instruments . . .”
Elodie raised her eyebrow.
He laughed, drawing back the curtain of the storeroom that they knew so well from the meetings.
Elodie had yet to see the room without anyone in it, and she was surprised to find it now so still and empty.
They followed Luca to the shelves in the far corner, pushing past the chairs and leftover debris from the last meeting.
“I’m glad the two of you have passed the first round of tests,” he said.
“Tests? What tests?” Elodie seemed confused.
“The last envelopes we asked you to deliver were actually blank . . . But you got them to where they needed to go, so now we know we can trust you with larger assignments.”
Lena’s face curled.
“Don’t act so insulted.” He laughed. “We do it with everyone.”
“They just need to be cautious,” Elodie said, touching Lena’s arm. “It makes sense.”
“I knew you’d understand the logic, Elodie. Thank you.”
“Well, now that we’ve passed, what’s our next assignment?”
Luca now stood on his tiptoes and pulled down two books from one of the shelves.
“Beppe prepared these last night, so they’re all set.”
He spoke first to Lena.
“Take yours to the bar on the northeast corner of the Piazza San Zeno. There will be a man reading a book with a green cover at the table in the back. Sit down. Order a drink. Finish it. He will come over to you, place his book down on the counter, and pretend to flirt with you. You will get up, take his book seemingly by accident, and leave yours on the table.” He paused. “That’s it. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Lena replied.
“Repeat it back to me,” Luca said to her. “Slowly. I want to make sure you have everything right.”
“I take this book to the bar on the northeast corner of Piazza Erbe . . .”
“Stop!” Luca held up his hand to prevent Lena from going any further.
“What’s the matter? Didn’t you say northeast corner of Piazza Erbe?”
“I said the northeast corner of Piazza San Zeno!”
“Oh.” Lena blushed. “I’m sorry. I must have heard you wrong.”
Luca tried to hide his agitation. “Try again.”
“I take this book to the northeast corner of Piazza San Zeno. I go to the back and look for a man reading a book with a green cover. I order a drink. Finish it, and then after a few minutes, I take the book he was reading, leaving mine on the table.”
“Yes. Exactly.” He handed over a book with a red cover to Lena.
“Now, you.” Luca looked Elodie straight in the eyes. She was mesmerized how his left one seemed to sparkle in the light and his right one seemed to absorb the shadow.
“You will go to 7 Via Fogge. It’s a small tailor shop. The owner will be sitting in front of a sewing machine, making pillows. You go to him with the book in your hands, and tell him your mother sent you to ask how much it would cost to make three square pillows for her if she provides the fabric. He will tell you the price. He will then ask you the title of the book you are reading and whether it is any good. Tell him the title and mention that you wept during chapter thirty-three. After you finish your brief conversation, place the book down on the table next to him, pick up one of the pillows, and make some comment about its beauty. Then leave, pretending to have forgotten the book.
“Now, let’s see if you got it right.”
Elodie smiled.
“I will go to 7 Via Fogge. There, I will find a tailor shop. The owner will be sitting at a sewing machine, making pillows. I go to him with the book in my hands, and tell him my mother would like to know the price for him to make three square pillows for her if she provides the fabric. He will tell me the price. He will then ask me the title of the book I’m reading and ask me if it’s any good. I will tell him the title”—Elodie lifted the book—“and mention that I wept on chapter thirty-three. After we finish our brief conversation, I will place the book down on the
Elodie raised her eyebrow.
He laughed, drawing back the curtain of the storeroom that they knew so well from the meetings.
Elodie had yet to see the room without anyone in it, and she was surprised to find it now so still and empty.
They followed Luca to the shelves in the far corner, pushing past the chairs and leftover debris from the last meeting.
“I’m glad the two of you have passed the first round of tests,” he said.
“Tests? What tests?” Elodie seemed confused.
“The last envelopes we asked you to deliver were actually blank . . . But you got them to where they needed to go, so now we know we can trust you with larger assignments.”
Lena’s face curled.
“Don’t act so insulted.” He laughed. “We do it with everyone.”
“They just need to be cautious,” Elodie said, touching Lena’s arm. “It makes sense.”
“I knew you’d understand the logic, Elodie. Thank you.”
“Well, now that we’ve passed, what’s our next assignment?”
Luca now stood on his tiptoes and pulled down two books from one of the shelves.
“Beppe prepared these last night, so they’re all set.”
He spoke first to Lena.
“Take yours to the bar on the northeast corner of the Piazza San Zeno. There will be a man reading a book with a green cover at the table in the back. Sit down. Order a drink. Finish it. He will come over to you, place his book down on the counter, and pretend to flirt with you. You will get up, take his book seemingly by accident, and leave yours on the table.” He paused. “That’s it. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Lena replied.
“Repeat it back to me,” Luca said to her. “Slowly. I want to make sure you have everything right.”
“I take this book to the bar on the northeast corner of Piazza Erbe . . .”
“Stop!” Luca held up his hand to prevent Lena from going any further.
“What’s the matter? Didn’t you say northeast corner of Piazza Erbe?”
“I said the northeast corner of Piazza San Zeno!”
“Oh.” Lena blushed. “I’m sorry. I must have heard you wrong.”
Luca tried to hide his agitation. “Try again.”
“I take this book to the northeast corner of Piazza San Zeno. I go to the back and look for a man reading a book with a green cover. I order a drink. Finish it, and then after a few minutes, I take the book he was reading, leaving mine on the table.”
“Yes. Exactly.” He handed over a book with a red cover to Lena.
“Now, you.” Luca looked Elodie straight in the eyes. She was mesmerized how his left one seemed to sparkle in the light and his right one seemed to absorb the shadow.
“You will go to 7 Via Fogge. It’s a small tailor shop. The owner will be sitting in front of a sewing machine, making pillows. You go to him with the book in your hands, and tell him your mother sent you to ask how much it would cost to make three square pillows for her if she provides the fabric. He will tell you the price. He will then ask you the title of the book you are reading and whether it is any good. Tell him the title and mention that you wept during chapter thirty-three. After you finish your brief conversation, place the book down on the table next to him, pick up one of the pillows, and make some comment about its beauty. Then leave, pretending to have forgotten the book.
“Now, let’s see if you got it right.”
Elodie smiled.
“I will go to 7 Via Fogge. There, I will find a tailor shop. The owner will be sitting at a sewing machine, making pillows. I go to him with the book in my hands, and tell him my mother would like to know the price for him to make three square pillows for her if she provides the fabric. He will tell me the price. He will then ask me the title of the book I’m reading and ask me if it’s any good. I will tell him the title”—Elodie lifted the book—“and mention that I wept on chapter thirty-three. After we finish our brief conversation, I will place the book down on the
Similar Books
