“She doesn’t think like you, Nino. She doesn’t think like anyone else.”
He set down the mail and looked up. “You know what? She knows what risk is. If she wants me to pay attention to her, she can stick her neck out and apologize, just like I stuck my neck out with her.”
Fabia didn’t say a word. She walked over, put her arms around Ben, and hugged him.
Ben took a deep breath and hugged her back.
“I don’t know exactly what happened, but I know you miss her,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
He felt his heart crack. “Why didn’t I fall in love with you?”
Fabia pulled back and winked. “Careful what you wish for. I can be a monster too.”
4
Lately, video calls with Chloe were inevitably interrupted by a cat.
“Down, Pete!” Chloe nudged aside the lanky feline that had taken over her life. “Sorry about that.”
“No problem. As long as I don’t have to watch Gavin rubbing up against you, I can put up with Pete.” Ben couldn’t stop the smile when he saw Chloe on the screen. He might have been a cranky bastard lately, but if anyone could lift his mood, it was Chloe. “How’ve you been?”
“Good. Better than you, judging by that face. I think you need to leave Italy. You seem to be getting beat up a lot.”
She was sitting on the floor of Gavin’s penthouse, and he could see the dark windows in the background, which meant Gavin was probably hanging around somewhere. Ben had waited to call until the morning in Rome so he could catch the two of them at night. Once daylight hit, Gavin would be locked in his day quarters and unavailable.
Ben gingerly touched his swollen eye, which was slightly less swollen that morning. “It’s fine. I needed some information, and I played the easy mark to get it.”
“If Arthur were here, he’d probably try to analyze your subconscious need for punishment and what that says about your current romantic life.”
Gavin and Chloe had only been together a few months, but Ben’s human friend and his vampire friend were making a relationship work. They both seemed happy. It was more than many couples managed.
“I have no romantic life. Next subject, Chloe.”
“Okaaaaay,” Chloe said. “Um… I’m auditioning for a new role in an off-Broadway show on Tuesday! It’s not off-off-Broadway, so I’m making progress. Gavin thinks I’ll get it for sure, but I keep telling him he’s biased.”
“He is biased, but he’s right. You’re going to kill it.”
Her smile was wide and generous. “You two guys. For the record, Arthur also thinks I’ll get it, and he’s far more honest than both of you. Also, he knows the director.”
“Well, there you go. If Arthur says you have it, then you have it. Say hi to him for me.”
“I will.” She made a face. “Why am I so surrounded by men lately? You know, I actually struck up a conversation with Novia the other night at the pub, even though I find her completely frightening and far too fangy for a casual friendship. I’m telling you, Ben, there is not enough estrogen in my life.”
“Come to Rome. Fabia would love to meet you.”
“She seems so great!” Chloe smiled again. “I want to meet her too. Maybe she can come back to New York with you for a visit.” Chloe raised her eyebrows and rested her chin on her palm. “Maybe maybe? When you come home? Which will be soon? Right?”
Ben scratched his stubble. “Not just yet. I still have some… stuff to do here. Some stuff to work out.”
The smile fell a little. “Have you talked to her?”
“No. Have you?”
Chloe shook her head. “She emailed me though. She wanted pictures of the roof garden.”
That was news. “For?”
“She didn’t say. Probably just to make sure I haven’t killed anything.”
“Huh.” What was he supposed to think of that? Did that mean she intended to come back? That she still felt like New York was home?
Did he care anymore?
“Gavin had a meeting with Cormac the other day, and according to Gavin— Hey!”
A flash of red plaid covered the screen for a moment as Gavin Wallace sat on the couch behind Chloe. “Why are you sitting on the floor, dove?” His thick Scottish brogue was thicker when he was at home with Chloe.
“It’s comfortable.” She leaned against his legs.
Ben said, “Gavin, the last thing I need seared in my memory are your balls, so you better keep your legs together.”
Gavin reached over and tilted the screen up. “There you are, Vecchio. Looks like someone used your face for a football. You must be making friends.”
“Everyone here loves me. I’m getting job opportunities thrown at me left and right.”
Chloe laughed, but Gavin’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. He knew Ben was telling the truth, despite the flippant tone.
Ben was the ward of two powerful vampires, had worked for years with an ancient and well-respected assassin, and had taken on numerous immortal clients successfully. He had money, power, good connections, and intelligence. Added to that, he could work in daylight and wasn’t interested in becoming a vampire or moving up in immortal politics. For those of Gavin’s kind, Ben presented a very attractive package as an employee.
“How’s the Eternal City? The last time I was there, I was breaking your uncle out of prison,” Gavin said.
“Rome is doing well. Emil Conti keeps things quiet. Business is good, and humans are all they’ve ever been. I’m meeting with an old friend who works with him tonight.”
Gavin said, “Be cautious.”
“Always.”
Chloe said, “I’m going to get dinner before I forget completely. Gavin, do you want anything?”
He caught her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Nothing for me, dove, but a glass of Macallan if you don’t mind?”
“No problem.”
Ben waited until he couldn’t hear her. “She still trying to avoid all the political stuff?”
“As much as she can.” Gavin tilted the screen so he could see it better. “She’s wading in the water at her own pace. I’m not going to rush her.”
“If there’s no need to, then don’t.”
Ben had been forced to jump headfirst in the deep end, but then, his uncle had always had very powerful enemies. Gavin owned bars and pubs around the world that were known as neutral ground in what could be a tumultuous immortal world. No one wanted to piss off the owner of neutral ground.
Ben asked, “How are things there?”
“Quiet.” Gavin shrugged. “It’s nice. Cormac has control of the city in hand. Officially, he and his brothers still share power, but in practice, he’s the one in charge. Novia has corralled the younger immortals in the city. She’s become something of an enforcer for him, but she’s not reckless or impulsive.”
“Good to know.”
“You come up in passing, but no one seems too eager to have you back at the moment.”
“So great to be missed.” He drummed his fingers on his thigh. “Any rumors about Tenzin and me… on a break?”
“Is that what you’re doing?” Gavin frowned.
“I have no idea.” Ben stood and took the tablet with him as he headed out the door. “I need coffee.”
“That daylight is quite brilliant, isn’t it?” Gavin narrowed his eyes. “Have you redecorated the place?”
“Fabi made some changes when Angela retired. She’s updated a few things. That’s pretty much house rules. Whoever runs the house makes the rules. Unless it’s vampire quarters, of course.”
“Of course.” Gavin spread his arms across the back of the sofa. “No gossip about you and Tenzin right now. The small angry one hasn’t called you?”
“Nope.”
“I’ve never understood your relationship.”
“Join the club.” He set his tablet on the kitchen island and grabbed the silver moka pot on the counter. He filled the bottom with water and added dark brown espresso grounds.
“I don’t want to talk about her, Gav.”
“So you don’t want to hear the rumors?”
He froze for a second in front of the lit range. “What rumors? You said no one was talking about us.”
“No one is talking about the two of you, but they are talking about her. I do have clubs in East Asia, you know.”
He felt his chest tighten up. “Is she in Shanghai?”
“She’s in Shanghai. She’s in Singapore. She’s in Hong Kong. She’s in Beijing. She’s all over.”
“So much for spending some time in the mountains,” he muttered.
“Is that where she said she was going?” Gavin shook his head. “She’s on the water, my friend. Someone reported she was inquiring about a boat.”
He frowned. “A boat?”
Gavin shrugged. “Your guess is better than mine.”
A boat? He had nothing. Ben had thought she’d gone to her former lover—or current lover, fuck if he knew—in Shanghai. But Cheng had boats. If she needed one, he’d give it to her. So why was she asking about boats?
Why do you care?
“Hey, Gav, I don’t want to keep you. You probably have to get to work.” He leaned on the counter while he waited for his coffee. “Thanks for the update. I appreciate it.”
“I’m keeping my ears and eyes open.” Gavin leaned forward. “I don’t have many friends, but I count you as one of them. Plus Chloe loves you, and I love her. So try not to get yourself killed or maimed, will you?” The corner of his mouth lifted. “It pisses me off to see her cry.”
“You’re such a romantic.” He waved. “I’ll be fine. If I leave Rome, I’ll let you guys know.”
“Do.” Without another word, Gavin turned off the screen.
She was lying in his arms, her body lax against his as they lay in a hammock under the stars. The wind was warm, soughing through the palm trees overhead. He heard music in the distance, but he couldn’t identify it.
Her voice whispered in his ear, an echo of the wind. “Don’t leave me.”
“I wouldn’t.”
“You will.”
He shifted so he could look into her eyes. The deep grey had always confused him. Her eyes should have been brown. Sable. Mink. Some rich velvet tone that he could fall into.
But they were grey. Had they changed thousands of years ago when her body had frozen in time? Had they turned the color of storms and clouds and the violent wind she controlled? He had never understood her eyes.
“Have you always been this way?” he asked.
She blinked. “You don’t know me.”
“I do.”
“You don’t.” Her eyes were sad.
He felt the anger in his chest. “Don’t pity me.”
“You don’t know me. You never did.”
He sat up and she was gone. He stared at the ocean as the moon reflected off the water and the wind whispered overhead.
You don’t know me.
Ben tried to wipe the dream from his thoughts as he sat at the bar in Piazza Trilussa. He was waiting for Ronan, who had grown up in Trastevere and would likely never reside anywhere else, even if he lived to be a thousand.
Ronan had always been a quiet man with an unobtrusive presence. That was until you noticed him. After you noticed him, he was impossible to ignore. As a human, he’d sauntered stylishly in the most current fashion, so effortlessly cool that both women and men were drawn to him like flies to honey. He lived on the edges of a party, waiting for people to come to him. And they did.
Ronan had practiced being not the most dominant personality in a room but the most intriguing. It didn’t surprise Ben one bit that Emil Conti had offered to turn him into a vampire.
A few moments after eleven, his old friend appeared.
“Ben.” Ronan held out his hand.
“Ronan.” Ben stood and shook it.
“So formal?” Ronan smiled slightly, holding on to Ben’s hand. “Be honest. Am I strange to you now?”
Ben shook his head. He didn’t know what he was feeling, but he released Ronan’s hand, leaned forward, and embraced him before he kissed both cheeks in greeting. “You will never be strange to me. At least, not any stranger than you were before.”
Ronan smiled, carefully concealing his fangs if they were down. “It’s what I wanted. I’ve known for a long time.”
“Then I’m happy for you.” Ben sat down and Ronan followed. “Are you enjoying wine yet? This is a nice white.”
Senses were heightened once you turned from the mortal life to the immortal. Bland food and drink was the norm.
“Some red wine would be good.” Ronan raised a hand and signaled a server to order another glass. “Did you order food?”
“A little,” Ben said. “I wasn’t sure what you had in mind for tonight.”
Ronan was dressed in a soft grey-brown jacket that emphasized his blue eyes and dark hair. He wore a ripped T-shirt under his jacket and looked like he could go anywhere, from a club to a gallery to a quiet bookstore.
“I just wanted to meet with you,” he said. “Have a drink. Catch up. You’ve been in Rome for months now, and I’ve run into Fabi a few times, but I keep missing you.”
Ben smiled. “I’ve been working.”
Ronan nodded to Ben’s face. “I can see that.”
“Trust me, I’ve heard all the jokes.”
“I’m sure you have.” Ronan’s eyebrow went up. “I know you were down in Naples. I don’t suppose you’d tell me why.”
“No, but I appreciate that you’re direct about asking.” Ben waited for the server to set down Ronan’s wine and the prosciutto-wrapped melon he’d ordered. “Help yourself.”
“Thank you.” Ronan leaned forward and picked up a fork. “I’m not going to be anything but direct with you, Ben. I’ve known you for too long to be anything else. I know you’re a professional at keeping confidence. That’s partly why Emil likes you.”
“That’s nice to hear.” Ben took a bite and didn’t offer anything. Ronan was here to deliver a message, and he’d listen.
“As long as your work for Filomena doesn’t undermine Emil in any way—”
“It doesn’t.”
“Then we have no interest in her internal politics.” Ronan sipped his wine. “You know, you were right to order a white with this.”
“How are your parents?”
“Doing very well. My mother is partly retired now. She had the more stressful job of the two of them, so I was glad.”
“She was a courier, correct?”
“Correct.”
Ben nodded. Couriers often lived very dangerous lives, so for Ronan’s mother to make it to retirement, she had to be good. “And your dad is in accounting?”
“Something like that. He’s still working. And my mother has become an avid gardener.”
“Really?”
Ronan cocked his head. “Avid, mind you. Not necessarily successful.”
Ben smiled. “I’m glad they’re doing well.”
“She had a harder time with it than he did. With me making the change.”
Ben looked up and caught Ronan’s eye. “She’s seen more.”
“Yes.” Ronan set his fork down and sipped his wine. “But they’re both at peace with it. And they’re happy I’m staying in Rome.”
“I imagine so.”
“You’ve been in Rome for some time now.”
Ben smiled. “Don’t worry. It’s not permanent.”
Nothing was permanent.
Ronan folded his hands. “It could be. If you wanted.”
Ben finished the food and picked up his wine. “Do you think so?”
“Emil considers you part of the city.” Ronan raised his hands. “Not in a proprietary way. He knows that you remain under your uncle’s aegis, and he has no problem with that.”
“Even if I were to remain?”
Ronan chose his words carefully. “Someone with your skills and connections is always welcome in a city if they operate in good fa
ith. Which you are known for. Emil would be very interested in having you be part of his organization. No aegis. No allegiance. Just… good faith. You have a home here. You have friends here. You could stay in Rome, Ben.”
The idea wasn’t all bad. “What would I do for Emil Conti?”
Ronan shrugged. “What do any of us do, really? We make life move. With your skills, I imagine you’d be doing many of the same things you’re doing now. Just with… more resources.”
So Emil wanted him as a spy. Interesting.
“And of course I’m sure you’d continue working with your uncle. There would be no need to end your part in the family business.”
And the “family business” was a little safer than the freelance work that Ben had been doing on his own.
He watched a group of young people pour out of a club on the far side of the Piazza. They were joking and laughing with each other. Shouting about going back to someone’s house for drinks.
Ronan noticed. “You could have a life here, Ben. It would be exciting enough to keep your interest but settled enough to build something real.”
Something real.
Something… settled. Or settled enough.
You don’t know me.
It was the opposite of the life he’d been living. And… it wasn’t unappealing.
“Just think about it,” Ronan said. “This isn’t a formal offer to accept or turn down. This is an idea from a friend.”
“Just from a friend?”
Ronan smiled. “And from his employer who respects you a great deal.”
“Understood.” Ben nodded. “Thanks, Ronan. I’ll think about it.”
“Good.”
5
Shanghai, China
Cheng spread a map of the coastline across the table. “The fisherman said the boat was a dhow, as was the Qamar Jadid. It would have stayed relatively close to shore. Traders during that period rarely risked sailing too far out.”
Tenzin glanced at the area marked on the map. “The wreck isn’t very close to the mainland.”
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