Niccolo came to fetch me. He had the good sense to wait until I was all cried out, though it took nearly an hour for me to stop.
I was already dressed and lying on the bed when I heard a tap at the door. “Come in.”
Niccolo entered and stood there. He looked very sad.
“Are you sure?” he asked quietly.
“…yes.”
“It’s dangerous out there.”
“I’ll be fine,” I whispered.
“Alessandra – ”
“I can’t stay here, not a minute longer,” I said, my voice hitching as the tears threatened to start again. “Not around Dario.”
“Let me send you somewhere else – somewhere safe. Switzerland – France – anywhere in Europe you want to go – ”
“I want to go home.”
He paused for a long moment before he said, “If they come for you… and it’s possible they may… there’s nothing I can do to save you. Do you understand?”
“Why would they come for me?”
Niccolo threw up his hands. “I don’t know. Maybe in retaliation for what happened that night in the café.”
“I had nothing to do with that.”
“I know that, but – ”
“You can tell people that Dario brought me here to get information out of me… and you can say that he broke me.” I barely stopped a sob from escaping my throat. “And it will be the truth.”
“Alessandra…” Niccolo whispered.
“You’ve been kind to me, and I appreciate that.”
“Except for those threats the first night,” he reminded me with a playful smile.
I laughed in spite of myself.
“Except for those. But you’ve been kind to me ever since.” Then my expression changed, and tears filled my eyes. “Please… be kind to me once more… and let me go.”
Niccolo stood there a long time… and then he nodded.
“Do you have your things packed?”
The clothes Massimo had bought me in Florence had been left on the street when we ran from the gunmen.
I only had a few dresses I’d brought from home. If I took them with me, I would remember everything that had happened here.
Like Dario taking them off me…
And making love to me.
“You can burn them,” I said dully. “And all the memories they hold.”
Niccolo sighed heavily… then walked over to the bed, gave me a sad smile, and put out his arm.
I smiled sadly back at him… took his arm…
And he walked me out of the room.
