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I’m exhausted. This jet lag has thrown me. All I want to do is curl up and sleep for the next two days. I’m just stepping out of the shower, a shower I’ll be making use of as often as possible before I have to leave here. It was pure heaven. I wrap a towel around me and walk into our guest bedroom. It’s more like a mini apartment: it has a bar, a kitchenette, and its own plunge pool on the balcony. Who needs a resort when you have friends with houses like this? I should care that the foundation of all these amenities was forged out of violence and blood money, but I can’t bring myself to think on it now.
The door to the room is ajar. I walk over to close it before I get changed but stop at the threshold. “I need you to go to this address and get Lana out of the country. Send her ass home.” Theo’s voice is quiet but maintains that harsh undertone.
“What the fuck is she even doing here, T?” Neo counters. Good bloody question—a question I’d very much like answered right now too. That, and why T didn’t tell me she was here.
“Her and her Russian fucking boytoy hijacked my flight. Look, they’re both staying at this cottage. Just tell them to leave. We need clear heads if we’re gonna get this done tonight. The auction starts in two hours. We should get moving.”
“Okay, I’ll handle Lana, but you are not going to that fucking auction alone. I’m coming.”
I really shouldn’t be eavesdropping; this is not the sort of stuff I need to hear. But, at the same time, I can’tnothear it either.
“No, I need you to stay here with Holly, Neo. I can’t do thisandbe worried about her. I need to know she’s safe”
“She’s locked up in Donatello’s fortress. Nothing’s going to happen to her inside the compound. Let Sonnie stay with her. I’m coming with you,” Neo demands. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him speak so forcefully before.
“Fucking hell, fine, but I want more than just Sonnie. I don’t trust any of the fuckers around here. At least four men at the door to this room. Have them stationed there in ten. We need to head out. And make the arrangements to get Lana out of the goddamn country before she gets herself killed.” T steps through the door, and I freeze. I’ve been caught red-handed, listening in on a conversation I’m not meant to know anything about. I swallow, my nerves running rampant, and hold the towel tighter to my chest. “Fanculo, how much of that did you hear, dolcezza?” T tilts his head to the side, his eyes roaming up and down my body.
“I-I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry,” I stammer out.
“You sure about that? Because from where I’m standing, it looked completely intentional.”
“Why didn’t you mention that Lana came to Italy with you?” I ask, turning the questions back on him instead.
“That’s what you’re concerned about? Fine, I didn’t tell you because it didn’t seem important.”
“You took another woman across the globe, and you didn’t think that was important?”
“It’s not like that, and you know it, Holly. Or did you miss the part about her bringing her fucking Russian boyfriend in tow?”
“Nope.” Call me a fool, but I trust Theo more than I’ve ever trusted anyone. I know there is nothing between him and Lana, but I don’t feel like letting him off the hook that easy.
“Do you really think that little of me, Holly? That I’d step out on you?” he asks, folding his arms over his chest. He tries to mask the hurt in his eyes, in his voice. But I see it, and it coaxes the guilt to the surface.
“No, I don’t. I have no doubt that you are nothing but faithful, Theo. But that’s not the point. The point is you’re hiding shit from me. And I don’t like it.” He sighs in response, running his hands through his hair. He looks tired. Stressed. I’m not helping him at all right now. “You should stay in and sleep tonight. Whatever plans you have, I’m sure they can wait until morning.”
“I want nothing more than to crawl into that bed with you and not leave it for at least a week. But I have a few things I need to take care of. Don’t wait up for me, dolcezza. I don’t know how long I’ll be.”
His hand tugs at my loose strands, tilting my face upwards. Then his lips descend onto mine, parting them with a single swipe of his tongue. This kiss is hungry, passionate, driven. I feel every ounce of love, of desire and devotion, this man has for me. All in a single kiss. His hands tremble as he pulls away. “Please don’t go. I don’t have a good feeling about this, T. Please don’t leave me again,” I whisper selfishly. I know it’s not a fair request. But right now, I don’t care what’s fair.
“I love you—never forget that. I love you so fucking much, Holly,” he says, ignoring my plea. Then he walks out and closes the door.
Why do I have this dread in the pit of my stomach? I feel helpless, and all I can think to do is send up a prayer that T makes it back to me in one piece. I’m not going to be able to get any sleep tonight without a bit of extra help, no matter how exhausted my body is. I throw on Theo’s discarded t-shirt, pour myself a huge glass of red wine, and sit on the bed. It’s not long before I place the wine glass on the bedside table and hop under the covers. I can feel the sleep pulling me under. I try to fight it, but it’s useless.
* * *
I wake with a start. What the hell was that? The room is dark, but a little light seeps in from the adjoining bathroom. I stand and shriek when I hear it again. It’s the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. “Sonnie?” I call out. My heart stops as the door opens and Sonnie’s body falls to the floor, blood pooling around his head. I hear the scream that leaves my lungs before I register that it’s coming from me.
I’m staring at the older man standing in my doorway, his white shirt coated in red. He’s aiming a gun in my direction as he walks towards me. I’m frozen to the spot. I can’t move. “W-who are you?” I manage to ask, right before he reaches out and backhands me across my face. The blow sends me stumbling, and I land on the bed.
“Fucking whore, ya think you get to question me? That’s not how this is going to work.” He steps closer, and I’m repulsed by the putrid smell of alcohol on his breath as he leans in to me. “You can thank your husband for what’s about to happen to you. He should have left things alone. He should have stayed out of my fucking business. Well, let’s see how he likes it when I get in his.”
He begins to unbutton his pants, and I know I need to act, to get away before something happens that I’ll never be able to recover from. I kick out my legs, knocking the guy in the stomach, and make a run for the door. But I trip over Sonnie’s body and land in a puddle of his blood.
I’m yanked backwards by my hair while I’m still trying to recover. “Bitch, I’m going to fucking enjoy this even more now. I’ll film it too, make sure your stupid fucking husband doesn’t miss a minute.”
“No, don’t touch me!” I yell, my fight finally taking the reins. I hit and kick everything I can make contact with. I will not let this motherfucker rape me and show it to Theo. That would fucking destroy us. Destroyhim. I bite down on the man’s arm, hard enough to draw blood, but that only earns me a punch to the temple. My vision blurs as the room spins, and I’m thrown down onto the bed. “No!” I call out again.
Get up, Holly. Get up and run!My internal voice is urging me forward. I just can’t seem to get my limbs to comply. He pulls out a knife, and my body goes rigid. All I can think is:Please don’t let Theo see this.Please God, don’t let this happen.He runs the blade over my shirt and tears the fabric open, exposing my naked chest.
