I tell them everything. Romano seems intrigued when I talk about Puchinsky, but I prefer not to divert focus from Romano’s statement.
“And you trust that she will say nothing?” asks Lorenzo.
I take a moment to catch up with his reasoning, but he is absolutely right.
“Before she left,” I tell them, “Alice promised she wouldn’t say anything about what she had seen or heard here. But I only have her word. I think Lorenzo is saying that, to make thisplan foolproof in case Spataro is ever asked, we need to make it appear as though the raid happened tonight. In that way, Alice had already visited before the operation took place. Am I right, Lorenzo?”
“Precisamente,” says Lorenzo beaming at me, and even Romano nods.
“Yes. This is an excellent plan and easier to execute,” says Bellacci, pointing at my chest. “Did you change your clothes? Since the visit from your friend?”
“I’ve worn the same clothes for the past few days,” I reply, confused, looking down at my plain white T-shirt with the distinctive sports logo, which I had pulled on from the bedroom floor after Lorenzo and I were interrupted.
“Good. When we kill him, he should be wearing the same clothes he was wearing when his friend visited.”
Lorenzo smirks at me. “When wepretendto kill him, you mean. Please don’t kill him. We need him.”
“You will remove your shirt and give it to Mrs Bellacci,” said Romano before addressing Mrs Bellacci. “Go out to the range while there is still light and place the shirt on one of the target dummies. Take the assault weapon that one of the attackers dropped. Fire two or three shots into the chest, then bring the shirt back to me. Once you wear the tee again, Gabriel, I will dress the holes to look like bullet wounds. All we’ll need is to find somewhere in the grounds to stage your death.”
Mrs Bellacci and Romano share a few words in Italian as though considering something, but Lorenzo seems shocked and begins to object. Eventually, I ask what they are saying.
“Mrs Bellacci believes it might be better if she fired the weapon directly at you—” begins Lorenzo.
“What?” I reply, horrified, and begin to back out of the kitchen.
“No, listen,” says Romano, holding up one hand. “You would be wearing body armour. She thinks we should begin your training straight away, and what better way than to test your reaction to being shot while wearing a vest?”
While he has been speaking, Mrs Bellacci has unhooked a black armoured jacket from the back of the kitchen door.
“Put this on, then go and stand against the olive tree to the side of the swimming pool,” instructs Mrs Bellacci. “In the location you stood last night when the intruders came.”
“You’re serious?” I ask. “What if you miss?”
But I already know the answer to that question.
“You know I will not,” says Mrs Bellacci.
Can I trust them? If they wanted to erase me, this would be the perfect way. Albert warned me to trust no one, but my gut has been telling me that I need these allies to survive. I reach for the jacket. I need to show them that I trust them unconditionally.
“No,” says Lorenzo, loudly, standing from the table and thumping his hand down on top of the jacket. Heated words are exchanged between him and Bellacci. This is the first time he has raised his voice to her in my presence. I notice Romano eyeing Lorenzo with amused curiosity. After a moment, the doctor mutters something to Mrs Bellacci, who rehangs the garment behind the door.
“Don’t worry, Gabriel,” says Romano. “The fact you were prepared to do as we asked means, in my view, that you have proven yourself. Now remove your shirt and hand it over to Mrs Bellacci. She has a job to do at the firing range.”
“I don’t understand,” I say to Romano.
“You were willing to let Mrs Bellacci shoot at you,” says Romano. “That is either brave or foolish. I like to think the former. Even with this modern type of armour, you would have suffered bruising, if not broken a rib or two. And I believe wewould benefit more from having you uninjured and combat-ready.”
When I pull off my T-shirt and hand it to an amused Bellacci, she mutters something in Italian before heading off into the olive grove. Romano and Lorenzo are grinning at me.
“She is impressed with you,” says Romano. “And that takes a lot. Come, I will accompany you to your room to fetch a change of shirt. And we need to talk privately. Lorenzo, can you head to the spot in the gardens where the attack happened and wait for us? I need to speak privately to Gabriel.”
Lorenzo stills, his concerned gaze drifting to me briefly before he turns and nods at Romano. I walk with the doctor back towards the house. I need time alone with the doctor. There are questions crowding my brain.
“Did Albert know? About you and your team? About all the security modifications to the villa?”
Romano lifts the bag onto his shoulder and sighs as we walk towards the terrace doors.
“He did. Believe it or not, we found each other, and the arrangement became mutual. However, he considered the strong room more of a panic room, if you know what I mean? Protection from being so far out in the countryside. But he planned to show you everything once he had brought you here. I believe he did all this for you, Gabriel. But I’m sorry, he never explained why.”