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The night is over too soon. I try to stay awake as I wriggle tighter against Dante. He holds me close, and soon, I’m flowing into a dream. It’s tangled and messy. I see myself with a veil on, but then it’s torn away, and Dante moves to one knee and opens a ring box, but spiders crawl out. I wake shuddering, Dante whispering, “It’s okay, Mia. I’m here.”
I grab his hand as if to make sure he’s real.
“Sorry, bad dream.”
“You don’t have to be sorry,” he tells me. “Hey, how likely are you to be searched?”
“What? Searched?” I say. “No way. None of them would—Elio, Luca, Colt—and I won’t let anybody else.” My skin crawls when I think about who else might try to search me.
“Then keep the cell phone,” he says. “They’re both burners with end-to-end decryption and self-deleting messages.”
“Oh, that’s a feature?” I laugh. “I just thought the crappy phone was broken.”
He smirks, and I make a face at him, so he makes one right back, leaning down and scrunching up his forehead. It’s so intimate and couple-like somehow. It makes me feel closer to him. Maybe that’s just me being dumb and OTT.
“Are you going to miss this place?” he says.
I reach up and touch his face. “It’s been a crazy couple of days. I wish I’d reacted better to Vito.”
“Most people don’t react how they think they will. Real violence, real blood, it always hits harder.”
“I always think of myself as strong,” I say stubbornly. “It’s the only way I’ve been able to get through certain things.”
“Youarestrong,” he snaps. “Now, tell me your story.”
“Masked men, dressed all in black, pulled up in the parking lot. They attacked Vito and grabbed me. They put a bag over my head and earplugs in my ears. Then they put me in a dark room. I could wash, and they fed me, but I didn’t see anybody. Just people in masks.”
“That’s it,” he tells me, nodding. “There’s an actual group that does this. It’s a legitimate cover story. We can end this all quietly.”
I nod. “I get it, Dante. I’m ready.”
He touches my hand, leans down, and brings his lips to mine. I sink against him. The kiss melts so much wannabe strength in me. The kiss makes me want to be brave again, adventurous, grab him, and take him. He leans away. “I need to go. Colt will be here soon.”
I sigh. “Okay, Dante. I…” What is it I want to say, exactly? I want him. I need him. I want to forget every time I ever thought being alone forever was a good idea. “I’ll see you soon?”
“I’ll bring your painting,” he says.
Yeah, but what face will he be wearing? Once he’s gone, I quickly shower and change into some of the clean, plain clothes Dante brought for me. After around thirty minutes of waiting in the living room, the elevator door opens, and Colt walks in. The large, older man has a deep frown on his face. He walks quickly over to me.
“Lexi is so worried,” he tells me stiffly.
“I’m sorry. It’s hard to explain.”
“If we can end this without hurting anybody, I don’t need an explanation. I can’t say the same for Lexi.” Colt reaches into his pocket and takes out a head covering. “Are you ready? This needs to seem realistic.”
I take a breath, then nod. “I’m ready.”
I’m ready for a future I never even knew I wanted. I’m finally ready to feel like somebody, like a human being, a woman with feelings andintentions. I want a say in my romantic life, my sex life, my artistic life.
Colt puts the bag over my head and cuffs my hands in front of me. “Not too tight, are they?” he says. “Lexi’ll kill me if I hurt you.”
“It’s fine,” I tell him.
“Dante would kill me, too,” Colt says.
“Has he said something?”
“Didn’t need to,” Colt replies. “I’ve never seen him like this before.” He leads me into the elevator. My belly drops. I’m off-balance from the weird experience of being blinded while going down. “I knew something more than his mom was on his mind, and doing this… taking you… It’s not like him.”
