CHAPTER 19
Marcello
He wasn't supposed to be here again.
Not this soon.
Yet Marcello found himself parked in the same unmarked vehicle, shaded beneath the tall oak across the street. The house stood still quiet and enclosed a picture of ordinary suburban peace. But he'd already long dismissed the idea that anything about Luca Vitello's life was ordinary.
Especially now.
Especially with her.
It was the third day in a row he'd come by.
Not once had he seen her,
The curtains to the bedroom had remained closed, no flickers of movement, no silhouette by the window no figure curling up in the soft chair he'd caught a glimpse of on a previous visit. He had memorized that window, the one that belonged to her.
And come to think of it,
Marcello hadn't heard from Luca in three days either.
Well not literally.
But, there were texts, short, vague excuses. Meetings rescheduled, no calls and stupid explanations like a stomach bug.
Luca never missed work without reason, and even when he did, he wasn't sloppy about it, but lately, his messages had been thin, just enough to keep distance without inviting questions.
Marcello didn't like that.
So he neared the house
Marcello walked towards the house as his eyes followed the stillness of the house Luca kept so guarded. Not even a shadow crossing the windows upstairs.
That particular window on left side where she liked sitting quietly with a sketchpad, lost in a world far removed from his, A soft light always glowed behind her, her head tilted down and a pencil in hand. Her stillness had become part of his routine something unspoken he found himself waiting for.
But now there was an emptiness to it
Something about that didn't sit right and made his skin crawl.
He knew something was off about the patterns
Marcello didn't act on impulse, he never had, but instinct wasn't something he ignored either. And right now, instinct told him that whatever kept Luca away from work... whatever made this house feel like it was holding its breath... had everything to do with her.
His jaw flexed once as he stood across the bedroom window his view hidden with a bush on sight.
Was she moved, he thought but dismissed it as soon as it passed his mind
No no no he couldn't think that.
And he wouldn't let that happen even if it means going against his promise to Luca.
And then
A silhouette.
Tall, broad shoulders.
Luca.
Marcello watched with calculating stillness as his right-hand man moved to the window. For a moment, the shadows danced across his face, half-lit by the soft bedside lamp behind him.
Then Luca reached for the curtains.
The moment they parted, Marcello stood up straighter.
She appeared like something out of place.
There, nestled into a nest of pillows and sheets, was the girl, young, fragile looking and pale against the dark bedding.
Her long lashes were fluttered closed, and her small hands clutched the blanket like a child afraid of losing her grip.
There was a softness to her, something almost unreal.
Her chest rose and fell with labored breaths, and even in the distance, Marcello could see the faint flush on her cheeks the kind of warmth that came with a fever.
She moved slightly, her brow creasing, and Luca was there in an instant. Gently smoothing her hair back. Whispering something Marcello couldn't hear.
Marcello's breath caught in his breath not being able to look away
There was something painfully pure in the way she lay there, curled into herself like she'd fought off the world just to rest. She wasn't part of their world. She didn't look like anything that belonged to it. And still, somehow, she was here untouched by the filth, the blood, the fear.
Marcello didn't know what to make of the emotion creeping into his gut. It wasn't just curiosity anymore.
It was compulsion.
He studied Luca's face then the unguarded, open expression he'd never seen him wear before.
A tenderness that bordered on reverence.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed, quietly watching over her like a soldier guarding something sacred.
And for the first time in years, Marcello felt something tug at the place in his chest he'd long sealed shut.
She shifted again in her sleep. A soft sound escaped her lips almost a whimper.
Luca was there instantly, brushing his knuckles across her cheek, speaking softly.
A voice in his head whispered to him that she wasn't meant to be seen like this, not by men like him and definitely not by anyone like him.
Something was wrong with her. He figured
He didn't want to care.
He shouldn't care.
But he did.
Fuck it!!!!
That was his girl and if anything was happening to her, he needed to know.
He walked back to his car and drove off as he thought of the dumbest thing to do, even he knew that. It was time he introduced himself.