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The apartment was large. However, not big enough to keep me busy for over two hours. Under the ever-attentive eyes of my new bodyguard, I had turned the entire apartment upside down and looked at everything more closely. There was a smart home system, which I also had access to with my smartphone after Dario had installed it this morning.
Everything seemed a little too neat. I found no trace of personal belongings, not even weapons– yet I knew he had at least one gun and a knife.
His closet was neat and similar in style to my own, the refrigerator was sparsely stocked, and the TV provided access to all the national and international pay TV channels that existed.
To my surprise, Dario also had a bookshelf, but it looked more like decoration and I didn't want to believe that he had read the books. I couldn't quite picture Dario sitting on the couch with an open book on his lap, so absorbed in it he was oblivious to his surroundings. He seemed more like the type for one of those True Crime documentaries on TV.
There were a few locked drawers and although I was curious, I restrained myself from trying to force them open. Mostly, this was due to the silent, yet quite menacing guy standing right next to the apartment door, watching me throughout.
Dario had told me the name of the giant, but somehow I had little hope for a conversation with him. It was a mystery to me how I was supposed to get through the next few days when I was constantly trapped in this apartment with no meaningful way to occupy myself.
I rolled over from my place on the couch onto my stomach and stared at the guy– Casimiro. "Can you talk?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a droid."
"You aren't? Too bad though, that would have made it easier to trick you."
"It's in your best interest to stay here, Gia."
Of course, Dario had also told him my name. Or they had done a complete background check. Which I could well imagine with these men. Who knew what connections Dario had?
"I get it. That was a joke. I just think it's boring as hell around here."
"You could watch a movie. Or get in the bathtub and read a book there."
I puckered my mouth. I didn't like either option very much, because it meant sitting still in one place for a long time while my thoughts raced through my head.
"How long have you been part of the mafia?" I asked instead. If he didn't want to answer that, he would say so, wouldn't he?
"Since I was born."
"So you had no choice but to accept this life."
"If that's how you want to put it," he replied.
"Okay, I'm sorry. For you, I guess it's a great honor to be part of it."
"We are a family and you don't give that up lightly."
I nodded. So there was a larger sense of belonging in their ranks, too, than there had ever been in my life.
"Are you allowed to talk about what you guys are actually doing?"
"Only in rough detail."
"Would you say you guys do exclusively criminal things?"
"That depends on your definition of criminal." He continued to stand rigidly next to the apartment door. No emotions reflected on his face so far.
"Very well, I don't think that's a subject you like to talk about."
"What do you want me to tell you,carina? Most of it would satisfy your curiosity, but it would also put you in great danger."
"And that's not just a lame excuse you use because you don't want to talk about it?"
He snorted. "Of course not. If Dario thinks it's necessary, he'll fill you in on the details. I, however, will confine myself to the essentials. You're lucky I'm talking to you at all."
Of course, he made that argument. "So you'd rather stand there in silence for the next few hours?"
