You expected him to prove himself. Again. Mina squirmed but the voice in her head refused to back down. Apparently it was in league with Ivy.
“When you didn’t contact me I thought…” She let the statement fade off without finishing it. It was too embarrassing to admit that she believed he was bored with her and didn’t call because he was glad she was gone.
“I can imagine what you thought.” The words came out in a snarl, surprising her. “Three days. Wasted.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel, anger in every line of his body.
She didn’t know what his problem was but she refused to be blamed for this. “I’ll have you know I haven’t wasted any time. I kept my part of the bargain,” even if you didn’t, she thought. “Every artifact, every contractor… I took care of all the…” Her indignant response was cut short as a heavy hand reached over and rested on her knee.
“No, Mina darling, not you. Me.” He looked at her and she could see emotions warring on his face.
“I have wasted three days--three very frustrating days--on what was apparently a wild goose chase.” The anger was still there, banked beneath the surface, but he wasn’t directing it at her. His hand tightened on her leg. “You see, I was told that you left for Miami, Mina. Told that you quit your work with the collezione, and that you never wanted to see me again.”
The words hung in the air between them and Mina tried to make sense of what he was saying. “Never wanted to see…?” she stopped mid-sentence and stared at him. “I never said that. You had to know I would never say that.”
Did he? The Ivy-voice asked. You ran away before. Why wouldn’t he believe you’d done it again?
She refused to dignify that with an answer.
Marco’s hand felt hot through her jeans and she couldn’t help remembering how it felt against her bare skin, how it caressed her, and held her… and how it looked against Serafina’s shoulder.
The memory stung her pride and she sat straighter in the leather seat.
“I am a professional. I wouldn’t abandon my responsibilities to the Oppen no matter how much my feelings were hurt.”
There, she thought, see what he makes of that.
His fingers patted her leg gently. “I should have realized your honor would never let you do that. But I,” he let out a rough laugh, “Well, I wasn’t thinking particularly clearly.”
There was some cold comfort to be had from that, she supposed. She’d hate to think she was the only one royally screwed up over this.
“Well, whoever told you I left was either messing with you or full of wishful thinking.” As soon as the words left her mouth she realized their importance. She met Marco’s eyes across the car and was taken aback at the blazing anger she saw there. She was thankful it wasn’t aimed at her, but it made her wonder who was the target.
“Who told you that anyway?”
He turned the steering wheel and guided the car down the long drive to the Genovese compound, his face blank. “It came straight from my dear Mamma, of course.”
The wheels in Mina’s head were turning faster than the ones on the car. His mother told him she’d run back to Miami? That made no sense. She wanted her out of the picture, and she got that when she ran out after seeing what was going on in the office in the first place. Why send Marco chasing her halfway across the world?
She probably believed he’d be too angry to chase her. That made more sense. It would never occur to Bianca Genovese that Marco might actually care enough to pursue someone so beneath him.
Bitch.
“Amazingly helpful woman, your mother. She’s the one who made sure I saw you and your friend,” she said sarcastically. “It’s impressive. Between slapping me in the face with your infidelity and sending you on a wild goose chase, I can’t imagine how she can manage her busy social schedule.”
Marco gave a short laugh and pulled the car into the cavernous garage.
“You don’t know the half of it. She’s also the person who invited Serafina the other night, and the person who informed her that I would be interested in rekindling our relationship.”
Marco was focused on parking, each move controlled and efficient, but Mina could hear the bitterness in his voice.
“I didn’t recognize what she was up to right away.” He got out of the car and came around to her side to open her door. She didn’t want to be that close to him, but there was no way to avoid it without looking like she was afraid of him.
It wasn’t him she was afraid of, though, was it?
She took a deep breath and let him help her out of the car. He gripped her elbow, guiding her gently towards the door to the courtyard. “It isn’t normal to see a conspiracy around every corner, but after the past few days I cannot come to any other conclusion.”