"Now I take you back. It’s already late."
My stomach twisted again. "To Carter."
He only nodded. "He can’t suspect a thing. Not today. Not tomorrow. You have to play the part, Fiona. So convincingly he never even guesses something’s off."
We left the building. As we walked back to the car, I caught sight of the men on the grounds in my periphery. They acknowledged Alessandro with a nod.
I let my gaze wander, trying to process everything. This place was flawless—in an almost surreal way. The paths were precisely laid, the gravel on the driveways perfectly raked, the trees planted at exact intervals, as if someone had designed the entire estate with a ruler and compass. Expansive didn’t even begin to cover it. The property stretched into the hills, where the last golden light of evening gilded the peaks. In the distance stood more buildings—elegant, terracotta, with columns, loggias, and manicured gardens—each more beautiful, more Tuscan, than the last. I had no idea why anyone would need so many houses on one estate. And I probably didn’t want to know. It was just… too perfect. Too peaceful. Too unreal.
I shook my head unconsciously.
"What are you thinking?" Alessandro asked without looking at me.
I turned to him. "That this harmony… this peace… it doesn’t suit you. It’s too soft. I can’t reconcile you with this paradise."
"I appreciate your honesty." A faint smirk crossed his lips. Then he shrugged slowly, as if negotiating with himself. "You don’t get something like this for free." He stepped aside, opening the car door. "I don’t get to choose how the world works, Fiona." He paused, searching for the right words. "I just try to be the best player on the field," he added quietly, then got in.
The car fell silent between us. Only when the lights of Florence reappeared on the horizon did he finally break the quiet.
"You have to be very careful tomorrow. Trust no one—except me." His voice was steady. But I heard what lay beneath the words. Worry. Fear.
I didn’t answer right away. My heart was pounding too loudly. My head was too full. Everything inside me was chaos.
"I don’t know what’s worse," I murmured at last, staring at the glowing hotel entrance sign. "Sleeping next to Carter tonight—or meeting the Russians tomorrow." A quiet, bitter laugh escapedme. "I can’t promise I won’t smother him in his sleep."
Alessandro chuckled low, but his gaze remained serious. "You can still do that later. When this is over."
The car rolled to a slow stop in front of the hotel. The headlights cut golden streaks over the cobblestones, and for a moment, the only sound was our breathing. Then he turned to me.
When I looked at him, there was no trace of the man I’d seen kill with a headshot today. No coldness. No hardness. Just that quiet fear of losing me.
I felt hollow and yet so full I could barely breathe. More than anything, I wanted to tell him I couldn’t do it. That I wanted to turn around and just disappear with him. But I couldn’t. I had to go through with this. Because Carter had decided it.
And suddenly, it was back—that ache. That quiet, almost painful pull deep in my chest. That relentless longing for Alessandro. For his skin. His scent. His voice. For his hands—strong enough to pull me out of any darkness, to hold me together when I had no strength left.
"I hate this," I whispered without looking at him.
"I know."
I met his eyes. His jaw flexed. And there they were again—those dark, restless eyes.
He leaned in, pressed his forehead briefly to mine. One last breath of closeness. One last moment where everything else blurred. His breath brushed my lips, hot and unsteady. And then he kissed me like it was the last thing he’d ever get from me—hungry, demanding, his hands gripping me not to possess me, but to keep from losing me.
And I let him. Because I needed that kiss like air. Because I didn’t know if I’d ever feel it again.
When he pulled away, the loss was instant. His warmth faded—and with it, the only sense of safety I had left tonight. It feltlike part of me stayed behind—in his grip, in his breath, in his gaze. The emptiness crept in, cold and merciless, just like the knowledge that he had to let me go now. Even though nothing in me was ready to let go. For a moment, our foreheads still lingered together.
"You know what I’m looking forward to the most? Tomorrow night. When this is all over. When you’re finally rid of Carter—and mine."
I swallowed. He smirked, dirty and dark.
"When you walk through my house, so sure of yourself, so wild, that I’ll have to take you against the nearest wall just to keep from losing my mind. Or you at the kitchen counter, and I’ll make you forget everything that came before. Fuck, that house has endless ways to take you. And I’m looking forward to every single one."
I sucked in a breath, my heart leaping. But he wasn’t done. His thumb dragged slowly over my bottom lip.
"I’ll chase you through the vineyards. In the morning sun. Your hair will be wild, your look as stubborn and defiant as ever, because you’ll think of a thousand reasons to protest. And I’ll ignore your bitching like always and just pin you to some goddamn stone wall because I can’t take it anymore."
A laugh burst out of me. I shook my head at the image. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but my gaze flicked back to the hotel—and the weight returned.
