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He sounded so calm when she was so not. ‘Dante, I can’t go in your helicopter.’
‘That’s fine, I will drive.’
‘But I’m starting a new job tomorrow,’ Mia said, and then cringed at the thought of starting work with the photos coming out and buried her head in her hands again.
Dante looked around the room rather than at her, and saw the dress hanging up neatly and the shoes side by side, so at odds with the chaos that was about to hit. ‘Mia, despite what I said last night, it is clear that we need to speak, so let’s just focus on that for now.’
It didn’t take Mia long to pack and Dante took even less time, for she could feel his impatience from the lounge as she stuffed the gown in her case and pulled on a denim skirt and strappy top.
‘Where’s your luggage?’ Mia asked when she came out.
‘Sarah will come and pack for me...’ he said, but as he followed her out he saw a fresh blue bruise on the back of her calf. ‘What happened to your leg?’
Mia glanced down and then twisted and looked at the bruise her own stiletto had made and gave him her answer. ‘You did.’
They drove through a sleepy Rome, bathed in a golden sunrise, the streets more deserted and more beautiful than Mia had ever seen them, but nothing could soothe her now.
‘I forgot the earrings.’
‘It’s fine.’
‘I left them in the safe.’
‘I’ll tell Sarah to get them. She’s waiting at my place; I have to collect a few things before we head off,’ Dante said, and turned into a lane.
He lived very close to the hotel, in Campo Marzio, in the historic centre of Rome, with everything she loved about Rome on his doorstep.
Not that Dante had a doorstep as such.
He parked the car on a cobbled lane. She got out and followed him through a heavy gate, where they were greeted by a doorman who pulled open the lift. Despite herself, Mia was curious to glimpse his home.
But they were not alone.
Sarah was there and handed him a case, and though she gave Mia a polite nod she clearly had no interest in her and was just sorting things out for the boss, so Mia stood as Sarah and Dante spoke, and took in her surroundings.
The vast lounge with its high walls and ornate ceiling was a stunning marriage of ancient and modern. There were rugs everywhere and heavy leather sofas, and the huge pieces of modern art on the walls clashed marvellously with the picture-perfect view of the Spanish Steps.
The biggest surprise, though, apart from the most delectable view, was a tiny, ancient-looking white dog sitting on the sofa. Dante did not seem the type to have a small dog—or any dog, come to that. His eyes were white with cataracts but whether or not he could see Dante, he thumped his tail when his master arrived. The dog didn’t get up, just lay there as Dante stroked his ears while he spoke with Sarah, who had but one question for Mia: ‘What is your code for the safe?’
‘One, two, three, four,’ a blushing Mia admitted, trying to ignore the look that passed between Dante and Sarah that said,Too stupid for words.
‘We should get going,’ Dante said to her in English.
‘Are we bringing him?’ Mia asked, and pointed to the scruffy little dog.
‘No. Alfonzo lives only to lie on my couch; he hates being moved. Is there anything you need?’
‘Coffee,’ Mia admitted. She had no room in her brain to think of anything else, and there was nothing to be gained from pointing out that she had few clothes with her when the shops weren’t even open.
‘I’ll collect some breakfast from the café.’
He got them some pastries too, and there was an armistice while he drove them out of Rome and they took breakfast on the go.
‘It’s like being a fugitive,’ Mia commented.
‘A bit,’ Dante agreed, ‘though they will soon figure out where we are, but at least you will not be standing at Fiumicino or arriving at Heathrow when word gets out.’
He took a couple of calls on the way, and one was from Sarah.
