“The alert was followed by a message from Rile saying he was in the hotel lobby. My intention was to find out what it was and then come back. In hindsight, that was foolish of me. It should have been a logical assumption that if I received a distress call, a mission was imminent. That was the case. We left immediately.”
“Why didn’t you contact me?”
“There are some ops where we simply can’t. Usually, as was the case with this one, any contact might jeopardize the person we’re trying to rescue or protect. We went completely dark, meaning undercover. After it was over and I could contact you, I tried. Countless times.”
I couldn’t look at him and confess what I’d done, so I turned my head. “I blocked your number.”
“I figured that out eventually. In fact, I’d planned to come to Italy at the end of November, but the night before I intended to leave, our team was pulled into another investigation.” He picked up the box that held the necklace. “Can I put this on you?”
“I don’t have a gift for you.”
“You gave me the best gift of my life, Pia. In fact, you’ve done so many times. I don’t know that I’d be here, on this earth, if it weren’t for your gifts.”
“I haven’t done anything, Mylos.”
He fastened the ruby strand around my neck. My hair was already brushed to the side, so he kissed below my ear. A shudder ran the length of my body.
20
Grinder
“Can you ever forgive me, Pia?”
“And if I do, what changes, Mylos?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll be here a few days, and then you’ll leave, and maybe we’ll see each other again in a couple of years.”
“Didn’t you see the reservation for the farmhouse? I’ll be here at least six months.”
“You only did that to be kind because you know I need the money.”
I shook my head. “I’m not leaving, Pia. I have a reservation and I’m staying.” She didn’t believe me, but that was okay. I’d prove more to her with my actions than my words ever could.
I sat down and looked at where her hand rested on her belly. “He or she is ours. Made from you and me.” I heard the awe in my own voice, and I took a deep breath. I’d never expected I’d be a father. Sure, somewhere in the back of my mind, I might’ve hoped for it at one time in my life. That it would be a reality would take some getting used to. “Pia, please let me stay.”
I had to figure out a way to convince her that when I got on the plane to come to Italy, I made a decision about her and me. I wanted to be part of her life, a permanent part. I had no idea how we’d accomplish it, but Rile seemed to think it was as easy as making the decision. Why couldn’t I be an Invincibles partner and be based out of Italy?
Setting that aside, I needed Pia to tell me about the struggles she was having with Valentini. It might prove to be more difficult than getting information out of an international intelligence agency. If I knew anything about her, and I did, she would hold what she saw as her failures close to her. It would be up to me to convince her she could trust me enough to set aside her pride and confide in me.
“You are deep in thought.”
I looked into her eyes. “Remember when I came to Italy to see you and you traveled to London?”
“Sì.”
“I hated that we’d…I’d…wasted so much time that I could have spent with you. I feel that way now. Regretful.”
“Fantasy and reality can be very different things, Mylos. You have an idea of me, and I of you, that may not be who we really are. You may find that once you spend time with me, the flesh-and-blood Pia isn’t the same as the dream Pia.”
As she spoke, I thought about arguing with her, saying that I did know her and she knew me. But she was right. The only way for us to know for sure was to spend more than a handful of days together.
“I want to be the man you need. In all ways.”
“I worry that if I’m not the woman you need, you won’t be honest with me, because of the baby.”
“I could have the same worry.”