Page 124 of Till Death Do Us Part

I sighed. Even though Jack had said something similar to me, it didn’t piss me off as much when Felice said it. Maybe because timing was everything, and Jack’s was always off. Felice and I always seemed to step in peaceful tandem.

A cool gust of wind pushed against me. It was probably the perfect way to describe the moments when the truth hit me. The synergy between us felt so natural, but at times, its power stole my breath.

He nodded toward the Centennial Wheel, the gondolas going around it. “Ever been?”

“No.” I shook my head. “But I hear the view is spectacular. I’m not sure about being in that small compartment—Oh.” I glanced up at him and caught the mischievous grin on his face. He was remembering thefuniviaride in Taormina.

“I’m in the mood for some gelato after dinner.” He winked at me.

I was still a little dazed and unsteady on my feet. Whatever was in the powder was still causing problems. The doctors didn’t foresee any long-term issues, but they said it had to work itself out of my system over time. I was mostly good, and it probably wasn’t the foreign stuff in my body that made me knock into Felice. It was simply…him.

He kept me closer to his side, probably thinking I was going to fall. Even when he handed the attendant at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater our tickets, he kept one hand on me.

We spotted Lo and Sandro and headed toward them. After we greeted one another, we entered the theater and found our seats. Lo had been wanting to catch a musical based on a best-selling book. It was about a couple whose differences almost ripped them apart.

Felice’s face was unreadable during the show, except when one of the cast members would hit a high note. He’d put his head back and his eyes would grow wide. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

Lo was into it, singing the songs on the way to the restaurant after. We’d decided on a Latin place along Navy Pier. We all ordered, and then Lo asked me to go with her to the bathroom. Felice could see it from our table, and there was no entrance from outside or windows.

She ran into the stall and was going on about the musical while she went.

I fixed my hair some. The wind had run its fingers through it, but not in a sexy, tousled way.

“Wheew, that was a close call,” she said, coming to stand next to me and washing her hands. “I held it for the entire show.” She grabbed for a few napkins, then asked to use my lipstick. “How’s Fredo?”

I dug in my purse, handing it over. “Good now. He’s out of the hospital.”

“Have you heard from Elsa?”

“I talked to her earlier.”

“How is she?”

“She’s staying with Cassio’s mom.” What else could I say?

Elsa was being reticent about what had happened. I knew more than Lo about why that man had showed up and tried to kill Elsa, but it was best if everyone else didn’t know specifics. The less they knew about the situation, the safer it was. In general, everyone assumed the man was there to rob Elsa.

Hayden bought it. An artifact had gone missing from one of the museums. Apparently, whoever was looking for it—not the actual owner but a group who wanted it—was visiting the homes of museum workers. But Felice had told me what Cassio had figured out.

It was hard to believe at first, but I understood Elsa’s situation, and it was a lot worse than she’d let on. Her parents were losing their house, and with her father’s medical bills, I think she snapped and did whatever she felt she had to do.

“That must make her feel safe.” Lo puckered up.

“She’s not alone,” I said, giving a vague answer. I wondered if Elsa was even worried about her safety. She was probably more worried that she might kill Cassio. It didn’t seem like they could get along.

“Is she going to move back home?”

I shrugged, taking the lipstick back and applying some. “Not right now. I’m not sure what she’s going to do after she’s healed. She lost her apartment. What happened really shook Mr. and Mrs. Chen.”

“It was fucking scary. He was crazed with that powder. I’ve had weird dreams ever since.” She fixed her hair. “Have you heard anything from Babbo since he visited you in the hospital?”

“No. I had no clue he even came to visit. Felice told me. I think he wanted to get in and get out without waking me up. Did I tell you he packed up all my things and sent them to me?”

“You did. Did you ever go through them?”

“I wasn’t ready, but I need to.”

“Hopefully he didn’t send you the bloody sheet.”

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