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“Why?”

“The mayor wants to personally thank us for our quick-thinking actions at the parade.”

“Is that necessary?”Please say no.

“Apparently, it is. I told them we’d be at city hall about eleven o’clock. Hopefully we’ll be in and out. Shake some hands, smile for some photographs and leave. No more sightseeing for us today. We’ll go straight to Gaeta. Now that our picture has been plastered everywhere, our location is no longer a secret.”

“I guess you’re right. I hope this meet and greet at the mayor’s goes quickly. You know it’s not my thing.”

“It’s not mine either, but we’ll deal.”

I took the biscotti from the bag, dipped it in my coffee and took a bite, feeling like a real Italian. “Somehow we always do, Slash.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Lexi

As soon as we finished breakfast, we packed up our things and checked out of the hotel. Slash drove to Salerno’s City Hall, an old, four-storied, stone structure. Upon entering the building, we were met by a policeman, who directed us to a reception area. We showed our IDs, signed in, went through a magnetometer and were instructed to wait. A few minutes later, a young woman from the mayor’s office came to escort us to the meeting.

We followed her into a giant hall made of gorgeous polychrome marble, featuring a huge staircase and a crystal chandelier. The woman led us down a corridor and into a large office. There were several people already there, including a man with a camera around his neck who was walking around snapping photographs. I recognized the policeman who’d helped me with the manhole and, to my surprise, I also saw the Bishop of Salerno.

We were spotted the moment we stepped into the room. A woman wearing a crisp navy-blue suit and a white blouse approached us first. Her dark curly hair was loose around her shoulders. She greeted me warmly as she held out a hand.

“Welcome. You must be Lexi Carmichael. I’m Maria Colella, Mayor of Salerno.”

I liked the fact that she was so poisedandspoke flawless English. It did, however, make me feel embarrassed I spoke only one language. I was going to have to up my game on studying Italian.

“Hi.” My bandage made it awkward when we shook hands, and she was careful not to squeeze. “Nice to meet you.”

She turned to Slash and gently shook his hand, too. “Thank you both for coming. I’m so sorry for your injuries, but incredibly grateful you were where you were yesterday. You saved a lot of people. Did you know people are referring to you as the Second Saviors of Salerno?”

Slash dipped his head graciously, but shook his head. “That’s a kind, but inaccurate, label. We did what anyone else would have done if they’d seen the fire.”

“I’m not convinced of that,” the mayor responded. “You prevented a tragedy of incalculable cost to this city on a very special day to us. I’m of the belief that Salerno has twice been blessed by God. The timing is not a coincidence. Just as we celebrate the first saint of Salerno, two new saints are born.”

I winced. Calling Slash and me saints seemed more than a little overkill. In fact, I was feeling pretty uncomfortable being held to such a high standard. “Um, we were in the right place at the right time,” I said. “I’m glad we could help.”

She motioned to the policeman, who had also helped, to come join us. As he walked over to meet us, I realized how young he was. He didn’t look a day over eighteen years old. Regardless, he’d run into the situation, sized it up quickly and hadn’t hesitated to help us. If he kept those skills sharp, he’d have a stellar career in law enforcement.

“I believe you’ve already met Salvi Zullo,” the mayor said to us.

“Actually, we never got his name,” I said, holding out my bandaged hand to him. “Grazie,Salvi. Thank you for your help.”

Slash shook his hand and murmured something to him in Italian. Salvi responded with a beaming smile, clearly pleased by whatever Slash said.

“I thanked him for his courage,” Slash translated for me. “He’s only been on the force six months, and he performed admirably.”

“He did, indeed,” the mayor said, beaming.

The Bishop of Salerno was talking to someone across the room, but when he saw me look his way, he waved jovially at me. I quickly averted my eyes. My mind kept replaying the exact moment my face went into his lap. I had a terrible urge to rub my jaw, but didn’t want to do anything that would remind him of that moment.

Salvi and the mayor walked away, so it was just Slash and me. “By the way, what exactly did you say to the bishop about me?” I asked in a low voice.

“I told him you were helping a little old lady and her cart got away from you. I also told him you were my fiancée.”

“So why does he seem so happy to see me?”

Slash’s mouth twitched. “Well, he also asked me for your name so he could pray for you. When I told him that your name is Lexi Carmichael, he broke into a large grin.”