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J ulia wiped her forehead, and Courtney brushed off her hands.

They stood side by side in Rossi’s bedroom, surveying the barricade they’d made against the door, which consisted of a dresser, an upholstered side chair, and a wooden chair.

Bianco slept soundly on the bed, his white coat tangled with burrs.

They were all spending the night together.

“That’s good enough,” Julia said, shaken. The stakes were getting higher. They were being followed and surveilled, and now somebody was in the vineyard.

“That’s the best we can do.” Courtney heaved a sigh.

“Sorry I lost the gun.” Julia hated that she’d left the pictures and the lock of hair at the well, too.

“Don’t worry.” Courtney wiggled her butt, and Julia spotted two steak knives in her back pocket, their handles sticking out.

“Whoa. Ouch.”

“Dinner is served.”

Julia smiled. “What are we having?”

“Bad guys, of course.”

After they turned out the light, Julia and Courtney pretended to sleep, close enough to talk. They’d hidden the knives under their pillows, and Bianco snored at the foot of the bed.

Courtney whispered, “I wish we could go to the Florence police.”

“I know, but we don’t have any more evidence than before. What do I say? Somebody was in my vineyard but I didn’t see him? He interrupted my do-it-yourself séance?”

“We could tell them about the underground cell and the pictures of Rossi’s abuse. We could task them with what Torti was supposed to be doing but isn’t.”

“I hear you, but that’s a risk, and it’s not worth it. They’ll see it as an old crime, if that, and we’ll have shown our hand to Torti. I want him to think we’re satisfied with whatever he’s doing.”

“Okay.”

“I think we need to stay the course with the schools.” Julia couldn’t believe that she could find her birth mother tomorrow, and somehow it was the second-most important thing after Gianluca.

She knew there was a relationship between the two, but didn’t have the facts.

She felt like she was playing a deadly game, but didn’t know the other players, or how to win. Right now, she was being played.

Courtney whispered, “I have bad news. I got an email while you were outside. Things are heating up on one of my accounts. I can stay tomorrow, then I have to go. I’m sorry.”

“No worries.” Julia felt relieved to have Courtney out of harm’s way.

“I don’t want to leave you here, especially after tonight.” Courtney frowned in the dark, anguished. “You sure you won’t go?”

“No. Not until he’s better.”

“Maybe tomorrow, we’ll get lucky?”