shark,” Vittorio informed his woman. “This ties everything together so neatly.” Deliberately, he ignored his mother.
“He’s got to be the man Haydon owes the money to.” Grace took her cue from him, not looking at Eloisa, refusing to be intimidated by her.
Pride burst through him. She was magnificent. She looked regal, even with her shoulder completely immobile, bandages holding her arm in place. Her voice was soft, but definitely, she was a woman in charge, speaking to him as an equal.
“I should have thought of Giordano. He would have been the first one a man like Haydon would go to for money.” He turned his head and flashed a smile at his mother. “Thank you, Eloisa. You’ve solved part of the mystery. We needed to know who was supplying Haydon with cash.”
Eloisa frowned. “Vittorio.” Her voice was cautionary but cutting.
Vittorio ignored her and swung back to face Grace. “We’ve speculated for years over why Miceli would allow Giordano to leave his position as top enforcer and strike out on his own as a loan shark.”
“Don’t talk to her about our private family business.” Eloisa nearly shrieked it.
Vittorio indicated the glass of strawberry lemonade and when Grace didn’t pick it up right away, he did and held it to her lips. He brushed back her hair while she drank, his fingertips savoring the richness of the thick, silky strands. “This is all public knowledge,” he assured her. “Anyone can speculate on Miceli’s generosity to a former employee. The bottom line is, if you turned down a man like Giordano, he might think he could get you through a gambling debt. Did you know he was in the mob?”
Grace shook her head. “No, I thought the mob was more or less gone these days. You don’t hear that much about it.”
“It’s alive and well. Just not as blatantly bloody as it used to be. Let’s think about this, bella, put it into a timeline.”
“Vittorio, I insist you talk to me.”
He glanced over his shoulder and sent his mother a smile. “Please, do sit down, Eloisa. I’ll have Merry bring you whatever you want to eat, or I can pour you a drink if you’d like, from the bar. I can make just about anything. Give me a minute. This is important.”
“As if I’m not?” Eloisa snapped. “I insist that you speak to me now.”
Vittorio sighed and turned fully around. “You have my full attention, Eloisa.”
“Stop calling me that in that horrid tone. I despise the way you say my name.”
“Would you prefer Mrs. Ferraro? Or Ms. Ferraro?”
“Stop being sarcastic, Vittorio.” Eloisa all but gnashed her teeth. “You’re putting off the inevitable. I have a few things to say to this little money-chaser. She works for Katie Branscomb, although how Katie, coming from such a good family, ever met up with her I’ll never know.”
“She’s doesn’t work for Katie, Eloisa, she is a full partner as well as Katie’s friend, which you well know. You would never use a company without fully investigating them first. You pretended not to know because it suited you. Grace is my fiancée. We’re getting married whether you approve or not.” He kept his voice very calm. Very even. Compelling. “You may as well accept my decision because I won’t be changing it.”
“That’s ridiculous. Just because she meets the criteria . . .”
Behind him he felt Grace’s sudden stillness. He was aware she would demand a few explanations he wouldn’t be able to give her. He willed her to stay silent and not ask questions. “You knew.” It was a soft accusation. Anyone who knew him, other than his mother, would have tread lightly from that moment on.
“Of course I knew.” Eloisa threw her head up, her eyes blazing with anger.
“But you didn’t say anything.”
“Because I knew one of you would do exactly this. Make a fool of yourself over her. Convince yourself you were in love. It’s not real. She may meet the criteria, but she doesn’t meet our standards.”
“I would like you to leave, Eloisa. She’s my fiancée. I am going to marry her and have a family with her. That alone should demand a little respect for her. You’re insulting me and my intelligence by saying I don’t know the difference between real and fantasy. Since I’ve had to endure your ugliness my entire life, I’m immune to whatever venom you choose to spew. However, and you’d better hear me, Eloisa, I will not tolerate you doing the same thing to my woman. She’s my