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“How long do you plan to stay?”
“As long as I must. It is my house, Cristina.”
“I have nowhere else to go.”
“I’m not asking you to leave.”
She chews her lip. “Rumors about us are already floating around. Living together will only confirm what people are thinking.”
“People are always gossiping.”
“But I live here, Severio, and I’m a woman. It’s different for me.”
I press the grinds into the espresso machine slot. It starts dripping into a small cup. “If you’re worried about anyone harming you, I’ll have Drago start a hit list.”
“That’s not funny.”
I sip my espresso. “I wasn’t joking.”
“You wouldn’t.”
I lift an eyebrow.
She looks to Drago, who shrugs.
“I don’t like this,” she says. “I don’t like you.” She points at me. “Or you.” Now at Drago.
“I’m crushed,” I deadpan.
“I have a question,” Drago says and drops his plate into the sink. He rinses it, then goes to stand on the other side of the island. “Do you have any other boyfriends?”
I narrow my eyes at him. That’s probably why he stood out of my arm’s reach.
He shrugs. “A valid question.” He’s asking for security reasons and also because disposing of bodies is always more efficient when better planned. Today, Romeo’s tragedy was unplanned.
“Romeo wasn’t my boyfriend,” she says.
“Lover?” he pushes on. “Someone else interested in eatingyour pie?”
“You’re two seconds away from eating your own tongue,” I bite out.
Drago smirks. “That’s what I thought.” He tips his hat. “See you around.”
He baited me, and I couldn’t help but defend her. If he wasn’t sure I was interested in her before, he is now. “I’ll be inmystudy.”
17
I LIKE HIM
CRISTINA
My family has lived in this house for generations. A few years ago, when my grandma passed away, I moved into my grandparents’ part of the home in the west wing. It’s the oldest wing, built around the same time as the villas in the resort, but with one major difference: the west wing of the Capone manor preserved its original design.
My grandparents abhorred anything modern, and when my father married my mother and my mother took over the housekeeping of the manor, my grandparents made my parents build a whole new house for themselves.
The two are attached by a cellar and a courtyard in the back, but are otherwise very much detached. The west wing has its own entry with a kitchen, three living spaces, and seven bedrooms, including two master bedrooms. There are only two bathrooms, but that’s how it was done back then.
I sleep in my grandparents’ master bedroom, which is the largest room in the wing. It also overlooks the side of the island that faces Sicily and not the sea. Tonight, several yachts float over the water, and the last ferry is crossing to Sicily.
