Page 46 of The Hitman

I face her fully and wrap my free arm around her waist, bending forward until our lips touch. She doesn’t flinch away like she did before. I smile against her mouth.

“Poggibonsi,” I say again, whispering the word against her mouth, moving her lips with mine. It’s not a kiss, but it feels like lightning shooting up my spine. Her lips are smooth and soft, and I want to sink into them. It doesn’t take much to imagine all the things I’d love to do to those lips. I want to linger on her lips with mine until the sun sets, but I can’t.

I reluctantly move away from her mouth. She missed a small curl in her bun, and it’s blowing in the soft wind. If I were a better man, and if the world were a better place, Zahra and I could stay here in this moment forever. Those are fantasies I can’t afford to entertain, even though I do.

“We’re not staying here,” I tell her, looking away.

“Where are we going?” she asks for the third or fourth time today.

I haven’t told her before because I can never be overly cautious in my line of work, but now that we’re in this small town and the closest person is out of earshot, I tell her. “San Gimignano.”

She smiles and bounces onto the balls of her feet. “I like those words,” she says and taps her index finger against her lips. “Slower.” Her mouth splits into a smile.

I can’t tell her no in that moment, and I don’t want to. I lean forward, and our mouths touch again. “San Gimignano.”

She thanks me by swiping her tongue across my lips.

I moan. She smiles.

“Kiss me,” she says.

And I do.

* * *

Zahra

I fall asleep almost as soon as Giulio pulls the car away from the train station. I want to stay awake and see where we’re going for myself, but all the boredom and fear from our train ride catches up to me as soon as my ass hits the car seat. I’m out as soon as the engine roars.

“Come on, Zahra.”

His voice wakes me gently, but not fully. He undoes my seatbelt, and then I feel his arms shimmy behind my back and under my knees.

“I can walk,” I tell him even though I make no move to do so.

“I know,” he says gently as he pulls me from the car. “Hold on to me.”

I wrap my arms around his shoulders, bury my face in his neck, and let him carry me inside. I don’t even open my eyes to see where we are. I’m too tired, and I trust him.

I startle a bit as he lays me on a bed. The sheets smell fresh. The mattress is a little firmer than I like but comfortable.

I feel his hands on my ankles, taking off my shoes. I groan and bury my face in the pillow beneath my head.

“Sleep, tesora,” he whispers.

I’m already asleep.

* * *

Giulio

I dig a new SIM card from the bag I packed. I send Alfonso a text, letting him know that I’ve arrived but not where I am. I assume he knows, or if he doesn’t, he’s not meant to.

I call Salvo.

“Are you safe?” he asks instead of saying hello. I always appreciate the way that he doesn’t mince words. He’s clear, and he likes to get to the point as quickly as possible. So do I. It makes my job very easy.

“I am.”