Tuscan Blood (Ali Falco Book 2) by Jeff Carson

Author:Jeff Carson [Carson, Jeff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cross Atlantic Publishing
Published: 2024-02-06T00:00:00+00:00

16

Ali walked along Via Fontebranda, lured like a moth to the bright lights blazing from Piazza del Campo. They illuminated a subdued, almost non-existent Monday night crowd.

Flexing her right hand, she thought about the accelerating numbness in her fingers. The little act she had pulled in the interrogation room hadn’t fooled Costa. He’d seen her struggle to write. He’d also seen the way she’d failed to grab her rogue pen. The man was too observant to not know what was going on.

The idea was enough to make Ali crave a cigarette. She pulled one from her purse and lit it, savoring the relaxed buzz that traveled through her body with the first drag.

She reached the edge of the square, and the smell of pizza drew her to a restaurant with red awnings. Normally, she despised places like this. They were almost always congested with tourists. But tonight, only a few people were seated on the terrace. Heat towers glowed red above them, billowing out warmth, blocking the chilly air.

“One, please,” she said to the man at the host stand.

“Seat outside?”

“Sì, please.”

The host escorted her to a table. She ordered a Margherita pizza and a glass of red, then sat back to enjoy the peace.

Out in the square, couples strolled by, holding hands, staring into each other’s eyes with dreamy expressions. Everything was perfect for them, here in this beautiful place.

Ali thought of Marco and grimaced. Maybe she should just call him back. Get it over with.

The waiter delivered her wine, and she sipped it, finding the taste of the Chianti riserva more bitter than she remembered, but still pleasing after a long day at work.

“Falco.”

She lifted her gaze to the man in front of her, realizing she had been too lost in thought to notice his arrival at her table. “Gatti. What are you doing here?”

“I came with some friends.” He gestured behind him, toward two men being seated at a table across the terrace.

“Oh. Bello.” She shook her head, feeling dazed. “I didn’t even see you come in.”

He chuckled. “I thought as much.”

She leaned sideways to peer closer at his friends, vaguely recognizing one of them. The man nodded at her and smiled.

Her breath caught as she remembered where she’d seen him before. He was even more handsome now than he had been at Conti Vineyards.

“Who is that with you?” she asked. “The man on the left, I mean. He was visiting the Contis earlier today.”

Gatti looked, and in a voice loud enough for the whole square to hear, he said, “That’s Nico Villa.”

Ali raised a hand to her face. “Okay, wow.”

His mouth upturned in amusement.

“Is he . . . ?”

“No. He’s not gay, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Oh.”

Gatti twisted around and snapped his fingers in the air. The man named Nico Villa stood up and strode over.

Ali straightened, face flushing with heat as Nico reached them, stopping beside Gatti. He was dressed in a much different outfit than before, wearing fitted pants and a button-up shirt that showed off his extremely athletic figure.

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