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I search his eyes. “Liar."
He smirks, leaning forward, his eyes glued to me. “Fine. Because Arlo stole something from me and I want it back."
My heart sinks. “Nina. You want Nina back."
He nods.
I smile. “You're never gonna find them."
“And why not?"
“Because I don't know where they are. Yes, they call me and let me know they're safe every once in a while, but they never tell me where they are. Just that they're safe. They never tell you where they are either. Arlo is better than you at this sort of thing. They'll be able to run and hide from you forever."
A pinched expression crosses his face as he stares at me, then at my date, and back to me again.
“I don't think I’ll have any trouble finding them,” Matteo says, standing up from my couch and walking toward Saul. “Enjoy your date. Don't let her pick the wine.” He’s at my door in seconds, while I’m still staring at the couch, confused as to what the hell's going on.
“Where are you going?" I snap out of my stupor.
He stops short of the door, turns, and smirks at me. His eyes grow venomous.
“I’m letting you have one last date before I take you.”
2
Eden
I'm stunned as the door slams shut.
He's gone as quickly as he came. He struck fear into my heart and disappeared into the night leaving me with a thousand questions and no answers.
I close my eyes and crack my head side to side before deeply exhaling as I let all of the air out of my body. Calm. I need to remain calm. Now I wish I had had time for that yoga session to help relax me.
"Eden, what's wrong? What's going on?"
I ignore Saul. I can't handle his questions right now. I don't even have time to deal with my own fear. The only thing I can worry about is how to keep Matteo from kidnapping me.
There’s a reason Nina and Arlo ran. Matteo was one of those reasons. He may be Arlo’s brother, but I know what he’s capable of. He’s ruthless and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants.
I’m desperate for a solution and fast. I need a way to get rid of Matteo.
Nina. I rush over to the counter where my phone is lying and pick it up, ready to dial the number I memorized by heart. A number I’m only supposed to use in emergencies. Matteo coming back and threatening to steal me is unquestionably an emergency. I unlock my phone and begin dialing the numbers 376…
I stop.
I can't call Nina.
I try to swallow the lump in my throat. The one person who could help me is the one person I can’t call. The one person who understands Matteo better than anyone. The one person who knows what Matteo might be planning.
All I know is I don’t trust Matteo. I would be putting her in danger.
And if I tell Nina what is going on, she will come back. She will want to fight. And I can't put her through something like this again. She's happy. And even if I was able to convince her not to come back, Matteo could be tracking my calls. He could figure out that I know how to contact her. He could use the information to discover where she is. And I won't help him find her. I won’t risk Nina’s life no matter the cost.
Matteo didn’t tell me why he wants Nina. But I doubt his intentions are pure. Nina told me almost everything. Matteo loved her as much as Arlo. She made her choice. She chose Arlo, now Matteo has to live with it. I don’t want to imagine what battle might ensue if he was to find her.
I don’t trust Arlo much more than I do Matteo, but Nina is as safe as she can be with him. Matteo can’t find them.
Heath. I can call Heath. He is the only other person who might understand. He went through all this with Nina, and as much as I hate to bring him back into this world again, he is the only option I have.
