He'd been uneasy for the last few hours, and it bothered him. Mostly he'd been turning over and over in his mind the things Ricco had told him about his stay in Japan. Was that tied to the attack on Vittorio? Had the target been Nicoletta? It wasn't Stefano's way to sit idly by while someone attacked his family. He'd already sent for members of the International Council, laying out exactly what had happened to Ricco and the truth of the deaths of the Tanaka family as well as what he expected from the council. Still, the nagging in his gut just didn't want to go away.
"I'm going to go for coffee," he said. "Vittorio? Francesca?" The coffee was disgusting and both Vittorio and Francesca looked at him like he was crazy. Francesca stuck her head around his shoulder to give him her "are you nuts?" look.
He laughed, patted her hand and then stood and stretched. "It's better than nothing."
"No, it isn't," Francesca denied. "I think they deliberately make it that bad so no one wants to stick around."
He leaned in to brush a kiss over her temple. Just looking at her made him happy. She could soothe him when he was raging, and had no problem letting him know when his innate bossiness was out of control. She was everything to him. Everything. He'd insisted she come with him to the hospital after the attack to keep her from going to work. It was underhanded, but that nagging feeling of unease in his gut had him taking extra precautions with his treasured and very necessary other half.
He walked to the door, stopped and turned back, deliberately going to the opposite side of the bed from his wife. She was already digging through her pack to get out the food for Vittorio she'd brought. She didn't want him eating the hospital food. Vittorio raised an eyebrow but didn't say a word when Stefano leaned down and removed a concealed revolver from his boot and slid it under the covers into his brother's hand.
He caught his brother around his neck and leaned in. "Love you, Torio. You guard her for me. You know what she is to me."
"To us," Vittorio corrected. "Love you, too, man."
They had never had problems stating how they felt to one another. Stefano had initiated that early, when they were just children. He wasn't about to let them enter the shadow tubes without knowing they were loved.
"Is something wrong?" Francesca asked, her eyes on his face.
She was intelligent and quick. She knew him. His every mood. He flashed her a smile because she always made him smile, even when she was as stubborn as hell. "No, baby, just taking precautions. You know me. Security is never good enough. I'm sending Drago into the room while I'm gone. I'll take Demetrio with me." Even as he stated it, he realized he wouldn't. He hadn't meant to lie to her. When he said it, he meant it, but that strange feeling in his gut was getting worse. He'd leave Demetrio at the door, just to be on the safe side.
Francesca nodded, but there was suspicion in her eyes. She went around the bed to intercept him before he made it to the door, planting her body right in front of him. "Stefano, you know, as much as I'm your world, you're mine. Don't take risks. We're going to be fine in here. Take Demetrio with you."
She kept looking up at his face. Dio, he loved her.
"Please."
He cupped the side of her face in his palm, his thumb sliding over her smooth skin, feeling love eating him alive. "For you, Francesca, but you do what Drago and Vittorio tell you."
"I will."
He heard his heartbeat, drumming for her. Needing her. Finding her rhythm. He glanced at his brother and then turned abruptly and stalked out of the room. Demetrio and Drago both came to attention as he closed the door. Cousins, they had taken up bodyguarding for the family, following their stint in the service. Both were quick, he'd trained with them several times to get a feel for their abilities. They were younger than Emilio and Enzo, the acknowledged leaders of their protection unit.
"I've got a bad feeling," he told them. "Drago, you stay right here. If trouble comes, get inside the room and shoot anything coming through the door. You get me?"
Drago nodded. Stefano started to tell Demetrio to come with him, but something made him hesitate. He'd told Francesca he'd take Demetrio, but protecting Vittorio and Francesca were far more important to him.
"Gotta go with you, Stefano," Demetrio said, seeing his hesitation. "Whatever your gut is saying, mine is saying the same thing. Get pissed. Don't care. Just doing my job."