The Italian

“This way, Mr. Ferrara.”

I’m led into the police station by an officer for routine questioning over Sophia and Sergio’s deaths.

I’m shaken to my very core.

Devastated.

They died because of me.

Once in the interview room, I take a seat. “The chief will be here in a moment, sir.”

I force a smile. “Thank you.”

I sit for five minutes in the silence, my mind going over and over the last hour.

I keep hearing the gunshots—seeing their crumpled bodies. I hear the ambulance sirens in the distance as they arrived.

I watch them being put onto stretchers as paparazzi cameras click and click and click without remorse.

This is a dark day.

I think back to how hard and cold I was to Sophia only moments before she died. Because of me.

My chest constricts, and I inhale through a shaky breath.

The door opens and Renaldo, my old friend, comes into view. He’s the Chief of Police here in Milan now. He walks in and immediately turns the tape recording off.

“Enrico, my friend.” He smiles.

I stand, relieved to see his face. We hug.

“Are you okay?” He frowns as he holds me at arm’s length.

“I can’t believe this,” I whisper.

“My God, we need to talk. I have so much to tell you.” I fall into the seat opposite him at the interview desk.

“We’ve just had a call from the Carabinieri with strict instructions on what I am to say to you.” “What?”

“Apparently they are working undercover to try and bring you down. They sent in a young Australian woman as a mole to befriend your fiancée.”

I frown and drop my head. Jennifer.

I knew it.

“There’s nothing to get me on. I’m completely clean now. You know that.”

“Why the hell would you have cocaine delivered to your yacht in Monte Carlo?” He shakes his head in disgust. “You’re getting sloppy, Enrico.”

“What?” I snap in confusion. “I haven’t had cocaine delivered to my yacht.”

“They watched Sergio meet with the dealer last week, and then they saw it arrive by ship at your yacht. They know.”

I sit back, shocked. Fucking Sergio.

“Sergio must have gone rogue.” I drag my head down my face. “What are they going to do?”

“They are sitting and waiting for you to move it.” I close my eyes as horror dawns on me. “It’s not mine.”

“Sergio’s dead, Enrico. Who do you think they are going to blame?”

“Fuck.” I put my head into my hands. “How long until they move in?”

“I don’t know, but I can’t contact you. I think your phones are bugged. Has this woman had access to your fiancée’s phone?”

I stare at him as I think. “Maybe.”

Fuck… I warned Olivia. Time and time again, I warned her.

“I have to do the formal interview now.” He gestures to the tape recorder. “You good?”

“Thank you for the warning.” I shake his hand.

He turns the tape recorder on. “Mr. Ferrara, I’m Chief Inspector Paella. I’ll be interviewing you today.”

“Hello,” I reply flatly, my mind anywhere but on this interview.

“What happened today, sir?”

“I’m not sure.” I get a vision of Sophia on the hard, cold concrete.

Sophia.

I walk through the front door of our Milan apartment just after 8:00 p.m.

It’s been a long, horrendous day—one that I never want to repeat.

“Hi.” Olivia smiles as she rushes to greet me. “Are you okay?”

I wrap her in my arms and hold her tight. “I am now.”

I get a vision of Sophia and Sergio on the concrete, and I bury my head into her neck.

We stand in each other’s arms for an extended time. Olivia doesn’t move and she doesn’t speak. She just lets me hold her, which is what I need right now.

I know that Lorenzo had called her to tell her what happened and where I was.

“What did the police say?” she asks as she takes my hand and leads me into the kitchen.

“They just wanted to know what happened.” I take my tie off and throw it to the side. “I made a witness statement.”

She pours me a glass of wine as she listens.

“Something else came to light at the police station.”

“Oh?” She hands over my glass.

“Your friend from the gym, Jennifer and her guy, are undercover federal police.”

She frowns. “Huh?”

“They’ve been sent in to try and get me on something.” “Who told you that?” “The Chief of Police, Olivia.” I sip my wine, unimpressed that she would doubt me, even for a second.

“Oh my God,” she whispers.

“It gets better,” I continue. “Sergio bought drugs under my name on credit. He was obviously going to sell them without me knowing. He had them delivered to our yacht in Monte Carlo. The police know all about it.”

Her face falls. “What does that mean?”

“It means they are waiting for me to pick them up so they can arrest me for drug possession.”

Her eyes widen. “Fuck.”

My phone rings. It’s Lorenzo. “I have to take this, Bella.”

“Sure.”

“Hello,” I answer as I walk up the hall to my office.

Olivia

After turning the faucet off, I lie back and squeeze the hot water from my sponge, watching as it falls over my chest. The bath is deep and hot, causing the room to fill with steam.

Sophia. Poor Sophia.

My mind is ticking over at a million miles per minute, taunting me of how naïve I really am. I keep going over and over the conversations I had with Jennifer over the last few weeks while at the gym, and the casual questions she’d been asking.

How much did I unknowingly tell her?

The fact that she pretended to be someone else has shaken me to my very core.

A planned operation?

How long were they watching me before they sent her in?

Enrico warned me, too. He’s warned me on several occasions not to trust anyone, but like a fool, I thought he was being over the top.

There’s a reason he is the way he is. Trust; it’s one of the purest forms of emotion.

The bathroom door opens and Enrico strides in.

“Hey.” He smiles softly.

I fake a smile back. “Hi.”

He carefully sits on the side of the bath, as if unsure what to say.

“You getting in with me?” I ask.

He stands, takes his clothes off, and he climbs in at the opposite end of the tub. We sit in silence for a while.

I squeeze the water onto my chest again. There are so many emotions between us, but the one that’s clogging up my throat is fear.

“What’s going to happen?” I ask him quietly.

He stares at the water, unable to answer my question.

“Sergio had these drugs delivered to your boat, which technically makes them yours now that he’s dead.”

“I know.”

“What’s the jail term for this much cocaine possession?”

He inhales deeply, steeling himself. “Thirty years to life.”

My eyes fill with tears as I watch him. “You can’t go to jail, Rici,” I whisper.

He slides down farther and puts his head back against the edge of the bathtub.

I try to get a grasp of what Sergio was planning.

“What was he doing? Why?” I shake my head, words escaping me. “Why did he have those drugs delivered to your boat?”

“Because he knew the dealers wouldn’t give him that much credit. I’m guessing his plan was to sell the drugs on his own and then pay the dealers back immediately. He was using my name as a line of credit. The dealers thought they were selling to me, and because they always have sold to Ferrara, there was no hesitation at all.”

“But… but they aren’t yours,” I splutter. “You need to explain the whole thing. Make them understand that you knew nothing about this.”

His eyes hold mine. “Possession is nine tenths of the law, Olivia. I have no proof that they aren’t my drugs. Do you think a drug dealer is going to come and testify on my behalf?”

“So… what?” I shrug. “Are they just sitting there on the dock waiting for you to go to the boat so they can arrest you?”

“Yes.” He nods slowly. “That’s exactly what they’re doing.”

“Then don’t go to the boat. Simple.”

“They’ll only wait a few more days before they move in. If I go to the boat to remove the drugs, I’ll be arrested. If I don’t go to the boat, they will arrest me anyway.”

I put my head into my hands as tears fill my eyes. “This is too much, Enrico,” I whisper. “This isn’t even your fight. This is Stefano’s fight. He wanted this, and then he died and left you in this big fucking mess. And poor Sophia and Sergio.” I angrily wipe the tears from my eyes. “If you don’t get murdered by that madman, you’re going to jail for a crime that you didn’t commit.” He doesn’t try and comfort me. I don’t think he can.

Because he knows I’m right.

I stare into space as I search for options. Everything seems so dark and dismal. What are we supposed to do? Rico’s eyes are focused on the water, hardened by sadness and anger. “What we need to do is disappear for a while,” I say

“And how do we do that? It’s a lot easier said than done,” he replies.

I think for a moment. “It’s not actually a bad idea, to be honest. Why don’t we go off the grid for a while? Hide until everything is over with.” I smile to myself as I imagine a life on the run.

“I’m not taking the cowards way out and running. I’ll handle Lombardi myself.” He watches me for a moment. I can see his brain ticking over before he raises an eyebrow.

“What? What are you thinking?” I ask.

“If I were dead…” His voice trails off.

“What?”

“He wouldn’t be expecting me.”

My eyes widen as I stare at him. “Stop, Enrico. Whatever the hell you are thinking? Just stop it.”

He stares into space; his mind miles away.

“This is one big nightmare. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to say, I don’t know who to trust. I mean, what in the hell are we supposed to do now? Just wait here until you get arrested?” I huff.

“What we do is we go to bed. We’ll get up tomorrow, and then you try not to worry. Let me handle this. I’ll do the worrying for us both.”

My brave man, always taking the load from me.

“We’ll fight it in court,” he eventually says.

“And winning in court… what will that do?”

He frowns at me, not answering.

“You’re okay with the fact that our children will be perceived as criminals? That they’ll spend their lives not being able to make new friends? That we will live in this fucking bubble of protection from the outside world?”

“It is what it is.”

“What it is is fucked up.” I stand in a rush, and water sloshes out of the bath onto the floor.

“Olivia,” he sighs.

I snatch the towel from the rack, my anger exploding like a volcano.

“Don’t you Olivia me. I’m going to bed to dream about a life where I’m not in this mess—where the friends I make are there because they actually like me.” I flick the towel around my shoulders. “I know why you’re not scared about going to prison, Enrico.” I dry my back with vigor. “It’s because you already live in one.”

“Do you think I like this?” he yells.

My eyes well with tears anew at his anger. I’m fragile enough already. I don’t need him yelling at me, and I know this isn’t his fault, but I have nobody else to blame.

I storm into the bedroom and throw myself onto the bed.

I knew who he was. I knew the life that he led, but I never realized how hard living day-to-day without trusting a single soul was going to be. This isn’t who I am. I trust everybody I meet. It’s my nature. I like people. I want new people in my life. I’ll never make a new friend again after this.

I screw up my face to fight the tears. It’s all so overwhelming. I feel like my head is about to explode.

I get under the blankets, bury my face into my pillow, and I let myself cry.

I wake to the feel of a lead ball on my shoulders. It’s like I’m carrying the weight of the world. Enrico came to bed late last night but he didn’t touch me. He got into bed and turned his back.

I get up and go to the bathroom. Once I’m done, I climb back under the covers.

I’m more hopeful today.

We can fight this.

Good always wins over evil.

Enrico Ferrara is a good man. He’s the best.

I snuggle into his back. Eventually he rolls over, and we lie face to face on our sides.

“Hi.” I smile softly.

“Hey.”

He looks so sad.

“I’m sorry I blamed you,” I whisper.

“Don’t be. It is my fault.” He eyes hold mine and we lie in silence for a while, both deep in thought. He reaches up and trails his finger down my bare arm. “Having second thoughts about a life with me?”

“No.” His face is solemn. “Why would you even say that?” I pull him into an embrace. “I love you. I would never have second thoughts about us. This isn’t your fault, Rico. You can’t help the things that your family have done before you. Tell me about this madman.”

He sighs. “About six months ago, this guy started recruiting men.” He pauses, as if searching for the right words. “He’s burned down five of our brothels. He murdered one of the working girls in Sicily. He even carved his name into her face as a warning to me.”

My face falls. “What does he want?”

“The brothels.”

“Give them to him.”

“It doesn’t work like that.” He sighs sadly. “He’ll beat the girls, get them addicted to drugs, and eventually kill them if they ever try and leave. If I hand him the brothels, I hand over their lives, too.” He fiddles with the sheets between us. “And then he’ll come after us, anyway. It’s a power thing now, and he wants control. The ultimate trophy would be a Ferrara skull.”

Fear runs through me. “Did you tell the police this?”

“Yes, they know what he is: the worst of the worst. He’s killed about fifteen people so far, and those are only the ones the police know about. They want him, too.”

“God, this is one big mess.”

His eyes find mine. “This is why I can’t let you go to work anymore, Olivia. We can’t guard you properly while you’re there. Too many people come and go from your building every day. I know this is overwhelming but I promise you, it will pass. These uprises happen from time to time, and we always win. It’s just taking a little longer than usual to find this guy.”

“Do you think he’s going to try and kill you? And be honest with me… please.”

“I’m not worried about my life.”

My eyes search his as the real reason for his fear presents itself. “You think he’s going to try and kill me next, don’t you?”

He swallows the lump in his throat and tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. “If anyone wanted to hurt me, that’s the only way they could.”

My eyes fill with tears.

“I’m sorry, baby.” He sighs sadly. “I’m sorry that I dragged you into this life.”

Empathy fills me. “Rici,” I whisper. I pick up his hand and put it over my stomach. “Do you feel this?” I ask.

His hand spreads over my stomach as if it’s magical. Maybe it is.

“We’re having a baby.” I kiss him softly. “And we’re starting our life together—the three of us together. I’ll be fine. You have men everywhere. Nobody can get to us. I’m not going to leave the house until the police find this man, and then we can fight this bogus drug charge. You have the best lawyers who will get you off this. Of course they will because you’re innocent.”

He buries his head into my shoulder and holds me tight in his arms. I can feel his fear in his vise-like grip.

“Promise me you won’t die,” he mutters against my neck.

My vision clouds with tears. What a promise to ask to ask of me. “I promise you.”

Her takes my face into his hands and kisses me. His tongue slowly slides against mine, the emotion between us too much to bear.

I love this man. I love how he loves me. I would walk through Heaven and Hell to feel the way he makes me feel. I hate that he’s scared he’s going to lose me. I hate that he has to go through this. I want to protect him from everything and everyone.

“Now, you promise me something,” I say to try and lighten the mood.

“Anything.” He rolls over the top of me and lies between my legs. I wrap them around his waist. He begins to slowly slide his dick through my sex as we stare at each other.

“Promise me that when this is all over, we can take a vacation to a secluded beach somewhere.” He smiles against my lips. “And we can just be normal and pregnant for a while.”

He chuckles, and he slides into my body. “I promise.” He pulls out and slides back in deeper. “Sunbathing with you never sounded so good. I can’t wait.”