The Mosaic

Chapter 42 | Trust and Treason

"So have you, Inspector."

Alessandro hesitated. "Alessandro." He held out his hand.

Lorenzo's smile brightened the entire street ahead of them. "Lorenzo." It grew stupidly wide when he clasped Alessandro's hand. "But that's too serious for me... Most just say Zo." He almost looked sad.

He didn't like being seen as the always cheery, ever foolish boy, Alessandro realized. It must be hard, with a brother like Antonio, the mastermind, the duke's favorite.

"Lorenzo is nice." It was velvet on his lips, soft and rich.

And then they were walking on sunshine.

Lorenzo was laughing about one of his own jokes, elbowing Alessandro when he didn't. "Come on, that was funny."

"Slightly."

"Slightly is better than nothing," Lorenzo decided. "Laugh."

Alessandro offered half a smile. Seemingly content with that, Lorenzo grinned proudly. Alessandro had to admit he wasn't smiling about the joke, but Lorenzo. The man had the sun in his smile.

"It's been a while since I've been to Florence," Alessandro admitted, when they crossed one of the many bridges, the river sparkling below as it lazily swam past red roofed houses and the colorfully striped canopies of small market booths.

"I'm here often. I like the vibe."

"That's not how you pronounce 'men'," Alessandro said.

Lorenzo grumbled. "Oh, so now you can be funny?"

They reached the church too soon. The gigantic cupola stormed the bright sky above, Alessandro marveling at the architecture. These patterns of black and white marble, like a more intricate chessboard. The fiery red dome, the golden spire pointing at the sun like an index of eternal light. Hexagons stacked onto octagons, shifted and rotated until it seemed to transform into a spinning pyramid, spiraling towards the sun. He was so absorbed into angles and colors, he didn't notice Lorenzo leading him off the large square again, past a half finished monument of a bronze rider -- the clanging of metal and the hissing of ropes made his heartbeat quicken in delight -- and tugging them into an empty side street.

The sudden silence woke him up, the sun gone, cool shadows brushing his skin instead. "What are we doing here?"

"Nothing!" Lorenzo replied a bit to fast. "Saying good-bye?"

Alessandro almost laughed at the others hesitant expression. "I wasn't under the impression you were leaving to travel with the merchant? No need for long good-byes." He couldn't resist teasing him.

"Right," Lorenzo said. "Right, right, right. Yes. I just meant..." He looked up and down the small street. Finding it empty, he stepped closer, trapping warmth between their chests. "Good-bye."

Lorenzo was already slipping around the corner back onto the square, waving over his shoulder and calling back "See you around!" , when Alessandro blinked and snapped out of his stupor. Lorenzo had kissed his cheek before skipping off. He lifted his hand, brushing over the tingling skin. Lorenzo's lips had been soft, but their press hadn't been unsure. He shook his head quickly. What was he, a young girl? He had work to do.

----

The echo of their steps was like a mad metronome, growing quicker and quicker, urging them deeper down the cold corridors. It was highly improbable, if not impossible -- but Alessandro couldn't help worrying they would be too late.

It hadn't taken long to find Marius, a telltale halo of pure white floating half a head above the churchgoers. He looked like the light cascading down onto the people had seeped into one of the perfect marble statues, animating art itself.