35. Vivi
VIVI
The party breaks up. Alik and Sera say goodnight and head to their room, Dimitri following close behind. Elio wishes me a happy birthday before returning to whatever work he has for the night. Vampa gives me a stiff nod and does the same.
Gio hauls Aurora into his arms, her head lolling against his shoulder. She gestures to me to come over before they head upstairs, her eyes barely open. “Did you like your party, Vivi?”
“Yes, Ro. I did. Very much.”
“It was a good party,” she agrees. “Good night, Vivi. See you in the morning.” The words come out a jumble as the little girl struggles to stay awake.
She’s so comfortable in Gio’s arms. So trusting.
It’s impossible to look at them without my heart giving an almighty squeeze and a longing sinking low in my belly.
My husband is so good with her. Patient. Caring. Protective. Just watching them interact makes me feel oddly off-balance.
Francesca rushes over to them before they leave the room, whispering something to Gio before kissing Aurora’s head gently. They are having a moment, and I turn away, feeling like an intruder.
A breeze drifts in from the open doors, the air cool, soothing. After all the food and champagne, it feels good. It will take Gio some time to get Aurora settled into bed. I can steal a few moments to get some fresh air.
Outside, the gardens are quiet. The sky is cloudless, nothing to dim the moon or stars. I kicked off my shoes ages ago. My bare feet sink into the grass, the first drops of dew dancing between my toes.
The sea must’ve calmed since the party started. The crash of the waves is barely a hum. The conversation I had with Aurora about my Petoskey stone has made me nostalgic, sentimentality mixing with a longing for Chicago that I haven’t felt in a while.
I wander away from the house, drawn to the edges of the garden by the promise of the sea. I want to hear the ocean, see the water. Champagne is making my blood dance, body restless.
Clutching my dress in one hand, I find the flagstone path that leads well past the groundskeepers’ shed, toward the far side of the villa.
I’ve only walked this side of the island once, when Elio took me to collect supplies for Little Bird from the groundskeeper the day the Romanos came for lunch.
This part of the estate isn’t familiar, but the in-path lighting makes it easy to find my way.
I see various guards along the way. They nod but don’t interfere.
Just one of many changes time has brought.
The sense of freedom is heady, addictive, and I break into a jog.
I’m not dressed for it, and I know I’m messing up all of the hard work Gio put into my hair, but it’s my birthday, and I can’t help wondering if there’s a chance my wish will actually come true.
Do I finally have a home? A family?
A real shot at being loved?
Questions that are too dangerous to ask out loud. Like if I give voice to my deepest hopes they’ll evaporate in front of my eyes, little more than a reckless illusion.
So I keep them between me and my birthday candles, gripped tight like Lulù in Aurora’s hand as I get closer and closer to the island’s edge.
The waves are a hum in the background when I stop, another sound catching my attention.
My name.
It’s been a while since I’ve heard it. A week at least. I’d just assumed that as I got more comfortable on the island, the auditory hallucinations had stopped.
But the voice is back, and it’s louder than before. Harsher. Grating, nails down a chalkboard.
Despite the air temperature, goosebumps rip across my skin when I hear someone shout it again. VIVI!
It sounds more like a curse than a call. And it’s coming from the side of the villa closest to the cliffs. The same side where my room is located.
I strain my ears. Listen harder.
There it is again. VIVI! Desperate and dark.
I scan the surroundings. The villa is on my left, four floors of stucco and terracotta tile.
In front of me, shadowed by trees, is the outermost edge of the island.
The most dangerous side, where there’s almost no solid ground between the edge of the building and the sheer drop below.
The rest of the property stretches out to the right and behind me.
The groundskeepers’ shed, the chapel, the helipad, the gardens, the rest of the sprawling villa. It’s all in other directions.
There’s nothing out here. Nowhere for anyone to hide.
Yet, the sound is definitely coming from over here. Fingers white-knuckled in my dress, I step closer and closer to the edge. I hit the tree line. A tidy row of almond trees that marks the border of the garden before everything beyond gets too dangerous, too fast.
I press one hand to a tree trunk, keeping myself steady as I lean forward. One more step and I’ll still be on grass. But everything after that is rock, the perimeter wall, and then the sheer drop.
For the longest time, there’s nothing but silence. Then, floating up from the sea, comes my name.
It doesn’t make any sense. There’s nothing out there. No one.
All my questions about this island and the man who rules it come back in a rush, dimming the party’s afterglow.
Suddenly I’m cold, and tired. The alcohol has made my head fuzzy, and I’m shivering, already turning toward the house.
I haven’t made it far before I spot several figures clustered in the shadows near the side of the villa. Three, I think, deep in conversation.
I shuffle to a stop, straining to hear.
Was it one of them calling my name?
They’re talking in low voices. But I can make out enough to know that, no, it wasn’t them. They all have the wrong pitch, wrong tone.
Still, I don’t relax. And listen harder.
I catch snippets of conversation. Comments about leftover food. About not letting anything go to waste. About sending baskets to all the guests and staff.
Jesus, Vivi. They’re just talking about making sure the rest of the party food gets distributed around the island instead of throwing it out. They’re being generous, not suspicious.
It’s nothing. You’re tired, a little tipsy. The voice is all in your head. There’s no reason to be so on edge.
My goosebumps don’t get the memo.
Another shiver courses through me, larger this time, as a man steps away from the huddle.
Vampa.
His brows are dropped, expression sharp. It blanks as soon as he sees me. My husband’s number two looks past my shoulder, correctly assuming the direction I’ve just come from. “You shouldn’t be out this close to the edge. It isn’t safe, Signora.”
“Yes. I know.”
“I’ll bring you back inside.” His tone is deferential. His expression is not. Vampa is irritated by my behavior. My presence. He participated in tonight’s celebration like it was an obligation. Part of the job.
Maybe it was.
The thought tosses more cold water on my mood.
My husband’s underboss and closest friend doesn’t like me.
Doesn’t trust me. That’s been clear from day one.
My relationship with Gio has changed dramatically since my first night on the island.
My relationship with Vampa is just as nonexistent as ever.
He’s wooden the entire walk back to the villa. Doesn’t say a single word. We’re almost to the central staircase when the loaded silence becomes too much.
I’m about to ask him what his problem is when Gio descends the stairs. His hair is ruffled, his shirt crinkled from where Aurora must’ve snuggled up against him during bedtime stories.
Gio glances between me and his underboss, instantly picking up on the tension. Vampa comes to a stop on the marble. Whatever silent communication the men have, it’s abrupt. Neither looks happy when Vampa gives a curt nod, then turns on his heel and walks straight out of the villa.
“What was that?” I ask when Gio joins me at the foot of the stairs.
“Nothing.” He pauses, amends. “Vampa and I currently have opposing opinions about something, but by tomorrow morning it will be sorted. It’s definitely not something to worry about tonight.”
I’m about to climb the steps when Gio stops me, hauls me up into his arms. “Stop, stop.” I squirm. “I can walk, you don’t have to carry me.”
“I do. Absolutely, I do.” His jaw is set. His voice final. Liquid heat flashing in his eyes.
My throat goes dry. “Where are you taking me?”
“To the place you’ve always belonged.”
GIO
My suite, my life, my bed. That’s where she belongs.
Viviana is my wife. Not something to be bartered or traded. A woman I should’ve been protecting from day one, not planning to hand over to an abomination of a man.
A truth I’m worried Vampa is never going to accept.
Well, fuck him. Tonight, he’s headed to the mainland to track down the final piece of evidence we need before handing Tino Valori to the Pazzis and ending this business once and for all.
Then Pazzi and Valori will be out of our lives for good. The threat hanging over Aurora will be gone. And I’ll have Vivi. Forever.
I want her. Need her. I’m falling insanely, deeply in love with Viviana and I can’t wait another minute to show her how much.
Every flight up to my suite is a battle of self-restraint. I want to run, to rush into the moment, but this is too important. Vivi is too important.
So I move with measured steps, memorizing every inch of her face as the tension between us builds to its breaking point.
I pause at my door, bending so she can twist the knob.
I step inside, click the door closed with my foot.
Slowly, so fucking slowly, I slide my wife down my body until she can stand on her own two feet.
Vivi hasn’t taken her eyes from my face once. The blue is brilliant, beyond bright, and her cheeks are a delectable shade of pink, but she’s otherwise calm. Like she has no idea what’s about to happen next.
Fuck. I should’ve made it obvious what’s going to happen next.
Vivi starts talking before I get the chance. “Thank you for tonight, Gio. It was lovely.”
“Lovely?”
“A very sweet surprise,” she says, nodding.
“Sweet?” I repeat, incredulous.
Her composure cracks ever so slightly. “I did love meeting Aurora. Really. She is a wonderful little girl.”