Page 59 of The Hitman's Secret Baby
Just a soft pop under the table.
His body jerks once, then slumps.
Blanco pushes back his chair with a sigh.
I wipe the grip of the gun with a napkin, fold it twice, and slide it into my pocket.
Antonio's blood is already seeping through the seat of the chair, pooling beneath him.
I take out my phone and dial a number.
It rings twice before a voice picks up.
"Spring cleaning at Cafe Orange. Belvedere Street."
Nothing more needs to be said, so I hang up.
Blanco rises, fixing his cufflinks. "You going to stay for dessert?"
I stand, brushing off my coat. "I've had enough for today."
The street outside smells like citrus and smoke.
I glance once over my shoulder.
The waitstaff inside hasn't even noticed the body yet.
They'll figure it out soon enough.
My ride is already waiting at the corner, and I head back to the estate.
I call Aria twice on her number, but both times, it goes to voicemail.
I don't leave a message.
I just lower the phone to my thigh, clenching my hand around it as if it might answer on its own.
The silence stings more than I expected it to.
If she were ignoring me, that would be one thing.
But this...this silence feels like distance with a motive.
We cut through the heart of the city fast, passing the cathedral and the strip of harbor where the ships sway like drunk men at attention.
The iron gates of the Salvatore estate come into view, edged with new cameras and reinforced wiring.
Luca doesn't tighten security unless something has already gone wrong.
The guards at the front wave us through.
One of them steps forward the moment I get out. "Cristiano's looking for you," he says. "East wing."
Cristiano Conti has been staying at the estate for the better part of a year, ever since his sister Alessandra married into the family and brought her own pedigree with her.
Old Roman ties.
Quiet, cold money.
