Page 68 of When She Falls (The Fallen)
So step one is to get rid of that prick. Step two is to figure out how to convince Garzolo I’m the right man for the job.
I leave my bedroom and wander around the house for a bit, getting familiar with the layout. I do this every time I stay in a new place. The last thing you want is for a bit of trouble to come up and not know where all the exits are.
Once I’ve cataloged it all away, I pop into the kitchen for an espresso.
While I wait for the coffee machine to grind the beans, I grab a newspaper from the counter. A headline catches my eye.“US Attorney General Vows to Continue Fight Against Organized Crime.”
A smile pulls at my lips. Whether in Italy or the United States, they always vow this kind of thing. Back home, it rarely amounts to anything. How can it, when we have most of the elected officials in our pocket? We budget each year for that shit.
I grab one of the small cups lined up by the coffee machine and get the espresso going. When it’s ready, I take it up to my room to drink.
There’s a big arched window in my bedroom. On the other side, it’s still so dark, you can see the stars above. I’m hovering by the windowsill, trying to make out the cars Garzolo has parked out front, when the glare of a phone screen catches my eye.
I squint. Did someone just walk out the side door of the house?
It’s hard to see who it is, but the shape and height implies it’s a man. He’s too tall to be Garzolo so…
Shit, that’s Vitale.
What’s he wearing? No winter coat, that’s for sure. Hold on. He’s dressed like he’s about to go for a run. A subtle rush creeps up my spine. The kind that comes with a good idea.
I wait until I see what direction he goes in, and then I leave my bedroom once more and quietly slip through the house until I get to the foyer.
I open the cabinet I saw Vitale put his keys in last night and take out the one for the Suburban.
Freezing cold air slams into me as soon as I step outside. My jaw snaps shut, and I hurry to the damn car. This weather is a fucking nightmare. How do people survive here?
It doesn’t take me long to find Vitale. I grin. He’s not even wearing any reflective clothing. Doesn’t he know that’s the smart thing to do when running while it’s dark out?
My foot presses on the gas. I’m worried he’ll hear me approach, but the man’s oblivious. Listening to music probably.
It all comes together like a symphony.
The car rams into him. He yelps, flies over the windshield, and then his body crashes to the ground with a dull thud.
I get out of the car and go to check on him. He’s knocked out, but there’s a steady pulse. He might not be able to walk for a while, but he’ll be okay. It’s not the worst thing I’ve done by a long shot. I pat his shoulder and then get back inside the car.
A grin plays on my lips.
This trip is off to a good start.
I make it back to Garzolo’s a whole hour before the rest of the house wakes up,
CHAPTER15
GEMMA
The morningafter Ras and I return, I wake up feeling tired and groggy.
I’d expected a full interrogation from Mamma last night, but she let me go to bed after only taking my temperature and asking if Ras behaved himself around me.
I assured her that he did. Actually, I lied and said he only had to check in on me a few times, even as I shivered at the memory of his hands on my skin.
I think I’m…developing an attraction to him. It’s the only thing that would explain why what happened in his kitchen made my body feel hot all over.
How did I go from hating him to feelingthis—whatever this is—in the span of a few feverish days?
He’s still the same cocky Camorrista who stole a kiss from me at Martina’s wedding. I wasn’t attracted to him then, was I?
