Page 100 of Salvatore

“I’d like that.” Ineedthat.

“Is there anything I can do between now and then?”

There are so many things.

For starters, I want my belongings from inside my apartment that I worked so hard to save for. But Liv isn’t safe around my home. It’s probably for the best if I kiss everything goodbye before someone has to inform me that Gabriel and my brother torched it all.

“There’s one thing.” I pop a grape into my mouth to stop my stomach eating me from the inside out. “Would you be able to talk to Allison for me? I’m not sure what she’s been told, but as far as I’m aware she still doesn’t know about my past or why I’ve been MIA. I need her to understand what’s going on, but I also don’t want her to worry. It’s not a conversation we should have over the phone, and I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be out of town?—”

“I’ll do it,” she promises. “I’ll go see her right now.”

The relief gets to me, hollowing my chest and squeezing my ribs.

We talk for a little while longer, beating around the bush of what happened to me. Saying things without really saying anything at all. Then I offer a reluctant goodbye, even thoughI don’t want to, because maybe distancing myself from Liv is a smart idea if I’ll never get to step foot back in Baltimore.

I finish my lunchtime breakfast while I sit on the window seat and stare at the lush gardens of Lorenzo’s estate. Armed men patrol the perimeter, their casual stroll around the property unsettling and slightly comforting in equal measure.

I don’t leave my room. I don’t need to.

I shower, then return to staring out my window some more and eventually nap. Catarina ensures I eat much more than necessary, but I decline her offers of dining in the open living area in preference to my quiet bedroom space. And I text Salvatore…waytoo much.

Ivy

What happened with Lorenzo?

Salvatore

Nothing I couldn’t handle.

Ivy

Do you still have ten fingers and toes?

Salvatore

I still have all the appendages you’ve previously enjoyed so much. Thanks for asking.

I don’t know why I’m surprised that he turns each interaction into an opportunity to flirt. I’m also sickened at how much I like it.

Ivy

Your overstated sense of self is showing. Maybe dial it down a notch for the sake of my gag reflex.

And before you take the on ramp to a conversation revolving around my swallowing skills, please be assured I’d rather choke down a box of rusty nails.

Salvatore

When I get you on your knees, mi bella reina, the last thing you’ll be swallowing is nails.

I slide the phone away—far, far away—and return to my previously scheduled broadcast of Lorenzo’s manicured gardens.

Days pass with a relatively similar timetable.

I refuse to wallow in my trauma but thoughts of it linger. I grieve Carlo’s loss and wonder if his pride in me would’ve changed if he knew the truth of my upbringing. I also ponder his involvement in the mafia alliance/body disposal debacle.

I’m tempted to text Liv about it, yet given the wholephones can be tapped and messages interceptedwarning, I file my questions away for a later date.

Salvatore

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