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“But you don’tknow,”I say, enunciating the last part.
Luca shrugs.
I groan anddoturn away now. “I still don’t know how I feel regardless,” I say to the microwave. There’s a reflection on its glass door. The child. It keeps changing. I turn back, and look past Luca at the kid on the couch. She’s sitting there, then it’s a boy coloring at the table. He becomes a girl again and she's playing with dolls. My brain is freaking out.
“Well if you had a chance, one last chance,” Luca says, bringing me back to him. “Forget our troubles, forget Marco manipulating us, and if you just remembered the time we were together at my father’s house. What would you feel then? What had you been feeling in those two weeks we avoided each other?”
I sigh and shake my head. “It’s not that easy.”
“Just try, for me?” he asks quietly.
I look up into his deep brown eyes. “Then?” I say. His eyes soften as they look at me, but it’s the only soft thing about him, because the sharp jaw and nose that appears on the child on the couch suddenly is his. “In those two weeks, I realized how I felt. If we were there, during that time, I would’ve said—”
I’m thrust awake and I lurch forward. The chair slams onto its four legs and I’m looking at the manic eyes of Marco.
The words ofloved you,fade from my mind staring at Marco’s insane ones.
Except he’s smiling and it makes them even more crazy. “I have a great recording for you to hear,” he says. He takes out his phone. “You know, this thing is fantastic. I haveeverythingon here. I’ve got the death of Michael. I’ve got the death of the Colombino business. And now I’ve got your fiance losing his mind.”
He turns the phone to me and an audio file begins playing. It’s Luca screaming his head off. I’m frightened and my mouth falls open because I know whatthatLuca looks like. He’s screaming at Marco and what he’s going to do to him. What he’d do if he hurt me …
My dream is flickering at the edges of my memory, leaking away and being covered by the fear and cold of the shipping container. But I hold onto it. Could I get past this mess with my feelings for Luca? He’s obviously not that man that he’s been fooled into. He’s only being the man that Marco has turned him into. But would he become that with me?
Would he be this way if he knew the truth?
Damn secrets. I just can’t make up my mind.
Marco is chuckling. “This is too much fun!” He laughs and swipes to something else on his phone. “Honestly it’s been years getting this together and I just want to savor every bit!” He sighs. “But what to do with you?” He taps his phone against his chin and watches me as he thinks. He gauges me like I’m a project blueprint. He unlocks his phone and snaps a photo of me. “I know he’ll love this though.”
I wiggle and yell something unintelligible at him.
“Oh, my apologies,” Marco says, coming over and jamming the gag back in my mouth despite all my effort to fight him off.
I cry out at him and jump in the chair. Marco just laughs again.
“Tut tut, you’ll fall again,” he says.
I become still. My rage bubbling at being treated like some object.
“You’ve made this all the better, Sophie. I don’t mean to keep thanking you, but now I have an angle on Tommy Russo too. He’s been untouchable for years. But now I have his little girl. Maybe I won’t kill you so quickly, huh?” He laughs. “Maybe I'll just make Lucathinkyou’re dead? There’s so many options.” He comes over and grabs me suddenly, yanking me back by my head. “Could you play dead?”
I scream and he only lets go and starts laughing. He turns away and I use the moment to try and fumble my hands free. I have to believe it’s possible. I’m wriggling against the rope and letting it burn my skin. I wrangle harder. Marco turns and comes up close to me, he’s excited and reeks of a rum. He breathes me in and then chuckles. He pushes me forcefully and I lose balance.
I smash into the ground again and my head bounces. The pain reignites and begins throbbing. I glimpse him from around my body at the door, he turns the light off and is gone. I’m left in the darkness again, wishing for the sleep I’d just been in to return.
Except this time I know I won't sleep.
I won’t sleep because my hand is free.
Chapter 26
Luca
Ikeepgaspingandtrying to breathe some air into my lungs. I buck against the gun and bodyguard but it’s only jammed tighter against my flesh. It catches my skin and tears it, I groan in pain and the guard lifts me higher.
Tommy comes at me, the light above him casting dark shadows over his eyes. “Why’d you do this to my daughter, Colombino!” he asks calmly. “I should fuck’n skinyoualive for all this too.”
“I swear—” I gasp with my crushed voice. “I swear I didn’t know—”
