Chapter Fifteen
LEONI
The rooftop looks like something straight out of a film. A large patio area sticking out of the side of the mountain like some kind of growth.
Tables are scattered everywhere, overflowing with families and friends who talk like they haven’t seen each other in years.
The air hums with laughter and clinking glasses.
Small dishes of olives, oils, torn bread, and bottles of wine cover every surface.
Warm light spills over stone and terracotta, and for a moment, I almost forget we’re here for business.
I stand beside Warren, taking it all in.
Anthony has stopped following us at the top of the steps, taking his place like a shadow guarding the entrance. He’s rigid, alert, scanning everything. It spikes unease down my spine.
Why the hell would Warren Baxter need a bodyguard here? In Italy. Where no one even recognises him.
“I thought Anthony was your driver,” I say quietly, dragging my gaze from him.
“Amongst other things,” Warren replies, his hand pressing lightly to the small of my back as he guides me deeper into the crowd.
Amongst other things.
A man waves us over. He’s much older than Warren, though his posture is straight and strong. His smile is stretched too tight, like it’s been pulled on with hooks. It doesn’t reach his eyes.
“Warren, you made it.” They shake hands, but it’s stiff, formal. These men aren’t friends. “And you brought your guest,” he adds, turning his attention to me.
I force a polite smile. “Hi.”
“Toni, this is Leoni,” Warren says.
Toni takes my hand before I can react. He pulls me closer and presses a kiss to each cheek.
“This is how we greet a beautiful lady,” he tells me with a wink.
I laugh softly, a polite noise, unsure where to look. He pulls out the seat beside him and gestures for me to sit. I lower myself into the chair, feeling the warmth of his hand lingering on my arm. When I glance at Warren, his jaw is clenched so tight I can almost hear it grind.
He takes the seat across from me, eyes locked on Toni like he’s memorising every breath the man takes.
Toni leans back, draping an arm behind my chair like he’s known me for years.The entire table quiets, watching, waiting. And suddenly I realise this isn’t dinner. This is some sort of test. And I’m the piece being moved first.
Toni pours wine into the nearest glasses, the ruby liquid catching the soft lantern light. He slides mine closer, fingertips brushing the stem with gentle precision.
“So, Leoni,” Toni begins, his tone warm and curious. “Tell me about yourself.”
I offer a polite smile. “There’s not much to tell.”
“Oh, I doubt that very much.” He chuckles, a light, practised sound.
“A woman does not travel across the world with a man for nothing.” Heat crawls up my neck.
I glance at Warren for help, but he’s watching Toni like every word matters.
Toni leans back comfortably, the picture of relaxed charm.
“To start,” he says, “how long have you been working for my nephew?”
I blink. “Nephew?” I repeat, turning to Warren.
Warren’s expression doesn’t shift. “Toni is my father’s brother.”
Toni beams. “Ah, he didn’t tell you? Warren is part Italian. We share the Baxter surname. My mother was Italian, my father British.”
Something uneasy ripples across Warren’s face for half a second, before he smothers it.
I sit straighter, trying not to look surprised. “I didn’t know.”
“No?” Toni raises a brow like that answer is interesting. “And yet you come here with him. Travel. Stay in my villa.” He smiles kindly. “You must trust him very much.”
Warren’s jaw clenches.
I clear my throat. “Warren’s my boss. I’m here for work.”
“For work.” Toni repeats it softly, studying me with thoughtful eyes. “And how long have you worked for him?”
“A few months.”
“Only a few…” He makes a small humming noise, stroking the rim of his glass. “And in that time, has he told you anything about his business? His… responsibilities?” His gaze flicks towards Warren. “His family?”
I shake my head. “No. I deal with his appointments. I take notes. I fetch his coffee.”
Toni laughs loudly and a few people turn at the sound. “You fetch his coffee,” he repeats, “And then he brings his coffee girl to Italy."
“Toni,” Warren mutters.
“Relax,” he replies, “I’m just teasing.” His focus comes back to me. “And what did you do before Warren hired you?”
“Waitressing. Part-time. Nothing special.”
“Hmm.” He sips his wine. “So you come from a simple life. Clean. No complications.”
Warren shifts, tension rippling through him.
I frown slightly, not really understanding his words. “I guess so?”
Toni sets his glass down, his fingers tapping lightly beside it. “And your family? They support your new position? Working for someone like Warren?”
I shrug, a little confused by the interest. “It’s just a job,” I say. “They don’t really show an interest.”
Warren’s hands tighten on the table.
Toni leans back and spreads his arms a little. “Then we have nothing to worry about. Family support is important. It shows trust.” He glances at Warren, warm but pointed. “And trust is everything in business. Everything.”
Warren doesn’t blink.
Toni shifts his gaze back to me. “Tell me, Leoni…” He tilts his head, eyes narrowing just a fraction, too subtle for most people to catch. “Has Warren ever spoken to you about his father?”
Warren’s hand closes into a fist.
I shake my head. “Not really. Why?”
Toni holds my gaze for a long moment. A soft smile spreads. Almost harmless. “Curiosity,” he says. “I simply wonder how much he shares, and with whom.”
Warren’s voice cuts in, quiet but razor sharp. “Toni.”
Toni lifts his hands as though to surrender. “Relax, nipote. I’m only making conversation.” The tension is thick as he pops an olive into his mouth. “You want us to do business, I need to know all about your life, and who you share it with.”
“Leoni doesn’t know anything about this deal,” he says sharply, his fist still balled tightly. “It’s best it stays that way, don’t you think?”
Toni chuckles, “What I think is you came here to get my help and you’ll endure my questions.”
Warren’s jaw clenches tighter, and his eyes fix on me. “Ask Anthony to show you the bar,” he tells me firmly.
WARREN
I wait for Leoni to disappear back through the crowd before turning to Toni. “She’s innocent in all this,” I spit. “She doesn’t know anything.”
“But you’re fucking her,” he says casually, dropping an olive pip onto a napkin.
“She’s my secretary, of course I’m fucking her. And I thought a few days in the sun would score me some points. But she’s nothing to do with the business.”
“Does your father know you’re screwing her?” When I don’t reply, he smirks. “She’s your father’s type, that's why I ask.”
“How much can I trust you, Toni?”
He leans back in his chair and stares out to the mountains. “When you tell me everything, I’ll trust you. Let’s work on that first.”
I lean closer. “Was my mother having an affair?” His eyes snap to mine, and he sits straighter. “You knew,” I say smugly, satisfied his reaction gave me the right answer.
“What do you know about it?”
“Not much,” I admit, “but probably more than my father would like.”
He scoffs, “He never did like people knowing his business.”
“The man she was leaving him for, is in prison.” Toni’s eyes peak with interest. “He’s just discovered it was Michael Rowe.”
“Mick… his right-hand man?”
I nod. “And Leoni’s father.”
He’s genuinely surprised, which tells me I know more than him. But he takes a sip of wine before saying, “He spent a lot of time with your mother.” He places the glass down. “We should have guessed.”
“Mick was an informant?”
Toni nods. “Yes, it’s the reason your father got spooked and decided to pull the plug on our deal. I wanted him to wait for it to all blow over. I had it handled. But as usual, he didn’t trust me, and with his right-hand man gone, it was the easy option for him. It cost me millions.”
“Why wasn’t Mick killed?”
“He’d been an informant for six months or more.
It would have been too suspicious. There were too many eyes.
But now it’s starting to make sense. Your father knew she was having an affair long before the Mick business came to light.
She was planning to leave and there was no way he could let that happen––”
“So, he took her life?”
Toni doesn’t speak, but his silence confirms what I already know in my heart.
“He tried to find out who it was, but Mick kept coming back with dead-ends. Makes sense now.” He rolls his eyes.
“Maybe he thought if he fed police information, Nico would be locked up, and he could make a life with Elena safely.”
“But you found out he was informing?”
“Yes. And when he realised the charges against us wouldn’t stick, thanks to a top lawyer and a bent judge, he panicked.” He sighs heavily. “Beat his wife to near death so he’d be put away for a long time.”
“And he’s spent most of it on the seg wing trying to protect himself.”
“It was the long game. Your father planned on waiting for his release, but I guess now he knows about Elena, he wants blood?”
I nod. “Leoni is here to keep her safe.”
“And you want to sever ties to save her for good?”
“She doesn’t deserve to die for her father’s sins. She’s a nice girl. She’s got her whole life ahead of her.”
He watches me for a moment. “Okay, you have a deal.”
My eyes widen. “You’re agreeing to the terms?”
He shrugs, “I haven’t looked at the terms. But I know you won’t fuck me over, Warren. You have too much to lose.”
I swallow the lump of panic. And then he leans closer. “You’re in love, I would never underestimate the lengths a man would go to protect what’s his. You want to save her, and I want to destroy your father. We have a deal.”
I find Leoni standing at the edge of the balcony, hands braced on the stone wall, taking in the view. Anthony gives me a brief nod before melting back into the crowd, leaving us alone.
She startles when I rest my hand beside hers, our fingers brushing.
“You’re miles away,” I say quietly.
“A lot has happened,” she murmurs. Then, after a beat, “Your uncle seems… pleasant.”
There’s something in her tone that twists in my chest. “I should have told you.”
She turns her head slightly. Not fully. “Yes. You should have. You made me feel like an idiot.”
I step closer, sliding my arms around her waist from behind. “I’m sorry,” I say, and I mean it. “We’ve been estranged for a long time. I didn’t know how tonight would go.”
My body betrays me, pressing against her, and she exhales softly, her head tipping back to rest on my shoulder. I drag my nose along the curve of her neck, breathing her in.
“What was tonight really about?” she asks, and I still. She twists slightly to look me in the eye. “Why are you scared of your uncle?”
I straighten, my jaw clenching. “I’m not scared, Leoni. But tonight mattered. I needed it to go my way.”
She turns in my arms then, fully facing me, searching my expression, trying to read my deepest thoughts. “What business do you have here? What’s going on?”
I release her and move away, bracing my hands against the stone wall, staring out at the city. “It doesn’t concern you.”
“No?” she snaps. “Then why did I feel like I was on trial back there?” She steps closer. “All those questions; what was he really asking?”
I drag a hand down my face. “You ask too many questions.”
“And you keep too many secrets,” she fires back without hesitation.
“Yes,” I hiss, spinning back toward her and pinning her against the wall, my voice low and sharp. “And they are my secrets.”
She doesn’t flinch. She just looks at me. Hurt, anger, understanding and disappointment all colliding in her eyes.
“Then don’t bring me to places like this,” she says quietly, “and leave me to fend for myself.” She slips past me before I can respond, heels sharp against stone as she storms away.
I exhale slowly, rubbing a hand over my jaw. She’s dramatic. She’s passionate. And fuck, she gets under my skin like no one else ever has.
Anthony reappears at my side. “You’re not going after her?”
“Let her cool off,” I mutter.
“It went well with Toni?”
I nod. “We have a deal.”
He releases a slow breath. “Then the real work begins.”
“When we get back, things will be easier,” I say. “Once my father’s out of the way, Erik can choose a side. Either way, he won’t be a problem.”
Anthony arches a brow. “You’re letting him live?”
“Without my father pulling his strings, he’s harmless.”
“Harmless men still cause damage,” Anthony says evenly. “What about Nancy? How are you planning to keep her father onside?”
I don’t answer right away. Because that’s the question I don’t yet have a clean answer for.