Chapter 1 - THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN SILENT FOR FIFTEEN YEARS
Salvatore’s hands moved slowly.
“You know sign language?”
Tessa nodded.
“Yes.”
For several seconds, he simply stared at her.
Outside the frosted-glass door, someone shifted.
Probably Brett.
Probably waiting for humiliation that wasn’t coming.
Tessa ignored it.
She lifted her hands again.
“My brother is hard of hearing. I’m still learning.”
Something changed in Salvatore’s face.
Not softness exactly.
More like surprise that had forgotten how to hide.
He signed:
“You’re better than most interpreters people hire for me.”
Tessa almost smiled.
“That says more about the interpreters than me.”
His mouth twitched.
The feared Salvatore Marquetti nearly laughed.
Then he signed his order.
Grilled sea bass.
No butter.
Roasted vegetables.
Sparkling water.
Tessa repeated everything to confirm.
His eyebrows lifted.
“You actually asked me.”
She frowned.
“Of course.”
“Most waiters ask my driver.”
Tessa looked toward the empty chair beside him.
“But your driver isn’t eating.”
That finally did it.
Salvatore smiled.
Small.
Real.
Outside the door came a muffled snort.
His smile vanished.
His eyes moved toward the frosted glass.
He had heard nothing.
But he had seen the shadows.
He knew.
His hands moved.
“They sent you in here as a joke.”
Tessa hesitated.
“I can handle Brett.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
She sighed.
“Yes.”
Salvatore leaned back.
A dark stillness returned to him.
“Why?”
“Because people get bored when they’re cruel.”
His gaze sharpened.
That answer seemed to land somewhere deeper than she intended.
Then he signed:
“Stay.”
Tessa blinked.
“I have other tables.”
“I know.”
He reached inside his jacket.
Her body tensed.
He noticed.
Slowly, he pulled out a business card.
Nothing more.
He placed it on the table.
On the front was only his name.
On the back, written by hand, were five words:
Ask your manager about Dany.
Tessa stopped breathing.
Her brother’s name.
Her fingers tightened around the card.
“How do you know Dany?”
Salvatore’s expression changed.
For the first time, she saw fear.
Not for himself.
For her.
He signed:
“Because your brother came to one of my warehouses three nights ago.”
Tessa stared.
Dany had told her he’d been studying late at the community center.
Salvatore continued.
“He wasn’t alone.”
Her pulse hammered.
“Who was with him?”
Salvatore looked toward the frosted-glass door.
Then signed:
“The man listening outside.”
May you like
Tessa turned slowly.
Brett’s shadow disappeared from the glass.
