Stefano nodded approvingly. “I do the same with Francesca. She’s my world. I’m not so easy to live with and I never will be. She knew that going into our marriage, but knowing it and living with it are two different things. I try to remember what she has to live with so no matter what, when we clash, I force myself to listen to her. I can be terrified for her safety, and that’s what makes me the craziest, but I still listen. She needs me to hear and acknowledge her point of view. I can’t always give her exactly what she wants, but I do my best to come close.”
“I hear what you’re saying, Stefano,” Elie said. He did hear. It was just that . . . “Brielle has a different personality than Francesca.”
Francesca was the heart of the Ferraro family. Even Dario had to acknowledge that. He’d fallen a little bit under her spell whether he wanted to admit it or not. She was sweet and compassionate, traits Brielle had in abundance, but Brielle was also a fierce warrior and she would go her own way in an instant.
“Brielle will defy me the moment she thinks I’m in danger or you’re in danger or anyone else. She won’t think twice. She’s got a wild streak in her, one I love, but one that could definitely get her in trouble. I think from the beginning that was half the attraction to her, back when I noticed her in the places she worked. She was too young and I was all about defying the Archambaults. I’ve got my personality and she’s got hers and we’re bound to clash in all-out wars.”
Stefano poured Elie a drink of whiskey, handing him the crystal glass and then pouring one for himself. “Maybe, if you allow it to go that far, Elie, but you’re the one in control. She likes it that way and that’s your one advantage. It’s up to you to keep that advantage. You have to know her so well that you anticipate what she’s going to do before she does it. How she’s going to react to any given piece of information. If you know ahead of time her reactions, you can prevent arguments and stop the behaviors that could possibly get her killed.”
Elie turned Stefano’s advice over and over in his mind as he took a drink. Stefano was definitely right about Brielle. She preferred Elie to lead and be a strong lead. She wanted a partnership, but if he gave direction, she took it immediately. For one moment, she had thought to object because he had included himself in the meeting with Dario and Valentino when she would interview with them for a job, but she backed down when he just continued as if the matter had been settled.
“I didn’t expect to feel so much for her so fast. It’s . . . disconcerting. I mean, I knew I was obsessed with her, and had fantasies, but I had no idea I was even capable of feeling so damn deeply for anyone the way I do her.”
Stefano laughed. “I understand completely. When I first met Francesca, believe me, I had no idea I was going to fall so damn hard or fast. It was terrifying. Still is.”
Stefano, at least, had his siblings before he found Francesca. Elie had no one. Not a single person who cared about him enough to call him family. No one had loved him until the Ferraros had entered his life. He hadn’t the least idea what a relationship was until he met them. Now he had Brielle. He knew there was a part of him that was more than terrified of losing her. Everything was new to him. Mishandling Brielle would be heartbreaking.
“Emmanuelle asked me to check into the Colombo family,” Stefano confessed suddenly. “I didn’t just choose them randomly. She had a feeling about them.”
“She didn’t share with Valentino or Dario?” That had been evident during the betting. Neither man had raised an eyebrow. Dario hadn’t mentioned Emme when they discussed the information they’d obtained from the two prisoners, either.
“What led her in that direction?”
“I have no idea. Emme always had intuition that led her to request the investigators to move in different directions. She was always correct. I put it down to a gift. We all have them. As to why she didn’t say anything to her husband or Dario, I suspect, as part of their security, she intends to remove any threat to them without having either of them forbid her to do so. Val would never want her to go to New York, and Dario would lose his mind.”
Stefano took another drink of his whiskey. This time, his smile reached his compelling blue eyes. “She thought I was bad watching over her. Now she has the two of them, her brothers and you. Serves her right for all those times she snuck out of the house.”
“Can you imagine what Dario would be like if he found a woman he wanted?” Elie asked. “I’ve tried, but my mind just doesn’t go there.”