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Trying his best to swallow the lump in his throat, he held up his phone. “Just updating the boss on some outstanding files, is all.”
The man stepped forward and extended his hand. “I’m Matteo Sabarino, owner of this establishment.”
“Oh!” Chase lurched forward and grabbed the man’s hand quickly. “I’m Chase Harwick. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
“Yes, it is. And how are you enjoying yourself so far? Are you finding everything to your liking?”
“Yes, everything is amazing here,” he responded, wondering just how much of his conversation Matteo had overheard.
Matteo passed Chase a glass of champagne, and the two of them cheered.
“So, tell me a bit about yourself. Where are you from, and what do you do for a living?”
Marc had provided him with a fake background and employment, just in case anyone did a background search on him. They still weren’t sure who could be trusted and who were the true enemies in this place.
“I’m Chase Harwick, from Texas, where I own a cattle ranch.”
“Really? You look rather young to own a ranch. Have you owned it for long?” Matteo asked, pulling an old pocket watch from his suit pocket and glancing at the time.
Chase had never seen a man actually use a pocket watch before in real life. There was a flare of elegance to the move like he was watching one of those old black and white films where the handsome stranger with the square jaw rushes off to save the damsel just in the nick of time.
The move was very classy gentleman.
“Well, I only took it over recently,” Chase responded. “My parents owned the ranch originally; then, when they retired, they passed it on to me.”
Matteo nodded.
Chase was having difficulty getting a read on the man. His face was expressionless, yet he seemed skeptical of Chase’s answers. The man had one hell of a poker face.
“Do you have a few minutes to spare? I’d love to show you one of our most exotic attractions. I promise you’ll love it.”
There was something about the grin that Matteo gave that made Chase’s stomach knot. But his assignment was to gather information. And spending time with the owner of the establishment was a huge bonus, so he agreed.
“Perfect,” the man said, placing his right hand around the back of Chase’s neck and guiding him through the vast gardens.
Eventually, they came to a large, enclosed area nestled deep within the gardens.
Chase glanced over his shoulder and back at the mansion. They were definitely far enough away that no one would hear him scream if the man decided to murder him.
“After you,” Matteo said, holding open the door to the enclosure. Chase nodded, then stepped inside.
There was a weird smell in the air. It kind of reminded Chase of the class field trips they took to the zoo when he was just a boy.
Part of him wanted to hold his breath to stop the smell from entering his nose, but another part of him wanted to continue to breathe so that he could identify the source of the scent.
See? Masochistic behavior. Men like smelling bad odors.
The room was dark, with barely enough light to see two steps in front.
Yup, definitely a bad idea to go with eccentric, crazy boss-man into his dark box of death. Not how he wanted his life to end.
“Wait right here, and I’ll get the lights,” Matteo whispered, disappearing into the darkness.
Great, this is the part where he gets his ass murdered.
Just as the lights came to life, a loud growl and a monstrous beast came jumping at Chase. Chase let out a scream and stumbled backward.
Matteo let out a boisterous laugh.
