Another upside of not having to work on Rocco’s crew was that I didn’t have to get up at the ass-crack of dawn anymore.

I was eating breakfast around 8 the next morning with Isabella and Ludavica – under the watchful and disapproving eye of an older kitchen servant – when Paolo walked in.

“Hey, boss,” he said cheerfully.

Guess he was happy about his promotion to Isabella’s bodyguard.

“Good morning,” I said.

“Signorinas,” he said respectfully to Isabella and Ludavica.

Isabella smiled back at him and said Ciao.

Ludavica said Ciao but didn’t smile.

Then Paolo turned back to me.

“Hey, boss,” he said excitedly, “take a look at this!”

He opened his suit jacket to reveal a shoulder holster and revolver.

“You know how to handle that thing?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said, offended.

“Okay.”

“So – where’re we headed this fine morning?” he asked Isabella.

“I asked Papa if we could go to Cefalù, and he said yes.”

“Where’s Cefalù?” I asked.

“About an hour and a half north of here,” Paolo said. “On the coast.”

I frowned. “How far is Cefalù from Ragusa?”

Paolo looked at me with wide eyes and a fake smile like, What the fuck are you asking THAT for? “Uh… three and a half hours, give or take?”

Shit. That meant Cat’s taxi would have to drive pretty far.

I needed to call her as soon as we got out of here.

“Alright, then – let’s get going,” I said.

We all walked out to the SUV. I got in the front passenger seat beside Paolo, and both girls got in the back.

As soon as Paolo was on the main road, I said, “Let me see your phone.”

He laughed nervously and looked at me like, Are you crazy?! “Uh… why, boss?”

“So I can call Caterina.”

I said it mostly to see what his reaction would be.

He didn’t disappoint.

He swerved into the oncoming lane, although he recovered quickly enough.

Luckily nobody was coming in the opposite direction.

“Jesus, don’t kill us!” I barked.

Paolo laughed nervously again. “Who’s Caterina?”

“We already know,” Isabella informed him from the backseat.

Paolo looked around in bug-eyed terror. “You do?!”

“Yes.” Then Isabella looked at me. “Is that her name? Caterina?”

“Yeah,” I said uncomfortably.

It was a little weird talking to your future wife about the girl you were banging.

“That’s a pretty name,” Isabella said sweetly.

“Yeah,” I said lamely.

What was I supposed to say?

Thank you?

I agree?

Instead, I focused on Paolo. “Your phone.”

Paolo was sweating now. “This is a bad idea.”

“Now you know why you got your promotion.”

He glared at me –

But he got distracted when Isabella said, “We can keep a secret.”

Paolo looked at them in the rearview mirror, then shook his head and swore under his breath.

“PHONE,” I said.

He pulled it out and slapped it into my palm.

“Pull off the road up ahead,” I ordered him.

“Why?”

“So I can talk to her

to listen to your conversation with your girlfriend?” Isabella

not my girlfriend.

“Awww,” Ludavica complained playfully.

fun than I’d ever

Ludavica said, which made

then both girls collapsed into

in the rearview mirror, then looked at Paolo. “Pull


outside the SUV – and had shut the door on the girls’ playful taunts and Paolo’s obvious

“…hello?” she answered warily.

“It’s me.”

said, her voice suddenly full

Isabella’s remark about Cat being my

to

“Of course!”

But there’s something we need to talk

Caterina sounded worried. “…oh?”

out I didn’t work with his

about

him I went out drinking, and he bought it. But in order to get out of the house to

“…which is…?”

have to take Isabella with me and show her around the

was a

her name?” Cat finally

in

Another long pause.

to keep her from finding out about us

“She already knows.”

“SHE ALREADY KNOWS?!”

Cat scream before.

cool, it’s cool,” I said quickly. “She’s fine with it. She doesn’t want to get married to me, either,

“And you believe her?!”

believe how much her father has her on lockdown. She’s only left her

in Cat’s voice.

Look, that’s not the important part –

told your future wife about us isn’t the important part,” Cat

father’s a fucking psychopath, and yesterday I saw what he did to somebody who crossed him,” I said angrily. “It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it

Silence.

it down a notch, “I called you to warn you. If you don’t want to run the risk, I’d understand –

run the risk,” she

him finding

either of THEM had found out I was going to see you, I don’t think it would have

done anything to you – they would’ve just stopped

they wouldn’t be so nice about it

anything to you,” I said in

softly. “Are you just trying to just let me

“What?! No! Absolutely not!”

“Are YOU afraid?”

afraid for you. If anything happened to you… I don’t

say it. Then she added, “But if something happens to me, I’m pretty sure it’ll happen to you, too. So you won’t have

I said

be with you. So if you’re asking me, then I’m in. All the way. We’ll just

Don Vicari’s consigliere had

admit, I was relieved

said happily.

do I

Cefalù. It’s pretty far from Ragusa –

I better get

when you get there. Or call or text Paolo,

will. I can’t wait to

here, babe,” I said warmly, a huge swell of

I stopped myself.

about to say something I

which wasn’t a good idea

Especially now.

“…yes?” Cat whispered hopefully.

I struggled to answer…

just said, “I’ll see you

Another long pause.

she said sadly, then

Shit.

to get laid in a few hours,

Isabella had

Do you love her?

way here for

to think about

for a

I looked through the other calls

Alessandra’s number.

many Lars had made us

and waited,

familiar

“Alessandra?”

cried out joyously. “What are you doing

lent it to

“So it’s going okay?”

a couple of times in

Alessandra

“…you do?”

me. I’m

it lifted my spirits

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