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A stone balustrade runs along the edge, and I look down to see a shoreline covered in rocks and stones. We take the path running alongside until we reach a little alcove.
There’s a little more privacy here, with thick bushes surrounding the area. A long table and chairs are set in the middle, and a tray of refreshments and a vase with cheerful summer flowers are placed in the center.
Mariella nods politely and gestures for me to go on without her. A balding, gray-haired man in his early sixties is sitting in a chair, fanning himself with a newspaper to make the heat more bearable.
He rises when he sees me approaching. He’s short and a little stubby, reminding me of a thumb without a nail.
I stop in my tracks, recognizing him immediately.
The man in the car… my kidnapper.
My heart begins to race, and my hands shake. Flashbacks of my abduction make me break out in a sweat, and my eyes dart around wildly for somewhere to run.
“Come, Ella,” he calls out and opens up his arms invitingly.
Unable to move, I cross my arms over my chest. I know it’s a protective gesture, giving away my nerves, but I can’t help it.
Remembering the knife, I slip my hand into the pocket of my dress, grasping the handle. It’s not much of a weapon given it’s blunt, but it makes me feel better.
My abductor looks at me expectantly, his face a blank mask.
“Have a seat,” he invites again. “You won’t need the knife. Relax. You’re safe here.”
Shit. How does he know? Was I that obvious?
I force my legs to cooperate, but they are weak and tingly. Taking a deep breath, I move closer. He gestures to a chair on the opposite side of the table as he lowers himself back into his. I remain standing, though, too on edge to sit down.
He looks familiar, despite having only seen him for the few quick seconds before he covered my face with the cloth. I narrow my eyes on him, willing my brain to remember. But it comes up with blanks.
“I’ve seen you before yesterday… I just can’t place where,” I say as bravely as I can muster.
“You have,”he replies. “At the De Marco Corporation. I was leaving the elevator just before you stepped in. I’m Emiliano Barroni, the adviser for the De Marco family.”
The memory returns in a flash, and how much he creeped me out already back then, but I can’t focus on that right now.
“Tiero kidnapped me?!”
I hold on to the table, my legs threatening to give out.
Tiero?!
No. It can’t be!
My stomach plummets to what feels like to the center of the earth. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I take a deep breath as his betrayal slices my heart open.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
Why?
Really, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. The breakfast Mariella served gave it away, but I clung onto the belief that Tiero would never do something like this to me… he just wouldn’t.
NO. It’s not true. It’s simply not true.
This guy could tell me anything. I have no way of verifying any of it.
Maybe he’s the guy who tried to run Tiero over, and now he’s using me in some twisted game to get to him. The men watching Tiero and me are probably working for him.
I straighten up, steeling myself. “You’re lying. Tiero would never do something like that.”
