Amato and his wife blinked in the sudden brightness.
As soon as the old man’s eyes adjusted, he glared down at Luciano on the floor. “You fucking idiot – you’ve doomed us all.”
Luciano just sat there in silent misery.
We heard high heels clacking down the hallway, and Lucrezia appeared.
As always, she wore her sunglasses.
“Anybody get hurt?” she asked me as she shut the door behind her.
“Not onourside.”
“Excellent. I have a dozen men out back, combing the grounds for any survivors.” She glanced around the bedroom. “Where’s the girl?”
“Romeo couldn’t find her,” I said. I gestured at Amato. “Her father says she’s out with friends, but I think he’s lying.”
“Huh.” Lucrezia stared at the old man through her sunglasses. “Doesn’t matter. We’ll either find her, or we’ll get her when she comes back. Did you ask him anything yet?”
“No, I was waiting for you.”
Lucrezia nodded, then pulled her phone out of her purse and tapped the screen. I knew she was recording.
“Alright,” she said as she stared at Amato. “Tell us everything you know about Dario Rosolini.”
PART VI
Late September
Florence, Italy
46
Giorgio
Iwoke when the bedroom blinds began to glow dimly with the early morning sun.
Emilia lay on her back between me and the window. She looked like a sleeping angel with her golden hair wreathed around her face.
Then there was her sinfully delicious body. It was only partially hidden by the comforter, her bare breasts rising and falling slowly with every breath.
And glinting across the top of her chest was the golden necklace I’d bought her.
I smiled as I watched her, my heart swelling with the memories of everything we’d done – and said – last night.
And it’d be just you and me, right? No seeing anybody else?
I don’t want anybody else.
Neither do I.
I’d gone to bed with a lover and woken up with a girlfriend – and couldn’t have been happier about it.
I wanted to lean over and kiss her, but I didn’t want to wake her. Instead, I gingerly sat up on the edge of the bed.
I needed my phone, which was still in my crumpled jacket on the floor where I’d ripped it off the night before.
As soon as I found it, I saw the time.
