Grinded (The Invincibles Book 3)

by Heather Slade

  I’d hired a car and was on my way from Florence to Val d’Orcia when my sister rang to wish me a happy Christmas. Hearing all the noise in the background, I regretted not being with them, especially with my nephews and niece.

  “Are you on your way to Valentini?” she asked.

  “About an hour away.”

  “I’m glad you made the trip, Miles. Oh, and as a reminder, the farmhouse is under Wills’ parents’ name.”

  “George and Mary Spencer?” It had been my sister’s idea to put the rental in their name so I could surprise Pia with my arrival.

  I pulled up to the gate and gave George’s name to the person who spoke through the intercom. She told me to come to the main house to collect the key since the winery, where I’d normally pick it up, was closed.

  Now, I just had to hope that Pia answered the door.

  I parked the car near the entrance to the winery and pulled out the box I carried in my pocket. I opened the hinge and fingered the five-carat pear-shaped ruby that hung from a chain of oval and rondelle ruby beads.

  I’d rang Rile to tell him I was on my way to Italy and would be taking a leave from the Invincibles. He wouldn’t accept my leave but did promise he would not call on me for any further missions until I was ready.

  I wished him a happy Christmas, and he’d asked what gift I was giving Pia. When I shared my plight, he gave me the name of an old friend, who he was certain would have something perfect for her. After insisting I write down the address, he said the gentleman would be expecting me.

  With a three-hour layover in Frankfurt, I hired a driver. There were times Rile was truly eerie, a belief reinforced when the jeweler showed me the necklace that was now in my possession.

  “How did you know?” I’d asked.

  He smiled, but didn’t answer. It couldn’t have been that Rile gave him any tips. He didn’t know about the stone I carried in my pocket, nor had he ever met Pia.

  I recognized the woman who answered the door. “Lucia, right?”

  She looked at the paper in her hand and then back at me. “George Spencer?”

  I laughed. “Actually, I’m Miles Stone. I stayed here several years ago and wanted to surprise Pia; the reservation is in a family member’s name. She doesn’t happen to be about, does she?”

  “I believe Signora Deltetto has retired for the evening, but in the morning, I’ll let her know you asked for her.”

  I’d hoped to see her tonight, but given the lateness of the hour, I understood.

  “One more thing,” I said before she closed the door. “You wouldn’t happen to have a bottle of wine I could purchase?”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t. Tomorrow—”

  I held up my hand. “Right. My apologies. I keep forgetting it’s Christmas.”

  19

  Pia

  Stepping from a corner of the terrazza, I gripped the back of the chair and then sat down. Mylos was here. Why?

  The only reason I could think of was that Lily had done the one thing I’d begged her not to. She told him I was pregnant.

  I didn’t go inside. Instead, I went down to the winery and grabbed a bottle of wine. Since it was unseasonably warm for the end of December—which was why I’d been sitting outside—I walked to the farmhouse.

  In the still darkness of night, I rubbed my belly, talking to the bambino growing inside me.

  I wished Lily hadn’t told her brother about the baby. It wasn’t her place. I told her I’d do it in my own time, and I meant it. For this, I’d never forgive her.

  I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

  “Hello, Mylos,” I said when it opened.

  “Pia.” He opened the door wider. “Please come in.”

  I stepped around him and then handed him the bottle of wine.

  “Thank you. Lucia told you.” He led me into the kitchen. “Would you like a glass?”

  Was he testing me? “No, thank you.”

  “How are you?” he asked, leading me back out of the kitchen and into the sitting room.

  “Why are you here?”

  “To see you, Pia. I—”

  “Why else?” I pressed, wanting to get this conversation over with as quickly as possible. The baby—the one he and I had made together—wasn’t his responsibility. I would raise the heir to Valentini on my own. The sooner he knew that, the better.

  I sat down, and he sat next to me. “There’s something I need to say to you.”

  I leaned back and folded my arms.

  “I’m sorry. I know that doesn’t begin to ease the pain I caused you when I left the night we were last together. If I’d had any idea what I was walking into, I would’ve woken you to say goodbye. My intention was to come back without you ever knowing I was gone.” He reached forward and put his hand on my arm. “That ended up being impossible for me to do, and I’m sorry.”

  I moved my arm away from his reach. He could’ve contacted me the next morning, left a message, sent me a note, but he’d done none of those things.

  “I was glad you left.”

  His eyes opened wide.

  “That night, our lovemaking, it was me saying goodbye to you, Mylos. I thought you understood and that was why you left.”

  “I don’t believe you.” He tried to reach for me again, but I swatted his hand away.

  “I don’t care.”

  “I’m here to help you, Pia.”

  Il bastardo arrogante.

  “I don’t need your help, now or ever, which means you can leave. I’ll refund the money you paid. The sooner you realize I intend to do this on my own, the easier it will be for you to walk away.”

  He cocked his head. “I know you’re struggling, Pia. Are you really willing to lose Valentini because you’re too proud to accept my help?”

  “That isn’t what I’m talking about, and you know it.”

  He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees.

  “I should go.” I stood to leave, but he grabbed my wrist.

  “Please don’t. There’s something I want to give you.” He pulled a small box from his pocket.

  “No!” I exclaimed. “Please don’t do this.” My shock quickly turned to embarrassment when he opened the lid and held it out to me.

  “Happy Christmas.”

  I touched the single pear-shaped stone with my fingertip.

  “The minute I saw it, I knew it should belong to you.”

  I looked into his eyes. “I can’t accept it.”

  He set the box on the table. “I know I hurt you, but if you’d let me explain exactly what happened, maybe somewhere in your heart, you can find forgiveness.”

  “Why won’t you just be honest? Why won’t you admit the real reason you’re here?”

  He stood in front of me. “As I said, there are many reasons. Your forgiveness is the most important to me.”

  “Why? If you think I’m going to let you take…” I dissolved into tears and turned my back to him.

  “I would never take Valentini from you, Pia. I want to help you keep it.”

  Why was he being so relentless? In the back of my mind, I wondered if I was wrong and he didn’t know about the baby. But, it was the only explanation for him being here that made sense.

  “Pia, I talked to Lily.”

  I took a deep breath and held it.

  “I know you’re struggling to keep the estate going. You admitted that to me yourself. Let me help.”

  “What makes you think you can just wave your hand and fix it?”

  “I don’t think that at all. I’m here for you. That’s it. Just you.”

  “Just me?” I smirked.

  “Yes, Pia. Just you.”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Not the baby?”

  I knew immediately that Lily hadn’t betrayed my confidence. Mylos gripped the back of the sofa, and his eyes darted back and forth. Finally, he looked into mine. “Baby?”

  “Your baby.”

  He sat down and dropped his
arms to his sides. I could see he was processing what I’d told him. Soon, his questions would start.

  “I never dreamed…”

  “I want you to know I was on birth control. I don’t know why it didn’t work. I would never try to trap or trick you.”

  “I know you wouldn’t.”

  He looked from my eyes down my body. “How do you feel?”

  “Better now, but it comes and goes.”

  “Are you seeing a doctor?”

  I nodded.

  “You thought that was the reason I was here?”

  “Sì.”

  “No wonder you didn’t want to talk to me. I had no idea. I swear. If I had…I would’ve come sooner. I know that sounds bloody awful, but I would’ve come for you, Pia. Not just for the baby.”

  I sat down and turned my body so I was facing him. “Tell me what happened that night.”

  He scrubbed his face with his hand and then rested his head on the sofa and looked up at the ceiling. “I got an SOS alert. It isn’t something we take lightly, nor do we use it unnecessarily. If anyone on our team receives an SOS, it means to act immediately.”

  I nodded.

  “The alert was followed by a message from Rile saying he was in the hotel lobby. My intention was to find out what it was and then come back. In hindsight, that was foolish of me. It should have been a logical assumption that if I received a distress call, a mission was imminent. That was the case. We left immediately.”

  “Why didn’t you contact me?”

  “There are some ops where we simply can’t. Usually, as was the case with this one, any contact might jeopardize the person we’re trying to rescue or protect. We went completely dark, meaning undercover. After it was over and I could contact you, I tried. Countless times.”

  I couldn’t look at him and confess what I’d done, so I turned my head. “I blocked your number.”

  “I figured that out eventually. In fact, I’d planned to come to Italy at the end of November, but the night before I intended to leave, our team was pulled into another investigation.” He picked up the box that held the necklace. “Can I put this on you?”

  “I don’t have a gift for you.”

  “You gave me the best gift of my life, Pia. In fact, you’ve done so many times. I don’t know that I’d be here, on this earth, if it weren’t for your gifts.”

  “I haven’t done anything, Mylos.”

  He fastened the ruby strand around my neck. My hair was already brushed to the side, so he kissed below my ear. A shudder ran the length of my body.

  20

  Grinder

  “Can you ever forgive me, Pia?”

  “And if I do, what changes, Mylos?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’ll be here a few days, and then you’ll leave, and maybe we’ll see each other again in a couple of years.”

  “Didn’t you see the reservation for the farmhouse? I’ll be here at least six months.”

  “You only did that to be kind because you know I need the money.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not leaving, Pia. I have a reservation and I’m staying.” She didn’t believe me, but that was okay. I’d prove more to her with my actions than my words ever could.

  I sat down and looked at where her hand rested on her belly. “He or she is ours. Made from you and me.” I heard the awe in my own voice, and I took a deep breath. I’d never expected I’d be a father. Sure, somewhere in the back of my mind, I might’ve hoped for it at one time in my life. That it would be a reality would take some getting used to. “Pia, please let me stay.”

  I had to figure out a way to convince her that when I got on the plane to come to Italy, I made a decision about her and me. I wanted to be part of her life, a permanent part. I had no idea how we’d accomplish it, but Rile seemed to think it was as easy as making the decision. Why couldn’t I be an Invincibles partner and be based out of Italy?

  Setting that aside, I needed Pia to tell me about the struggles she was having with Valentini. It might prove to be more difficult than getting information out of an international intelligence agency. If I knew anything about her, and I did, she would hold what she saw as her failures close to her. It would be up to me to convince her she could trust me enough to set aside her pride and confide in me.

  “You are deep in thought.”

  I looked into her eyes. “Remember when I came to Italy to see you and you traveled to London?”

  “Sì.”

  “I hated that we’d…I’d…wasted so much time that I could have spent with you. I feel that way now. Regretful.”

  “Fantasy and reality can be very different things, Mylos. You have an idea of me, and I of you, that may not be who we really are. You may find that once you spend time with me, the flesh-and-blood Pia isn’t the same as the dream Pia.”

  As she spoke, I thought about arguing with her, saying that I did know her and she knew me. But she was right. The only way for us to know for sure was to spend more than a handful of days together.

  “I want to be the man you need. In all ways.”

  “I worry that if I’m not the woman you need, you won’t be honest with me, because of the baby.”

  “I could have the same worry.”

  “But you don’t?”

  I shook my head. “I know you’ll tell me the truth. You’re incapable of lying.”

  “Am I?”

  “I know you better than you think, Pia.”

  “I have to go back to the house. My mamma will worry.”

  “I’ll take you.”

  “I’d rather walk.”

  “I’ll walk with you.”

  “You aren’t going to ask me to stay?”

  “I would if I thought that’s what you wanted. Instead, I think you want me to prove to you I’m not going anywhere.”

  “You’re going to stay here, in the farmhouse?”

  “You say it like it’s a bad thing. I love this place.” I waved my arm in a sweeping motion. I wasn’t lying; I really did love it. A new bed and pillows would be in order if I was going to stay for a few months, but otherwise, this place felt like home.

  I walked Pia to the front door of the villa. She bit her lower lip as though she was struggling with something.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  “Mylos?” She rested the palms of her hands on my arms. “Is this real?”

  I leaned down and touched her lips with mine. “Nothing has ever felt more real to me.”

  I stood outside the door longer than I should have after she closed it. Perhaps somewhere inside of me, I hoped she’d come back out. Finally, I turned and left.

  On the walk back, I thought a lot about what real meant to me. I’d seen and done more in my lifetime than any man should. Those things, like the explosion, had changed me. I’d suffered through unimaginable pain, got addicted to painkillers, and experienced terrifying nightmares almost every night. Almost every night. On the very rare occasions when Pia slept in my arms, I didn’t recall dreaming.

  When I was with her, I remembered that sixteen-year-old boy who was infatuated to the point of exclusion of everything else. I talked more, laughed more, relaxed more. She brought light into my life, and I vowed I wouldn’t bring any more darkness into hers.

  Instead of going inside, I stood on the farmhouse terrazza and looked up at the night sky. The more time I spent with Pia, the more at peace I felt. The longer I was at Valentini, the more at home I felt.

  Climbing the stairs, I knew that regardless of whether another was bigger or more comfortable, I’d sleep in the same room I had ten years ago. The room where I’d looked out the window one day and lost my heart to a beautiful girl whose smile and laughter spoke directly to my soul.

  I slept quite late the next morning, by my standards anyway. When I made my way downstairs, I was delighted to find fresh fruit and pastries I didn’t recall being there the night before on the counter. I looked over and noticed the door to the terrazza was
slightly ajar. When I peeked out and saw Pia sitting at the table, I went out to join her.

  It was a little nippy, considering I was wearing only flannel trousers—no shirt, no shoes—but just the sight of her warmed me.

  “Good morning.” I leaned down and kissed her cheek. She looked up at me and smiled.

  “Buongiorno.”

  I noticed she had a plate of fruit on the table in front of her. “What a lovely surprise to have you join me for breakfast.”

  “I wanted to make sure I wasn’t dreaming last night.” She reached up and touched the ruby necklace with her fingertips. “I love this,” she murmured. “Thank you.”

  “It looks so beautiful against your skin.”

  Her cheeks turned pink, and she smiled. “I’m happy you’re here, Mylos. I know it didn’t sound that way. But, I am.”

  “I sat out here for a few minutes last night, struck by how calm I feel when I’m here. At peace, I suppose.”

  “You were on holiday the first time. Maybe that’s why.”

  I shook my head. “That’s nothing to do with it.”

  Her eyelids drooped. “What is it, then?”

  I took her hand and brought it to my lips. “It’s you, Pia. Always you.”

  “I am not always calm. Or peaceful.”

  “Is that a warning?”

  She nodded and put her hands on her stomach. “I’ve been reading about having a baby. How it’s important to avoid stress.” She shook her head. “Impossibile.”

  “That’s one of the reasons I’m here. I want to help.”

  “How? Do you know how to run a winery? Make wine perhaps?”

  I held up both my hands. “Absolutely not. The answer to both is no.”

  She tapped her cheek with her index finger, similar to what my sister, Lily, often did. “You will work in the vineyards, then?”

  “I don’t think your other workers would welcome me.”

  “You would be a nice addition to the tasting room.”

  “Would I?”

  “Sì. The lady tourists would love you.”

  “Even if I know little about wine?”