I leaned forward to read the words in front of me.
Venice, Italy.
Daryl grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Don’t you love technology?”
“Damnit, Daryl. I should have you put that on my phone.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Tristan
I left Varo at the hotel and set out to find Nina, unable to track her down to any specific place in Venice after she turned off her phone. Unsure of where to begin, I let my feet take me back to the one place in the city other than our hotel room that meant anything to me.
The Piazza San Marco.
It was midday by the time I reached the square. Tourists milled about snapping pictures from every vantage point possible as artisans and vendors hawked their wares to eager buyers. I paced every inch of the piazza, my eyes scanning every arch and hidden corner, but I saw no sight of her.
This place was haunted with memories of a time when Nina and I were happy. I wanted to believe we were happy then. Maybe we’d never truly been happy because I’d never been completely honest with her. If so, I was to blame for any sadness she’d felt because she’d been with me.
I could change that, though. I had to believe that or my being there in that place where I’d finally realized I could tell her how much I loved her was all for nothing.
Hours passed as I sat watching families move through the square, parents chasing after young children who hopped and skipped on their way over the stone pavers oblivious to the flocks of birds they disturbed as they played. The sun traveled in its natural path across the sky until I’d sat there long enough to see the last rays of its light as it began to set behind the Museo Civico Correr. Nina had told me about the museum’s paintings, in particular one that even though it had been painted centuries ago showed the city as nearly the same as it stood today.
As I replayed her sweet attempt to educate me on Venice’s art treasures, I caught a glimpse of her through an archway walking down the arcade. She wore her hair pinned up in a bun, but I’d know the shape of her beautiful face anywhere. I bolted from my seat and ran toward her, losing her when a crowd of school children paraded hand-in-hand in front of me. By the time I’d navigated around them, she was gone.
Frustrated, I scanned the area for any sight of her, finally accepting I might not see her that day. I could wait, but if Karl knew she was alone in Venice, every second she wasn’t with me meant she was in danger. I needed to find her.
The final minutes of daylight highlighted the colorful mosaics on the Basilica di San Marco, and I stared in newfound awe at them, seeing for the first time what Nina had explained about them. The arches and columns of the basilica stood as they had for centuries, tributes to the Gothic style of the Middle Ages. I’d known none of this until Nina.
The crowds began to thin as people left the square for dinner and other parts of the city. I hadn’t given up hope, though. If I had to search every square inch of Venice all night, then I would.
“You can’t do this, Tristan.”
I turned to see her standing behind me, looking more beautiful than I’d ever seen her, even in jeans and a T-shirt with her hair pulled up. “I can’t do anything else. If you won’t come with me because you love me, then come with me so I can keep you safe.”
Sadly, she shook her head. “I have to learn to live on my own, Tristan. I can’t do that if I go with you.”
“I don’t know if Karl knows you’re here. West is missing, so I don’t know if he’s a danger to you.”
“It doesn’t matter. I have to go.”
She turned to walk away, but I grabbed her forearm to stop her. “Don’t do this. Let me explain, at least. Give me the chance to show you how much I love you.”
Tears filled her eyes, and she looked away. “I know you love me, Tristan. I’ve never doubted that, strangely enough. I just can’t be with someone who won’t be truthful with me, no matter how difficult it is for him.”
“Look at me, Nina.” She shook her head, but I gently pulled her by the chin so she was forced to face me. “Look at me. I know I was wrong, but I never meant to deceive you about Melissa’s death. I know that doesn’t make what I did right. I know.”
“Do you ever wonder why we can’t just seem to be happy? Why there always seems to be something that ruins what we have?”
Quietly, I admitted the truth. “No. I know why. It’s me. I’m fucked up. That doesn’t mean I don’t love you more than even you believe, though.”
Cradling my face in her hands, she looked up at me with love in her eyes. “What am I supposed to do? We keep messing this up. Maybe we’re just not meant to be, no matter how much both of us want to be together.”
“I can’t believe that. I’ve never loved anyone before I met you. I can’t believe you’d be sent to me just to show me I don’t deserve to be loved. I won’t believe that.”
Her hands slid from my cheeks as she hung her head. “Sometimes it’s just not meant to be, Tristan. It’s not that I don’t love you. I’ll always love you. We just can’t seem to get it right.”
I clutched her wrists gently, afraid if I didn’t keep hold of some part of her she’d run away and I’d lose her forever. “I know, but give me another chance. Let me show you I can be the man you deserve.” Nina tried to back away from me, shaking her head, but I saw something in her eyes that told me there was a chance. I couldn’t let that chance slip away. “Hear me out. Listen to what I have to say and then listen to your heart.”
Nina stood silently staring at me and finally gave me a tiny nod. “Okay. I want to know everything.”
“Everything. I promise. Just as soon as we return to the hotel, I’ll tell you all of it.”
Nina slipped her hands from my hold and shook her head. “No. Right here. I believe you bared your soul to me the last time we were here. I want you to do that now. Tell me everything about the worst I believe about you here near that very spot you told me you loved me and couldn’t live without me.”
“Fine. I’ll tell you everything.”
We found a bench and I took a deep breath. “Her name was Melissa and she died because I didn’t take care of her. But Kim was wrong. I’m not a murderer. Melissa died from an overdose of prescription drugs and cocaine. That’s why the charges were dropped and I never went to trial.”
Nina grimaced like she was in pain. “Did you love her?”