That’s when I notice them.
Across the street, near the curb. Mr. Moretti and Mr. Gallo.
I remember his subtle caution. Giovanni.
They’re standing by a dark sedan, talking low. Giovanni’s jacket is open now, his posture relaxed, one hand tucked into his pocket. He looks up at the exact wrong moment and our eyes meet.
I watch his expression soften, turning into recognition.
My pulse kicks.
I don’t stop. I don’t wave. I don’t give him time to decide whether to come over.
I keep walking, faster now, and let the night close around me.
2
GIOVANNI
After she walks away from the table, Matteo is the first one to speak.
“You look like you’re about to follow her,” he says, smirking into his glass.
“I’m not,” I reply.
“You absolutely are.” He leans back in his chair. “Relax. I’m just saying,” he raised his hand in mock surrender. “You’ve got a look. The look.”
Nico, as usual, says nothing.
He sits perfectly still, hands folded loosely around his negroni, posture straight, expression unreadable. If Matteo fills rooms with noise, Nico absorbs it. Old, quiet, sharp as a blade that doesn’t need sharpening anymore.
Matteo nudges him with an elbow. “Tell him. You see it too.”
Nico finally lifts his eyes to me. “You should be careful,” he says.
“Careful of what?”
“Of playing with precious things. Often enough, they're fragile.”
I bristle. “What makes you think she’s fragile? Or precious?”
Not that I disagree. I just want to know what business Niccolò Neri has eyeing my girl. I also wanted to know if we're gonna have to settle this in the parking lot or not.
Nico considers me for a moment, then tilts his head. “Her name, for one.”
I scoff. “That’s not a reason.”
“Amber,” he says calmly. “A gem. Beautiful. And always more fragile than it looks, deep down.”
My jaw tightens. “Got your eye on her, Neri?”
“No.” He doesn’t hesitate. “When you get to my age, you don’t look for untouched things. You look for someone who’s lived. Someone with a past you can share.”
Matteo snorts. “That’s depressing.”
Nico drains his glass. “In our line of work, if you’re smart, you don’t look for a partner at all.”
The words stay with me longer than they should.
