Time to unpack.
9
LEV
Zeno follows after only a few minutes, coming to stand beside me where I linger by his car. He scans the school grounds littered with students and families. Having arrived this morning to oversee the furniture delivery and check out the grounds, none of this is new to me anymore.
Doesn’t make it any less headache inducing.
Sapienza University’s property is vast with lots of grass. Old-style building line the edges, and at the edge of the property sit the few dorms. Paths cross between the buildings, leading every which way. Its openness will be helpful in observing Serafina from afar.
“Hopefully, she meets up with Vitale soon, and we’ll be able to figure out if I’m wrong or not.” Zeno shoves his hands into his pockets, scanning the other dorm buildings. “Had the records of this place pulled and no one under the Vitale name is registered, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s going by a fake name. He may not even be a student at all. Before today, if he was lying to her, she wouldn’t have known the difference.”
“If he’s not a student, he was watching her and planned for this. You said they met during her tour months ago? It seemslike a lot of effort for an arrangement that’s supposed to go through. Wonder what their endgame actually is.”
“That’s what’s bothering me. Alessandro knows I’ll refuse to release her, so maybe it’s insurance.”
“Striking war would be the most logical route from their side. Weaken you and all that.”
Zeno shoots me a side glance, calculations rolling through his mind. “Never thought of that. I suppose they haven’t either. I’m pleased you agreed to this.”
Nearby, students shout, likely greeting each other after a summer apart. Zeno grimaces, and my head thrums. I count the students for something to focus on.
“You have my number. The sooner he comes out of hiding, the better. For now, I entrust her to you, and I owe you huge. It may not say a lot about my own men, but finding one who won’t lose her, get her killed, or fuck her was a greater challenge than I originally thought. She’s everything to me, Lev, so imagining her well-being inanyone’shands is difficult.” He glances up at the fifth-floor level, chuckling. “I should go before she invents nefarious reasons I’m hanging around. Good luck.”
He gets into his car, backs out of the spot, and drives away with a final parting flash of his lights. It’s a distraction from the nearby noise, and I long to tune them all out, return upstairs, and get to work helping Dimitri again.
In the time since I agreed to come to Italy and Dimitri’s arrival in Toronto, his father came out of hiding, but only to threaten a woman from Dimitri’s past. Now that Katya, said woman from his past, is safe inside the Bratva mansion, Dimitri’s returned to Toronto, hunting for Ivan once more. Ivan no longer has his phone, which makes tracking him almost impossible, but at Dimitri’s request, I’ve been compiling lists of criminal groups in the area he may be able to contract.
Turning away from the parking lot, I take the fifty stairs from the first to fifth floor two at a time, figuring working out daily won’t be happening until my mission is finished. Any chance at exercise is a good one. Shame, because working out calms the noise in my head, and with what’s about to come, I’ll need it more than ever. Even a jog around campus will be out of the question, because it’ll mean leaving Serafina behind.
Why the fuck did I agree to this?
Inside the dorm, sounds come from behind Serafina’s shut door. She’s likely unpacking and will ideally keep busy, which will hold off the inevitable: talking.
Zeno’s already warned me of her dislike of having someone around, and her comment as she entered the building earlier, which I don’t think I was supposed to overhear, indicated as much. Ideally, we’ll be two people living together in silence. She won’t want to talk to me, and I won’t feel the need to. The job will pass quickly. We’ll determine if her boyfriend is a Vitale. She’ll be kept safe.
And I’ll return home to my quiet basement, where my head will take a damn vacation after this hell.
Once again, I question my agreement to do this.
She asked for me.
Because I kept her safe. She trusts me for some reason. To Serafina, I’m a tool, the same way others see me—useful for their needs.
Passing my room, I skip unpacking. Not planning on being here for long means there’s no need to get comfortable. I cross the room to the couch, dropping onto the soft leather, pleased Zeno replaced the old one. Considering Serafina will probably often be studying in her room, this couch is about to become my workspace.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and while it could be a few people, I suspect Anastasia, because she never skips any opportunity to bother me.
Annoying Twin
How’s school?
Me
Fuck off.
Annoying Twin
