Free An Apartment in Venice by Marlene Hill Page B

pass because she expected to be coming back and forth a lot—her classes were only three days a week. It would save money and time. Chuck already had his because he commuted daily. Giulia pulled her sweater closer on the way to the proper track. When the train pulled in, he boarded with her.
    “You live in Venice, don’t you?” she asked. “You don’t need to go with me all the way to Vicenza and back.”
    “I won’t. I keep a studio apartment for times when I have to stay over.”
    “Really, Chuck, you needn’t do this. I’ll be fine. My pensione is on the bus line a short distance from the station.
    “That may be. But tonight, you are not going home alone, especially since someone followed you recently.” His voice, though firm, had taken on a velvety, intimate undertone that brought her gaze up to his face. She felt a familiar tremor in her belly. Maybe she’d seen better-looking men, but never one that oozed more masculinity.
    They found an empty compartment large enough for six passengers on bench seats three on one side, three on another. Chuck wanted them to be alone and pulled a scarf out of his coat pocket for covering one seat, put the coat on another and looked around. Giulia caught on and found a notebook from her knapsack for a third seat and her scarf for the last extra one. They looked at each other and laughed.
    “An old trick, but it usually works,” he said.
    Chuck raised an armrest between two seats near the window, and they sat side by side. He had noticed her shiver and took the window seat thinking it could be drafty.
    “Okay. Tell me about what happened when someone tailed you.”
    She did, but her story seemed contrived to sound like a frivolous event.
    “I don’t think the creep who followed me knew what I’d given the old gentleman at the hotel.”
    “Hotel? Which hotel?”
    “Hotel De La Ville,” she said. “Why? What’s wrong?”
    “It’s an elegant place, but I’ve heard rumors about shady business there.”
    Giulia stared at him, but in truth, she’d begun to suspect the same.
    “Why did you deliver gems to a hotel rather than a place of business?”
    She sighed. “It’s complicated.”
    The conductor opened the door and they showed their passes. He observed the belongings on the other seats but said nothing. When he left, Chuck repeated her last words, “It’s complicated and…?”
    “I love my nonno, but I’ve thought for some time he might not always be on the right side of the law. Maybe he’s just dealing under the table to avoid taxes—an Italian pastime as you know.” Again she sighed. “I hadn’t wanted to do the delivery, but Nonno Tony’s a charmer, and I agreed for this one time only. He mentioned avoiding shipping costs, forms, and the like.”
    “Your nonno’s probably not involved in syndicated crime, but the mafia has been operating all across the Veneto for years. Not only are there home-grown gangs but even the dreaded ’Ndrangheta from Calabria. First they were in Milan and then spread over this way into Verona, Vicenza and maybe Padova. So far they’re not in Venice. So far, ” he added.
    “I’d heard a little about that, but the ’Ndrangheta?” She shuddered. “This far north?”
    According to the Carabinieri, they’re definitely entrenched.” He turned toward her. “Sometimes the federal police in Italy get a bad rap—kind of like the FBI in the States—but they do a great job with statistics. Would you do me a favor and not go to that hotel anymore, even its beautiful bar?”
    “I appreciate your concern, Chuck, but surely the hotel is safe.”
    Turning her to face him and taking both of her hands, he looked into her eyes. The rims around his pale irises darkened. She thought of a photo of a magnificent Siberian wolf a friend had hanging on his office wall. Chuck said, “Please, Giulia.” She reacted with a little intake of breath. His scent held a hint of an elusive fragrance. Whatever it might be, its basic