NICCOLÒ

19. Lost Words

"Luca." Her voice was soft, but his eyelids twitched, just enough to acknowledge her. "I've brought you food, sir."

Luca grimaced as he attempted to sit up, his face twinging painfully. His ribs were bandaged, his left eye swollen; he looked a mess.

"Thanks," he muttered, barely moving his lip - the cut hadn't quite healed. "You didn't have to do this, Flo." She smiled, setting the tray on his bedside table.

Luca struggled, taking a sip of water before fatigue overcame him; he sank into the pillows, closing his eyes. Flo watched.

"I have an update for you." Luca's eyes reopened; he stared up at the ceiling.

"Go on," he prompted cautiously. She took a calming breath, focusing on the wall opposite; he had a private room. It was cold, sterile - the opposite of the Romano boy in bed.

"We've had to take Anton in." Flo winced as her news struck, watching the anger spread across his face.

"What?" He sounded frustrated. "That wasn't the plan- we haven't found out his employers yet!"

"I know, I know- but he found his tracker and destroyed it, before trying to take off." She avoided his gaze, staring at the floor. It was suspiciously clean, like a bloodstain had just been bleached away. "He's in the cells."

"Cazzo," Luca sighed, forcing himself to sit up despite the streaks of pain shooting down his ribs. Flo looked at him uneasily, not knowing how to help. "Now we have no way of finding which family he was with."

Flo shrugged, settling on the edge of his bed carefully. "But they have lost their spy."

"And Cee doesn't know?"

"No. Mr Romano instructed me to keep all business from her." Luca rolled his eyes. "Of course he did."

Flo hesitated, smoothing the sheets beneath her fingers. "I hope you don't mind me asking, sir," she started, staring at her lap, "but is Mr Romano going to..?"

Luca shook his head. "Boss isn't going to tell her about it." Flo forced a neutral expression onto her face, but he noticed the flash of anger.

"It's her father," she responded, her calm tone cracking. "She deserves to know." Luca let out a frustrated sigh, ignoring the sharp pain at the deep breath.

"What he says goes," he said finally. "If he thinks it's better to hide information, it's for a reason."

Cee closed her eyes, her body trembling as she leant against the wall outside Luca's room; she listened mutely.

"She'd leave if she found out her father was dying."

---

Cee balled up a shirt and stuffed it into her bag hurriedly, her palms sweating. She had to leave - she left her family for four years, she couldn't miss anything else. She had to say goodbye; Leonardo was her father - he had raised her to pride her dignity, to keep her promises - Leonardo Fiero was many things, but he was also a good father when she was younger.

Her heart was racing, her knees weak, but she forced a water bottle into the small bag that she usually used to carry books back and forth from the medical wing. What if she didn't make it in time? Anton was a spy, her father was dying-

She needed to contact Leo, as soon as possible - would her radio still work? Cee rifled through her drawers, growing more frustrated as the clock ticked, counting down the minutes she had left.

She found it, finally, left in a box at the bottom of her wardrobe along with the discarded dress from the disastrous dinner with D'Angelo; sharp relief flooded her body.