Chapter 5 DAN
DAN
Ikeep my distance, following Rose into the hospital.
She greets her brother just ahead, and I hang back, half hidden behind a vending machine, trying to act casual but probably looking more like Inspector Clouseau.
Only it’s not the Pink Panther I’m hunting—it’s a pink flight attendant who stole my sanity.
Elio, her brother, turns his head as if sensing my eyes burning into the back of his jacket.
The man’s harmless enough. Nothing like his ruthless father or his uncle.
If I’d stepped on Italian soil while their uncle was alive, I’d have been a dead man, but when he passed, so did a lot of his grudges.
I listen to their exchange, realising her mother’s ill. I’m not sure Elio or her mother would recognise me after all this time, but with the ink on my hands and neck, I stand out.
Silently I curse myself for having these markings, even if the roses are a reminder that beneath everything beautiful lies a bed of thorns. And every soft petal is laced with poison that eats away at the heart.
I stare into the paper cup of Italy’s crappiest coffee from the vending machine while I wait down the corridor for Rosetta.
My unhealthy obsession with her took over my life years ago.
When her husband was incarcerated, she disappeared.
I assumed she’d gone back to Italy. And only then was I able to move on, unable to keep tabs on her from a distance.
Now it seems all this time she’s been hiding in plain sight.
If only I flew more regularly, our paths might have crossed before now.
Rose steps out of the room with her mother in a wheelchair, an oxygen tank attached to the back. Her mother pulls the mask down from her face. “It’s this way.” Her thin arm lifts slightly, pointing in my direction.
Fuck. I slip into a waiting room as Rose pushes the chair down the corridor. My heart races and I look up to the spotlights in the ceiling, wondering what the hell I’m doing here.
She’s just visiting her sick mother, getting on with her life as though our encounter today meant nothing to her. Just like when she married less than a month after I left Italy, despite promising she’d wait for me, she went and fucking married someone else as though I’d never existed.
I crush the cup in my fist like it’s the last shred of patience I have left. I toss it in the bin without looking as I follow the track marks on the linoleum floor until I get to the exit that leads out to the hospital grounds.
Lush, green Italian stone pine trees line the path, giving me some shade from the midday sun. Gravel crunches under my leather shoes and I step sideways onto the grass, inhaling the scent of pine nuts, a welcome aroma from the disinfectant air inside.
Out here, you wouldn’t know you were at a hospital, more like a garden or park. Memories of our time in the Villa Borghese creep in. The birds chirping, the sun peeking through the trees, the breeze on my face—it’s like I’m there again, watching her, only this time my intentions are different.
I feel in my trouser pocket for another piece of gum, the only thing keeping me calm and stopping me from going over there and demanding answers.
I stay behind a tree as they settle on a nearby bench. I lean against the bark while I listen in to their conversation carrying on the summer breeze.
There’s nothing out of the ordinary, just the regular conversation about the weather, her mother’s health, and her job as a flight attendant.
“I have to go soon, Mamma. I have a flight back to England in a few hours.”
Her mother coughs, then says, “Will I see you again?”
“Oh, Mamma.” A sob escapes Rose’s lips, and I know she’s crying. “I’ll try to get a layover so I can spend more time with you.”
“There, there. Don’t cry. You’re a Conti. Us women are strong.” Her mother’s laugh turns into a cough.
I close my eyes, wishing I could hold Rose.
I know what it’s like to lose a mother. My jaw tightens remembering the frightened twelve-year-old boy staying strong for his little brother the night they came.
I cannot forget who it was that ruined my life.
No matter how much I fell for Rosetta, she’s still a Conti and our families have been at odds for decades.
Our relationship was doomed from the start. It was a means to an end to gather the information I needed. I never expected to fall for the innocent, chubby girl who stole my heart before she broke it in two.
Rose sniffles. “I need to get you back inside.”
“Leave me here. I’m enjoying the sun on my face and the fresh air.”
“I’m not sure I’m allowed to do that, Mamma.”
She coughs again. “Just tell the nurse and they’ll send someone out to get me.”
“All right. I love you.”
“La mia bella rosa. You’ve been the light of my life. You know I’m proud of you, don’t you?”
“You’re going to make me cry again.”
“I need to tell you something, but it can wait. You don’t want to miss your flight.”
“Are you gonna be all right? You have your phone?”
“Yes. Go. Don’t worry about me.”
I steal a glance from behind the tree as Rose leaves her mother, heading back into the hospital. I don’t bother following. My return flight isn’t until next week. I have business to do here. Plus, Riccardo would kill me if I missed his sister’s wedding.
My shoulders relax a little as Rose disappears through the rotating doors. I should get back to my cousin. He’s probably wondering why I ditched him like that and sent him home with nothing but my holdall.
I turn around to head back through the hospital to the main exit but freeze as Lucia Conti clears her throat.
“You can come out of hiding. I know you’re there.” She coughs again, holding a tissue over her mouth.
I step closer, checking my surroundings. “How long have you known I was here?”
“I might be weak, but up here I’m still as sharp as the rest of them.” She taps the side of her temple as she squints up at me. “Have you come to finish me off?”
I can’t help the huff of laughter that escapes. And I let the old dear get a good look at my face as I take a seat on the bench next to her. “I’m here with Rose. I’m Dan—” I stop myself from saying my full name, after what I did to Rose’s family.
She pushes her glasses up her nose and takes a good look at me. “D’Angelo? The angel of death?”
“I see my reputation precedes me.”
Her lips relax into a warm smile. “I always wondered if you’d find each other again.” She brings her hand to my face and pats my cheek. “You look just like him.”
“That’s what everyone says.” I stroke the bristles on my jaw, wondering who the fuck she’s talking about. But I try my best to play along. It seems she knows more than I thought.
“I’ll sleep easier tonight, knowing she has someone looking out for her and my grandson. She took a big risk coming here today.”
I nod along. Even though it’s easier to hate Rose, there’s no denying I’m obsessed with her. I wouldn’t be here if I weren’t. “Who does she need protection from?”
“Magnus, her husband. He visited a while ago asking for her. But Rose has been careful. Not even me or Elio know where she lives. I just hope he’s back in London and stays there.”
“Does she know?” I gulp down the cactus in my throat. I should have kept tabs on him. My fist clenches when I think about all the times he got to touch her.
“She knows he was released a few months back. Out on good behaviour, apparently.”
“The irony.” I check my watch. Damn it. I need to check her schedule and have someone monitor her back home in the UK. Losing a mother at twelve ruined my childhood. No kid should have to go through that.
Lucia’s lips press into a thin line. “You owe her, Dan. You’re the only one who can protect her when she’s in the UK.” Her words hit harder than I expect, like a slap across the face, wrapped in silk.
I nod, the weight of my sins anchoring in my chest. “I’ll take care of her,” I say. “No one will touch a hair on her head. Not while I’m breathing.”
She gives a tired smile and leans her head back, the oxygen mask slipping slightly. “I believe you.” Her eyes flutter closed for a second, then she turns her head slowly towards me. “I’m sorry…” Her voice cracks.
I’m about to ask what she’s sorry for when the automatic doors whoosh open, followed by quick footsteps on the path.
“Eccoti qui. There you are,” a nurse says cheerily. “We’ve been looking for you, Signora Conti. You’re not supposed to be out here unattended.”
Lucia waves her hand, the oxygen mask still dangling. “I’m not unattended.”
The nurse frowns at me briefly, taking in my ink and the roughness that never really leaves my face. “Are you family?”
Lucia answers before I can. “Something like that.”
The nurse gives a tight smile and unlocks the brakes on the wheelchair. “Let’s get you back inside.”
Lucia coughs again. Her head turns, eyes locking with mine as the nurse wheels her away.
“Don’t let her go this time, Dan.”
I stay rooted to the bench, watching as they disappear through the trees. That last request echoing like an order.
“Mamma, who were you talking to?” Elio’s voice carries on the breeze.
I can’t hear her response as the hospital doors close. I don’t know what she was about to say sorry for, but it lingers like smoke, burning through my thoughts as I sit alone.
I press my elbows to my knees, burying my face in my hands, breathing Rose’s scent from the breeze and the ghost of what we used to be.
This time, I won’t lose her.
Even if it kills me.