something in the way he looked at you—” Lauren shrugged, starting to wash her hands, then cut herself off as she gave the soap dispenser next to the sink a shake. “I think there’s a new one in the upstairs bathroom,” she said, turning off the tap.
“I’ll get it,” Gwyn said, setting down the mushroom she was stemming.
“I’ll peek in on Bianca while I’m up there,” Lauren said with a wave.
Seconds later, Lauren’s voice was considerably less relaxed as she swore loud enough for Gwyn to hear her all the way down in the kitchen.
“Are you all right?” Gwyn called, making a panicked start up the stairs.
Lauren came to the open door of the main bathroom, bracing herself against it with a white-knuckled grip, expression somewhere between exasperated and remorseful.
“He’s going to kill me. Tell Paolo my water just broke.”
* * *
Vito was not a romantic, but he had seen the longing in Gwyn’s expression and felt a kick of commiseration. Paolo and Lauren made anyone covetous of their happiness. He envied his cousin himself, not just for finding his soul mate, but for his freedom to pursue a life with her. Even if Vito did find the right woman...
He was adept at not letting himself dwell on such things and cut off the thoughts as he and Paolo took Roberto down to the water and exchanged reports.
Paolo expanded on what he’d already messaged, saying Fabrizio was a tough nut, but cracks were showing in his story. The board of Jensen’s foundation was not yet moved to worry about any of this, let alone meeting to discuss Jensen’s possible removal. Jensen himself was leaving the country for a minor quake that was more photo op than actual disaster relief, but would bolster his image.
“You haven’t frozen the foundation’s assets?” Vito asked.
“I don’t have grounds. I’ll be pushing for a forensic audit once Fabrizio breaks or we’re able to prove Jensen was behind the instructions to move funds, but he is definitely playing a rough PR game right now. This—” He chucked his chin back toward the house and Gwyn. “I see where you’re going and it would work if it was true, but I can’t go on record saying that you’ve been having an affair with her all along. We all may have to testify at some point.”
“Sì,” Vito agreed. “But you can state that unnamed sources—me—” he shrugged “—made you aware some time ago that there were worrisome transactions within the account. We put it on a watch list and saw no reason to remove Miss Ellis because she was not only conducting herself with sound ethics, but has since proven to be an excellent source of knowledge with regards to the foundation’s legitimate activities.”
“You’re convinced she has been conducting herself ethically?”
It was the judgment Vito had been avoiding making, aware that Gwyn was already a weakness to him. He wanted her and therefore he wanted to believe her, because how could he have an affair with a woman who was committing crimes against the bank? He couldn’t gamble his family’s future on his own selfish desires.
But at every stage, if she was the type to manipulate a man like Jensen, her actions would have been different, right up to this afternoon in the car. He would have been the one losing control to her hand or mouth, he was sure, if she was the type to lie and steal and wish him to believe otherwise.
At no time since he’d met her had Gwyn acted dishonorably, though. In fact, she was trying to protect the little family she had from the fallout of dishonor that, if she was innocent, wasn’t hers to bear.
The problem was, if she was blameless, he was going to have to kill the man who had done this to her.
“I believe she is Jensen’s victim, yes,” Vito said, and heard the cruel edge on his tone. “They gambled on her lack of experience and when she showed her intelligence, they threw her to the wolves.”
He understood the expression bloodthirsty as he said it. His
“I’ll get it,” Gwyn said, setting down the mushroom she was stemming.
“I’ll peek in on Bianca while I’m up there,” Lauren said with a wave.
Seconds later, Lauren’s voice was considerably less relaxed as she swore loud enough for Gwyn to hear her all the way down in the kitchen.
“Are you all right?” Gwyn called, making a panicked start up the stairs.
Lauren came to the open door of the main bathroom, bracing herself against it with a white-knuckled grip, expression somewhere between exasperated and remorseful.
“He’s going to kill me. Tell Paolo my water just broke.”
* * *
Vito was not a romantic, but he had seen the longing in Gwyn’s expression and felt a kick of commiseration. Paolo and Lauren made anyone covetous of their happiness. He envied his cousin himself, not just for finding his soul mate, but for his freedom to pursue a life with her. Even if Vito did find the right woman...
He was adept at not letting himself dwell on such things and cut off the thoughts as he and Paolo took Roberto down to the water and exchanged reports.
Paolo expanded on what he’d already messaged, saying Fabrizio was a tough nut, but cracks were showing in his story. The board of Jensen’s foundation was not yet moved to worry about any of this, let alone meeting to discuss Jensen’s possible removal. Jensen himself was leaving the country for a minor quake that was more photo op than actual disaster relief, but would bolster his image.
“You haven’t frozen the foundation’s assets?” Vito asked.
“I don’t have grounds. I’ll be pushing for a forensic audit once Fabrizio breaks or we’re able to prove Jensen was behind the instructions to move funds, but he is definitely playing a rough PR game right now. This—” He chucked his chin back toward the house and Gwyn. “I see where you’re going and it would work if it was true, but I can’t go on record saying that you’ve been having an affair with her all along. We all may have to testify at some point.”
“Sì,” Vito agreed. “But you can state that unnamed sources—me—” he shrugged “—made you aware some time ago that there were worrisome transactions within the account. We put it on a watch list and saw no reason to remove Miss Ellis because she was not only conducting herself with sound ethics, but has since proven to be an excellent source of knowledge with regards to the foundation’s legitimate activities.”
“You’re convinced she has been conducting herself ethically?”
It was the judgment Vito had been avoiding making, aware that Gwyn was already a weakness to him. He wanted her and therefore he wanted to believe her, because how could he have an affair with a woman who was committing crimes against the bank? He couldn’t gamble his family’s future on his own selfish desires.
But at every stage, if she was the type to manipulate a man like Jensen, her actions would have been different, right up to this afternoon in the car. He would have been the one losing control to her hand or mouth, he was sure, if she was the type to lie and steal and wish him to believe otherwise.
At no time since he’d met her had Gwyn acted dishonorably, though. In fact, she was trying to protect the little family she had from the fallout of dishonor that, if she was innocent, wasn’t hers to bear.
The problem was, if she was blameless, he was going to have to kill the man who had done this to her.
“I believe she is Jensen’s victim, yes,” Vito said, and heard the cruel edge on his tone. “They gambled on her lack of experience and when she showed her intelligence, they threw her to the wolves.”
He understood the expression bloodthirsty as he said it. His
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