“Someone was talking about it at the party,” I say.
My mind is reeling.
If Skylink is a messaging platform, all we need to do is break into the servers to find something useful. I have to let Enzo know about this immediately.
"The service is invite-only," Don Savastano says. "And they charge extortionate prices for their subscription. Personally, I don't believe it's worth it because nothing on the internet's ever secure. Even government databases can be infiltrated.”
“I agree with you,” I say.
“I hope you’re not thinking about signing up?” he says.
“No, I was just curious about what it was,” I reply.
He digs into his chocolate cake, relishing every bite until his plate is clean.
"Infinitely better than prison food," he says, switching back to English now. "One of the biggest mistakes people make in their lives is only appreciating things when they are gone."
"I appreciate chocolate cake too," Grace says.
Don Savastano smiles and places his napkin on the table.
"I have to leave now, but it's been lovely meeting you, Grace," he says. Turning to me, he adds, "I'll be in touch, Dante."
Grace says goodbye to him. I watch as he steps onto the elevator.
Once he's gone, I feel like I can finally breathe again.
"He's not what I expected," Grace says.
“It’s all appearances,” I say. “He has a different version of himself for every person he interacts with.”
"What did you guys talk about?" She tilts her head to the side.
"He wants to throw us a party to celebrate our marriage," I say. "It'll be in Praiano."
“Does that mean we’ll be leaving Paris already?” she asks.
“Not yet,” I say.
She nods and glances out of the window.
We're done eating, so I gesture for the server to bring the check. He informs me that the Don has already paid for the dinner.
"Can we stay a little longer?” Grace asks, staring out at the Seine River. "I just want to look at the view."
“We can stay for as long as you wish.” I lean back in my seat.
We sit in silence for a few minutes.
I let my mind drift.
All of the events of the day feel like something out of a dream. I have half a mind to pinch myself to confirm that this is all real.
I’m married to the girl of my dreams. I’m closer than ever to finding my sister. The Don agreed to give me the names of my parents’ killers.
It’s everything I ever wanted and more.
I keep waiting for the happiness to kick in, but there's just a strange hollowness inside me. Waiting for the names of the two men kept me connected to my parents. And soon, I won't have that anymore.
