Lissy Romano

10| Blood test.

Lissy Romano

We drove a few miles outside the city until Giovanni turned off the main road. After another stretch of bumpy driving through what felt like nowhere, he finally stopped in front of a single, isolated building.

"This is the clinic?" I asked, my voice laced with concern. It didn't look anything like one, but maybe I was wrong. Again.

"Yes," Giovanni replied simply as he opened the car door to get out.

"But... why is it in the middle of nowhere?" I pressed, feeling more uneasy with each passing second. Who would even come to a place like this?

"Because it's not an actual clinic..." he admitted, turning to look at me.

My heart dropped. What the fuck is happening? The paranoia was creeping in fast. I shouldn't have trusted them.

"This is where we have our business sitdowns," Giovanni explained, his tone casual. "And there's a small clinic on the other side."

I studied his face, trying to figure out if he was lying. "You guys own this place?" I asked, masking my suspicion with feigned curiosity.

"Yes," he said matter-of-factly. "Come on, let's get inside."

Reluctantly, I got out of the car. As we approached the building, three men appeared. Two wore black suits, while the third had on a blue one. And just like that, the memories hit me like a train.

Miguel. The blue suit. The stench of alcohol on his breath when he came home from his so-called "successful business meetings." I remembered his drunken rage, the way he'd lash out—always worse than when he was sober. I froze, the sight of the blue suit pulling me back into those moments I wanted to forget.

"Hey, Giovanni," said one of the men in a black suit, his dark hair slicked back.

"Hey," Giovanni replied, walking over to them.

I felt their eyes scan me, sizing me up like I was an object, but I kept my expression blank. They started talking in Italian, and I couldn't understand a word. Something about an "important meeting with someone called Carlano."

Giovanni suddenly gestured toward me, introducing me in Italian: "Questa è la mia sorellina, Lissy."
(This is my little sister, Lissy.)

The man in the blue suit raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "Sister?" he repeated, his shock evident.

Yes, idiot. Sister, I thought bitterly.

"Giovanni, can we please go inside?" I asked, my voice tight. I couldn't stand being near the man in the blue suit for another second.

"Alright, guys, I'll see you later," Giovanni said, placing an arm protectively around me as we turned to leave.

"See you later," the three men echoed, each giving me a strange nod before Giovanni led me deeper into the building.

Eventually, we reached the other side, and that's when I saw him—Domenico. He was leaning against a counter, talking on the phone.

"Lissy, you're here," Domenico said warmly when he noticed us, slipping his phone into his pocket. "Right on time."

"Hey," I greeted, managing a small smile. There was something about Domenico that made me feel safer.