Page 52 of Under Her Skin

“Anythinggoes.”

“Christ. Just…promise me you’ll stay alive, Hero. Make her promise,Turo.”

“Oh, I have, and I will again. Over and over, Melly, I guaranteethat.”

After they’d disconnectedfrom Imelda, the Consulate people and the police went through everything again. Hero, wired and protected, would return to Como alone and pretend she was packing her things to leave. She would make her presence known every place she was connected with: the Patrizzi, Villa Charlotte, the art store, their favorite restaurants. She would carry the burner phone the killer called her on and answer his calls, telling him she was ready to exchange herself forImelda.

And then they would wait. Arturo would return to Como separately, go through with his plan to visit his uncle with Peter. The police had agreed with Arturo—it was someone who knew them. “We’ll have eyes on Galiano, the contractors at the Patrizzi, your friend at the art store…I’m sorry, but we really cannot trust anyone with your life except the people in this room. Even your uncle, I’m sorry tosay.”

Arturo nodded grimly. “Iunderstand.”

Hero and Arturowent back to their hotel to get their things before the separate cars picked them up. They held each other for a long time. “The worst part is waiting for him to make his move,” Hero said. “If we could know this would all be over by the end of today, we could atleast…”

“If you use the words ‘say goodbye properly’…” Arturo closed his eyes, his face creasing with pain. Hero took his face in herhands.

“I wasn’t going to say that. I was going to say ‘we could start our married life properly.’ Happily. It’s going to be okay, I promise youthat.”

But they both knew she couldn’t know that forsure.

“The cars will be here in an hour,” Arturo stroked her face, “let’s not waste a moment of this timenow.”

Just incase…

Their lovemaking was more intense that afternoon, as if they both recognized that it might be their last if all the planning went awry. As they moved together, Hero gazed at him and asked the question they both were thinking. “Do you think we have any idea what we’re gettinginto?”

Arturo shook his head. “I’m not even sure I know what the hell is going on or even why this is happening. All I know is…I can’t loseyou.”

“I feel thesame.”

He stopped moving for a second. “Promise me that if it comes to it, if things get crazy, you’ll do everything or anything to stay alive. Promiseme.”

“Ipromise.”

“Even if it means…offering yourself…God, I can’t even…” Pain crossed Arturo’s face as hefaltered.

“I know.” She nodded. “Anything goes. But I’ll kill him before I let thathappen.”

Arturo winced again but nodded. “Do what you have to do, baby. I swear, we’ll get throughthis.”

He just hoped he was telling thetruth.

The car pulledup outside the hotel in Como and dragging a deep breath into her lungs, Hero stepped out. To her relief, she got to her room without incident. Without her personal protection—her Gaudio—in the next room, she felt exposed andvulnerable.

She stripped off and went to shower, feeling the hot water easing her tense muscles. Dressing in jeans and T-shirt, she went into the living room to dry herhair.

“I hear congratulations are inorder.”

Hero whirled around with a gasp. George Galiano was sitting in one of the easy chairs. He smiled at her, but there was no warmth in it. He leaned forward. “SignoraBachi.”

Hero’s chin lifted. “What the hell do you think you're doing in here? How dare you invade my privacy likethis?”

George smiled. “I have friends in this hotel. And everywhere in this town. Word travels fast. So, your little fake break-up was to what? Play me? Humiliateme?”

“Getout.”

He moved too fast for her even to cry out. He slammed her against the window, one hand on her throat, one clamped over her mouth. Hero smelled liquor on his breath and saw the dangerous glint in hiseye.

“I just came here to get what you owe me,Hero.”