Her father was cool and calm—nothing shattered the reserve Dominick wore as elegantly as the three-piece suits he preferred. But Paulo looked agitated. He paced back and forth in front of their father, gesticulating wildly and arguing. Though his words were caught by the wind and carried away from her, Teresa had no problem guessing what he was saying. He was furious and she knew that her brother in a temper was someone to avoid. Though there was no chance of that now. She had to face them both, give them Rico’s ultimatum and then watch them go.
“Cara,” her father murmured as she came closer. “You’re leaving with us after all?”
“No, Papa,” she said and withstood the urge to throw herself into her father’s arms for a hug she badly needed. “I’m staying here.”
“For how long?” Paulo demanded.
“A month.”
“Hell with that!”
She looked up at her older brother and winced when she saw just how angry he was. He was tall and dark and right now his brown eyes were flashing with fury. “Paulo, you being mad isn’t helping me.”
“I’m supposed to just accept this?” he asked. “Just leave you here with that man for a month?”
“Yeah. We all have to accept it.” Reaching out, she gave Paulo a brief hug and felt better when he squeezed her back. Paulo and Gianni had always looked out for her. Since she was the baby of the family and a girl, it was to be expected, she supposed. So naturally Paulo would have a hard time seeing her caught in a web he couldn’t get her out of.
“Like it or not,” she said, looking from her brother to her father, “Rico is still my husband.”
“Yeah, and I want to know how that happened,” Paulo muttered.
“Me, as well,” her father said.
“I’ll tell you everything when I leave here, okay?” Teresa took a deep breath and blew it out in a rush. “Look, the important thing to remember is that Rico won’t hurt me.”
“No, just trap you.”
“Paulo…”
“Color this any way you choose, Teresa,” her brother said, “but the hard truth is, he’s using us to get you back into his bed.”
She winced and tried not to look at her father. Maybe Paulo was right—but what her brother didn’t know was that Teresa was torn about her own reaction to the situation. Yes, Rico wanted his dagger back, but was it also possible that he wanted her, too, even if he couldn’t admit it to himself?
“Surely not,” Dominick muttered.
“Why else would he keep her here for a month?” Paulo threw his hands high in disgust. “He knows we could get hold of Gianni and have that damned dagger back here by tomorrow. He’s doing this deliberately. To keep Teresa where he wants her.”
“This is not acceptable,” her father said shortly.
“Papa, we’re married.”
“This does not give him the right to—”
Thankfully, he didn’t finish the sentence. There was only so much more Teresa could take today. Besides, she knew Rico well enough to know that nothing would change his mind. Firing a glare at her big brother, she said, “One month. Then you can return the dagger Gianni stole and Rico will let me leave. With the evidence he’s gathered about us.”