where the Nancy doll perched and glanced over her shoulder at Mia. “May I?”

“Oh, sure. Help yourself.”

“How did you end up with her, anyway?”

Mia shrugged. “It was shortly after my husband died. Bebelle just cried and cried she missed her daddy so bad. One day this strange child came up to her and just put that Nancy doll right in my little girl's arms. Said Bebelle needed it more than she did. Said it was a magical doll and would bring her happiness. And once it did, she should give it away to someone else in need.” Mia turned her great, dark eyes on Gianna. “You think she's right? You think it'll bring my Bebelle happiness?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I think it will.”

Gianna picked up the doll just as a heavy knock sounded on the front door. She stiffened, knowing full well who they'd find there.

 

Constantine tried Gianna's cell phone for the umpteenth time since flagging down the taxi. The cabbie drove as fast as he dared, the sizable tip thrown his way aiding in breaking a few speeding laws. That didn't change the fact that when he got his hands on his future wife—not to mention his future brothers-in-law—there would be hell to pay. He tried Luc's number again. Juice. Nothing from any of them.

He allowed fury to triumph over panic. It was the only way he could keep from going insane. Hadn't they discussed her impulsiveness at the lake? Hadn't he explained in no
uncertain terms that it wasn't a quality he appreciated? Now he understood where it came from. It must be a genetic anomaly that ran down the entire Dante line. Though how that explained Juice, he couldn't say. Maybe it rubbed off with prolonged association.

“This is the street,” the cabdriver said, pointing. “But the cops have it blocked. Are we too late, do you think?”

Constantine must have replied in Italian because the driver frowned in confusion. He fought to find the appropriate words in English, couldn't come up with them. Instead he peeled off a number of notes and tossed them in the driver's direction. He was out of the car in a flash.

Please, God, no. Not Gianna. He couldn't survive without Gianna. She was his mate. His heart. His life. He loved her more than he thought it possible to love anyone. If something had happened to her… He picked up his speed.

The police stopped him a few houses before the address Gianna had given him. It took endless minutes to make himself understood, to find the appropriate words in the appropriate language to convince them that he belonged on the other side of their blockade. That his future wife was involved. That she needed him, and only him.

Someone down the line waved him through and he took off at a swift jog. Luc stood talking to a police officer. Gianna was nowhere to be seen. He charged toward her brother and would have taken him down if his bride-to-be hadn't chosen that moment to come flying out of the house and straight into his arms.

“Constantine!” She wrapped her arms tight around his neck. “You'll never believe what happened.”

“I'll tell you what's going to happen,” he growled, snatching her close and enclosing her in a hold she wouldn't soon escape. “I'm going to knock your brother on his ass.”

“I'd really rather you wouldn't. Listen to me.” She caught
his face between her hands and forced him to look at her. “I said listen to me, Constantine. They caught David. He's in police custody. I don't think he's going to get out of this one, thanks to Brimstone.”

Luc approached, a huge grin on his face. “You should have been here, Romano.” He slapped Constantine on his back. “You could have helped us take d'Angelo down.”

“Let go of me, Gianna,” Constantine demanded.

She clung tighter. “Not if you plan on hitting my brother.”

“I said, let go of me.”

Luc's attention switched from one to the other, a frown forming between his brows. “I don't understand. What's the problem?”

“What's the…” It took Constantine a moment to recover his breath enough to speak. He seized Gianna around the waist and set her to one side. “How would you like my putting Téa in the sort of danger you've put Gianna in? What would you do to the man who used her in such a fashion and never discussed it with you first?”

Luc froze. For a split second, his gaze landed on Gianna then bounced off again. “You're absolutely right, Constantine. I apologize. I was so anxious to get my hands on d'Angelo that I didn't even think about the risk my sister was taking. I guess I'm so used to the security business it never occurred to me that she'd be in any danger.”

Constantine closed his eyes, his fury deflating. “You thought I knew,” he said to Luc.

Gianna's brother winced and shot him a look of intense sympathy. “Yeah, sorry. Should have known better. Gia has seven older brothers and cousins, all of whom set a horrible example for her. There's not a trick she hasn't learned.”

“I'll keep that in mind from now on.”

“Still, I should have spoken directly to you about it.”

“Are you very angry?” Gianna had the nerve to ask.

“Furious.” Constantine spared her a brief, speaking glance. “We'll discuss it later. Right now I have some very confused businessmen waiting for me.”

“I've already given my statement to the police.” She checked with Luc, who nodded. “I can leave now, if you'd like.”

If he'd like? Words fought for release, none of them fit to be aired. “I don't like,” he said gently. “I insist.”

She cleared her throat, perhaps becoming aware of the extent of his anger for the first time. “Great.” She plastered a cheerful smile on her face and glanced around. “So, how do we get there?”

It was only then that Constantine realized he'd paid off the cab. Luc jumped in and waved Juice over, who waited on the tiny front stoop of the Mereaux house, hovering protectively over the slender woman standing beside him. “You can use our rental while we go to the police station and finalize everything.”

Luc had chosen a nondescript sedan and Constantine helped Gianna into the car. He managed to drive a full dozen blocks before he couldn't stand it any longer and pulled over. His hands clenched around the steering wheel. “Okay, let's hear it.”

Gianna sighed. “I'm sorry, Constantine. I knew if I told you what we planned, you wouldn't agree.”

“Wouldn't agree?” he repeated. He swiveled in his seat to face her. “Have you lost your mind?
Of course
I wouldn't have agreed. I'd never do anything to put you in jeopardy or allowed you anywhere near d'Angelo, especially after what he did to you last time.”

A stubborn look settled on her face. “Don't you see? I had to face him the same way I had to face the lake. Luc and Juice wouldn't have let anything happen to me. And
the police were alerted in advance. They had officers in the area.” She caught her lower lip between her teeth, her jade gaze holding a combination of apology and determination. “I did it, Constantine. I looked him right in the eyes and realized what a contemptible little worm he is.”

Constantine fought to temper his anger, to consider the situation from her point of view. “I can't argue with your description. I can and do argue with how you went about it. Did you give a single thought to my take on all this? To how I'd react or my opinion? We're supposed to be a team, Gianna.”

She winced. “You're right and I am sorry. I promise I won't keep anything from you in the future. Not that anything like this will ever happen again.”

“No, it won't, as I intend to make very clear to each and every one of your relatives.” He couldn't help himself. He pulled her close and held her. “Were you very afraid?”

“Not even a little.” She tilted her head back and grinned. “Okay, maybe a little, but it was only a very little.”

“D'Angelo followed you to the Mereaux residence?”

“More or less. He arrived a few minutes after I did.”

“He didn't harm you or the Mereaux woman?”

“No. Mia handled it like a trouper. He came in and demanded the doll. Luc had told us what to say so it would be a clear-cut case of theft.” Her brow wrinkled. “Or is it burglary?” She shrugged. “No matter. They taped every last word. Then David ripped open the poor doll and removed Brimstone. Lord, it was huge. And because it's worth so much, taking it makes it a far more serious crime. Somehow I don't think he's going to get out of this one as easily as he's gotten out of so many of his other problems.”

“He won't be getting out of those, either. He and his father are under investigation for embezzlement.”

“Couldn't happen to a nicer guy,” Gianna said cheerfully.

Constantine checked his watch. “Moretti should be arriving shortly. I need to get back to the Diamondt building.”

“I gather I'm coming with you?” she asked.

He shot her a hard look. “You,
piccola,
will not be out of my sight for the rest of our stay in Seattle.”

She sighed. “Sort of thought you might say that.”

Gianna and Constantine arrived at the Diamondt building shortly after four. To her intense surprise, the first person she saw when she entered the foyer was her oldest cousin, Sev. She made a beeline for him.

“Severo Dante, what on earth are you doing here?” she demanded.

He jerked at her question and swept around to confront her. She checked her forward momentum at the last instant, only just preventing herself from giving the man a hug.

He was as tall as Sev—two or three inches over six feet—with hair every bit as black. He also possessed the same intense golden eyes as both her cousin and her grandfather, Primo. His features were equally hard, cut in strong, less-than-handsome lines, but all the more powerful because of it. He'd dressed in a black suit, one that emphasized his broad shoulders and strong, muscular legs, and cloaked him in darkness.