Need favorite Porsche ASAP. Can you deliver? If not, I’ll take cab to garage. Hotel Ferraro. Private entrance.
Stefano had cars in the private parking garage he’d let her borrow, but that meant saying something to him. Technically, the cars belonged to all of them, but she needed space from everyone.
On my way now.
She could always count on Henry. He was like the sun rising every morning. It didn’t matter if it was raining, you knew the sun was there somewhere, even if you couldn’t see it. She wished Henry could have been her father. Why couldn’t Eloisa have fallen in love with Henry? Maybe she had, but Henry wasn’t a rider. He had no way to wrap his shadow around Eloisa’s, and being a rider was all that was important to Eloisa.
Emmanuelle would have given up being a rider for Valentino. Val would never have given up his world for her. She could see that. Watching him in that conference room with those men, most far older than him, but all respecting him, some even fearing him, she knew she had been so naïve when it came to her childish fantasy of the two of them running off together and making a life away from their families. That had been her hope. She thought it had been his hope as well.
“Emme? Are you crying? I don’t think I’ve seen you cry since you were a little girl.” Henry reached a hand out to her to help her up.
She dashed at the tears on her face. She was turning into a regular faucet. That was what Valentino had reduced her to. Taking his hand, she scrambled to her feet, allowing him to pull her into an awkward hug. Henry wasn’t the hugging type. Even when she was little, he would pick her up if she fell, dust her off and pat her shoulder, telling her she was fine. She was somewhat shocked to feel that embracing him was like hugging an oak tree. His body was pure steel under his clothing. He kept himself fit. That was what working for the Ferraros did to you.
“I’m good. Just having a little pity party. You know how it is.” She pulled back just as he let go of her. The bruises on her chest were sore enough that coming up against anything hard was painful.
He dropped the fob for the Porsche into her palm as his gaze moved over her face. “If you say so.”
“Do you need me to give you a ride home?” It was the last thing she wanted to do, but she made the offer.
“Eloisa is picking me up.”
That shocked her. It was late. More than late. Eloisa didn’t put herself out for anyone, although Henry might have been the exception. The two recently had been together constantly. Emmanuelle had even wondered a couple of times if they were living together but had dismissed the idea as ludicrous.
“Thanks for rescuing me, Henry. As always, I knew I could count on you.”
“I was surprised you didn’t just take the shadows.”
“Stefano wants all of us to be more cautious until we understand more of what happens to the brain when we’re inside the shadows,” she said. That much was true. Eloisa had brain bleeds, significant enough damage that Stefano had insisted all of them have brain scans before they were cleared to take jobs again, especially if they had headaches. She had one now, and it was a significant one, although it had nothing to do with riding shadows.
Because she didn’t want to engage in any more conversation and she definitely didn’t want to see Eloisa, she slid behind the wheel of the Porsche, blew a kiss to Henry and entered the street. She was trained to watch for anyone tailing her, and she was extraordinary at getting rid of them as well. She could outrun just about anyone, including the cops. She kept a map of the city in her head at all times, including alleyways and entrances and exits of parking garages.
As it turned it out, she didn’t need any of those skills as she made her way home, far from the actual city. She loved her house. It was closest to Taviano’s home, but still miles away, with a heavily wooded area separating them, although there was a long winding path to take on foot, if one knew it, which she did. She’d only made that trek once to ensure she could use it in an emergency.
The property had come up for sale, and Taviano had put a hold on it instantly, knowing she would love it. The unbelievable house came with three precious acres of land, difficult to get, and she wanted privacy. The grounds were gated, giving her even more privacy. The land close to the house was landscaped with mature trees and plants with explosions of colors.