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She sat down on the bed and watched the cafés in the street below set up their tables.
So what was she going to do now? She couldn’t stay holed up in the pensione for ever. Sooner or later she would have to go back to the palazzo to pack. And then it hit her. She hadn’t just made herself homeless: her seedlings and plants, including her precious night-flowering orchids, would soon be on the streets too.
She bit her lip. Unless Massimo would agree to let them stay in the greenhouses. But it seemed unlikely. He would probably just laugh in her face. Tears pricked her eyes and she angrily swatted them away and took a deep breath. Tonight. She would go tonight and collect her orchids and leave the rest of her life behind. Start again. Live light. It would be an adventure. Besides, much as she loved the palazzo, the thought of being responsible for it had always made her feel edgy and uptight.
Feeling a little happier, she began to dry her hair.
Incredibly, she’d managed to hitch a ride most of the way to the palazzo, but it was still nearly nine before she finally slipped through the side door. The house was dark and strangely silent in a way that it hadn’t been for weeks and she sighed with relief.
He was out! Probably celebrating her departure. But at least it meant she wouldn’t have to see his stupid, smug face.
Feeling her way around the furniture, she made her way carefully through the house until finally she saw a glimmer of light. Her first thought was that at least she wouldn’t break her neck on the stairs, but then, as she stepped into the hallway, something like fear scraped over her skin.
The front door was wide open and moonlight was shining straight through the doorway into the hallway. On legs that felt as though they were made of glass she walked softly across the floor. Looking nervously out into the darkness, her heart stopped as her thoughts tumbled into one another.
Massimo’s car was still parked on the gravel beside the limousine. So he was home. Unless he’d taken a taxi. But then if he wasn’t home why had he left the front door open?
She turned round and stared into the darkened house. And then the air seemed to shrink in on her as, with a sudden, paralysing lurch of fear, she heard something or someone move tentatively in the stillness. She froze, her stomach slowly turning to ice. But it was no good pretending she hadn’t heard it. Somebody was inside the palazzo. Somebody who didn’t want to be seen.
For a moment her body was rooted to the floor, her breath coming in panicky little gasps, and then there was a crashing sound, a muttered curse, and it was as though a pin had been pulled inside her. Anger, bright and blinding white, rose up and blossomed like a flare.
How dare they?
Gritting her teeth, she thought longingly of Umberto’s ancient shotgun. It was broken and unloaded, but it still looked pretty damn scary. Only it was locked up in one of the outhouses. And then suddenly
she saw the broom...leaning against the banisters, gleaming in the moonlight like some magical mythological weapon. Breathing out slowly, she picked it up and walked swiftly across the hallway and kicked open the kitchen door.
She had barely stepped into the room when she felt hands grab her. Strong male hands, gripping her round the waist and neck, twisting and crushing her. She lashed out with her feet and arms but her attacker was stronger, much stronger than she had ever imagined, and in sheer animal terror she sank her teeth into his arm.
‘Let me go!’
He swore and, feeling his grip loosen, she yanked herself free. There was a cracking sound, and she staggered backwards with a cry.
‘F-Flora?’
Her heart was crashing against her ribs so loudly that for a moment she wasn’t sure if she was hearing things, and then she heard him curse softly in the darkness. Breathing out, she reached behind her and flicked on the lights, squinting as brightness filled the room.
‘M-Massimo! What on—?’
He was suddenly beside her, his hands gripping her arms, his eyes the exact colour of a stormy night sky. ‘You damned little fool! What the hell do you think you’re doing, creeping around in the dark in the middle of the night? I could have broken your neck!’
Through the beating of her heart Flora could hear the shock in his voice. But she didn’t care. A fury wilder than any storm reared up inside, splitting her open.
Tearing free of his grip, she thumped him hard in the chest. ‘What do you mean? You’re the one creeping around in the darkness. And how dare you tell me what I can and cannot do?’
Tension was shimmering off him like a heat haze. ‘What is it with you? Don’t you ever get tired of fighting me? It’s like you’re on some kind of mission!’
She glared at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. ‘You attacked me!’
He stared at her incredulously. ‘Then how come I’m the one bleeding?’
‘You were hurting me!’
They were inches apart. She could feel the heat of his body. He smelt of salt and leather, and despite her anger she felt heat spike up inside her.
He held up his hand. ‘You bit me!’
‘Good!’ she snapped. ‘It’s the least you deserve after how you’ve treated me.’
