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Nothing has ever sounded better.
11
ALICIA
Idon’t know what I expected to happen today. What, was I going to find Elena right off the bat and have a conversation with her? Hell, I’m still not even sure what I would say. She would probably want to know where I’ve been, for starters. How things went, all that. If she doesn’t already know—somebody could have told her what happened, or at least the rumors they heard.
And maybe they did. Maybe she was deliberately avoiding me when our eyes met after class, and she practically ran out of the lecture hall.
She could have been in a hurry. It’s not like we made a habit of connecting after class. She has her schedule, I have mine, that kind of thing. But today was different. Today she looked surprised to see me sitting toward the back of the room, and she wasted no time avoiding me.
So now it’s going to be even more awkward trying to catch up with her. I have her number from when we had our project together, but I haven’t used it since we did our presentation last year. It would look strange if I suddenly texted her out of nowhere.
But it might look even weirder if I ever manage to pin her down since I’m never alone. I glare at the back of Paolo’s head as he drives from campus back to the townhouse. What a fucking joke. There’s no way I’ll ever be able to have an actual conversation with Elena, not when I have this goon following me around everywhere. It’s obvious something’s changed drastically from the way my life was before she sent me to the warehouse. If she’s Josef Alvarez’s niece, she’ll be able to tell why Paolo’s up my ass all the time. I’m sure she’s dealt with bodyguards before.
How am I supposed to get her to trust me?
And why am I certain before I ever step foot out of the car that my husband will not give a damn, no matter how I try to reason with him on this? It’s like swimming in the middle of a lake, fighting to keep my head above the surface while there’s an anchor tied to my ankle, pulling me down. He’s the anchor—unwilling to listen to me, making it impossible for me to succeed.
Although an anchor wouldn’t hold failure against me. That’s the difference.
He won’t be happy to know I was unable to move forward with the plan. I have to come up with a way to keep him calm and convince him there’s a way to move forward. First step: I need to stop sulking. That’s not going to get me anywhere. I can’t think if I’m too busy feeling sorry for myself.
I guess the best I can do is sit a little closer to the front of the room next time, try to catch her eye, and wave and smile like all I want is to catch up. The way I would if my life was anything close to normal right now. But I can’t overplay it either because that would look way too obvious.
Now I know what it’s like to walk through a minefield. I don’t like it very much.
“Home sweet home.” It’s one of the few things Paolo has said all day, and there’s a nasty edge to it. Like he knows how miserable I am here and how trapped. Like it’s all one big joke. I have to bite my tongue, or else I might make the mistake of reminding him his entire job is to follow me around like a puppy dog. Is that something to be proud of? Is he so much better than me?
The sight of an unfamiliar car in the wide driveway puts that out of my head in an instant. My breath catches, and my heart pounds. I’m ready to run, terrified, all because of a black car I don’t recognize. A man stands beside it, and he casts a cold, hard look at the car I’m sitting in as Paolo pulls up beside him.
“Who is that?” I whisper, trembling, staring out through the tinted window. Why don’t I carry a weapon? It never occurred to me to carry one. I’d feel a lot better if there was a pistol in my backpack.
Paolo grunts, the way he’s done all day. “It doesn’t concern you.”
This asshole. “Considering I live here with my husband, I think it does concern me,” I mutter, glaring at the back of his head. He doesn’t even bother looking back at me. I don’t even deserve that much.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” he adds, sullen, almost unwilling.
I want to believe him, but I’d rather see for myself. I get out of the car and give the stranger a chilly look while he sizes me up silently. Finally, he nods in acknowledgment but doesn’t say a word. I’m so glad I’m met with his approval, whoever he is.
I wasn’t looking forward to getting home, but now I want more than anything to be inside, away from whatever is going on. Why would Enzo bother telling me we were having guests? I don’t matter. I’m just an incubator for his future child.
With that in mind, all I want is to go up to my room and be alone. No matter what Enzo thinks, I do have work to do. He might not want me to go full-time, but I’m not going to give up on everything I ever wanted for him. He can’t control every part of my life.
I’m at the door when it swings open, and it isn’t only Enzo standing there. I fall back a step in mute surprise at the sight of an absolutely stunning woman—tall, willowy, dressed in a black suit. Her dark hair is wound into a thick bun at the nape of her neck, and her wide eyes are focused squarely on him as she leans in to kiss him on the cheek. “I’ll be in touch,” she murmurs in a voice full of intimacy and familiarity.
Who the hell is this bitch, and why did she just kiss my husband?
Enzo glances my way, his eyes widening a fraction like he’s just noticing me, but he doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t even bother introducing me. I may as well not be here.
As for her, whoever she is, she doesn’t so much as acknowledge me as she glides away in a pair of stilettos that click along the pathway. I follow her with my gaze the way a pair of guards follow in her footsteps, watching as she slides smoothly into the back seat of that strange car. The scent of her perfume lingers in the air long after she’s gone.
“Who was that?” I whisper, staring as the car pulls away.
“Don’t worry about it. She’s no one you need to be interested in.” Enzo steps aside. “Well? Are you coming in?”
All at once, I feel like I’m lacking. Less than. I’m nothing compared to her, whoever she is. She’s graceful, classy, and confident. And she clearly has him captivated.
