17. Dante

Chapter 17

Dante

I was on the way to the airport when I received her call. I knew she was in no danger so I picked it up and waited to hear what she wanted to complain about.

“Ciao,” I answered, but I didn’t hear anything from her, which set me on high alert. “ Zola !” I called, my tone rising. “Are you alright? Hello?”

She cleared her throat and I was so tense that I spoke before I could stop the words.

“Don’t do that again,” I admonished.

“Do what?” she asked.

With a frown, I turned my gaze toward the window. “Is there a problem? Do you need something?”

“I need to get out of here,” she said. “For a little bit. And since you’ve repeatedly mentioned I technically can’t go anywhere … I’m wondering, can someone go with me? Or do I go alone and they just have their eyes on me?”

She would never know how happy she made me with these words, but her next words sucked the joy right out of me.

“Before I enter the witness protection program, I want to sort out my father’s affairs and just spend time out of this house."

I knew better than to remind her of my advice not to join the program, so I simply focused on her request to have some time away from the house. I knew how to play the patience game.

“I’m going to the airport right now,” I told her.

“Oh,” she said. “Never mind then.”

“No,” I said before she could cut me off. “I’m headed to London for a meeting and I’ll be there for two days. Is that enough time away for you?”

“You want me to go to London with you?” she asked incredulously.

“Why not? I’ll be busy and you’ll be practically on your own for most of the time. The change in scenery will do you good,” I said. “All you need is to get your passport and be ready in thirty minutes. Can you manage that?”

“Okay, but you’re not going to take me out of the country and kill me somewhere, are you?” she asked quietly.

“Be ready in thirty minutes,” I said and ended the call.

Half an hour later and as I sat drinking a glass of whiskey in the plane while waiting for her arrival, I was still strangely unsettled. She had almost sounded resigned to the possibility of her death on the phone. The usual fire and life in her voice were completely gone. Even the anger and loathing that had been directed at me at the funeral was no longer there.

Through the window, I watched the arrival of the two cars I’d sent to pick her up. The second SUV was pulled open and she got out of the vehicle. She was casually dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and in her hand was a small suitcase.

She came on board and kept her sunglasses on. I nodded at her and she nodded back then she headed to the seats in the back.

It felt good to have her with me. To know she was safe. I closed my eyes and slept well for the first time since the nightmare of the last two weeks had begun.