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I’m ashamed to admit how much those words affect me. I should not feel this way about him. Ever. He’s a mafia boss, and he’s a killer. He probably has so much blood on his hands that they’ll never be able to be washed clean.
He finally reaches the end of the hall and heads to the right. I don’t move until I’m sure he won’t be coming back before quickly changing into the outfit and a pair of flat shoes that were tucked in behind an old trunk. And wouldn’t you know, it fits pretty damn well. I’m a bit smaller in the chest, but I doubt most would notice it. I find a string in the storage area and pull my long hair up into a quick messy bun, and take a deep breath.
It’s now or never.
With all the confidence I can muster I stride out from under the stairs and down the hall, careful to keep to the edge of the wall. I wish I had some makeup or something I could use to disguise my face, but this will do for now. I just need to find my way to the exit. And pray that if I run into anyone, they don’t alert Nico or Dante, who I’m sure is also in on this little game.
When I reach the end of the hall, I see a small group of people chatting. I try to think of the best course of action. I glance around me and then I see a duster on a small table against the wall. I grab it quickly, and head toward the group of people, pretending to be working as I listen.
“What does she look like?” one of the women demands another. I’m not close enough to make her out, but she’s about the same height as the other woman, but she has dark black hair that is tumbling and falling over her shoulders in soft curls.
“You’re not allowed to interfere,” the other woman informs her curtly. “So you don’t need to know what she looks like. All you need to know is if you see the boss, you turn and go the other way. Now, all of you, get to bed or get to work. And keep your mouths shut.” Then she pushes past the women, and I get my first real look at her out of the corner of my eye when I quickly turn and dust one of the vases on another small table.
I recognize her as the woman who brings me my food, and a small bead of sweat begins to form at the base of my neck. Will she recognize me and tell Nico or Dante where I am? Her eyes connect with mine, and I instantly see the recognition. But instead of surprise, I see approval, and a slow smile pulls at her mouth. She doesn’t draw attention to me, but she does say sharply to me, “You, you heard what I said?” I swallow hard and nod sharply. What is she doing? “Good.” Then she walks by, without a look back.
I don’t stare after her, not wanting to draw anymore attention. The other women are still talking, but most of them ignore me and keep on walking down the hallway that Nico went. Do I follow? Maybe one of them can show me another way out of here. I just need to be careful how I do it.
I decide to follow two of the women who are chatting animatedly, and most of their conversation revolves around Nico. Any other time I would probably be amused, but right now, I’m trying to listen carefully without giving away what I’m doing it; stopping every so often to dust a few things so they get farther ahead than me. And I keep my head down and averted when a couple of the security guards make their patrol. Neither of them even give me more than a cursory glance.
I catch up with the women when we reach the end of the long hallway, and encounter a set of curving staircases. I don’t step out of the hallway, pretending to dust something along the wall, and keeping my face down in case any cameras are watching.
“I’m heading to the kitchen,” one of the women announces, and I glance over to see which one it is. She’s the one that had been speaking earlier. I glance at the other woman, a slightly shorter blonde woman that shrugs and continues on down the stairs.
Now I have a choice to make. But it’s a quick decision because the kitchen would have a back door. One that I can sneak out and head for the gate under the cover of darkness. Yes, that’s what I need to do. I slowly make my way out from the hallway to the top of the right of the curved staircase and carefully look down. I bite my lip to keep from gasping when I see Nico standing there, his back to me as he talks to Dante and another man. Shit, how am I going to do this?
I look down at myself, and then remind myself that I can do this. I watch the dark haired woman reach the bottom of the stairs and then head to the right and down a hallway, which I assume is the way to the kitchen. I don’t even need to go near Nico. I just need to play this cool, and make sure he can’t see my face.
I rub the duster over the ornate wooden railing. Damn, this place must take forever to clean with so many intricate pieces and designs. Even the spindles in this staircase are elegant and gothic. But I continue to dust each and every one at a steady pace. I can’t panic. Anything sudden would get me noticed, and I don’t want to draw attention to myself.
When I finally reach the bottom of the stairs, I don’t even glance toward where Nico is still talking with his men, keeping my back to him as I stop to dust a couple more things. I barely keep from laughing when I hear Dante remark, “No one has reported seeing her. Maybe she’s not making a break for it and is holing up somewhere thinking that she can wait you out?”
Nico doesn’t reply for a moment. “I saw her go down the stairs from my wing,” he grumbles. “Then nothing. She can’t have disappeared into thin air.”
“Want me to send out more men to see if they can put eyes on her?” the other man in their little huddle asks.
“No, I’ll find her. If she’s hiding, I’m sure she won’t have gotten far.”
I don’t wait around to hear anymore, making my way calmly down the hallway and keeping my eyes peeled for an entrance to the kitchen or another way out. This hallway is much like the others with its paintings and decorative art, but it feels livelier. Like this is where the hub of the house is. A buzz of excitement goes through me. I can feel my freedom that much closer.
I reach the middle of the hallway when I hear the clanging of dishes and I head toward the sound. Just before I reach the door at the end of the hallway, I hear Nico curse behind me and then give a small laugh. “She’s fucking changed into a maid outfit,” he announces.
Oh, shit.He saw me on the camera. I fight down the panic. “She what?” Dante repeats, clearly surprised.
He doesn’t reply, and that’s when I feel his eyes on my back. I don’t need to turn around to know he’s spotted me. I keep on working, but his gaze never leaves me.Shit. Shit. Shit.Then I hear the laugh. That same laugh from in his office. “Clever, little mouse,” he says loudly down the hall. Now I do turn my head to look at him, unable to stop myself. He’s already heading down the hallway toward me, a look on his face that has the panic inside me rising higher and faster.
I need to get out of here.
I don’t waste any more time. I rush into the kitchen, looking around for the exit. The kitchen only has a couple of people in it, but they all look up at me when I enter. I ignore them and head straight for the back door. No one stops me or utters a word, and as soon as I’m through the door, I break into a run down the stone path. My freedom is so close. So damn close.
Until I round the corner and see him standing in the middle of the path, under one of the lights out here. He has his hands on his hips, and a triumphant smile pulls at his lips. How the hell did he get out here ahead of me? I skid to a stop six feet away from him, my heart pounding. He takes me in with a slow perusal, the searing heat of his gaze making my skin heat. When his gaze moves back up to mine, he rasps, “Nowhere to go now,topolina. Ready to surrender?”
I sneer at him. “Never.” Then I turn and run back down that path, and head for a thinner patch of bushes I saw along the way. The branches pull at my clothes, but despite the outfit getting a bit torn, I manage to make my way through. I keep on running, but I quickly realize I’m now in a large garden, with many different paths. What the hell? Seriously, did whoever designed this place have a thing for mazes? This is just ridiculous.
I hear Nico’s footsteps behind me and I quickly try to scope out a place to hide. I just need him to go past me so I can double back and get to the gate. The last thing I need is to get lost in here. He’ll catch me for sure.
“I’m going to enjoy catching you,topolina,” he calls out behind me, but still far too close to me for my liking.
I reach a set of stone steps that curl up and around some kind of stone wall. I hesitate, since it’s going to take me farther away from where I want to be, but perhaps I’ll get a better vantage point up there. And as I hear Nico getting closer, I know I don’t have time to waste, so I rush up to the second level of this massive garden. From up here, I can see a large black three-tiered fountain in the center of the garden, and also what looks like a very old, but small mausoleum covered in ivy and greenery from where the vegetation is starting to take it back. I think briefly about hiding in it, but it’s too open and exposed. He’ll find me there for sure. I look at the other side and see a large metal gazebo in the far corner, also too exposed.
