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It didn’t escape my notice that it also meant this man was here—injured and trapped—because of me.
“Si, you’re right,” he said, tugging on his shackled wrist. “I don’t suppose you have a paper clip… or a bobby pin?”
My breath caught in my throat. I reached up and felt my hair for the pins Greta had put in it. “Thank you, Greta,” I whispered, pulling one out. “I do. Here.” I reached out for his hand and waited to be sure he had a grip on the pin.
Then his hand was like a dark shadow in front of the pole, but I could feel his movements against my wrist and hear the quiet scrape of metal against metal as he fiddled with the lock—my lock.
How many people would work to free someone else before they freed themselves?
“What’s your name?” I asked, trying to occupy my mind with idle conversation while the knot in my stomach twisted up tighter and tighter. Now that there was maybe something that could be done, I could feel the passage of every second again. Waiting, listening for the sound of a car engine approaching.
“Cesare,signorina.”
“Have you worked for Nico, I meanSignorCosta long?”
“Just a few years, but I owe my life toSignorCosta. I will be with him for my whole life—if he’ll have me.” He spoke with so much conviction, I didn’t doubt his commitment for a minute. I did wonder, though, if Cesare was yet another one of Nico’s “good deeds” that he didn’t like to talk about.
Cesare kept fiddling, but the sound of a distant car engine broke through the near-silence.
It was coming closer.
And closer.
My heart started to pound again, and my breathing came so fast, I got light-headed. I wanted to beg Cesare to go faster, but it wouldn’t help. He was moving as fast as he could. I imagined it was no simple task to break out of handcuffs with a bobby pin in the dark.
And then I heard it—the quiet click of the mechanism turning. The metal fell away from my wrist, clattering against the pole.
“You did it,” I whispered as car tires rolled over gravel right outside. The engine turned off.
Oh no.
“Hurry,” I said despite my assertion there was no sense in rushing him, but instead of hurrying, he stopped.
“Hide,” he said.
Just one word, but it echoed over and over again inside my head.
“No, please, just—” I groped for his hand and yanked it toward his own shackle.
“Go. Hide now. TellSignorCosta I am sorry.”
I couldn’t move. I couldn’t just leave him.
“Please,signorina. You cannot let me be the reason… I could never live with myself.”
“Nico wouldn’t punish you, Cesare. Please. This isn’t your fault.”
“Not punishment. Honor. Please, let me do this one honorable thing. I beg you.”
Footsteps crunched over gravel outside. I was out of time. Stay here, get recaptured, and be of no use to Cesare? Or hide, and hope the opportunity to help him presented itself?
I could feel his pleading expression even if I couldn’t see it. I could only hope that was the reason I kissed the top of his head and darted off, sneaking quietly as far back as I could go and feeling around for somewhere to hide and anything I could use as a weapon.
The door squeaked open.
I froze, listening.
The beam of a flashlight spread out across the floor, shining in the direction of Cesare. I held my breath, trying not to move despite the way my whole body trembled.
