and glared at Lessa as he rushed from the room.
"He always knows how to make his point." Ryan shook his head as he stood.
Marc's gaze swept over her, and he touched her shoulder with his hand. "You all right?"
"I'm fine." Lessa forced a brave smile. She wasn't really. Tony had frightened her in a way she hadn't thought possible. "He doesn't like me much."
"Has nothing to do with you." Marc frowned at Ryan. "What's going on?"
"Jio had Vivian do the DNA test."
"Vivian." Marc raised an eyebrow and shook his head, mumbling under his breath.
She almost asked if Vivian was Jio's girlfriend, but gritted her teeth shut. Adrenaline ran through her veins, and she recognized the "fight or flight" response working perfectly.
"What did the test show?" Marc touched her arm this time, as if letting her know he was talking to her.
She took a deep breath and forced her edgy thoughts to focus. "She has to send it in for the results. They went off to get a sample from Edoardo. Something about the test being more accurate and quicker if there was more than Jio and me to compare."
Marc nodded, but his eyes weren't focused on her. He seemed distracted.
"I saw you'd gone out." Ryan changed the subject "Find anything?"
Marc's frown returned. "No, we'll go back out tonight"
MacDonald picked up his briefcase. "Hope you learn something." He smiled at Lessa and offered his hand. She grasped it, hoping she wasn't trembling. "If you need anything, call me."
Marc's hand touched her back. Lessa nodded and dropped Ryan's as a completely different type of tremor made its way up her spine.
The attorney looked from Lessa to Marc. "Take care of her."
"I am," Marc growled.
"Good." Ryan hesitated a moment, but left the room at last.
Marc's hand dropped as soon as he was out of sight. "What did Tony say to you?"
Lessa turned her head to look fully into his face. Surprisingly, his mask was gone, and she could see concern clearly written in his features. "He thinks I'm a conniving gold-digger, but we already knew that." His frown deepened. "I'm all right, Marc." As she said the words, she made herself believe them. "Tony wanted to speak with me alone, but Ryan refused to leave."
"It shouldn't have happened." His voice remained rough. "Where's Nina?"
Lessa instinctively smoothed her hand down his arm to sooth his distress. "I was with her when Jio came to get me for the test."
"Where's Jio?"
She cocked her head. "He went to find Edoardo."
"He shouldn't have left you with Tony."
His insistence on that point did nothing to help her calm down. She huffed a breath out. "You aren't reassuring me."
"I don't want to." He shook his head. "Sorry, it's been a bad day."
She forced a small smile. "Yes, it has. How are you?"
Marc answered her meager smile with a slow one of his own. "I don't want to talk about it." He took a deep breath. "You're getting along with Nina?"
"Yes, she makes a very good babysitter."
He slanted an amused look at her. "Someone has to watch over you, as has been so clearly demonstrated."
"I wasn't complaining." Well, maybe just a little, but what she really wanted to complain about was her family's lack of welcome. She didn't know how much more outright hostility she could take. And why would she want to? "There doesn't seem to be a reason for me to stay. I've met my family, taken the DNA test, had not-so-pleasant conversations with my siblings, hung out by the pool." Her frustration was clear in her voice. She wasn't good at the poker-face thing like Marc and didn't feel like acting like everything was all right.
"It's just going to take a little time for them to get used to you. The family's a tight-knit group." He paused. "What did Tony say?"
How had he known that her confrontation with Tony was why she wanted to leave? "It'd be better for me to head home. If any of them want to talk with me, they know where to find me."
Marc frowned and put his hands on her shoulders. "You agreed to give it a week."
"I agreed to come
"He always knows how to make his point." Ryan shook his head as he stood.
Marc's gaze swept over her, and he touched her shoulder with his hand. "You all right?"
"I'm fine." Lessa forced a brave smile. She wasn't really. Tony had frightened her in a way she hadn't thought possible. "He doesn't like me much."
"Has nothing to do with you." Marc frowned at Ryan. "What's going on?"
"Jio had Vivian do the DNA test."
"Vivian." Marc raised an eyebrow and shook his head, mumbling under his breath.
She almost asked if Vivian was Jio's girlfriend, but gritted her teeth shut. Adrenaline ran through her veins, and she recognized the "fight or flight" response working perfectly.
"What did the test show?" Marc touched her arm this time, as if letting her know he was talking to her.
She took a deep breath and forced her edgy thoughts to focus. "She has to send it in for the results. They went off to get a sample from Edoardo. Something about the test being more accurate and quicker if there was more than Jio and me to compare."
Marc nodded, but his eyes weren't focused on her. He seemed distracted.
"I saw you'd gone out." Ryan changed the subject "Find anything?"
Marc's frown returned. "No, we'll go back out tonight"
MacDonald picked up his briefcase. "Hope you learn something." He smiled at Lessa and offered his hand. She grasped it, hoping she wasn't trembling. "If you need anything, call me."
Marc's hand touched her back. Lessa nodded and dropped Ryan's as a completely different type of tremor made its way up her spine.
The attorney looked from Lessa to Marc. "Take care of her."
"I am," Marc growled.
"Good." Ryan hesitated a moment, but left the room at last.
Marc's hand dropped as soon as he was out of sight. "What did Tony say to you?"
Lessa turned her head to look fully into his face. Surprisingly, his mask was gone, and she could see concern clearly written in his features. "He thinks I'm a conniving gold-digger, but we already knew that." His frown deepened. "I'm all right, Marc." As she said the words, she made herself believe them. "Tony wanted to speak with me alone, but Ryan refused to leave."
"It shouldn't have happened." His voice remained rough. "Where's Nina?"
Lessa instinctively smoothed her hand down his arm to sooth his distress. "I was with her when Jio came to get me for the test."
"Where's Jio?"
She cocked her head. "He went to find Edoardo."
"He shouldn't have left you with Tony."
His insistence on that point did nothing to help her calm down. She huffed a breath out. "You aren't reassuring me."
"I don't want to." He shook his head. "Sorry, it's been a bad day."
She forced a small smile. "Yes, it has. How are you?"
Marc answered her meager smile with a slow one of his own. "I don't want to talk about it." He took a deep breath. "You're getting along with Nina?"
"Yes, she makes a very good babysitter."
He slanted an amused look at her. "Someone has to watch over you, as has been so clearly demonstrated."
"I wasn't complaining." Well, maybe just a little, but what she really wanted to complain about was her family's lack of welcome. She didn't know how much more outright hostility she could take. And why would she want to? "There doesn't seem to be a reason for me to stay. I've met my family, taken the DNA test, had not-so-pleasant conversations with my siblings, hung out by the pool." Her frustration was clear in her voice. She wasn't good at the poker-face thing like Marc and didn't feel like acting like everything was all right.
"It's just going to take a little time for them to get used to you. The family's a tight-knit group." He paused. "What did Tony say?"
How had he known that her confrontation with Tony was why she wanted to leave? "It'd be better for me to head home. If any of them want to talk with me, they know where to find me."
Marc frowned and put his hands on her shoulders. "You agreed to give it a week."
"I agreed to come
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