Page 115 of A Scottish Teashop in Napoli

Dario kissed the top of her head and looked at her in earnest, his eyes impassioned.

‘You and me, we are the same,cara.We both carry the blame for something that is not our fault. You feel guilty about what happen to me, but this was my job, and I survive. I feel guilty because I couldn’t save Giancarlo, but I tried.’ He tapped his forehead. ‘We will drive ourselves crazy if we carry on like this.’

‘I know, but—’

His long fingers pressed against her lips. ‘No more “but”.’

She sniffed, dropping her gaze.

In her heart she knew it wasn’t just guilt. The emotional connection she’d felt with Dario before the fire had intensified, making her vulnerable and afraid.

‘We have a choice,’ Dario said, shrugging his shoulders. ‘Do we let the past control our future, or do we use it to make us stronger, more determined? You and Elena, you will make the business great again – even greater than before. Me, I will make sure the leader of the criminal gang, responsible for the fire, for Giancarlo’s death,he will be brought to justice too. Then you and me, we can move on with our lives.D’accordo?’

He gently tilted her head up to meet his soul-searching eyes. She was suddenly overcome with a sense of longing at the intensity of his gaze…

Fighting to keep her warring emotions in check, she grabbed his hand and shook it firmly. ‘D’accordo.It’s a deal.’

‘A deal,’ he said, flinching slightly.

‘Ouch. Sorry.’ Lucy tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and swallowed nervously. ‘Elena mentioned that the investigation has had a bit of a breakthrough.’

Dario nodded. ‘The day of the fire, the suspect was caught minutes after I reported the attack.’

‘Wow. That was quick work.’

‘We have a special undercover police unit. We call FalchiSquad.’

‘FalchiSquad?’

‘“Falchi”, it is the name of a bird,’ said Dario, getting up and grabbing the dictionary from the bookshelf. ‘It fly very fast, can change direction quickly, and has powerful vision.’ He snapped the dictionary shut. ‘Is “falcon” in English.’

‘Why “falcon”?’

‘The squad, they ride motorbikes, and like the bird, they move quickly. They catch the guy I see on the green Vespa and arrest him. His clothes were sent to the forensics lab. They find traces of lighter fuel, which match the samples found at the crime scene.’

Lucy’s jaw dropped. ‘Nooo! Where is he now?’

‘He is in a juvenile detention centre. He is a typicalscugnizzo… street kid, who get mixed up with the wrong people and is doing their dirty work.’

‘What happens now?’

‘The force give me permission to interview him, to give him the opportunity to tell us who paid him to do this. We believe it is the same gang who are responsible for Giancarlo’s murder.’

‘Do you think he’ll talk?’

‘In exchange we offer to shorten his sentence and give him day release to learn to be a pizza maker at Pizzeria Don Pasquale, which help kids like him to start again.’

‘And the leader of the gang? I promise I won’t tell anyone.’

Dario shook his head and smiled. ‘Basta…enough. I cannot cross this line until our investigation is complete.’

‘Understood, Officer Bianchi,’ she said, giving a comedy salute. ‘Now, tell me some more aboutyourfamily…’

She noticed he was looking at her intently. Heat crept up into her cheeks. ‘What is it?’ she said, self-consciously touching her face. He leaned towards her, his hand softly tracing her cheek. Her insides began to quiver as his lips lightly brushed hers.

Powerless, she found herself kissing him back, until Dario pulled away abruptly, sniffing the air with an amused grimace.

‘What’s wrong?’