Page 2 of The Secrets We Keep

The man typed something on his computer and then looked up at her with a smile. “A furnished two-bedroom with a short-term lease, right?”

She smiled in return. “That’s right.”

“We have two units available.” He grabbed a large ring of keys from the drawer at his elbow and pushed back from the desk. “One faces the cathedral, and the other faces the water. Did you have a preference?”

“The water.” She’d missed the sea, the sound and scent of it, holed up for so many years in Berlin.

They took an elevator to the top floor, and he led her down a short hallway and into a bright, open apartment. The furniture was modern and looked brand new. The apartment was beautifully styled and clean, but it was the view that drew her forward.

The city stretched out to the marina where boats came and went and the glistening blue of the Ionian Sea lay beyond. She sighed, a little piece of her settling at the sight. It was perfect.

“Rates are very reasonable for an apartment this size in this location with the terms you’re asking for. We could drop them if you wanted to sign a longer lease.”

“No. Three months is all I need.” It was the shortest they offered. She hoped to be done with her task well before the lease was up.

“I understand,” he replied, leading her away from the kitchen with stainless steel appliances and a big round dining table and down the hall to the bedrooms. “If you change your mind within thirty days and decide to stay longer, we can usually accommodate that.”

The main bedroom was larger than it looked on the website, with a wide terrace and an imposing king-size bed. The bathroom had a large shower, a separate soaking tub, and a double vanity. She hardly needed that much space just for herself, but she wanted to keep up appearances.

The second bedroom was smaller, with only a queen-size bed and a bathroom across the hall with a simple shower stall. She frowned, wondering if it would be easy to move the bedroom furniture out of the way and bring in her own.

“Is something wrong?”

She indicated the bed with a wave of her hand. “I was hoping to use this space as an office instead of a second bedroom.”

“Oh. We can swap out the furniture for you. That’s not a problem. A standard office setup would include a desk, a chair, and some bookcases. Did you need anything else?”

She shook her head, following him back out to the living room. “No. That would be perfect. Thank you.”

“So,” he said, turning a slow circle and offering her another smile. “Any questions I can answer for you?”

Her eyes drifted to the windows, catching on a yacht leaving the marina. She was reminded of warm summer days, the wind in her hair, the sun on her body while she stretched out on the polished deck and sipped limoncello.

Then it was leering grins and the smell of gunpowder and blood. This plan had to work. She couldn’t torture herself with all these memories without getting what she came for.

She turned back to the man and shook her head. “Where do I sign?”

Chapter Two

Luca watched his brother check his watch for the third time in as many minutes, the scowl on his face deepening. Nero Gallo was almost fifteen minutes late to their meeting, and Matteo was not happy about it.

“He’s fucking with you,” Luca said. “Don’t let him get in your head.”

Matteo took a deep drink of his latte and set it back on the table. Luca didn’t like meeting on Gallo’s turf any more than Matteo did. Even if it was the only way to make this sit-down happen. But Gallo being late didn’t bother Luca nearly as much as it did his brother. Matteo hated the disrespect of not being on time.

Gallo wouldn’t be dumb enough to ambush them. Not in the restaurant of this upscale hotel. He cared about his image too much to take so public a hit, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try some shit if given the opportunity. Which is exactly why Matteo had stationed not one but two cars of men at the front and back entrances.

Signaling the waitress for another cappuccino, Luca sat back and waited. Gallo would show eventually. He was too interested in figuring out what they might know and what exactly this meeting was about to miss it. His tardiness was a power play, and Matteo needed to chill.

“Gallo’s going to do exactly what you think he will when you make your proposal,” Luca assured him.

Matteo slowly dragged his eyes away from his phone and met Luca’s gaze. “I know. He’s going to play right into my hands at every turn because he underestimates me.”

The waitress arrived with Luca’s cappuccino at the same time he spotted Gallo and his two sons standing in the vaulted archway between the hotel’s lobby and restaurant.

“Heads up,” Luca said when Gallo spotted them and made his way over.

Matteo fixed his face with a bland expression, adjusted his cufflinks, and waited.

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