new house in the place where Adrian died, almost as if he wanted to . . .”
“Punish himself?” Emma asked, dread filling her chest cavity. She turned to Niki and met his stare. He was looking at her with blank incredulity.
“You’ve guessed that? Surely he’d never tell you—”
“No,” Emma mouthed, swallowing thickly. “I guessed from something Cristina said, when she was dying. And just . . . intuition.”
Niki didn’t respond for a moment, but then he set down his glass with a thud. Vanni couldn’t have heard the sound from far across the crowded, music-filled room, but he turned suddenly and looked directly at Emma. She felt his stare in the pit of her belly.
“Vanni was the stronger of the twins,” Niki muttered next to her when someone said something to Vanni and he turned away. “For whatever reason, Adrian was smaller and much frailer. Michael Senior used to goad both Vanni and Adrian when they were little by joking that Vanni had stolen all of Adrian’s strength in the womb, and Adrian had stolen Vanni’s kindness.”
Emma stared at Niki, stunned. “What a horrible thing to say to children.”
Niki nodded thoughtfully. “You don’t need to tell me that. Michael was not the kindest of men, although he was a force to be reckoned with. He did have his moments . . .”
Neither of them spoke for a moment when Niki drifted off, both seemingly lost in their own thoughts.
“They were both caught up by the riptide, you know,” Niki said quietly. “From what I gather—because Vanni never talks about it—Vanni tried to save Adrian, but couldn’t.”
“He could only save himself,” Emma whispered, shivers crawling across her skin.
“He was all of nine years old,” Niki said, his mouth pressed into a grim line. “He was lucky to have accomplished that.”
“He believes the opposite. He thinks he’s cursed,” Emma said softly.
Niki sighed and met her stare. “There’s one thing I can be thankful for. Tragedy hasn’t struck him in years. If he
was
cursed, so to speak, hopefully the storm has passed. Sometimes I think if something else horrible happened to him, it’d end him.”
Emma swallowed thickly, trying to ignore the spasm in her chest cavity.
Chapter Thirty-one
A little while later, the restaurant started to clear. Emma was leaving the ladies’ room, when someone caught her hand and halted her. She looked around and saw Mario Acarde standing there.
“I’ve been trying to find you all night,” he told her, the thickness of his speech making her think he’d had a bit too much to drink.
“Really?” Emma asked in a friendly, neutral tone, removing her hand from his. “I’ve been sitting in the same place the whole time.” Another hand enclosed the one she’d just dropped. She looked over her shoulder.
“Hi,” she said, smiling.
“Hello. Sorry for leaving you like that. Everyone has something to say about the race,” Vanni replied, his gaze running over her face and then flicking over to Mario. “But I promise I won’t leave your side for the rest of the night. Excuse us, Mario.”
“Are you off to the tables?” Mario called, but Vanni didn’t respond. He just led Emma onto the terrace, which had cleared out. It was a warm, starry night, a full moon in the sky making a swath of the sea gleam and wink. The band had stopped playing and was starting to pack up their instruments. Vanni left her, approached one of the men, and exchanged a handshake with him.
“
Encore une chanson, s’il vous plait
?” Vanni asked quietly.
The man looked down appreciatively at his palm. “
Avec plaisir, monsieur
.”
The musicians all took up their instruments again and at a signal from the leader began playing. Vanni came toward her, a small, devastating smile shaping his mouth. A thrill went through her when he took her into his arms and they began to dance. She looked up at him as he pulled her closer, her smile matching his.
“Do you always do things
“Punish himself?” Emma asked, dread filling her chest cavity. She turned to Niki and met his stare. He was looking at her with blank incredulity.
“You’ve guessed that? Surely he’d never tell you—”
“No,” Emma mouthed, swallowing thickly. “I guessed from something Cristina said, when she was dying. And just . . . intuition.”
Niki didn’t respond for a moment, but then he set down his glass with a thud. Vanni couldn’t have heard the sound from far across the crowded, music-filled room, but he turned suddenly and looked directly at Emma. She felt his stare in the pit of her belly.
“Vanni was the stronger of the twins,” Niki muttered next to her when someone said something to Vanni and he turned away. “For whatever reason, Adrian was smaller and much frailer. Michael Senior used to goad both Vanni and Adrian when they were little by joking that Vanni had stolen all of Adrian’s strength in the womb, and Adrian had stolen Vanni’s kindness.”
Emma stared at Niki, stunned. “What a horrible thing to say to children.”
Niki nodded thoughtfully. “You don’t need to tell me that. Michael was not the kindest of men, although he was a force to be reckoned with. He did have his moments . . .”
Neither of them spoke for a moment when Niki drifted off, both seemingly lost in their own thoughts.
“They were both caught up by the riptide, you know,” Niki said quietly. “From what I gather—because Vanni never talks about it—Vanni tried to save Adrian, but couldn’t.”
“He could only save himself,” Emma whispered, shivers crawling across her skin.
“He was all of nine years old,” Niki said, his mouth pressed into a grim line. “He was lucky to have accomplished that.”
“He believes the opposite. He thinks he’s cursed,” Emma said softly.
Niki sighed and met her stare. “There’s one thing I can be thankful for. Tragedy hasn’t struck him in years. If he
was
cursed, so to speak, hopefully the storm has passed. Sometimes I think if something else horrible happened to him, it’d end him.”
Emma swallowed thickly, trying to ignore the spasm in her chest cavity.
Chapter Thirty-one
A little while later, the restaurant started to clear. Emma was leaving the ladies’ room, when someone caught her hand and halted her. She looked around and saw Mario Acarde standing there.
“I’ve been trying to find you all night,” he told her, the thickness of his speech making her think he’d had a bit too much to drink.
“Really?” Emma asked in a friendly, neutral tone, removing her hand from his. “I’ve been sitting in the same place the whole time.” Another hand enclosed the one she’d just dropped. She looked over her shoulder.
“Hi,” she said, smiling.
“Hello. Sorry for leaving you like that. Everyone has something to say about the race,” Vanni replied, his gaze running over her face and then flicking over to Mario. “But I promise I won’t leave your side for the rest of the night. Excuse us, Mario.”
“Are you off to the tables?” Mario called, but Vanni didn’t respond. He just led Emma onto the terrace, which had cleared out. It was a warm, starry night, a full moon in the sky making a swath of the sea gleam and wink. The band had stopped playing and was starting to pack up their instruments. Vanni left her, approached one of the men, and exchanged a handshake with him.
“
Encore une chanson, s’il vous plait
?” Vanni asked quietly.
The man looked down appreciatively at his palm. “
Avec plaisir, monsieur
.”
The musicians all took up their instruments again and at a signal from the leader began playing. Vanni came toward her, a small, devastating smile shaping his mouth. A thrill went through her when he took her into his arms and they began to dance. She looked up at him as he pulled her closer, her smile matching his.
“Do you always do things
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