My father’s entire posture tensed, and I realised I’d asked the wrong question. But I had to ask. Wasn’t there a possibility he had got this all wrong?
“Arianna,” my father said in the same voice he used when he was furious but trying to contain it. He reached for my hands, holding them in his. “You need to tell me right now if Santino has been in contact with you.”
I held his gaze, my breathing unsteady as I crumbled under his scrutiny. “A little.”
His jaw clenched, and his nostrils flared. He tilted his head slightly, trying to maintain his composure. “A little? What do you mean, Aria?”
“He’s… been sending me flowers.” That was just the tip of the iceberg, but my father still launched himself out of his chair.
“Flowers? How?”
“At work. Every day.”
“And you’re only telling me this now?” he shouted, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
“What are you doing?”
“Firing Damiano. Why hadn’t he told me about this? What am I paying him for?”
“Papi!” I leapt up and grabbed the phone. I didn’t want anyone to lose their job over this. “It’s not his fault. I…I lied to him. I told him it was a subscription service.”
My father blinked at me. “Why would you do that?”
“Because…” Shit. There really was no way of explaining myself here without looking like I’d lost the complete plot. “I was embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed? No, this isn’t about you,luce mia.That man is trying to intimidate you to make me leave him alone.”
I frowned. “With flowers?”
“It’s not the flowers. It’s what they represent. He’s trying to send a message.”
I understood that. I just wasn’t convinced I knew what the message was.
He shook his head, running his hand through his silver hair. “You should have told me immediately.”
“I know,” I mumbled. “I’m sorry,Papi. I haven’t been keeping the flowers. I give them away to the patients.”
He rubbed his hands down his face, and I felt so guilty seeing how much stress he was under. I hadn’t even told him half of it. I wasn’t sure he’d survive if I did.
“Is he really someone I should fear?”
He grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look into his eyes. “Si, Arianna. Trust me. He’s not a good man. I’m not trying to scare you, but you need to realise the danger you are in. Things are going to get worse before they get better. We’ve just lost our key witness, and the case might collapse, which means we will need to find more evidence of the Buccinis’ crimes. The closer we get to taking them down, the more desperate they will become. You need to take this seriously, Arianna. Do you understand?”
I gulped and nodded.
“I’ll come up with you,” Damiano said as I entered the code to my apartment block. I frowned, glancing at him over my shoulder. He often walked me to the door, but he’d only been inside once to check that the new security system was working. “New protocol. I need to check that the apartment is clear before you enter.”
“Oh, but I have a security system,” I argued, pushing the door open and letting him in. “Did my father ask you to do that?”
“Extra precaution,” he replied, following me up the stairs to the second floor. Great. Just what I needed. For my babysitter to see what a mess I was.
For someone who obsessively watched cleaning videos online to relax, my flat was a nuclear war zone. I wasn’t dirty, but I wasn’t tidy either. My space was mostly made up of stacked books, dying plants, and numerous floordrobes in every room. On the rare occasion that I had visitors, I went into full turbo-tidying mode, shoving things into cupboards and out of sight. It was actually quite incredible what you could get done under pressure. But I didn’t have time to do that now. I rarely had guests because working most nights and sleeping most days was probably the most unsociable way to live.
“It’s a bit of a mess,” I warned as I pulled my keys out of my handbag. He took them from my fingers with a half-smile.
“I’m not here to judge, Aria. Only to keep you safe,” he answered, opening my front door for me. “Wait here. I’ll check the system.”
He disappeared inside, doing a quick sweep of the bedroom and living area and turning off the alarm. It wasn’t the grandest home, but it was mine. I’d paid for it myself and although it was cosy, it had everything I needed and was within walking distance of the hospital. Not that I could walk anywhere alone anymore.
