AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The man continues to look at me, and as my question hangs in the air, my stomach choses that moment to rumble. I have no idea where we are, but it feels like days since I last ate something. Nico’s pasta now just a dream, my mouth watering at the thought.
“France,” he barks out. My eyes catch an embossed crest on the back of the seat, red on the white leather, the insignia I can’t make out. I swallow nervously, knowing the men I am with are probably not going to be very welcoming. How the hell am I going to get myself out of this situation?
Looking out the window, I see nothing but sunshine and the bright blue shimmering seas of the Mediterranean. On any other trip, my eyes would be glued to the azure waters, having never been to Europe before. But I turn back to the man, ignoring the view and fighting the daily nausea creeping into my body.
I feel the plane dip, our descent rapid, and my hands are white knuckled on the armrests. My companion sits unfazed, clearly a seasoned traveler.
“What do you want with me?” I grit out, my voice now much clearer, yet he remains unperturbed.
“It amazes me how someone so beautiful can be the spawn of someone so conniving,” he says as the plane continues to get lower and lower.
My father.
Again, my father haunts me, and now I am in the clutches of a man who wants revenge for something my dear old dad has done. My breathing picks up in pace, my heart thumping a million miles a minute. My eyes search the airplane cabin, looking for anyone who may be able to help me out of this situation. I try to catch the eye of the stewardess down the aisle, who is looking everywhere but at me. Fear crawls across my skin, and the small hairs on my arms start to stick up. I am on the other side of the world, where no one will ever find me. My heart breaks a little inside, knowing Nico will be worried sick.
“My father and I are estranged. I have no idea what he has done, but I assure you it has nothing to do with me.” I see him smirk a little. It is a similar reaction to that of Nico when we first met in my office.
“He stole from me,” the man says, and I raise my eyebrows.
“I’m not surprised. He stole from a lot of people,” I retort, and already regret it as I see anger in his face.
“Over one-hundred million dollars,” he growls. I throw up a little in my mouth.
“Oh my God,” I whisper, because while my father has done some really bad things, that sure is a lot of money to steal from one person.
“Sounds like you need to keep a better eye on your money, then.” Why I feel the need to be sassy at a time like this, I’ll never understand.
He laughs like I just told him the funniest joke, but I know this is no laughing matter, so I wait and watch.
“You have no idea who you are talking to, do you?” he says to me, his face now serious again.
“No idea,” I say, shaking my head, trying to act unaffected, but my insides are curling.
He turns then, looking out the window, and I get a glimpse of his neck under his pristine white shirt collar. A Dragonfly tattoo, just like the man in the cemetery.
“Dragonfly...” I say quietly in awe, knowing the dots are beginning to connect.
At my statement, he turns back around, his eyes wild.
“Your father will pay, if not with money, then with his life, and I will kill everyone close to him, including you and your unborn baby,” he threatens, his tone low.
“How did you know I was pregnant?” I am not showing. I haven’t said anything to anyone. How the hell does he know?
“Sebastian told me,” he says, and I lose my breath.
Sebastian knows.If Sebastian knows, then Nico knows. But how?
“It puts a dent in my plans now, doesn’t it.” My brow furrows, trying to follow what he is saying.
“I was just going to kill you. Bring you to Provence and kill you on the farm for what your father took from me. But now you are carrying a legacy. Now you are carrying the son or daughter of a brother.” I can see the land coming closer and closer out the window near his seat in my peripheral vision.
“It makes my original plan a little less appealing...” he says, obviously not knowing I was involved with Nico or working for the mob. Who would have thought that little detail would be my saving grace.
“So what happens now?” I ask, afraid to question him, but needing to prepare myself for what’s to come.
“Now I need to decide if I am ready to start a war with the Italians, because if I kill you, then there will be no doubt it will start a war,” he declares, just as the jet hits the tarmac, and my stomach drops. The vomit finally rises, and I throw up all over his polished white leather seats.
40
