Rovinj, or in Italian Rovigno, was one of the most beautiful towns Iris had ever seen. The town spread from the circular peninsula all the way to the mainland, with houses crowded down to the seafront. A tangle of cobbled streets led to the hilltop, where a single church tower peeked over all other buildings. The entire town seemingly emerged from the pristine water. Over the intricate houses, built in different architectural styles, loomed the clear blue sky.

Iris stepped on the cobbled streets. The town was full of tourists, walking down the Riviera, sightseeing, eating in restaurants and drinking coffee in cute, unique cafés. The town was quaint, charming and rustic. Houses were narrow, tall and full of interesting details such as colourful windows and flower pots. Vines grew through the sleek stones and climbed all over the walls.

Each street contained its own mystery, whether it was a small square at the end, with a statue of a saint, or a hidden, charming restaurant in the passageway. Iris noticed the bilingual signs, written both in Croatian and Italian.

"It reminds me of Venice." Iris's murmurings accompanied the sound of her flip-flops on the stone.

"Probably because the town was a part of Venetian Republic for over 500 years." Igor appeared next to her. Somewhere on their way he managed to put on a black shirt. "Italian is still the second official language."

The town seemed to take her to another time; the time of princes and princesses, great loves and great battles. The combination of Renaissance and Baroque, along with imperfect facades and impromptu designs, brought in a little chaos and a lot of charm. Still, each building belonged in its place.

It was dreamy and enticing. Romantic.

"Gde ćemo?" Bane caught up with them, Lora hanging on his arm like she was holding onto her dear life.

Where are we going?

"We're going to a restaurant called Mali Raj." Igor answered in English. "I promised truffles."

It translated to 'little heaven' and Iris smiled at the name. Bane and Lora fell behind and Iris realised her partner tried to leave her alone with Igor as much as possible.

As they moved through the streets, Iris noticed the red posters all over the town with caps-lock writing. Vrijeme je za Republiku Istru.

It is time for a Republic of Istria.

There seemed to be an election going on, or a referendum of some sort. Iris guessed it had something to do with Istria Liberation Alliance. She frowned slightly. The details of the mission said it was a extremist-type separation group, not an entire movement.

"What do these say?" She pointed at the posters innocently, hoping her interest could be ascribed to pure good-hearted curiosity.

"It is time for a Republic of Istria." Igor answered. "The entire Istrian peninsula is fighting for independence. Or at least they're trying to fight."

"How did that happen?"

"After Covid-19, the recession hit the country hard, resulting in an extreme right rule in Croatia. Istria has historically been a liberal region and some parties are pushing the idea of independence." Igor explained and walked ahead, his steps becoming larger and faster.

He did not want to talk about it, which happened to be a clear answer. Perhaps he truly had something to do with it.

"And what do you want?" Iris caught up with him, almost slipping on the stony streets. He regarded her with a raised eyebrow.

"I, above all else, want everyone to leave me alone." His expression remained deadpan and Iris knew it was directed at her and her snooping.

"Hey, you did a background check on me, it's only fair I learn something about you." She pushed.

"There's not much to learn."

"I somehow doubt that."

"What is it that you want to know?" Igor looked at the town around him, only half of his attention on Iris.

He breathed in the air, a faint smile emerging on his lips. Iris noticed it. His entire body relaxed as he walked down the streets of this mysterious and charming town.

"You said your mother was born in Istria." Iris remembered. "Was she born here?"

"Yes."

Iris almost stopped in place. Despite the obvious love for the town in his eyes, Igor behaved pretty detached for a man who had just visited his hometown. Unless he's frequently visited. Or his mother wasn't here. Iris chose the latter.

"She doesn't live here, does she?"

"No." Igor let out a half-sigh, but remained guarded. "My father was Serbian. Before the war, my mother moved there to be with him. Once the war hit, she hadn't been able to escape. After, she hadn't had enough money to return here. Over the years, this place stopped being her home."

Iris glanced aside, noticing the tidbit of information he let on. Igor was a man who came from nothing. His mother hadn't had enough money to return to her hometown. There were a couple of roads leading from poverty to wealth, one of which was arguably the most certain one.

"Was?" Iris took a left turn in her own thoughts, forgetting about Igor's business for a moment, deciding not to open that particular can of worms just yet. She caught something else entirely. "He was Serbian?"

Igor stopped before a restaurant, hidden in the shade of vine covered pergolas. The place was full of people and the smells of food reached Iris's nostrils. Before she could indulge in the finest cuisine Istria had to offer, Igor met her gaze.

"He's dead."

This was no recent wound. Igor's eyes held no fresh sadness, just deep mourning which found its place in his memory and his heart. Time did not heal all wounds, instead it carved them, making them more permanent than anything.

"I'm sorry." Iris offered the moment of silence she received earlier. Igor smiled faintly and gestured towards the arched entryway to the restaurant's garden.

"Ah, I'm starving." Lora walked between them, parting them. Iris caught her partner's gaze and slightly frowned.

"Me too!" Bane rushed after her and they disappeared inside.

Igor found them a table, in the shade, away from most of the people. The owner knew him and promised dishes made with utmost care. Iris felt her stomach rumbling at the thought of truffles. She sipped her wine when Lora pulled at the hem of her dress.

"Come to the bathroom with me?"

"We're about to order." Iris's chest tightened under Igor's curious stare. One thing she's learned by now about this man was his uncanny ability to read people. And right now, Lora broke character and Igor sensed it.

She seemed itchy, wriggly and on edge. And a woman that spent her day fucking on a yacht shouldn't have seemed that way. Lora caught her mistake quickly and offered her stupidest smile.

"I think my bra is upside down. I need someone to guard the door." Lora batted her eyelashes, instantly charming Bane who stared at her like she was the world's eighth wonder.

"I'll order for you." He said and Lora grinned.

Igor began to speak.

"If you want, I'll-"

"Don't you dare order for me." Iris cut him off. He lifted his hands in surrender and smiled.

The women walked to the bathroom casually until they were out of sight. In the small, rustic bathroom, Lora finally dropped the goofy grin and showed her true face.

"What are you doing?"

"What have I done now?" Iris sighed and leaned against the vanity.

"You're sharing stuff with him." Lora's blue eyes narrowed, concern etching on her forehead.

"What are you talking about?" Iris's shoulders slumped.

"You told him Noah's dead."

"Oh, come on." Iris chuckled. "You, of all people, know the power of vulnerability. I shared because it made him share."

"I don't like this." Lora put her hands on her hips and pursed her plump lips. "There's something about him I don't like. He's too present, too careful. Every word you say, he turns and flips until he sees the truth behind it."

"Well, it would be pretty boring if they were so easily fooled." Iris kept her voice low, but a part of her wanted to shout. Adrenaline pushed her energy levels up.

"Of course, you'd like that." Lora's voice flattened. "But I just want to do my job."

"You keep fucking Bane and getting us invitations to places like this and I'll take care of Igor." Iris smiled. "Anyone else would be all over me by now, but he's keeping at bay. And it's turning me on."

"Oh, God, you're twisted." Lora sighed. "The job is simple, Huntress. Do whatever it is you need to do. But never, ever tell him the truth."

"Yes, except with this man, telling him the truth might be doing whatever I need to do." Iris said.

"Don't get us caught, Huntress." Lora took in a deep breath, her voice stuttering. She splashed some water on her face and returned to her role. The dumb, naive smile spread across her face.

"I won't." Iris said. "But I might walk the line."

"You're going to get us killed." With her huge blue eyes and an innocent smile on her lips, her sentence sounded even eerier. She snatched her purse and walked out of the bathroom.

Iris turned to her reflection and caught a glimpse of her necklace, the one her fiancé, Noah, gave her. She still wore it, even when it brought her nothing but pain.

There were some wounds time simply didn't heal. Especially when pain was backed by immense guilt she felt every time she remembered what she did to Noah.

Iris shook her head and began to fix her dark red hair. Her hands stopped in place. Igor Milosavljević wasn't the type of a man to like perfectly done hair. No, perfect was boring. Iris rustled her hair even more, letting the loose strands fall anywhere they preferred.

She pushed the door of the bathroom open and noticed her dark-haired companion talking on the phone behind the dining area of the restaurant. He walked back and forth, concern and anger colouring his expression. Iris leaned against the wall and put her ear to the ground. Fortunately, Igor still didn't know she understood the language. Or at least she hoped.

"Jesam ti reko da neću da me zoveš na ovaj broj?" Igor's angry voice was stronger, louder and deeper than usual.

Didn't I tell you not to call this number?

Iris remained alert, just in case he turned around and saw her lingering behind him.

"Boli me kurac, Jovane, poslao sam te u Beograd jer sam mislio da možeš da središ to za mene. Hoću ja morati da dođem?"

The worlds rolled off his tongue quickly and the wall of vines proved to be a soundproof barrier.

I don't give a fuck, Jovan, I sent you to Belgrade because I thought you could do this for me. Am I going to have to come?

Iris struggled to understand, so she came closer, her heartbeat accelerating. Despite the coldness of the wall, familiar heat made her forehead glisten with sweat. The tone of his voice changed from the aloofness she's heard earlier. The relaxed, content man was gone.

"Dao sam naredbu. Rekao sam da šalješ Samirove dečke, a ti si rekao da možeš sam to da uradiš."

I gave the order. I told you to send Samir's boys and you said you can do it alone.

Iris's gaze danced across the floor, trying to make sense of his words. But he said nothing of significance. Deciding the conversation wasn't worth getting caught, Iris turned around and began to walk away. Igor's voice stopped her.

"And you called me a snoop."

***

Thank you so much for reading! Please remember to vote and comment if you like this chapter.

The picture above is Rovinj, a coastal town Iris visited in this chapter! ❤️