Page 51 of Claimed At First Sight

So Chicago and dealing with the insufferable mafia don it is.

Wonderful.

How do I prepare myself for whatever awaits me there?

Like Maximo staring at me with that infuriatingly calm expression, as if he already knows how this ends. He’ll probably have more dandelion root tea waiting for me.

That stupid kiss replays in my head again. The way he took control so easily, my body reacting to him before my brain caught up.

No. Stop it.

But that’s easier said than done. It was one foolish moment, and weeks later I still haven’t managed to erase it or replace it with a better one.

Maybe I’ll have more luck in Chicago finding the right man for the task.

Hmm, that thought actually makes me smile.

I walk down the corridor to my room, but stop in front of Isa’s door. Her reaction to the news of our impending Chicago trip was a bit of a mystery.

I have a good reason to want to avoid the Windy City, but she doesn’t. Unless she’s keeping a secret. And I’m going to find out.

I knock lightly and open her door. The room is dark and quiet.

“Are you asleep yet?” I whisper, peering over to her bed, but it’s empty.

“I’m over here,” Isa says, and I find her sitting on the wide windowsill, hugging her knees to her chest while the sea glitters beyond the garden.

Her phone glows faintly in her hands. That thing has practically become an extra limb whenever she’s in the privacy of her room.

She leans forward, and the moonlight catches her face. She looks… guilty.

Hmm.

I cross the floor, hop onto the wide sill right beside her, and lean my shoulder against hers.

“I’ve seen you sneaking out a few times,” I say as casually as I can.

Her cheeks flush, and she glances away.

I chuckle. “Yeah, don’t think I didn’t notice. That, and you’re spending an awful lot of time on your phone.”

I pointedly stare at the glowing device in her hand.

“And I bet you’re not just trading crypto.”

That’s been Isa’s thing for years. Nobody knows about it but Mari and me. She started back when we still believed Luca might be alive, and she was planning to find him. It was her way of funding the search.

Hmm. Maybe I should get her to teach me so I can make my own money.

“Shh.” She taps her finger against her lips. “Remember, no one knows about that.”

“So who are you on the phone with?”

“Promise not to tell anyone.”

“Scout’s honor.” I raise two fingers dramatically.

“You’ve never been in the Scouts,” Isa retorts, nudging me in the side.