Page 65 of Married to the Mafia

“I tried to get him to run. Told him to leave the city and never come back but he lunged at me and I had to shoot him.”

“You’re not to blame for that, Dino.” She kisses my shoulder, but I’m far away, lost in the past. I shake it off. It’s over. Done with. No need to dwell on it.

“Anyway, I found out later he was a nephew of the Beluccis and that started the feud that’s been bubbling ever since.”

She’s slipping down in the blankets. I wrap myself around her and kiss the back of her neck. “You sleep,” I whisper.

“I’m listening to you.”

“I’m done.” I close my eyes and breathe in the smell of her hair. I don’t sleep for a long time.

25

Rose

Rose

Ican almost forget why we’re here. The sun is beating down and there’s not a hint of wind. I’m in a light summer dress and I can feel the rays soaking into my skin.

I’m lying on my back in the grass while Dino looks through his binoculars. To anyone watching, we’re just a couple of tourists and that’s how I feel.

We’ve spent an hour wandering around Ostia Antica, nowhere near long enough to explore its hidden mysteries. Still, the bits I’ve seen so far have been amazing. So much ancient history and left untouched for thousands of years. Makes me want to explore more of Italy. Maybe once this is all over.

For now, I’m sunbathing. Dino is up a set of steps, looking out through the trees at the street that runs alongside the site. We’re by an old bathhouse and from here you can see the surrounding village. He’s been watching for a while, saying nothing.

I think about what he told me yesterday, about whathappened between us. It’s been so good but so frustrating at the same time. I get that he wants to protect me, but unless he’s going to keep me locked away in his basement forever, there’ll always be risks around.

I can look after myself. I’ve the gun strapped to my thigh under the dress. It makes a bulge when I sit up, but when I’m walking, you can’t tell it’s there. We’re hoping I don’t have to use it.

When we got up this morning, it was like he’d been up all night. He was sitting in an armchair by the window, staring out at the sunrise. It was early, and I stood yawning next to him.

He just turned and told me I was coming with him. I nodded and then made us both coffee. Felt like the least I could do. We’ve no idea what’ll happen by the end of today. I get the feeling that either we’ll both be safe or both be dead.

Either Ricardo or Dino are going to end this feud. I pray it’ll be Dino. He might be a bastard in some ways, but he’s a better human being than the piece of shit that took me from him.

“What can you see?” I ask when he comes down the steps to sit with me. Around us, tour groups are exploring the ruins, but no one gives us more than a second glance.

“It’s an orange two floor building behind iron railings and a brick wall.” He scratches his head.

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking how to get in.”

“What are the options?”

“Outside stairs to the first floor. Aircon units that I could potentially remove, but that would take too long. Tiled roof wouldn’t be too loud to jump from the opposite building. Gravel road could be noisy though. Dead end aswell, so no other reason to go down there. I need to see if there are cameras, but the trees are in the way.”

“What about if I go down, take a few photos?”

“Are you insane?” He shakes his head. “No way.”

“I’ve got a sunhat and shades on. No one expects me to be here.”

“Why would you be going down a dead-end street?”

“Because I’m a tourist and I got lost. Please, can you tell me the way to Ostia Antica?”

He’s silent for a minute. “All right,” he says at last. “But the slightest hint of trouble, you run, all right?”

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