"Not you."
"Oh, really? I'm staying in your villa, following your rules, letting you manage my friends when they come to visit. You’re controlling everything."
"Only because you choose to allow it."
"Is that what it is? Or is the illusion of choice just another thing you control?"
It's a fair question. One I don't answer because we both know the truth.
"I don't like this,” she says, turning to look out the window. “Any of it."
"Only four more days,” I tell her.
"That's not what I mean. I don't like that my best friend is suspicious of you. That she's right to be suspicious. That you're the kind of man who needs sanitized Google results."
"You knew what I was before they arrived,” I remind her.
"Knowing and seeing it reflected in Sarah's eyes are different things."
I pull her against me, feeling her tension. "Your friend is smart. She senses danger. That's good, it means she'll be careful."
"Careful of you, you mean?"
"Careful of everything. In my world, careful people live longer."
"Take me home," she says quietly. “To my own house.”
"You're staying with me at the villa tonight,” I say.
"I want my own bed. My own space."
"Your house is off-limits until they leave. We discussed this."
"No, you declared it would be this way. That's not a discussion."
"Madison." I turn her to face me. "Your friends are here for four more days. During that time, you need to follow my rules exactly. After they leave, we can discuss new arrangements."
"And if I don't follow your rules?"
"Then I can’t guarantee your friends' vacation will be as wonderful as they hope."
"I hate this," she whispers.
“I know. So do I, if it makes you feel better.”
We have four more days of Madison watching me handle her friends like potential threats.
But something tells me that after seeing me through her friends' eyes, Madison's perspective of me will change.
Sarah will investigate me tonight and will find the careful digital footprint we've created. Tomorrow she'll push harder, ask more questions.
By day three, she'll either accept our story or become a problem that needs different handling.
Four more long, fucking days.
In Sicily, that's enough time for anything to happen.
Or for nothing to happen, if everyone follows the rules.
