Bella Donna

Marco moved loosely down to a lower ledge. The rifle did not waver. He was close enough now that she looked directly into the black, malevolent hole of the barrel.

“A dog and two people who should not be here,” he said in a low murmur. He glanced at Teresa. “What is the meaning of this?”

Teresa moved forward and spoke in rapid Italian. Short, fast questions and answers fired between them, and Emma heard the name of Giova

“It’s all right, Mickey,” she murmured. She looked up at Marco, tears blurring her eyes. They came from an equal mixture of relief at seeing him, and the pain in her throbbing ankle.

He held her gaze for a long moment. “Giova

Her heart sank. She could imagine the pack of lies Giova

Quickly she told him what his cousin had said. His lips grew thin and tight, and the color drained from around his mouth. He shook his head in denial.

“If you don’t believe me,” Emma said, “find Giova

“Yes.” His tone was flat, without emotion.

Anger sparked. “Not true. He meant to rape me. I was terrified for my life. I hit him before he could do more than kiss me.” She dropped her voice. “Even that was too much.”

“He tried to rape you?”

She saw the raw fury in his eyes and touched his shoulder. “He didn’t succeed. I swear it. I fought him. When he came after me, I nearly bit his ear off.”

She gazed at him anxiously, unable to tell what he was thinking from the expression on his face. The pain in her heart at the thought he might not believe her was greater than the pain in her twisted ankle.

She wanted to scream at him that he was supposed to trust her, that she had given him enough proof of her worthiness, but she knew he had to think his way through the news she had brought. Giova

By contrast she was a piece of flotsam thrown up by the sea, who had been only too willing to lie with a man she barely knew. How could she make him realize the danger he was in? What would it take for him to believe in her once more?

He lowered his eyes to her leg again and pressed the swelling flesh of her leg with expert hands. “Nothing broken,” he said. “Can you stand?”

“Of course I can.”

She pulled herself to her feet by holding his arms, but she never made it fully upright.

She remained still, clinging to him, not from choice, but because she knew she was incapable of taking a step. Her head spun from the pain, from weariness, from all the emotions she had lived through. Dizziness preempted any protest when his arms came around her, holding her.

Everything swirled around her, whirling faster and faster until her legs crumpled under her. Somehow she’d lost the ability to make them bear her weight. She needed the strength of his arms or she would topple over.

Marco felt her sag against him. With a word to Teresa to make sure she kept the gun at the ready, he swung Emma into his arms. She gave a tiny sigh as he settled her head on his chest. A combination of nervous exhaustion and pain had drained the last remaining dregs of color from her face, leaving her deathly pale. A faint blue tinge ringed her mouth and her eyes were closed. He felt the beat of his heart thudding against her cheek and knew she must feel it too. The intimacy was wonderfully familiar.

He wanted to believe her account of what had happened with Giova

He’d tasted the black despair caused by her supposed faithlessness, but his reaction to Giova

Unable to help himself, he brushed her forehead with his lips. Her eyelids fluttered and opened. Dio, but she had beautiful eyes. They drew him into their depths like a thirsty man seeking water. Every glance bewitched him and lured him more surely under her spell. For the past few hours she had never been far from his thoughts, although he’d tried to bury his feelings for her under layers of activity and anger. Confronted with the reality of her body in his arms, those layers were proving fragile and insubstantial.

She gave him a tremulous smile and her eyes closed again. He glanced at Teresa, who was watching them. It seemed to him that the girl gave a small nod of approval. He gathered Emma more closely and set off. The dog seemed to understand that Emma was safe and resumed his scouting position ahead of the small group, with Teresa bringing up the rear. Marco strode as fast as he could without jarring the precious burden in his arms.

He took her into a shepherd’s hut with a broken roof and crumbling walls and laid her gently in the deep shadows on the earthen floor. It was not far from the spot they had selected for the ambush, but he was so full of confidence he had no fear for her. Failure was impossible now that Emma had returned. Teresa followed them inside with the discarded clothing from the pool and between them, under the faint light of the stars that shone through the gaps in the grass roof, they cleared wooden debris from the floor and made a makeshift bed for Emma to lie on. Mickey lay down beside her, his head on his paws, only his eyes alert and moving.

Marco told Teresa to find her way to the rest of his men. “Tell Pietro to send for Giova

Teresa nodded and slid silently from the hut. He remained standing, looking down at Emma. His night vision had always been good, and he could see clearly the pale oval of her face and the whiteness of her hands. The weight of her in his arms had produced exactly the same reaction as the first time he had carried her across Enrico’s farmyard. He found it strangely difficult to take a deep breath, and all his blood seemed to have drained to his heated groin. His fingers itched to tear the clothing and covers off her, expose her legs, her breasts-

“Did she take the gun?” Emma murmured.

He swallowed hard and bent to smooth her hair back from her face. His cock jumped in response to the contact with her skin, and he forced himself to speak calmly. “Yes, but don’t worry. I have another.” He pulled a pistol from his belt and laid it aside.

Emma gazed at him through half-closed eyes and placed her hand on his sleeve. “Armed to the teeth,” she said. “I had Giova

Marco glanced at the dog. “As long as he knows who the enemy is. I don’t want him attacking me.”

“Why would he do that?”

He didn’t answer, and she pulled herself to a sitting position, using the wall as a support. He caught a glimpse of bare flesh as the movement opened her tunic at her throat. He had a flash memory of first seeing her tied in the stable, the torn material of her shift revealing the sweet curve of her naked breast.