Demand (Careless Whispers #2)(75)

Adriel

Giada

Nathan?

Matteo?

Marabella, though she isn’t really a consideration.

Who else?

Carlo?

Once again, I have too many question marks.



At two forty-five, I’m in the main foyer waiting for Giada when my cell phone finally rings. “Kayden! I’ve been dying to know what’s going on!”

“A f*cking gaggle. I moved the shooting range reservation to four o’clock, so take her shopping or whatever you want beforehand. You have your credit card I gave you, right?”

“Yes. What does ‘a f*cking gaggle’ mean?”

“Gallo tried to play dirty. He told Donati I dumped the men and tried to use our phone records to prove it. Then I was forced to prove he hired them. He’s now suspended and angry, and that makes him dangerous. I’m sending Sasha to lick his wounds.”

“Sasha knows Gallo?”

“She’s about to and I don’t know why I didn’t connect them before. If anyone can contain that man’s anger, she can. But Donati is my main concern. He was acting nervous, and he doesn’t do nervous. Niccolo contained him, but he’s still afraid I’m going to find out what he did. And I am. So I’ll meet you at four.”

We end the call right as Giada appears, looking adorable in a long bright pink jacket and pink pants. “This is how you go to the firing range?” I ask, laughing.

She struts to the front door. “This is how I get the hot men at the firing range looking in my direction.”

“Something tells me today is going to be interesting,” I say, and we head outside to meet our driver.

“Is Kayden really meeting us?” Giada asks once we’re on our way.

“He is, and I’m excited for you two to spend time together.”

“I’m nervous. I haven’t exactly been the best houseguest.”

“You aren’t a guest. The castle is your home.”

She inhales and looks out of the window. The silence that follows tells me she’s hurt, but I let it go.

After the ride ends, we stroll past the shops. “Any store you want to go to?”

She perks up and links her arm with mine. “There’s this really affordable makeup store down the road I adore.”

“Affordable? You do know you’re a millionaire, right?”

“It’s a trust fund, and I don’t feel like I have money. But I am excited about having my own place.”

“Well, that’s new,” I say as we cross the road and step onto the sidewalk, the crowd bustling around us.

“Yes, I—”

A man steps in front of me and grabs my arms when I have to stop suddenly. “Sorry about that,” he says, his black shades hiding his face. “American without a clue here.”

“It’s fine,” I say, stepping back from him, but he’s still standing there.

“Hi,” Giada says, smiling at the man, who has this tall, dark, and deadly thing going on in all black. The deadly is the part I don’t like.

I grab her arm and step around the man, putting us in motion again. “Don’t flirt with strangers.”

“Then how do they become bedroom buddies?”

“I’m not going to try to answer that question.”

“Because the answer is they can’t,” she argues. “And he was hot. Why do hot men never bump into me?”

“It seems Gallo does. I hear he was touching your ass at the grocery store.”

She stops walking. “That’s wrong. I stumbled and he caught me.”

“By your ass?”

She grimaces. “He’s kind of hot, but he’s hateful toward Kayden, and I’ve been thinking a lot about that. If he hurts Kayden, he hurts my brother and you. Tell Kayden he doesn’t have to meet us just to lecture me. One of the neighborhood guys has an apartment for rent. I took it today.”

“You’re kidding. Is it safe? Is it nice? Is it—”

“You will approve, and it’s right around the corner from the castle.” She looks skyward. “Finally I can walk to the fridge naked and no one but the hot guy I bring home will care.” She motions behind her. “This is the store. Kiko. It’s divine.”

I sigh in relief. One problem seems to be on the mend, but as we enter the store, I can’t help but scan for the man in black. There are a lot of unusual things going on today, Giada’s transformation being one of them.



Come four o’clock, Kayden sends me a text message that he’s on his way and I take Giada to the shooting range in the upper level of a cobblestone building. There, we ditch our coats and wait in the entryway for someone to help us.

“I can’t believe I’m going to shoot a gun,” Giada says. “Which is kind of crazy, considering who I live with. How did you learn?”

“My father taught me. And don’t forget a gun can either be dangerous, or be a girl’s best friend.”

“Hopefully dangerous to anyone who tries to hurt you,” she says. “I admit, living alone makes me nervous, which is why staying close to the castle is so appealing to me and Adriel. I told him today that I was moving.”

“How did he react?”

“He gave me a deadpan look. That’s what he does.” She imitates said look, and we laugh.