“Louis is excellent.”
“Do you eat alone?” she asked while they ate.
“When I’m home, yes. You?”
“Same.”
“Do you want children?”
Whoa.
“Where’d that come from?” she asked.
“I never saw myself falling in love again,” he said. “But I have, and these are questions I need answers to.” His phone buzzed. “Newburg is on the move.”
“Follow the white rabbit,” she said.
“To wherever it may lead,” he replied.
22
LOVE, LOVE, AND MORE LOVE
LUCIANO
Luciano was ready to move their relationship forward. He’d found a woman he could build a life with and he wanted her to know. If she didn’t see a possible future together, he would work the case with her and walk away.
Sooner is always better. Later might never come.
Simone had grown silent after he’d asked her about children. Was he pushing?
Only for information.
With a soft hand on his, she said, “I do want children. What about you?”
“Depends on the day,” he replied.
They watched the blip on the tracker as Newburg drove to a bar in Arlington.
“He’s at Mac’s on Lee Highway,” she said. “That place has been around for decades. It’s a landmark.”
He grimaced.
“Not your jam?”
“It’s a shithole.”
“It’s a dive bar. You know, French fries are dripping in decades-old grease. The beer on tap is probably laden with bacteria.” She shot him a smile. “Not everything in life can be a Santini Original. Noteverythingcan be first class.”
He arched an eyebrow.
“Luciano Santini, ruler over all,” she declared.
That made him smile.
SIMONE
Luciano drove to Mac’s,backed into a parking spot in a dark corner of the lot. After they fitted comms into their ears, Simone slid on a dark baseball cap. Luciano pulled on a black knit cap, showed her a photo of Newburg on the State Department website.