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“Take it easy. Stay close to the outer walls.” Prince only grunts softly in reply, focused on the job. “What are those glowing points?”
“Cigarette tips.” Of course. A cluster of men is having a smoke near the front of the house. The group moves toward the courtyard, and the lights mounted near the door provide a look at who’s who.
“Son of a bitch,” I whisper, jabbing a finger at the tablet. “There he is.”
“Yeah, that’s him.” Prince maintains his position, hovering near the wall bordering the property. “I told you, didn’t I?”
“He seems comfortable with them, doesn’t he?”
“They’re not keeping him against his will if that’s what you’re getting at.”
“The prick. Enjoying a smoke with his buddies.” My chest is burning, and my stomach clenching at the sight of him. The bastard. “I can’t wait to chat with him the minute he’s off the property.”
“That could take a while. He might not leave tonight or even this week. Not if he’s hiding out there.”
“He has to leave at some point. I’ll come back here every day if I have to. I’ll assign men to watch.”
“With my drone? I don’t think so.” Our eyes meet, and he scowls. “I’d better be reimbursed if there’s any damage.”
“What is it you say all the time? Trust me?” I settle back in my seat, watching Frankie enjoy himself with his new friends. It’ll be a long night, but I have all the time in the world.
If he leaves, I plan to follow.
He can’t run from me forever.
“Hey, I meant to ask you…”
“Hmm?” I murmur.
“I heard a little more than I should have earlier when you were shouting at Paolo. What happened with Alicia? Really.”
With the tablet to stare at, it feels easier to talk about things like this. “She’s pregnant. I found the tests in the bathroom trash.”
“She’s pregnant? That’s great news!” He nudges me with his elbow. “Congratulations! That took no time at all. Good work.”
I can’t bring myself to share his excitement. Not with the reminder of how quickly everything can go to shit here in front of me, smoking, laughing at somebody’s joke. Only once he’s taken care of—and his benevolent host along with him—will I be able to enjoy the notion of being a father.
As it turns out, this isn’t the night for his reckoning. Four hours pass, five, and still neither Frankie nor anyone inside those stone walls steps foot beyond them. “There’s only so much longer it’ll work without being recharged,” Prince finally points out in a quiet voice tinged with disappointment.
“Very well.” I’m stiff from sitting in this position anyway and could use a piss and something to eat. “We’ll be back. At least I know where to find him now.”
And he can’t stay in there forever.
19
ALICIA
The house is usually quiet at this time of night. Not that it’s exactly noisy now, but a different kind of energy is in the air. It’s unsettled—tense. Like static electricity is in the air and if I touch the wrong thing, I’ll get zapped.
It’s probably because there are so many guards patrolling. More than I’ve ever seen here at once, even more than we had at the wedding. The house is crawling with them, and that’s not counting the men I sometimes hear exchanging words outside.
I can’t help noticing them on my way downstairs to grab water to keep in my room. None of them pay me much attention beyond a quick, cursory glance. Nothing about it gives me any insight into what they’re thinking.
And none of them are Enzo.
That shouldn’t worry me. After the way he flipped out on me, he’s the last person I should give a damn about. Let him go off and do something stupid and get himself in trouble. That’s not my problem.
But I am carrying his child, and he is my husband. With that excuse in mind, I approach one of the men standing just outside the kitchen door, keeping watch on the backyard. I slide the door open, and he turns at once, almost like he’s expecting trouble.
