I excuse myself to use the ladies’ room and when I return, I find Rafa talking to someone. When that man sees me, he gives me a cold look, then tells Rafa he’ll see him soon.
“Outside or inside?” Rafa asks me, still casual, as if he didn’t notice the way the man looked at me.
“Outside, if you don’t mind. I like the heat.”
“Me too.”
He puts a hand at my lower back, and we follow a hostess outside to an out of the way table.
When I sit down, I slip off my sandals and dig my toes into the warm, soft sand. I watch the kids playing on the beach while their parents sit with bottles of wine on their tables eating heaping plates of fresh seafood. The band is set at the far end and they’re playing an upbeat tune. Colorful lights are strung above our heads, so many of them that they almost make a canopy.
“It must be pretty at night,” I comment.
“It is. Especially with the moon on the water.”
A waitress appears with a bucket of ice and a bottle of white wine.
I remember my hangover of a few nights ago but feel like a child to order a coke instead so I let Rafa pour for both of us and I just sip from my glass.
I open my menu but Rafa interrupts. “They have a daily catch. It’s always amazing and fresh. Do you like fish?”
“Very much.”
“I suggest you take the special then.”
“Okay, sounds good to me.” I close my menu.
“Two of the fresh catch please,” he tells the waitress in Italian, giving her a charming, disarming smile.
I study that smile. It’s so at odds with the man of the other night.
A moment later when she walks away, there’s a momentary awkwardness.
“Stefan doesn’t know I’m here, does he?” I finally ask.
“I’ll tell him when he’s back.”
“He won’t like it.”
“Why not?”
“I accused him of being jealous of you.”
He smiles wide, showing off big white teeth. “Sounds about right,” he says with a wink. “Don’t worry about Stefan. His bark is worse than his bite.”
I’m not so sure.
“I’ll tell him I made you come with me, so you won’t be in trouble.”
“I won’t be in trouble. I’m not a child and I’m not afraid of him.”
“No?”
“No.”
“You should be, Gabriela. You should take care with him.” His expression has gone deadly serious and his words send a chill through me.
“Weren’t you just singing his praises? Telling me how fair and understanding he is?”
“Just stay in his good graces.”
“I don’t think I am in his good graces.” I think I already fucked that up if I ever had it at all.
“He’s being careful with you. You may not see it, but I do.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just what I said.” Before I can ask more, the waitress returns with a large plate of fried calamari, wedges of lemon and a shaker of salt. “Just smell those,” Rafa says, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply when she sets them down.
They do smell amazing.
We eat the calamari then the catch of the day, which is a white fish roasted over a fire. It, too, is delicious and before I know it, I find I’ve drunk two glasses of wine and eaten my entire plate.
A few moments later, Rafa wipes his mouth and checks his watch.
“Are you going to be all right here? I need to go to my meeting.”
“Sure.”
“I’ll just be inside if you need me.”
“I’ll be fine,” I say. “Is it all right if I go to the square there and just check out the market? I’m not going to go anywhere.”
“I’m not afraid of you going somewhere. I can’t leave you unprotected. You’re with Stefan now. You’re valuable, Gabriela.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean taking his fiancée would give his enemies power over him.”
“Like kidnapping me?”
“Don’t tell me it’s never occurred to you growing up a Marchese.”
Guards surrounded me 24/7 then. I guess it’s no different than now. And I never thought about it. Maybe I thought it would be a blessing if someone would take me.
And now someone has.
“Stay on the beach. I’ll take you myself once I’m finished. I’ll even take you into Taormina proper. This market is for tourists.”
“Who’s going to be watching me now?” I ask, irritated.
“See those two men?” he asks, gesturing to the two who stand just outside the restaurant doors. I wonder how long they’ve been standing there because Rafa didn’t even have to turn his head to look for them, he just knew they were there. “They’re with the man I’m meeting. They know who you are and will keep an eye on you.”
He must see worry on my face because he reaches out and squeezes my hand. The gesture is odd. Out of place.
“It’s fine. Just pretend like they’re not there. They won’t come near you unless there’s a threat.”
“There are kids here, Rafa. What are they going to do? Take out guns if they think someone may be a threat?”
He checks his watch. “Relax, Gabriela, they’re not inexperienced men.” He stands and signals to the waitress who comes over right away. “Order a dessert. And have another glass of wine. I’ll be finished before you know it.”
I don’t do either as I watch him walk toward those men, nodding to them as he passes into the restaurant. I see him cross the window and shake hands with someone I don’t see. I turn my gaze to the beach, to the kids building sand castles, to the parents all smiling and happy as the music plays and I feel sick to my stomach.
23
Gabriela
The sun is descending when, two hours later, Rafa returns. I can see right away from the look on his face that he isn’t happy. I watch the guards who stood by the door walk away as he comes toward me.
“Ready?” he asks, and he can’t even muster a fake smile. “We need to head back. I’ll take you to Taormina another time.”
“That’s fine.” I don’t much feel like seeing the town anyway. I gather up my things and force a smile. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” he says as we turn to go.
We walk out over the beach, not bothering to go into the restaurant and I can see the men who’d just been guarding the entrance flanking another man, a shorter, fatter one, for whom they open the back door of an SUV with windows tinted black.
When the SUV drives away, I find Rafa watching it and when the valet pulls up with our vehicle, Rafa snaps at the man.
I follow him to the passenger side, and he opens the door for me. I climb in and fasten my seatbelt.
Before he gets in, he takes off his jacket and tosses it into the backseat. He then takes the gun out of its holster and puts it somewhere in the side of the door.
“You have a gun,” I say, realizing that’s why he’d put the jacket on.
He looks at me like it’s the most natural thing.