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Whoever had designed the dress must have had something like this in mind.
Vincenzo passed the skirt to Carlotta, who had joined us at the car.
"Still looks really good," Carlotta said, glancing down at the now rather summery dress that nestled loosely against my legs. The white fabric flowed with every movement and allowed the light wind to play with it.
"Get in," Vincenzo muttered, circling the car and sliding into the driver's seat.
With a queasy feeling, I slid into the passenger seat and shut the door. At the same moment, the car came to life. Two seconds later, we shot out of the parking lot and onto the serpentine road that led back toward Naples.
"Where do you live, anyway?" I asked, looking at him curiously. I couldn't remember Emilio ever mentioning anything about him that was more personal than his full name.
He raised an eyebrow without taking his eyes off the road. "I hope you're not too attached to civilization. Because it's sparse out there."
Whatever 'out there' meant. He didn't seem like someone who lived in the middle of nowhere, without water and electricity. If that were the case, he would not have bought this car but a horse-drawn carriage.
"The closest village is Tramonti. Does that mean anything to you?"
I dug deep into my memory but could not recall hearing the name.
"It's a small village in the middle of the mountains. There are a lot of forests. There are also a lot of vineyards, and tourists stray into the area every once in a while."
"But surely not on your property?"
He snorted. "Of course not. It wouldn't be a good idea to stray there."
"Why? Because you stand behind the window like an old hermit with a shotgun, shooting them down like clay pigeons when they get too close?" I promptly bit my tongue, sure I had said something wrong.
But Vince laughed. Warm and masculine, it touched me more than the conversations we'd had so far. "That's one way to describe it," he mumbled, shaking his head.
"The villa is a little outdated, I must admit. But there's an indoor Jacuzzi and a pool outside. I've taken the liberty of replacing your possessions."
I looked at him. Surprised. He had heard that my father had burned down my house and everything in it.
"Is this some kind of trick I can't see through?"
Again he laughed. "Absolutely not. To be transparent I'm already looking for a replacement property on the coast so you can move into your own place as soon as possible. As I said, I have no interest in turning this farce into anything other than what it is."
This time, an amused sound escaped me. Vincenzo sounded like a businessman rattling off the facts with no personal connection to the topic he was discussing.
I envied him for being so untouched by the whole thing. For days I had been thinking about what it would be like to live with this man who, according to the rumors, had killed his wife. Maybe he was just playing a nice guy so he could gain my trust? That made it easier to kill his victims, didn't it?
I fought the joy that had gathered in me, given his words, and concentrated on the essentials. It was still only statements that he made. As long as no action followed, it was simply smoke and mirrors.
"You mentioned I could continue working for Emilio." I changed the subject without a word of thanks.
How could I thank him when he might be luring me into a trap? I would certainly not fall into it, beaming with joy.
Vincenzo accelerated the car as soon as we were on a relatively straight stretch of road. The mountains rose in the distance, and I instinctively knew that amidst the massive wooded landscape lay my new home.
"Of course. Your devices have also been replaced."
This time I couldn't help myself. "Thank you," I said.
I didn't think he knew that virtually my entire life had taken place behind a screen. I could spend hours following Emilio's instructions and researching all the vital information for him. Often I got lost in my interests… and online games.
In my youth, I'd had to deal with enough people to be quite content not to have them around me every day. All the tedious social occasions my father had dragged me to for one reason only… to show me off. All the superficial conversations, all the smiling. All the guys who thought they were superior and preferred to leave the women alone to talk about serious topics instead of finding common ground.
No matter how you looked at it, I'd had enough of the ways of the Mafia families. If I had my way, this wedding would be the only thing I would see in this capacity for a long time.
