Page 47 of The Hitman

“Are you where I think you are?”

“I am.”

“Is that wise? For you?” he clarifies.

I’m in the kitchen. I don’t hate this room as much as the others. This room and the bedroom where I put Zahra to sleep are about the only two rooms in the house that don’t make my skin crawl. No, this isn’t a wise decision, I think. If I were on my own, I wouldn’t have come here. In fact, if I were on my own, I might not have left San Marco. I could have stayed on holiday, armed and prepared for someone to come looking for the man I’d killed. At least there, I could have enjoyed the pool and avoided stepping through the landmines of my past.

“I’m not sure,” I tell him.

“Then, come here.”

I turn to the wall behind me. On the other side, Zahra is fast asleep in my childhood bed. I can’t take her to Naples. I know why, but I don’t want to admit it, and I don’t want to tell Salvo about her. I don’t want these two parts of my life to actually touch. She knows I’m not a good man, that’s fine, easy, but I don’t want her to understand the depths of it all. That’s why I brought her here, a place most people who know me don’t know exists, and no one would ever think to look for me.

I just want to ride out the storm and enjoy this fleeting moment with Zahra. Alfonso and Salvo can fix this problem. I’m on holiday, I remind myself.

“You told me to get away,” I remind my boss with a false smile, hoping it will lighten the severity of my voice. “I’ve never had a holiday before.”

Salvo takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. “If you’re sure.”

I am.

“Did you call just to check in?” he asks.

“No. I have news,” I tell him.

His voice brightens. “Do you?”

“Yeah. My visitor up north?”

“Si.”

“His identification card had a surname you might be interested in.”

There’s silence on the other end of the phone.

“Necci.”

Salvo huffs out a breath. “Certo. Is every branch of this bitch’s family full of thorns?” he asks.

It’s not a real question, but if he were actually asking me, I’d tell him that the answer is yes. I know intimately that one bad apple doesn’t just spoil the bunch; it poisons the soil. But he’s not asking, so I keep my mouth shut.

The other end of the line is quiet again. I don’t interrupt, and I don’t hang up until Salvo dismisses me. I let him think even as I try not to do the same. I’m waiting for orders. I’m waiting for permission to set my course so I can distract myself from where I am right now.

“Okay,” Salvo says. “You stay there until I tell you otherwise.”

I nod, even though he can’t see me.

“I’ll check in with Alfonso to see how he’s enjoying his holiday.”

“Okay. What if I have another visitor?” I think the chances are low, but I wouldn’t be able to do my job right if I didn’t ask.

“You’re a hospitable person,” he says with a laugh. “Do whatever you like.” He hangs up without another word.

I turn the phone off, take out the new SIM card, and wash it down the kitchen sink. I turn around in the middle of this old stone kitchen, looking at — but trying not to see — the kitchen as it used to be. It barely takes a minute for the silence to get to me.

I rush back into the bedroom with a tight chest that begins to loosen when I see Zahra. I haven’t been gone long, but in my short time away, she’s somehow tangled herself in the sheets and turned over onto her back. She’s snoring loudly. She looks peaceful.

I watch her for a few minutes, letting my mind settle. Eventually, I grab my bag and move quietly to the bathroom across the hallway.