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When they eventually do stop shaking, he leads me to the shower and we wash each other. Nothing in my life has ever been so intimate. Nobody has come to know my body as well as he has. How can something so dangerous feel so right?
It’s almost three in the morning when I feel his arm move from its resting place around my body. He turns over to where his phone has just made the first sound it has made in hours. I see his shoulders drop as he reads whatever message has just come through.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, looking through tired eyes.
“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” he answers.
But for the rest of the night, every time I wake up, he’s awake and staring at the ceiling. How foolish of me to assume that I’ve had all his attention during this trip. Men like him always have people vying for his attention in some way or another. By the time the first birds start to sing, I’ve worked myself into a nervous spiral with all of the possibilities. I feel like I haven't slept at all, even as I drift off once again.
Chapter 10
Edoardo
Idon’twanttocheck the message that just came through on my phone. I don’t want to turn over when she’s lying beside me, sound asleep in my arms. Never in my life have I wanted so much to hold someone close. Every conversation we have where I learn more about her, I find her more wonderful. She has so many of the qualities I’ve always wanted to find in a woman, but never could.
Even so, I’m still waiting for news from Mattia that the situation in Chicago has been handled. We can’t hide out on the island forever.
I lift my arm off of her and roll over to check my phone. I can tell by her breathing that I’ve woken her slightly. I should have just stayed where I was and checked the message in the morning.
My eyes are slightly blurry from the deep sleep that I’ve just woken up from. But the message is not from Mattia at all. It is from an unknown number.
I see you have my daughter on your island. She looks like her mother, doesn’t she? I did not send her out just to fall into the hands of the enemy. You will not get to me through her. Leave her, or the police will soon learn of the kidnapping of my daughter. I’ve done it before, and I’ll send you right back to that hell hole again. You have twenty four hours. If you fail, you go back to jail. Only, this time I’ll make sure that it is for the rest of your life. G.
I can no longer trust my security, it seems. The only way he would know that we are here is if we were followed. It seems absurd to be back in this situation again. The same enemy and the same situation. Only, this time it is his daughter that I’m threatening to take from him.
“Is everything okay?” I hear her sleepy voice ask.
I can’t possibly tell her the truth. I need her to rest. Any more stress on her and I fear that she might lose the baby, or that she might get herself into trouble.
“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” I lie.
It isn’t a very convincing lie, I’m sure. It’s not all that easy to lie to her. But it seems to be enough to get her to lie back down and close her eyes. Within a few seconds she is asleep again, and I can lie in the silence and think about what I should do about her father.
I know that he is not bluffing. After all, he wasn’t bluffing the last time. I wish he would make up his mind about whether or not he wants his daughter. If he kicks her out, surely she is allowed to then be wherever she wants?
I have not forced her to stay with me, but I also know that she has no choice. I stare up at the ceiling as she sleeps next to me. My hand creeps through the covers so that I am lightly touching her skin.
I have such an intense desire to protect her. Every atom in my body wants to make sure that she is safe and happy. Even if it causes me harm. I don’t like this feeling, it seems to make me a dangerous person. But if being dangerous is what it takes to have her, then so be it.
I only wish I could tell her that this is how I feel. I watch as her chest rises and falls with every sleeping breath. But I’m not sure she wants to hear it. After everything her father has done to her, how could she ever fully trust another man again?
My plan isn’t perfect, and I know that it will upset her, but it’s the best plan that I’ve got. When she comes down for breakfast, dressed in one of the new dresses that I’ve bought her, my legs want to give way completely.
Red silk with gold embroidery wraps perfectly around her body. The sides of her stomach are exposed through half-circle cutouts and the dress barely makes it halfway down her thigh.
“You look breathtaking,” I say, handing her a cup of tea.
“Thanks. You know, it feels a bit silly buying all these tight clothes considering how big I’m about to get,” she laughs.
God, I can’t wait to see her when she’s heavily pregnant. All I want is for her to be happy. And as I watch her approach the window to admire the view, I almost feel tempted to cancel my plan completely. I wrap my arms around her from behind and kiss her just behind the ear.
She feels a little more hesitant toward my kiss this morning. Something has upset her, but perhaps that’s better. Because I’m sure that what I’m about to say will only upset her more.
“I have to leave,” I say.
Aria spins around, her eyes filled with shock. “What? Why?”
“It’s a business meeting back in Chicago,” I say, shrugging. “It’s nothing serious, but I can’t miss it.”
