AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Matteo: I'm going to assume that the girl in the picture is you?
+39 06 373 8001: Wow, you really don't remember me at all, do you?
Matteo: The whole night was a bit of a blur.
+39 06 373 8001: more of a reason that we need to talk in person.
Matteo: Out of town on business. I won't be able to meet until next week at the earliest.
I had to admit that the image made me curious especially considering how persistent the girl was being. But I had more important things to think about at that moment like the fact that Mia was still not out of that house.
+39 06 373 8001: Name a place. A city, a country. I'll come to you.
Matteo: That desperate to meet with me?
I wrote the last text as more of a snide remark than a serious question, but her answer made me sit up straighter in my seat and an uneasy feeling settled in my chest.
+39 06 373 8001: Yes.
Motion from outside the car caught my attention and I looked up to see Mia, Abigail, and a young girl I assumed was Maria walked out of the house with a couple of full garbage bags in Abigail's hands.
I put my phone away and climbed out of the car to meet Mia and the girls on their way out.
"This must be Maria." I smiled at the young girl, but her eyes widened in fear. She grabbed ahold of Abigail's arm and tucked herself behind her mother.
"No, mama. Please? I don't want to go with him." The poor girl's voice cracked, and she started to sob.
"It's okay,cocca.Like I told you, Mia and her friends are going to help us go far away from this place. Somewhere we can be happy and safe."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
"Can I take those for you?" I nodded my head toward the two trash bags and Abigail smiled gratefully, offering them to me.
"Thank you. We didn't exactly have suitcases to pack her things in."
"These work just as well." I smiled and walked the trash bags around to the trunk of the SUV. "Mia," I called out to her as the three of them approached the vehicle. Can I talk to you for a minute?
“Sure. Is something wrong?”
“That girl is clearly terrified of men. And I don't blame her considering that the main one she probably had interaction with was Andrea, but I was thinking it probably wouldn't be best for her and Abigail to be in the back seat with Luca. Would you mind switching with him so that she'll feel more comfortable?”
“Of course. How considerate of you. Thank you for noticing that. It didn't seem like she had it bad in the cottage, but I can't imagine living with that type of constant fear.”
Mia gently squeezed my arm before leaning in to press her lips gently to mine.
"I'm so glad that you're okay. Relatively, at least. We still need to sit down and talk about everything that happened while you were with Andrea." Mia looked uncomfortable and I gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "This time with him was different, wasn't it? It took more of a toll on you. I can see it."
"I don't want to talk about this. Not now."
"Okay." I took a step back to give her space. "But soon."
"Soon." She gave me a weak smile. "Let's get out of here."
"Good idea."
