Read Online The Immortal Greek by Monica La Porta - Free Book Online

lips with the white linen napkin, then folded and placed it on the table by his half-finished fruit salad. “Well, I’m sure the Council will look into that.”
    Quintilius tilted his head, a small smile showing around his white canines. “You know what they say, never leave any stone unturned.” He took a piece of bread and dipped it in the honey bowl. “Or, as I say, never fail to look for the ones who have the most to gain in any situation.”
    Alexander kept the conversation going a few minutes longer, then looked at his Rolex and excused himself. He had already heard what he needed and there wasn’t any need to visit the other clubs. Quintilius’s words had been both a tip and a warning. The werewolf never engaged in idle chat.
    On his way back to the valet stand, he called Samuel and reported the conversation he had just had. The morning had been very productive so far and he still had a full day ahead. The sun was shining bright in the blue, cloudless sky; the temperature was perfect, and a gentle breeze ruffled his blond curls. With any luck, the whole mess would be entirely in the hands of the Council from now on, and he would be exonerated from the investigation given his usefulness had reached its limit. When the young, pimpled valet drove his car to the club’s entry, Alexander tipped the boy handsomely.
    From the car, he automatically called Marcus to invite him to a tennis match, only to remember at the fourth ring his friend was sleeping in his wife’s tender embrace. Next, he tried to reach Ophelia, who answered immediately, but only to wish him several scenarios of violent deaths in excruciating details. He understood she was nursing a hangover even though he couldn’t remember her drinking that much the night before. It must have happened after she had left his party.
    Alexander felt restless. He was awake, dressed, and with nothing to do on such a splendid day. The thought that he was done with the investigation came back, and with it the knowledge that his dealing with the enforcer had also come to an end, and without thinking, he called her. The call went to the answering machine right away. He exited the club and drove along the Appian Way for fifteen minutes, breathing in the pine-scented air and enjoying the sight of the secular trees and the Roman ruins framing the road. Then he turned right, parked on a private street, and searched on his phone for Ravenna Del Sarto’s address. She was only a few minutes away from his current location, and he thought it would be a good idea to stop by and ask her if she wanted to grab a bite for lunch so they could talk about his conversation with the werewolf. He had been miffed by the way she had left Samuel’s office earlier that morning. If her abrupt departure had been caused by his behavior, he felt the need to apologize to her before parting ways. The ongoing movie playing in his mind, with Ravenna Del Sarto starring mostly naked in it, had nothing to do with his actions.
    After giving himself all the explanations he needed for wanting to see the enforcer, Alexander reached her home three minutes later. He parked at the corner of her building, a few meters from a big pine tree that, although majestic and giving plenty of shade, would also cover his beloved Mercedes in pine needles and scented resin almost impossible to remove from its bodywork. Once he raised the top and secured the car, he walked to the staircase leading to the main entrance. He looked up at the façade of the building and found it suited Ravenna perfectly. The two-story house was simple, but elegant. From the subtle decoration over the door and windows, he deduced it had been built soon after World War I. The two narrow balconies jutting out from the arched, central windows dominating the façade were filled with terracotta pots full of white roses.
    Feeling more excited than he had been to see a woman in a long time and surprised by it, Alexander climbed the steps, but hesitated