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“I hear you have good news for me.”
I nodded a bit too vigorously and earned myself a raised brow. “I recovered all your money and closed the accounts as requested.”
Always the good little worker, eager to please. That’s me.
“Good. Very good.” He looked around the small office, then leaned in until we were nose to nose. “Remember: you’re only here as long as you’re useful.”
My breath hitched at his declaration. Before coming here, I hadn’t had a panic attack since I was ten and our housekeeper accidentally locked me in a closet. My parents were out, the housekeeper went home, and I spent all night in the dark. But now they seemed my new normal.
But the last thing I wanted was to appear weak in front of Maurizio. I took deep rattling breaths in and out, watching him, trying to maintain control.
He pointed to the computer. “Show me the accounts.”
When he saw the one I’d been looking at, he grabbed a fistful of my hair, making me yelp in surprise. “That account is none of your business. Make sure the money goes in, but you don’t look at it otherwise, and you don’t tell anyone it’s there. You understand?”
He yanked my hair again, and I flinched. “I understand,” I squeaked.
He released me, and I scrambled to get the accounts up and explain what I’d done, all the while leaning away from him. My scalp stung, and I wanted to rub the sore spot but refrained, too scared of what might happen if I delayed. “All the money is now back in account 576 983 as requested. Account 823 978 has been made your transaction account. 143 625 holds the money you earn each month from your businesses.”
My eyes never wavered from his, too scared to take my attention off him. But since I’d memorized all the numbers, I didn’t need to look at my screen.
His lifeless eyes raked over my body once I was done talking him through everything. “You seem to be even more of an asset than originally thought. This pleases me.”
I held my breath, my body trembling under his unwelcome attention. Taking a strand of my hair, he lifted it up, smelling it. I swallowed, fighting down the urge to vomit all over his expensive shoes. After another few seconds that felt like hours he released my hair and left.
As soon as he was gone and the door clicked shut behind him, I put my head between my legs and my hands on my head. It was either that or pass out.
This was worse than hell. It was purgatory. If I didn’t do my job well, he’d get rid of me. If I did my job well, he’d keep me. Both shitty options. But the one where I was still breathing at least meant I could continue to try and get out of here.
Not that I’d made much headway. I still didn’t know how to get out of the heavily secured fortress or how to get a car. Because there was no way I could walk back to Georgetown.
Santino wasn’t due to arrive to accompany me to the kitchen for at least another hour, but a wave of fatigue hit me so hard, I swayed in my seat.
The office walls were closing in around me, and I heaved myself out of the chair. If I had put my brain to good use, I would have stopped myself from leaving the office alone. And I would have definitely stopped myself from going outside. But when I saw a door that was unguarded and unlocked, I took my chance. I was desperate. And desperate Everleigh did things without calculating all the risks as she usually did.
There was also still a chance my brother was here. I hadn’t seen any sign of someone else being held captive, but who knew if they had a secret dungeon somewhere.
After wandering around the grounds for a while, looking for any weak spots, I found a cluster of small bungalows. The guards had gotten used to my presence, and nobody stopped me from wandering. There was no rule that I wasn’t allowed to go outside.
The house sat atop a cliff, overlooking the ocean. It would have been breathtaking had it not held so much death and pain.
I passed another pool, this one with a waterfall, and a tennis court. A small cluster of bungalows sat behind the tennis court, and I figured they were as good as place as any to start my search.
I looked through one of the windows and saw beds, the sheets messily thrown on top, and a table surrounded by chairs. There was nobody inside, so I crept to the next one. I guessed this was where the guards stayed, and maybe the staff.
I stumbled over a chair left outside one of the houses, and it made a loud scraping sound. I clenched the back to stop it from toppling over and listened. The guards’ constant chatter was unchanged. No footsteps, no shouting. I relaxed my grip on the chair and took a deep breath.
After I’d checked all the bungalows, my body deflated. I’d discovered nothing. Nobody had left keys or any usable weapons out—at least nothing obvious that I could spot through a window. And I was too afraid to go inside.
When I turned to go back, my nose hit something solid, and the foul—and familiar—smell immediately made me recoil in fear. My luck was on the down and out, with no way up.
I took a careful step back, weighing my options. I could turn and run. I would probably make it as far as the pool. Or I could try to punch him, hope I hit him, and then scream.
The problem with both options: he was now holding my arm in a viselike grip that I didn’t see myself getting out of anytime soon. I also didn’t know how to hit anyone. I wished I’d taken that self-defense class Thea wanted me to go to with her.
“We meet again,cabrona,” he snarled at me.
I shivered, all my senses telling me to run. His free hand was pawing my face and hair roughly. I flinched and twisted in his grip, my scalp stinging from the continued rough treatment. “Santino is out here. You better let me go. He’ll be looking for me.”
