Vittorio grinned at his brother. Giovanni flipped him off and then smiled lovingly at his sister. “No one would dare say you’re not a badass, bella.”

“Hmm,” Taviano mused. “I do believe the prince, Val Saldi, might have something to say about that. He was sure hovering over her, acting like she didn’t know how to shoot a gun and he’d have to teach her.”

Emmanuelle’s face flushed and she opened her mouth to retaliate, glaring at her brothers as they all burst out laughing.

“Taviano.” Francesca used a warning voice before Emmanuelle could say a word. “If you want to keep eating, you are going to get off that subject right this minute and leave Emme alone. She has enough to contend with without you constantly teasing her about Val Saldi. She can’t help who crushes on her.”

“It isn’t like that,” Emmanuelle muttered. “He can’t say a nice word.”

“Maybe not,” Stefano said, “but, obnoxious or not, son of our enemy, he saved your ass when it was needed and for that, I’ll tolerate him.”

“We’re all here,” Ricco said, looking around. “Who’s on Nicoletta? I swear that girl is going to take off if you don’t talk to her, Stefano. She’s worried about Lucia and Amo, and with three attacks with both present, I’d say she has reason to worry.”

“Enrica pulled guard duty tonight,” Vittorio said. “What’s the word on Tomas and Cosimo? I called yesterday and Cosimo was back home and already doing his PT. Tomas wasn’t given the go-ahead yet.”

Stefano sighed. “Like Giovanni, they’re both acting like they can jump right back to work. I told Emilio absolutely not until the doctors clear them and they’ve had several months of training. I told them to go to counselors as well.” He flashed a grin at his brothers. “That was Francesca’s suggestion, and a good one.”

Immediately, all smiles were gone and the brothers nodded their heads, looking solemn. Francesca looked around the table and then to Mariko. “What? They almost died. They want to be bodyguards again and they should at least have someone to talk to about it. Don’t you think that’s a good idea?” Before Mariko could answer she turned to Stefano.

Instantly he reached for her hand. “We’re teasing you, baby. Tomas and Cosimo are throwbacks to the caveman days. Asking them to go to counseling is worse than anything you can imagine, but you’re absolutely right, and I told them they had to go. Tomas is rebelling. Cosimo agreed to make an appointment with the counselor I suggested. She’s going to be renting the small studio over Biagi’s and using the office next to it. She’s French. Young. Her name is Oceane Brisbois, moving in next month. Our one and only counselor is retiring. That should give Cosimo and Tomas time to come to terms with the idea. She was thoroughly investigated before we allowed her in.”

“Let’s get back to Nicoletta,” Ricco said. “She’s fierce in a fight. I know we can’t teach her to ride shadows, but she should be taught to defend herself. We could have her train with both hand to hand and weapons. I think she’d be more inclined to stick around if she was training. She’d feel more in control and able to defend Lucia and Amo.”

“I totally agree,” Vittorio said. “She’s a little hellcat and needs something to channel all that aggression. Maybe eating more pasta.” He scooped more onto his plate.

“You’re going to turn into pasta if you keep eating like that,” Giovanni pointed out. “I agree as well. Train that girl, but then we’ll have to read about her doing in every high school boy making a pass at her.”

A collective groan went around the table. Mariko hid her smile. There was genuine caring in their voices. Nicoletta might not know it, but the Ferraro family had her back.

“I think it’s a brilliant idea,” Emmanuelle said. “And you can only hope she’s doing in the high school boys who make a pass at her rather than partying every night like certain ones sitting at this table did.”

“Don’t be ratting us out,” Vittorio said. He tried to look innocent but failed.

Everyone laughed, including Mariko. She loved sitting there listening to all of them. She knew she would always love it. Beside her, Ricco was solid and warm, his hand on her nape or holding hers against his thigh. He touched her often, gently, barely there, but enough to let her know he was close and aware of her.

“You deserve to be ratted out as many times as you stopped me going out the window,” Emmanuelle said, pretending to glare at her brother.

“Because you were meeting the prince,” Taviano said. “That was strictly forbidden, but you did it anyway. You were in high school, and he was not only too old for you, but he is the enemy.”

Emmanuelle rolled her eyes and took another bite of garlic bread. “Taviano, what do you think about training Nicoletta?”

“I think it’s a good idea. I agree that it might make her less likely to run and we can all get some sleep. We do need bodyguards assigned to her on an everyday basis.”

“She’s not going to like that,” Emmanuelle said with a little sniff of disdain. “Especially if Emilio trained them and they’re under his jurisdiction.”

Stefano set his wineglass back on the table. “Nicoletta is family whether she likes it or not. We took her in when we made the decision to get her out of that situation. She’ll have bodyguards whether she likes it or not, and because she’s family, that means they’ll be trained by and work under Emilio.” It was a decree, nothing less.

Mariko found it fascinating to watch the interplay within the family. They all got a vote, but Stefano had the last word and everyone accepted it as such. No one ever appeared to really argue with him. Maybe Francesca, but it seemed she didn’t have to argue much. Stefano clearly gave her anything she wanted.

Mariko glanced up at Ricco and found herself blushing. He was looking down at her with a look on his face that took her breath and made her heart flutter. No one looked at her like that. It was the same look Stefano got on his face when he looked at Francesca. Adoring. Loving. She felt the burn of tears. She didn’t have a clue what to do when Ricco looked at her that way. Everything he was offering to her was new. Sometimes she felt like she was in the garden maze, trying to find her way.

He leaned down and pressed his lips against her ear. “I think it’s a Shibari night. A special one. You. Me. The ropes. A very erotic pose. I’ve been sitting here looking at you and I can already see the exact image I want.”

She shivered. Her sex clenched. She was aware of her body beneath the modest clothes she wore. The lacy demi bra and sexy little panties that left her buttocks bare, but had a small bow right at the base of her spine with three strands of cord wrapping around to the front. Ricco liked lingerie. Once, in the ropes, he’d whispered that he liked knowing she wore it just for him. That no one else could see what she gave him.