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I lowered my head in submission, knowing it was what he expected. “Thank you. That’s a very generous offer.”
His “gift” of her to me hadn’t bought Everleigh much time, but at least it was enough to figure out what to do next.
We spent the next three hours going over Maurizio’s upcoming trip. He’d be leaving in the morning, and I’d finally have more than a few hours here or there to do what I came back for. Because once he was gone, I’d be in charge.
When he welcomed me back with open arms, I was suspicious at first. But since I brought contacts and a deal for distribution of our coke into the United States with me, he’d ignored how I left.
His ignorance served me well. But he’d always had blinders on when it came to me. Something I used to my advantage. The men were harder to convince, but as soon as the money started flowing in, they stopped looking at me as if they’d put a bullet in my head if I so much as sneezed wrong.
Waving me off, Maurizio turned to his glass of scotch. “I trust you’ll take care of everything while I’m gone.”
“Of course.”
I’d almost made it to the door when he spoke up once more. “And don’t disappoint me again. You already got a second chance, something I’ve never granted anyone else. There won’t be a third one.”
This was something I was well aware of. I nodded and left, my body strung so tight I thought I would explode.
I couldn’t return to my room yet, not when I was this close to the edge. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep this up. Being back here brought out the worst in me. Most days, I didn’t recognize the person staring back at me in the mirror anymore.
I ended up at the pool, my body on autopilot, knowing what I needed.
Stripping out of my clothes, I didn’t bother putting on any swimwear except goggles. Nobody ever came in here but me.
I jumped in, swimming laps until my arms and legs burned. And then I swam some more. When I finished, I was barely able to hang onto the edge of the pool.
Maybe tonight I’d be able to get a few hours of sleep. I’d gone three days without. Not the longest I’d ever gone, but it made my decisions reckless and based on emotions. Two things I couldn’t afford in this place.
I’d tried everything, but not even sleeping tablets gave me the rest I needed. I woke up disoriented and more tired than when I went to bed.
Pulling myself out of the pool, I lay on the cool tiles until I caught my breath, looking at the stars through the glass ceiling.
When I was a child, I spent all my time in this room. I didn’t have many happy memories from my childhood, but playing in here, swimming and watching the stars, was one of them.
The room was too cold to linger outside the water for long. I needed a hot shower, and then hopefully I’d find some rest. I grabbed one of the towels stacked on shelves along the walls. After winding it around my middle, I left my sanctuary.
I didn’t come across anyone on my way back to my room, grateful for the short reprieve. From the moment Maurizio had welcomed me back, I hadn’t had a free minute. Whenever I wasn’t in his office, one of the guys needed something. I felt like I’d never left.
Dripping water on my way, I silently opened the door to my room, walking in on light feet in case Everleigh was asleep. It was close to three in the morning, and she’d had a busy day.
The room was dark, but the open blinds allowed enough light from the moon inside to show an empty bed. The blanket was gone, and so was one of the pillows. I’d rigged the door and would have gotten an alarm on my phone if she’d opened it. And the windows were nailed shut and had bars on them. There was no way out through them.
I searched under the bed, behind the curtains, and in the bathroom without a trace of her. The uneasy feeling in my stomach grew, and I wondered if she’d gotten out after all. No system was foolproof; maybe she’d slipped out unnoticed.
If she did, she was as good as dead. Maurizio didn’t accept disobedience.
Urgency spurring me on, I went into my closet to get dressed. None of the alarms had gone off yet, and my phone was blessedly silent. If I found her first, she still had a chance.
The sight of her thick mane of hair sticking out from under my suits stopped the erratic beat of my heart. She was curled up in the corner, a blanket pushed halfway down her body.
I crouched next to her, lightly brushing strands of hair off her face. She looked so much younger in sleep. Peaceful. She had her whole life ahead of her. And I would make sure that she still did after everything was said and done.
Pulling the blanket off her, I lifted her into my arms, her small body curling into mine. I laid her down on the bed, and she rolled onto her side into a ball, not waking up.
I retrieved the blanket and pillow and put them back on the bed. After I made sure she was covered and still fast asleep, I took a shower, soaking my aching muscles in the warm water.
Dressed in my pajama pants and a T-shirt, I slipped into the bed with Everleigh, leaving enough distance between us that she wouldn’t even know I was there.
And for the first time in nearly a year, I slept soundly.
