Page 80 of Monster in Disguise

"It is a good choice," the sales associate chimes in. "A beautiful ring for a beautiful lady." He smiles at me as he reaches out to take the ring and pack it.

Before he can touch me, Marcello snatches my hand away.

"My wife," he emphasizes, "will keep the ring on."

The sales associate blinks. "I can?—"

"You can ring it up for us," Marcello counters.

"Of course," the man adds with a feeble smile.

I look at Marcello questioningly. Why is he suddenly so tense? He has a menacing look on his face that I don't think I've seen before.

I'm still wondering about that as he quickly pays and leads me out of the store.

"You were rude," I tell him honestly. "He was only trying to help us, as is his job."

His fists are clenched by his side and he mutters something inaudible under his breath.

"What?"

"He said you were beautiful," he says through gritted teeth. "I didn't like how he... looked at you."

"I don't understand. How?" I frown.

He takes a deep breath and scrubs his hand over his face. "He looked at you the way only I can look at you, Lina," he says slowly.

Is he... is Marcello jealous?

"He was just doing his job," I add again in an effort to diffuse the situation.

"Then perhaps I should be the one to do my job better." He turns to look at me. "You are beautiful. The most beautiful. And I am lucky to have you with me," he tells me sincerely.

His words touch my heart and I take a step forward, raising myself on my tiptoes and placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you. And thank you for the ring too. It's gorgeous."

His cheeks redden and he looks away, suddenly uncomfortable.

"I think I saw a pink dollhouse over there. Maybe Claudia will like it," he suddenly says and changes the subject.

With a smile, I follow him. He's right, Claudia does like it. But I like it more, because even when he wants to give me something special, he doesn't forget about my daughter.

Marcello, Marcello... Can I allow myself to fall for you?

Marcello

The afternoon sun casts long shadows across the deserted streets as Vlad and I reach a secure location to discuss the case. He parks his car with a screech, and as we get out, he tosses a file my way.

"What's this?" I question, catching it before it can touch the ground.

"Forensic report for our lovely nun," Vlad smirks.

I open the file and scan its contents swiftly. There isn't much to work with. The cause of death is blood loss, but the coroner has noted some lacerations on the left ventricle of the heart. It appears that the nun might have been stabbed through her heart, leading to her bleeding out.

"I don't see why this is important." I hand back the file to Vlad.

"The coroner's remarks are quite intriguing though, aren't they? To stab someone through the heart takes precision and skill. Our copycat must be familiar with anatomy."

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