Page 91 of The Crimson Lily
Maksim leans into my embrace. I hold him there, practically hugging the life out of him. I mouth an “I love you” to his ear, but no sound comes out. That’s the whole point of mouthing.
He goes back to his original position, guarding my legs, taking my hand in his. He brushes the back of my hand, my palm, and intertwines his fingers with mine. His touch, his soothing caress, invites me to close my eyes again and let go of the world.
“I’m staying,” he eventually says when he thinks I’m asleep. I feel his tender gaze linger on me for a while until my consciousness fades away. “Forever.”
22
The Mafia Capitale quarters: an underground shelter of hallways and chambers controlled by the crime kings of Rome. I left myhospitalbed early this morning, awoken by the lack of morphine in my blood. I was shot in the arm, punched in the jaw. A nurse convinced me my bandage needed changing. A doctor came by to check my broken hand. They patched me up before they allowed me out of bed, my arm hanging in a sling.
Maksim stayed with me this whole time, his eyes never leaving me. His face looks painful, both his eyes darkened by a night in William’s claws. I feel a slight pinch to my heart, thinking of what my Maksim could have endured. I bring my hand to his face and caress it. The electricity of the touch of his skin sends shivers down my spine.
“What did he do to you?” I dare to ask, my hand still there, refusing to let him go.
“Don’t worry about it,” he hushes me and kisses my hand.
I have tears hiding in my throat. “Are you going to be okay?”
He delicately takes my hand in his and lowers it. “Believe me, I’ve been through worse.”
Cold. That’s how his words make me feel. I don’t want to hear more about it. The idea of Maksim getting hurt simply breaks my heart.
“So, what happened last night?” I ask him instead, struggling to put on sneakers with one hand.
Maksim brought some of my clothes here along with a new pair of sneakers. I have to accept the fact I’ll never see my boots again.
He watches me fiddle with the laces with an amused yet relieved smile. “I tracked you.”
Yes, Maksim, I figured that part out. He helps me put on my University of Columbia sweater, but I still have more questions. “What about that whole show with…the police?” I straighten my posture, shoving my foot into the other shoe while still holding on to it so it won’t slip away. “How did you even get the police involved?”
“It was Giovanni’s idea,” Maksim reveals.
Speaking of the devil, before Maksim can say more, Giovanni enters the room. “Liliana!” He gives me a warm yet careful hug. “Grazie a Dio, we found you! I told your boyfriend I never doubted your genius!”
Myboyfriend. I smile at that last part.
“And speaking of which…” Giovanni starts, then his tone switches to something reluctant. “Hey,Russo.” He catches Maksim’s attention, who’s still looking at me. “We might need your interrogation tactics, after all.”
“He’s still not talking?” Maksim asks Giovanni directly.
Giovanni shakes his head. I don’t know for sure who they’re talking about, but I have a pretty good idea.
“William’s not dead?” I check, and they both pause. “Where is he?”
Giovanni points a finger down. “He’s in the cage.”
I cross my arms, still dying to hear the details of yesterday’s stratagem. “Tell me how you got the police mixed up in all this.”
“It was a very simple calculation,” Giovanni smirks. “You see, the list we got from the Token Man had some value for us, but for the police, it was a goldmine. And even more so when we told them a Syndicate lord was around.”
“You told them?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. I didn’t take the mafia for people who talk to the police.
“Our little Chiara did,” Giovanni reveals. “They brought the firepower we needed, and we got what we wanted in exchange.”
I raise a second eyebrow. “What deal did you make?”
Giovanni’s boastful smirk widens. “Chiara gave them the list and told them where to find Margaret Rose. Turns out, that woman is on Europol’s Most Wanted list.” He pauses to savor his victory. “They got her, and we got you and de Loit, no questions asked.”
“So the police were fine with…”—I point at the Mafia Capitale soldier in front of me—“you?”
