Or maybe I imagined it. Maybe they weren't looking at me at all.
But I can't take that chance.
I start the truck. It coughs twice before catching, and I pull out of the parking area too fast, kicking up dust. Elena is still crying in the passenger seat, confused and scared by my panic.
"It's okay, sweetheart. It's okay. Mama just needs to get home."
"Why did we leave? I wanted to see the chickens!"
"I'm sorry. We'll come back another time." A lie. I'm never going back there. Of course, we’ll starve if I don’t.
The drive home feels endless. Every car I see in my rearview mirror might be them. Every turn in the road might reveal them waiting.
But we make it. The farm appears, dusty and isolated and safe. I've never been so grateful to see it.
Lupo is in the yard when we pull up. He takes one look at my face and sets down his tools.
"What happened?"
"Not now." I unbuckle Elena, who's finally stopped crying but is still sniffling. "Come on, baby. Let's get you inside."
I get Elena settled with her blocks and a cup of juice, then I stand at the kitchen sink and try to stop my hands from shaking.
Lupo appears in the doorway. "Isabella, what’s wrong? You’re trembling."
"I'm fine."
"You're not fine. You're terrified." He steps closer. "What happened at the market?"
I close my eyes. When I open them, he's still there, waiting. Patient.
"There were men," I say quietly. "Two of them. Asking questions. I don't know what they were asking, but they were showing a photo to the vendors. They didn't belong there."
"Did they see you?"
"I think so."
He's very still. "Did they follow you?"
"No." I turn to face him. "But I don't know who they were looking for."
Understanding dawns in his eyes. "You think they might be looking for me."
"Maybe. Or they could be looking for me. For Elena." I take a breath. "I haven't been completely honest with you."
"Neither have I."
"I know. But I—" I stop, trying to find the words. "I need to tell you why I couldn't take you to a hospital. Why I can't call the police. Why I'm here at this farm in the middle of Tuscany."
He nods once. "Okay."
"Not now. Tonight. After Elena's asleep." I look at him, this man whose name I don't even know is real, who's been living in my barn and fixing my fence and who I'm starting to trust more than I should. "I need to tell you everything. And then you can decide if you want to stay or go."
"I'm not going anywhere," he says quietly.
"You might change your mind after you hear what I have to say."
"I won't."
