Quinn
Once again, Lorenzo is gone when I wake up.
It’s been the same every morning for the past six weeks.
He’s stressed out and trying not to let it show, but I know it’s affecting him.
He had a meeting with Tony, and he didn’t exactly tell me how it went, but Tony was found dead with a bullet between his eyes.
Daire is still missing and so is Frederick Hightower along with his father, Gregory.
Nausea rolls through my stomach and I breathe deeply through my nose.
Ugh, the past two weeks have been the same, every morning I awake to find Lorenzo gone, and within minutes I’m feeling such severe nausea that I have to run to the bathroom and throw up.
Sometimes I’m able to breathe through it.
Others, I can’t. Today isn’t one of those days.
I push the sheets from my body and rush to the bathroom. My knees hit the cold tiled floor as I puke my guts up. There’s only bile since I have nothing else in my stomach. Even after I’ve thrown up, the nausea stays and I’m dry heaving. God, what a way to start the day.
I sit back on my heels once it recedes and breathe in slowly, trying my hardest not to trigger another bout of heaving.
Once I’m able to, I stand, making sure that I’m steady on my feet.
I rinse my mouth, and look at myself in the mirror.
I’m pale, and my eyes look slightly glazed.
Great, I look like death. Ugh, I need a shower.
An hour later and I make my way downstairs for breakfast. The shower did little to help me. I still look pale and sickly. If the sickness continues, I’ll have to make an appointment with the doctor to see if he can give me something for this stress.
Entering the kitchen, I see that I’m the last to join, and Lorenzo and Ciro aren’t here. I take a seat. “Good morning,” I mumble as I reach for some bacon and toast.
"You look terrible," Valentina whispers from beside me.
"Thank you, Val," I reply curtly.
"Quinn,” she says. “I didn’t mean anything bad by it. I mean it in a concerned way."
I sigh as I butter my toast. "I know, thank you."
I feel her gaze on me. It’s intense as she watches me. I try to ignore it, but she won’t stop. "Are you sick?"
"No."
I hear her click her tongue. "You look sick."
"Val," I sigh, I really don’t want to get into this right now.
"She's right," Cesare says, from behind his newspaper.
I gape at him. He rarely speaks. "I appreciate everyone's concern but I assure you all, I'm fine."
Vittoria sets a cup of tea in front of me without being asked and puts her hand briefly on my forehead as she passes me. "No fever," she says with a furrowed brow.
"Because I'm not sick," I say. “I’m just tired, that’s all,” I lie.
Nobody looks convinced, especially not Vittoria.
I take a bite of toast, and I immediately regret it. The nausea rolls through me again. The thought of eating has my stomach turning. I put the toast down and reach for my tea. I’m hoping that’ll settle my stomach.
Valentina notices. "You didn't eat."
"I took a bite," I say as I take a sip of tea. I don’t feel the roll of nausea hit me so I think I’m okay.
"One bite," she snaps, her eyes narrowing on me "How long has this been going on?"
My face flushes as I realize that everyone is staring at me now. Even Cesare has lowered his newspaper.
"A couple of weeks," I mumble, my cheeks flaming hot with embarrassment. The entire table is looking at me in horror.
"A couple of weeks?" Vittoria repeats as though she can’t believe what I’ve just said.
I wince. "Maybe."
Valentina looks horrified. "You've been throwing up for two weeks and didn't tell anyone?"
"I didn't think it was important. I’m fine, just a little under the weather. It’s just stress, I’ll be fine."
"You married the right family," Valentina mutters.
"I was going to say the same thing," Vittoria says.
"I am right here."
Neither of them acknowledges that. "Have you seen a doctor?" Vittoria asks.
"No," I say. I wish they’d drop this. I point at all of them. "And no one tells Lorenzo."
Valentina starts laughing. "Absolutely not."
"Val.” I gape at her. I can’t believe this.
"No," Val says, adamantly.
I look at Vittoria but she’s shaking her head before I can even ask. "Not happening."
"Vittoria," I whine like a child
"Quinn, no."
I groan. "Please."
Across the table, Cesare folds his newspaper, the movement immediately gets everyone's attention. "If you're sick, he should know."
"I'm not sick," I say for what feels like the tenth time.
"You're throwing up every day."
I point at him. "See, this is exactly why I'm asking you not to tell him."
Valentina grins. "Because he'll overreact?"
I nod. Exactly. "Because he'll lose his mind."
Her grin turns into a full smile. "Fair."
I groan. "He'll have a doctor here within twenty minutes."
Vittoria nods. "He will."
I glare at her. "There'll be blood tests."
Again she grins. "There will."
"He'll cancel whatever he's doing."
Now Val joins in. "He absolutely will."
I throw my hands up. "Exactly."
Valentina is openly enjoying herself now. "You're describing a man who loves his wife."
I scowl at her. "I'm describing a man who has become completely unreasonable."
"Same thing," she says with a laugh.
"Please," I try again. "Just let me see if it settles down on its own."
"If it continues another day, you see a doctor," Cesare says. “And then we tell Lorenzo.”
I blink. "Okay, I will. But I promise, it’s just stress. I hate always looking over my shoulder."
The kitchen goes quiet and I immediately regret saying it, because now everyone is looking at me again.
I look down at my tea. "I know Lorenzo doesn't want me worrying about it, but it's hard not to."
"Are you afraid?" Cesare asks.
I blink, the question catches me off guard. "What?"
"Are you afraid?" He repeats.
"A little," I admit quietly.
Cesare's expression softens, his eyes focus on me more, but there’s understanding in them.
"You don't need to be." The words are simple, oh so matter-of-fact.
"No one is getting near you." The certainty in his voice settles somewhere deep inside me.
He picks up his newspaper again, and I guess that means the conversation's over.
"If you're worried, tell Lorenzo." I guess it wasn’t over.
I smile despite myself. "That feels like terrible advice."
The corner of his mouth twitches. "Probably."
Everyone is on edge. The investigation is still ongoing.
I don’t know much about what’s going on.
Lorenzo is wanting to keep me safe and not to worry.
He told me that my father has taken Tony’s death hard.
Mam’s worried and I have no doubt that’s because she’s wondering what has been uncovered and why he’s dead.
Lorenzo thinks that she knows a lot more than what she has said and that’s why she’s worried. She’s afraid that she’ll be next.
She’s not the only one waiting. We are too, waiting to see what happens next.
I hate waiting and being on edge and it doesn’t help when Lorenzo has become even more protective.
He checks in multiple times a day when he's out. Either a text or a call, just a quick check in, and I’m not complaining, I love that he thinks about me to check in.
He doesn't like me being alone in the house at night if he's not back yet. He’s also asked me to not be outside after five in the evening. That was crazy and I didn’t answer.
"You're smiling at nothing again," Val says, coming to stand beside me in the library where I've retreated after breakfast.
"I'm smiling at something," I tease her.
Her eyes narrow. "What?"
"Your brother."
She drops onto the sofa beside me. "Has he done something ridiculous?"
"He asked me to keep my outdoor activities to before five pm."
She stares at me. "He did not."
"He absolutely did."
She pulls out her phone and starts typing. "He’s gone crazy"
"Leave my husband alone, Val." I say, knowing that she’s texting him to try and goad him.
"Are you crazy? He deserves this. He’s acting like a lunatic," she says shaking her head, her gaze glued to her screen. She finishes typing and puts the phone away. "How are you feeling? Actually."
I breathe. "Better than this morning. Still a bit off. It's probably nothing."
She looks at me. "You threw up."
"People throw up all the time. I’m fine. Please, Val, trust me. I’m okay."
She nods. She’s not convinced, but she thankfully changes the subject. "Erin is coming tomorrow. She wants to do the book talk we keep postponing."
"Good," I say, genuinely excited. “I can’t wait and that means we can pick a new book.”
Val groans. "She's also going to make me finish the chapter I've been avoiding."
"Good. I told you, get through the next two chapters and you’ll not be able to stop."
"Easy for you to say, you're further ahead."
"Because I don't have to dissect the storyline every three pages."
Valentina grins. "That's the best part of the experience."
I shake my head. "It's called procrastinating.."
She laughs and steals the throw blanket from my end of the sofa and pulls it over the two of us, we settle into the sofa and start reading.
By late afternoon, I decide I've gone long enough without seeing my husband. I make coffee and take one cup for me and one for him. Lorenzo is in his study when I find him, which surprises absolutely nobody.
I put his coffee on the desk, and he pulls me into his lap. "You've been quiet today," he says, pressing a kiss to my temple.
I immediately know Vittoria told him something, the traitor.
"I'm always quiet."
"Not like this." His hand settles on my hip.
I stare at the papers spread across his desk. "I'm fine."
The silence that follows tells me he doesn't believe me. "Quinn."
I sigh. "I was just thinking."
"About?"
I hesitate, because it sounds ridiculous when I say it out loud. "Daire."
His entire body stills. "Daire?"
"And Frederick. I know they're not here, and I know they're not getting near me. I know all of that." I twist the coffee mug between my hands. "But they're still out there."