Page 43 of Home Free

Part of it had been the message from the terrifying man named Farrell Black when he’d let them know the meeting with Nico was on: bring the woman.

Elise might have been scared if not for the fact that Ronan had asked why, and Farrell had expanded on the sentiment with five short words: Nico has an American wife.

Elise wasn’t thrilled about the idea of making small talk with an American mob wife, but then again, these days she wasn’t exactly a skilled conversationalist with anyone outside the family.

She was surprised to see a red Ferrari waiting on the tarmac in place of the usual black SUV. Finn looked at Ronan with raised eyebrows.

Ronan shrugged, his eyes hidden behind aviators. “When in Rome…”

Finn insisted Elise take shotgun while he folded himself into the tiny space that passed for a backseat. The car started with a purr, then turned into a jet engine when Ronan accelerated out of the charter terminal.

It was ridiculously indulgent, but Elise had to admit it was fun to careen around corners, to feel her stomach drop as Ronan sped up on a dime, like riding a roller coaster with amazing scenery.

The apartment was incredible, an immaculately decorated penthouse steps from the Piazza Fontanella Borghese. Finn had looked shocked when they stepped into the high-ceilinged living room with deep crown moldings, tasteful furniture, and illuminated artwork.

Elise knew her sister had money, knew Ronan and his brothers had made it killing people, that Nick had become an expert at hiding it and investing it, international real estate being his investment of choice.

But she hadn’t expected something so lavish.

Ronan went to make a call while Elise and Finn explored the apartment, which included four bedrooms with gorgeous en suite bathrooms, a balcony that overlooked the Corso, a library, and a rooftop terrace with a 360 degree view of the city.

“This is wild,” Elise said as they stood on the terrace looking out over the city.

“It’s… a lot,” Finn said without looking at her.

It didn’t sound judgmental, but knowing Finn — and she did feel like she knew him — he was probably grappling with the fact that his brothers could afford this kind of luxury. The Murphys gave a lot of money to charity — a lot — but the kind of lifestyle embodied by the penthouse probably felt vulgar to someone like Finn, who’d spent most of his adult life traveling to places where people struggled to put food in their mouths and a roof over their heads.

It was all so complicated: the truth of what the Murphys did for a living, the money they earned doing it. Were they justified in doing what the justice system wouldn’t? In spending their money to live comfortably and protect themselves against an uncertain future when so many people in the world suffered?

Elise didn’t have the answers, and she was tired of trying to find them. The Murphys weren’t responsible for all the world’s problems or for solving them, and neither was Elise.

Wasn’t everyone doing the best they could with the circumstances they had? Couldn’t it be enough to try and do the most right thing in any given situation?

She wanted to talk about it with Finn, to hear how he felt about it all, but this wasn’t the right time. They had enough on their plates without trying to tackle all of the world’s inequities. Maybe when this was all over, when Achilles — Cromwell — had paid for his crimes, she and Finn could do something to make the world a better place.

She was immediately embarrassed by the thought. What could she, a formerly self-involved Millennial with no college degree, do to help the world?

It was too big a question, for now at least. She should start with something smaller, like talking to Finn about their future together.

She turned toward him. “We’re in Rome.”

He bent to kiss her. “We’re in Rome.”

“What do you want to do?” she asked.

He looked out over the city. It was a beautiful May day, the sun shining, the air warm enough to go without a jacket. “Ronan probably has work today, and tomorrow we meet with Nico. You up for exploring?”

She slipped her hand into his. “With you? Always.”

They left a note for Ronan and slipped out into the city.

The next few hours passed in a happy blur of cobblestone streets, bubbling fountains, elaborately constructed churches, and two scoops of gelato.

Elise wasn’t scared once, not with Finn by her side. She felt liberated, and she drank from the cup of Rome’s beauty like a starving woman served a five-course meal.

When night fell they ate dinner on the roof of a tiny restaurant called I Sofà, white lights twinkling in the greenery that wound around the terrace’s pillars, the city lit like a masterpiece around them.

They gorged themselves on flakey pastry bites filled with smoked salmon, buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes that tasted like summer, and perfectly al dente pasta with tender swordfish and pecorino cheese.

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