“Don’t worry,” she said. “Want more?”
She and Astrid polished off the dozen donuts she bought, and finally she felt satisfied. She was also glad for the her presence, as being in the company of the vivacious young woman who told her hilarious stories kept her entertained throughout the ride.
“We’re here,” Astrid said. “Ooh, your house is gorgeous.”
“You’ve never been here, right?” she said. “I can take you on a tour. And maybe we can grab dinner at Muccino’s.”
“That sounds awesome, but,” the younger woman shook her head, “I’m actually just supposed to drop you off and keep an eye on you until you got home.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, sorry, I’d love to hang out, though it looks like you won’t be all alone.”
She turned her head toward the window, expecting Darius to be standing on the porch, waiting for her as he said, or even a glimpse of his gray Dodge Charger. To her disappointment, she only saw a black town car in the driveway and four burly men in dark suits on the porch.
“Who are those men?” she asked Astrid. She recognized two of them as part of the New York Lycan Security Team, but not the other two. “Did you have a new batch of recruits graduate from training?”
Astrid wrinkled her nose. “I don’t—oh!” She snapped her fingers. “I think those are the security guys for your mom’s VIP guest.”
“Guest?”
“Yeah, hush-hush security team confidential secret stuff,” she said with a grin. “Nick’s been including me in the daily briefings as part of my training. Anyway, you should head inside. Then I can say I completed my first solo assignment as future Beta of New York with success.”
“Er, okay.” She supposed she’d find out soon enough who this guest was. “It really was nice seeing you, Astrid. I know I live out of the way now, but please come see me anytime. I’ll treat you to as much food as you want at the restaurant.”
Astrid chuckled. “I will, but you may regret that promise.”
She waved goodbye to Astrid then headed into the house. The two guards from the New York team immediately recognized her and rushed to open the door to the front. When she went inside, she followed the sounds of rapid-fire Italian all the way into the living room. Frankie was sitting on the couch, talking to someone sitting on the armchair whose back was turned to her. When her mother realized she was standing in the doorway, her face lit up.
“Mimma!” Frankie got to her feet and bolted to her side. “I’m so glad to see you!” She embraced her daughter tight. “I was so scared when you told me what happened.”
“I’m fine, Mama,” she said. “Don’t worry about me.”
She wiped the tears at the corner of her eyes. “Of course I’ll worry about you. You’re my daughter. I’m just happy Darius was there to save you.”
“Yeah.” Speaking of which, where was Darius? He promised he would be here when she arrived. “Have you seen him, by the way?”
“Darius? I thought he was with you?”
So, Julianna hadn’t said anything to their mother. Yet. “Um, you know he couldn’t stay for too long. Not without permission. He left when Julianna came.”
“Good thinking,” Frankie said. “Oh, dear. I’m being rude to our guest.” She turned around. “Perdonami, scusami tanto, Alesso.”
The man who had been sitting on the armchair rose, and now she saw his face. “It’s quite all right, Francesca.” So, this was her mother’s guest. The man looked to be about her age, handsome with dark blond hair and hazel eyes. He gave her a warm smile.
“May I introduce my daughter and my heir, Adrianna Callista Anderson. Adrianna, this is Count Alesso di Cavour, Alpha of Rome.”
“How do you do?” she greeted politely and extended her hand. “You honor us with your presence, Alpha. It’s my pleasure to welcome you to New Jersey.” Actually, she was blindsided by his visit, but she gave him the standard polite greeting when welcoming a visiting Alpha.
“The pleasure is all mine.” He took her hand and lifted it to his lips. “I’ve heard so much about you, Adrianna.”
I bet you have, she thought as she gave her mother a sideways glance. “What brings you to our territory, Count Alesso?”
“Please, just Alesso,” he insisted as he finally let go of her hand. “Your mother and uncle were in Rome and they invited me for a visit. I have never been to New Jersey.”
“I’m sure you’ll find it riveting,” she said dryly.
“I’ve asked Alesso to come so we can have a discussion about future alliances,” Frankie said. “Since we have such close heritages, it’s a shame we never had any close ties.”
“My uncle said you broke his heart when you married Grant Anderson,” Alesso quipped. “I joke, of course. He was very happy in his final years, and he died with a smile on his face in his mistress’s bed. I can only hope to be so lucky.”
Adrianna wanted to gag, but cleared her throat politely. “So, I hope you enjoy your visit.” She let out a small yawn. “I’m really exhausted. As you know, I’ve been dealing with a crisis.”
“I heard, and I’m very sorry,” Alesso said.
“You handled it well, mimma, I’m so proud of you,” Frankie said. “Which means we should celebrate. We’re having dinner at Petite Louve tonight.”
“I didn’t get a chance to eat there during my last visit to New York. I only ate at Muccino’s of course,” Alesso declared.
“Dominic and Aunt Holly said they’re preparing a special menu. Your father will be there,” Frankie said. “And—”
“Pardon me for the interruption. I just wanted to let Miss Anderson know I’ve arrived.”
Adrianna’s heart soared when she heard the familiar voice. “Darius,” she said,
