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Pia stumbles into my back once I stop. The two guards turn to look at me in surprise before lifting their guns. Here we go again.
I shove Pia out of the way, and she lands on one side of the lawn, still not making a peep. Fear must have her tongue in its grasp. I still have my gun out, and I make quick work of the guards. Their bodies flop to the ground, their lifeless eyes staring up at me. Tommaso really needs better guards. Thankfully, them sucking makes my life a lot easier.
I turn back to Pia, who’s now running away. Again. She sure is desperate to get away. I can appreciate that. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to catch her, though.
“Pia!” I shout as I run after her. She glances back, and once she sees me, she picks up her pace. She runs down the driveway and across the street, where a field of olive trees resides.
She’s a vision as she runs through the rows of trees—like a nymph from mythology. I guess I’m the satyr who comes to steal her innocence away. As I chase her, her white dress gives away her location. She won’t get away that easily.
I run faster until I’m right on her heels, then catch her around the waist, pulling her close. She fights me, clawing at my hands. I continue to hold her until she finally stops fighting. “You done?” I set her down on her feet.
She slumps to the ground, her head bowed. Then her shoulders begin to shake, and I realize she’s crying silent tears.
I crouch next to her. “I know you’re probably scared. You don’t know me, and I chased you down like a madman. But I want you to be mine.”
Pia looks up at me, wiping at her eyes, and shrugs.
“You don’t talk much.”
She shrugs again. Then she uses her hands in what looks like sign language. I have no idea what she’s saying.
“Are you deaf?”
She shakes her head and signs some more. Then she huffs, her shoulders slumping. She points at me, then shrugs her shoulders.
“Are you asking why I want you to be mine?”
She nods, looking relieved.
“Because the minute I heard about Tommaso’s secret daughter, I knew you needed to be mine. Call it a gut feeling.”
She stares at me for a moment. Then she turns to one of the olive trees next to her and places her hand on the trunk. I watch her as she looks at the tree. Her face has an expression of awe on it before more tears bubble up and fall down her face. Who knew looking at an olive tree could be so powerful?
“This means something to you, doesn’t it.”
She nods, still pressing her hand into the tree. Then she touches her head to the trunk and continues to cry.
I stay quiet for a moment, trying to understand this enigmatic woman. So she doesn’t talk. No one’s perfect. But there’s a gentleness to her that I find endearing. She’s beautiful, even if I can’t hear her voice.
I don’t want to make her leave, but the sound of shouts and footsteps is getting closer. Tommaso is looking for his daughter, and it won't take long for him to find us here.
“Pia, we need to leave.”
She cries harder, her silent sobs.
“Over there!” a man shouts. I look behind me and see a group of Tommaso’s men coming in our direction. Shit.
Time is running out.
CHAPTER3
Pia
Ican’t stop crying. It’s like once the floodgates open, they don’t want to close.
I know I need to move, but I can’t. All I can do is press my head harder against the trunk of the olive tree and let my tears speak for me. They’re saying everything I can’t—my fear of getting married, my suspicion of this man who stole me away, and my relief to be outside for the first time in ten years. I never thought I’d get the chance to touch one of these olive trees, yet here I am, crying to one at the moment.
During my captivity, these olive trees gave me comfort when I didn’t have much else. Now that I get to touch one of them, I never want to stop. None of this feels real. At any moment, my father could grab me and lock me back up. I’m sure he wants to after how I ran from the wedding. Despite the chaos and fighting, my father will look for an excuse to blame me for everything.
