The bottom of the stairs is broken into fragments that make me pause. Massimo doesn’t. He steps over the rubble, grabs me under the arms, and whirls me across it like I’m as light as a feather. I struggle to get my footing once my sneakers are flat on the ground. He’s strong—really strong. He could have hurt me a lot more than he did last night, if he wanted to.
“Thank you,” I whisper, and Massimo’s gaze lingers on me for a moment before he looks away.
“The tunnels are up ahead. If you look closely, you can even see some blood from all the human sacrifices.” Massimo motions for me to follow him.
“Wait, human sacrifices?” My eyes get wide. “Are you serious?”
“They don’t put that in the brochure,” he chuckles. “Bad for tourism.”
“Great, so the people from the Lost City of Pacifis were serial killers.” I shake my head and follow him into the tunnels.
There’s enough light for us to make it several feet before things get dark. They definitely don’t let tourists come down here. Massimo turns on his phone and guides me. I find myself clinging to his arm because the ground has some rubble that would be easy to trip over.
As we get deeper into the tunnels, and I see drawings on the wall that seem to confirm the people who built this place sacrificed human beings to whatever sun-looking deity they worshiped, it occurs to me that if Massimo wants to kill me, this would be agreatplace to hide my body. I gulp uncomfortably as the tunnels open up to a large circular room with shafts that provide natural light. There’s a large pit in the middle. A reddish-brown tint to the floor, more prominent around the pit. I look around and I notice an altar with similarly hued stains.
“No wonder they don’t bring tourists down here,” I remark. “It would be a great place to film a horror movie, though.”
“They’ve filmed a few down here,” he comments, putting his hands on his hips. “Alright, so in order for the ritual to work, I need to sacrifice a virgin on the altar. Now, where would I find a virgin…”
I take a step back. “I asked you not to say things like that,” I groan. “It makes me uncomfortable.”
“Oh, right, because you’re still a virgin,” he chuckles, turning to me. “That’s an easy problem to fix. Then you won’t have to worry about being sacrificed for good harvest next year.”
Massimo’s gaze flickers as he closes in on me. I shake my head and back up until I’m against the wall.
“Seriously, don’t say things like that,” I protest, trapped between his stare and the wall behind me.
“You never have to worry about being uncomfortable with me,bambina,” he growls. “I won’t lay a hand on you—unless you deserve it.” Massimo grins and turns away. “Come on, let’s check out the other tunnels.”
I’m breathless for a moment, then I gather my composure and follow him. Despite my better judgment, I cling to his arm once we’re walking across rubble again. His arm is so thick and strong. I can’t help imagining what it would feel like to be wrapped up in both of them—breathless for an entirely different reason. Even a hug would be nice. I haven’t had a real hug since the last one I got from my grandmother. No. I can’t think like that. Can’t think about things too dangerous for me to even comprehend.
“This room is where they slept,” Massimo explains as we venture into another circular room. This one has even more natural light. “Not the important people, of course. This room was likely for temple servants or slaves.”
“You know a lot about this place,” I comment, looking around at the ancient room that has been thoroughly plundered down to some of the stones.
“When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time in Italy with my grandfather. Part of my education, I guess you could say. He wanted me to learn everything about the family, but he also brought me to places like this,” Massimo says. “History, especially ancient history, always fascinated him.”
“It is rather fascinating,” I admit. “To think that these people lived their entire lives on this island. Never saw the rest of the world… Not that I’m one to talk. This is the first time I’ve been anywhere other than Pine Grove.”
“You should travel.” Massimo turns to face me. “Seriously. Don’t waste your life stuck in one place. The world is beautiful and full of interesting places like this.”
“Easier said than done, Massimo,” I sigh. “I’m not wealthy. I can’t just go anywhere I want on a whim. The only way I was able to afford to come here is because my grandmother left me a small inheritance. She made me promise I’d use it to… keep the other promise I made.”
“How much do you want?” Massimo shrugs. “A million dollars? Ten? It’s not like I can take it with me when I go.”
“Massimo, no.” I shake my head. “I-I… No.”
“I’m serious, Lea.” He walks closer, tilting his head slightly.
“Yeah, until you’re gone and your family wonders why you sent millions of dollars to some random nobody.” I hold up a hand and take a step back. “I don’t want Mafia money, or the kind of attention that would come with it.”
“I’m not an idiot,” he growls, looking offended. “I’d put it in a trust and burn the paper trail. Nobody would ever find out where it went. And my family will have bigger problems to worry about than where some of my money went.”
“No.” I state firmly. “It’s a generous offer, and I appreciate it, but I don’t want your money.”
“You might regret that one day.” He shrugs. “There’s more to see. Follow me.”
I sigh and do as I’m told, following Massimo down another dark tunnel as we go deeper into the ancient structure. The path narrows and the incline makes it harder to keep my footing. Massimo seems fine in his hiking boots, but my sneakers losetraction a couple of times. Massimo holds my arm to make sure I don’t fall. It finally opens up into another circular room, similar to the last one.
