“No one can force her to go,” Stefano said, his voice calm. “But yes, he would like to train her himself.”
Nicoletta’s hand trembled in his. Taviano tightened his fingers around hers, giving her reassurance. She wasn’t ready to go to other families, especially those predominantly male. She needed to establish herself where she was, gain confidence, build her own identity. He knew that as well as she did.
“What would you like to do, tesoro?” Taviano asked. “Whatever you decide, I’ll be with you.”
“This is my family,” Nicoletta said. “The people here. I’m just starting to recover and find myself. I want to stay here and train. If, in the future, that advantage is still open for me, then I’ll consider it when I feel I’m able, but right now, I know I’m not ready. Please thank him for me, Stefano, but I can’t go to France at this time.”
Taviano could hear the pleading in her voice for understanding, and he didn’t like it. She didn’t need to defend herself to anyone.
“I was hoping you would opt to stay with us,” Stefano said.
Taviano could have kissed him. Over and over his brother proved why he was not only the leader of the Ferraro shadow riders but also of their family. He might have a ferocious temper, but he was also compassionate, and he seemed to know what each family member needed. Nicoletta had been treated as a member of their family almost from the moment they had brought her back from New York with them. Stefano had so easily just made her feel as if she was wanted there by all of them. A few simple words were all it took from the head of the family, voiced in that casual way he had that spoke volumes.
“Elie is here, and he’s indicated he’s willing to help with your training in and out of the shadows. He’s been working with Vittorio, Ricco and Mariko as well as Emmanuelle and me. Giovanni and Taviano were scheduled next. Severino and Geno have both indicated, as heads of their families, that they would like additional training for their families as well. We all know that no matter how much we train, our bodies do dictate some of what we can do. That’s why we train with those faster than us to try to always be better. What Marcellus was getting across, Nicoletta, is that your genetics will allow you to be faster and see more in the shadows than most others can.” Stefano sent her a smile. “That’s a good thing. But it also means that you might have a tendency to, once you’re comfortable, not train as hard.”
She shook her head slightly but didn’t respond to Stefano’s indictment.
Taviano’s hand tightened around hers. He brought her knuckles up to his mouth to press a kiss there because she was still trembling, and he wanted to reassure her that no matter her choice, he was with her.
“I know that most riders work alone, Stefano,” Nicoletta said. “Even if I get to the point where I’m good enough to go out by myself, I would prefer to work in partnership with Taviano. Is that ever done?”
Eloisa rolled her eyes. “Seriously? What’s the point of teaching you, then? Or having the kind of genetics you have? Does Mariko need her husband to hold her hand when she goes out? She holds her own, the same as Velia or Emmanuelle. Female riders are every bit as good as male riders. It’s ridiculous to think that you would need a man to be with you once you know what you’re doing.” There was a sneer to her voice.
Taviano opened his mouth to defend Nicoletta, but she got there before him.
“I’m sorry, Eloisa, but you must have misunderstood me. I didn’t say I needed Taviano to hold my hand, although …”
She turned her head to smile adoringly up at him, brought their joined hands up and kissed his fingers. “I do love holding his hand. I said I preferred to work in partnership with Taviano. I am not certain what part of that you don’t understand. My preference for working with my husband? I believe I was asking a question about whether a team was ever sent out or whether it was always a lone rider.”
She turned back to Stefano, all wide-eyed innocence, which Taviano knew was the epitome of total bullshit. It was all he could do to keep from smiling. His woman was giving no quarter. No matter what, she wasn’t going to like his mother, not after what he had revealed to her about the way Eloisa had reacted to his childhood assault.
“Is there something wrong with asking questions, Stefano? I’m not yet familiar with protocol so you’ll have to forgive me if I’m making blunders.”
“No, of course not, Nicoletta. Often, in the past, riders went out in pairs. That ensured the safety of the riders, but we are too few at this point and we need the riders in the rotations to give one another breaks. Having said that, it doesn’t mean we won’t accommodate the preferences of riders. Taviano stated the same thing. If both of you feel strongly, I have to take that into consideration. All of us have instincts and it would be wrong of me to ignore your instincts, especially if both of you are feeling them.”