Something about the evening's outing niggled at him. Some detail had been out of place, some nuance slightly off. In the darkness of the room, he allowed his mind to replay the events of the evening.

     Tieri....

     He had been quite unlike himself. Normally in such social situations the young man's gaze was focused on Sabrina. Under the guise of being alert for danger, his eyes would invariably follow Sabrina around the room.

     Tieri mistakenly believed that he was fooled by his actions. And perhaps a less observant man might have been. But he had not gotten to where he was by carelessness. Other than a singular incident of letting his guard down and paying the price for it, he was always alert.

     Softly he rose from the bed and shrugged on a robe. In silence he made his way through the darkness to Sabrina's room. Along the way, watchful sentries acknowledged his presence respectfully.

     Almost regretfully he turned the corner of the hallway. He felt no surprise, though, upon seeing the post beside her door unoccupied.

     There should have been a man there. No member of his family slept without a sentry on duty and vigilant outside their door. In Sabrina's case, it was Giovanni Tieri.

     He stepped up to the door. The faint strains of music could be heard inside the suite. With a sigh, he turned the knob.

     Discarded clothing lay in a pile in the center of the room. He recognized the dress Sabrina had worn just hours earlier. Instinctively he directed his attention toward her bedroom. The barely perceptible sounds of intimate interaction faded in and out above the music.

     He shook his head, turned, and left the room.

     Quietly he pulled the door shut behind him.