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“How is this going to work if you don’t see him again?”
“I will,” I say, emphasizing the words with conviction more for my own sake than for Colin’s. “He said he’d come back.”
“Will you meet him in secret?” He studies me with something that looks too much like pity. “How will that work in the long term? Can you hide seeing him from your parents forever?”
The obstacles in my path are dampers on my short-lived excitement. The unknown difficulties lying ahead constrict my chest. But I won’t be a minor forever. As an adult, I’ll be able to make my own decisions. Even then, I’m not looking forward to disappointing my dad.
Putting on a carefree smile, I say, “I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”
Concern passes through his eyes. “Just be careful, Bella. Don’t do something that’ll get you hurt. I don’t want that for you, because you’re my best friend too.”
“Thanks.” My smile wavers. “Anyway, it’s not serious. It’s not like I’m making plans to marry him. Like you said, we only met yesterday.”
“Okay,” he says, not sounding convinced.
My phone pings. Taking it from my pocket, I check the message.
It’s from Angelo.
My heart starts pounding, sending a rush of blood through my veins.
Angelo: Are you thinking of me?
I type out a quick reply. Are you thinking of me?
His answer comes a second later. Funny. And clever. Yes.
Simple and honest. He doesn’t mince his words. I like that.
Aware of Colin’s gaze on me, I get up. “Sorry. It’s him. Give me a minute.”
I turn my back on Colin and type, Yes too.
Angelo: Good. I’m having a phone delivered for you tomorrow.
My cheeks turn hot, knowing he anticipated the fact that my parents may confiscate my phone or check my messages.
Angelo: The delivery will be made at ten. Can you wait outside?
So that my parents don’t find out.
Me: Yes, but tell the courier company to meet me at the bottom of the street.
Angelo: Done.
Me: Where are you?
Angelo: On our way to Cape Town.
I think a moment, trying to come up with an appropriate reply. It’s too soon to tell him I’ll miss him. I don’t want to come on to him too strongly.
Me: Bon voyage?
I wait a few beats, but when he doesn’t reply, I write, At what time is your flight?
His answer comes immediately. Midnight. I’ll let you know when we land in Marseille.
My finger hovers over the kissing emoji, but as he hasn’t used any emojis, I decide against it. I stare at the screen for another three seconds, and when the dots indicating that he’s typing remain absent, I pocket my phone.
“What did he say?” Colin asks.
I set my gaze on the ocean, trying to imagine Corsica on the other side. “That he’s thinking of me.”
“Damn, Bella.”
I turn around.
Colin stabs his fingers through his hair, messing it up. “Nothing good can come of this.”
That sounds an awful lot like what Mattie said, but I pay the pessimistic prophecy no heed. My stomach does that funny thing again, and suddenly, the world is a wonderful place.
CHAPTER
NINE
Angelo
When we land in Marseille at eleven in the morning, I send a text message to Sabella, asking if she received her new phone. I went to some lengths to arrange a secure line with unlimited data for a good reason. A few reasons, actually.
The calls won’t be traceable, meaning her father won’t find out what I’m up to, and the location tracker I activated will give me her whereabouts. I’ll have eyes on her not only via the man I dispatched to keep her safe and to report on her activities, but also via her phone.
I want to have a means of communication with her every minute of every hour. I want to be able to get hold of her twenty-four-seven. I’ll teach her to keep that phone on her day and night like one uses treats to teach an animal to do tricks. I’ll send her messages when she arrives at school and when she leaves. I already know she’s anxious to hear from me.
I’ll pull her in and spin a web around her, charming my way into her heart until she won’t be able to go a day without hearing from me. I know how to turn people into addicts. I’m a good manipulator. I’ll throw a few breadcrumbs, luring her closer little by little until she eats out of my hand like a bird. She won’t even realize it’s happening. She’ll wake up checking her phone, and it’ll be the last thing she does before going to bed.
I won’t text her when she’s in school. I don’t want to disrupt her concentration or have a negative influence on her grades. Outside of school, however, I’ll control her life, and no one will be any the wiser. The thought is sweet. The day Edwards finds out, I want to be there. I want to look him in the eyes and see his disillusionment when he realizes I stole his precious princess right from under his nose.
