to have overheard what he had just said, knowing it was no use denying his angry challenge when people only had to look at the two of them together to know immediately where Terri sprang from. For all Cass's strong blood-tie with the child, she could not say the same thing. There wasn't an ounce of Marlow visible in her sister's daughter.
God, she asked herself wretchedly, what have you done, coming here?
'Please give her back to me!' she begged him. 'She's frightened enough as it is, without you making her think you're going to run off with her!'
'In the car,' he said grimly. 'You can have her back when we are all safely in the car.'
'But...' Fear was crawling between the fine layers of her skin, and she glanced huntedly around her, looking for someone—anyone—who would come to her rescue. But there was only Giuseppe standing there, staring at her as though she were a criminal. 'M-my—our things...' she mumbled helplessly. 'I—I have to get s-some things from the flat...'
'Get in the car, Miss Marlow,' Carlo Valenti instructed immovably, ignoring everything else.
Beaten, Cass turned and walked across the dusty road, and climbed into the low-slung car, dizzily aware that there was precious little else she could do at this moment.
He handed Terri to her the moment he had struggled in beside her, face set as he slammed his door shut. The engine fired, and with a growling surge of power they shot forwards, the accompanying sound of the central locking system clicking into place sending a cold shiver shooting down Cass's spine.
"Fasten your seatbelt!' he barked at her.
'With Terri in this state?' she choked. The poor thing had driven herself into such a sobbing frenzy that she was even fighting Cass now!
'Her name is Teresa’ Carlo grated. 'Please use it instead of that awful slang version. I dislike it intensely!'
'When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it!' Cass threw back, struggling to fasten the stupid seatbelt around herself while hanging on to a near-hysterical child. 'I can't believe you made a grab for her like that!' she added shrilly. 'Have you no sense?'
"The point needed to be made... Dio’ he muttered, bringing the car to a sudden halt, then twisted around to snatch the seatbelt out of her fumbling fingers to fasten it himself. His hand inadvertently brushed against Cass's breast, and it didn't take an idiot to know she wasn't wearing anything beneath her thin T-shirt.
Cass in turn sucked in a sharp breath, shocked by the hot frisson that skittered over her skin. Her cheeks wanned. He cursed, and Terry wailed all the louder because the tension inside the car was so great that it was in danger of exploding all around them.
'I hate you,' Cass mumbled thickly.
‘The feeling is entirely mutual,' he clipped, grimly settling himself back in his own seat.
‘I hate you too,' hiccuped another voice.
'If I were you, I would be too busy hating myself for making such an awful noise,' Carlo informed his hostile daughter.
His unsympathetic scorn had the effect of stopping the tears, and Terri sat up on Cass's knee so she could stare at him with more curiosity than fear now. 'I still don't like you,' she informed him bluntly.
As if against his own advice, his hand jerked up to gently touch the child's hot and tear-stained cheek. 'No,' he murmured gruffly, 'I don't suppose you do.'
'Cass doesn't like you either.'
'No,' he sighed, letting the hand fall away to return his attention to the car, setting them moving again with his expression even blacker.
'Did my mummy like you?' Her in-built perception took both adults' breath away.
Carlo's foot slipped off the accelerator, making the powerful car jerk and shudder. 'Yes,' he answered through tautly clenched teeth, 'your mamma liked me.'
Terri frowned, trying to puzzle that one out. She had grown up being used to a united front. Where Liz loved, Cass and Terri invariably loved also, and vice versa. This man seemed to be an exception to the rule.
'Angels
God, she asked herself wretchedly, what have you done, coming here?
'Please give her back to me!' she begged him. 'She's frightened enough as it is, without you making her think you're going to run off with her!'
'In the car,' he said grimly. 'You can have her back when we are all safely in the car.'
'But...' Fear was crawling between the fine layers of her skin, and she glanced huntedly around her, looking for someone—anyone—who would come to her rescue. But there was only Giuseppe standing there, staring at her as though she were a criminal. 'M-my—our things...' she mumbled helplessly. 'I—I have to get s-some things from the flat...'
'Get in the car, Miss Marlow,' Carlo Valenti instructed immovably, ignoring everything else.
Beaten, Cass turned and walked across the dusty road, and climbed into the low-slung car, dizzily aware that there was precious little else she could do at this moment.
He handed Terri to her the moment he had struggled in beside her, face set as he slammed his door shut. The engine fired, and with a growling surge of power they shot forwards, the accompanying sound of the central locking system clicking into place sending a cold shiver shooting down Cass's spine.
"Fasten your seatbelt!' he barked at her.
'With Terri in this state?' she choked. The poor thing had driven herself into such a sobbing frenzy that she was even fighting Cass now!
'Her name is Teresa’ Carlo grated. 'Please use it instead of that awful slang version. I dislike it intensely!'
'When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it!' Cass threw back, struggling to fasten the stupid seatbelt around herself while hanging on to a near-hysterical child. 'I can't believe you made a grab for her like that!' she added shrilly. 'Have you no sense?'
"The point needed to be made... Dio’ he muttered, bringing the car to a sudden halt, then twisted around to snatch the seatbelt out of her fumbling fingers to fasten it himself. His hand inadvertently brushed against Cass's breast, and it didn't take an idiot to know she wasn't wearing anything beneath her thin T-shirt.
Cass in turn sucked in a sharp breath, shocked by the hot frisson that skittered over her skin. Her cheeks wanned. He cursed, and Terry wailed all the louder because the tension inside the car was so great that it was in danger of exploding all around them.
'I hate you,' Cass mumbled thickly.
‘The feeling is entirely mutual,' he clipped, grimly settling himself back in his own seat.
‘I hate you too,' hiccuped another voice.
'If I were you, I would be too busy hating myself for making such an awful noise,' Carlo informed his hostile daughter.
His unsympathetic scorn had the effect of stopping the tears, and Terri sat up on Cass's knee so she could stare at him with more curiosity than fear now. 'I still don't like you,' she informed him bluntly.
As if against his own advice, his hand jerked up to gently touch the child's hot and tear-stained cheek. 'No,' he murmured gruffly, 'I don't suppose you do.'
'Cass doesn't like you either.'
'No,' he sighed, letting the hand fall away to return his attention to the car, setting them moving again with his expression even blacker.
'Did my mummy like you?' Her in-built perception took both adults' breath away.
Carlo's foot slipped off the accelerator, making the powerful car jerk and shudder. 'Yes,' he answered through tautly clenched teeth, 'your mamma liked me.'
Terri frowned, trying to puzzle that one out. She had grown up being used to a united front. Where Liz loved, Cass and Terri invariably loved also, and vice versa. This man seemed to be an exception to the rule.
'Angels
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