We’re meeting to go over what’s happening with Luminous & Co., then head over to Matti’s to put this plan into action. I call Una when I get in the car. “I need you to stay at the safe house with Giovanna while I’m gone.”
“Why?” She sounds startled.
“I don’t want a man in the house with her, and if she needs something, someone should be there.”
“Tommy…”
“Just get there, Una. Stay out of her way unless she needs you.”
I hang up the phone, my attention shifting to everything we need to do to take Aurelio down once and for all.
25
Giovanna
When Tommy leaves, I stay in bed. I actually don’t want to break Tommy’s rules. I don’t want to come without him, but I’ll probably tell him I did just for fun.
Even though I didn’t sleep well, I can’t fall asleep. It’s too quiet in here, and knowing that Tommy is gone has me on edge despite the guards. All I can think about is what I haven’t told Tommy and the fact that I haven’t done any of the testing yet. If Tommy is really ready to sleep with me, I need to make sure that I am clear of all STIs.
I grab my phone from the nightstand and text Dr. Rossi:
I’m ready to do the testing.
Dr. Rossi arrives 20 minutes later. As always, he’s calm, composed, smelling faintly of antiseptic. He doesn’t make small talk, just sets up his test kits and equipment on the table near thewindow, laying everything out neatly. He pulls on plastic gloves with a snap.
“We are testing for gonorrhea, chlamydia, HIV, Hep C, syphilis, herpes, HPV,” he says quietly, not looking at me as he lays out the labels. “And pregnancy.”
I drop my gaze, reddening. “We don’t need that one.”
He actually makes eye contact with me for a minute, a rarity for him. “You took a pregnancy test yourself?”
“No. But they—the nurse—told me I was pregnant.”
He gives me a know-it-all nod that makes me want to smack him and turns back to the line of tests, preparing a needle to draw blood. The sight of the needle makes me start to sweat.
“Giovanna, these are hardly reliable people. Always verify.”
I nod. It’s easier than arguing.
“I need a urine sample for the chlamydia, gonorrhea, and pregnancy tests, and I need to draw blood for the syphilis, herpes, HIV, and hepatitis C tests.”
He directs me to sit on the edge of the bed and ties a rubber tie around my arm. When he preps the needle and vials to collect the blood, I feel like I’m going to pass out. He pauses. “If you prefer, we can do an oral swab for these tests, but they aren’t as accurate, and for some of them, it will take longer to get results.”
I shake my head. I need to do this. “No, go ahead.”
He takes the blood sample and hands me a cup to pee in. I head into the bathroom then bring it back to him full. When I stand there waiting, he pauses and looks at me uncomfortably. “These are rapid tests, but they aren’t that rapid. If you like, you can wait out there, and I’ll let you know when the results are in.”
I sigh and head out to the living room to find a tall, pretty blonde woman perched on the edge of the couch, holding a tablet with a laptop open in front of her and a phone beside her.
“Uh, hello?” I say, suddenly feeling very underdressed in Tommy’s t-shirt and my pajama shorts.
Her head snaps up, and her pale cheeks turn crimson. “Hello. I’m Una.” Her voice is crisp with a slight Irish accent. “Tommy’s assistant.”
I tilt my head. “Your accent. It’s beautiful.”
She blushes and turns back to the tablet in her hands. “I’ve been trying to lose it.”
“Don’t,” I say. “It’s nice.”
