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"You're not. You're supposed to pack up your stuff so I can drive you home," he repeated, this time much more controlled.
I squinted my eyes. "What about the Frenchman?"
"Dead."
"What?"
"He's dead. Drowned. The police has confirmed it."
My shoulders slumped down. Somehow I hadn't expected it to be over so soon. I had just got used to Dario as my roommate. And to Casimiro as my personal bodyguard.
I opened my mouth to say something, but realized I didn't know what there was to say about it at all. So I closed it again and pressed my lips together instead. The irritation that surged through me didn't make it any easier to process this information.
The Frenchman was dead. Just like that. So there was no longer a guy chasing me, breaking into my apartment, looking for me. Who put a bomb on me to blow up the most important people in the Italian mafia.
I blinked, my brain overwhelmed at being allowed back into my own life.
"I'm wow. Somehow this comes as a bit of a surprise," I said, followed by a nervous laugh.
"You could say that," Dario grumbled, shrugging his shoulders. "But at least you're safe again and don't have to worry anymore."
Not that I had wasted the last few days worrying about whether or not I was safe. There hadn't been a second when I had doubted my safety. After all, there was Dario– and my bodyguard.
Since Dario had freed me from that bomb and thus saved my life, I trusted him blindly, so to speak, even if that was foolish and more than naïve. After all, we were talking about Dario de Archard, the notorious club owner, mafia protégé and murderer, if I read correctly between the lines.
As a result, it was more than curious to feel safe in his presence, of all places, but to me he had never shown unwanted violent tendencies and well. It all didn't matter. The Frenchman was dead, my apartment was now a safe place again.
There was also no reason to bother him longer with my presence and to keep him from his actual lifestyle. After all, he had already complained that he normally had a different woman around him every day and that was not possible because of me.
Finally, I put the Switch aside and stood up. "I didn't expect to have to move out again today," I said, and brought order to the chaos I had created by pulling my gym bag out from under the couch and throwing my stuff into it. Randomly and with very little motivation.
Dario watched as I first moved through his living room and then continued in the bathroom.
If he had asked me, I would deny it, but part of me would miss the luxury of this apartment. It brought with it not only a certain charm but also plenty of advantages that I certainly couldn't deny.
About five minutes later, I had put all my belongings back in the gym bag and had already set it down by the front door. With my arms crossed, I leaned into the doorway to watch Dario. He was still leaning against the wall. But in the meantime he had emptied his glass.
Somehow it seemed like he was preparing for something mentally. Who knew what they were going to do tonight once he dropped me off at home?
"As far as I'm concerned, we can go. I got everything," I informed him. I didn't want to tear him from his thoughts, but there was also no reason to delay everything longer than necessary. My apartment was a mess, there was chaos to clean up, and if I wanted to eat tonight, I was sure I'd have to do some shopping, or at least call the delivery service.
Dario pushed himself off the wall with a scowl. "Good. Let's go."
* * *
Maybe I should have been moreworried about Dario drinking and wanting to drive, but in the end I arrived at my apartment in one piece, so there wasn't any reason to complain. Except for the fact that he had broken all existing traffic laws and hadn't even stepped off the gas pedal in the ZTLs.
We had spent the ride in silence next to each other, with the music from the radio in the background. My gaze had slid out the window the whole time, even though Naples had snaked past us far too quick for me to enjoy the view.
Now the car was parked in the small alley right next to my front door and we sat in the car for a short while, still in silence. No idea what we were waiting for, but it didn't feel right to get out immediately and disappear into the house without looking back.
It had only been a chance encounter. Actually, I should never have met a man like Dario– never landed in bed with him, because he had shown me a world that I had never known before. A world that appealed to the side of me that needed thrills and action, and only found them where I shouldn't look for them.
"Thank you for saving my life," I said quietly because I didn't know what else to say. Essentially, it was only about this insignificant fact.
Dario turned his head in my direction and nodded. "Always happy to do so."
The answer at least made me smile. "Leave it. I don't feel like getting into a life-or-death situation again so soon."
