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Her emotions are too raw to deal with the reality of words right now. I felt the same after I lost most of my unit when that cave exploded all those years ago.
Clearing my throat, I lean in and speak directly into her ear.
“You are carrying the heir to their empire. Mateo won’t let you go.” Ella’s red-rimmed, swollen eyes flicker to mine. She knows I’m telling the truth.
“There’s only one way to break free from the mob. Death.”
Ella and I leave the waiting room, having gone over her escape in detail. I’m confident she understands every aspect despite her tiredness and grief.
For the short time that Carl and I had to put this together, we came up with a solid plan, but nothing is ever foolproof.
So many things could go wrong. If there’s even the slightest hiccup, the entire plan could unravel. On top of that, Ella’s emotions are unstable. Pregnancy and grief make for a volatile cocktail, making her behavior unpredictable.
Scanning up and down the corridor, Ella asks, “Where is Claudette? She didn’t really leave, did she? I didn’t mean what I said.”
“She knows you didn’t mean to lash out,” I reply.
Ella slows to a near halt, but I grab her arm, pulling her along. “We need to keep moving,” I urge her.
“I can’t leave without saying goodbye and apologizing to her.”
“Ella, she won’t be upset. She’d want us to stick to the plan and get you to safety.”
“But she’s been gone so long. Where is she? What if someone took her to use as leverage against me? To make me do what they want?” Apprehension laces her words, her face full of concern.
Fuck.
I don’t want her worrying. She needs to focus on what’s ahead.
I stop moving and place my hands on her shoulders. Turning her toward me, my eyes connect with hers. “Ella, I promise you I will find Claudette. You know what she’s like. She probably got sidetracked somewhere. Right now, we need to get you out of here. There’s not a second to spare… please.”
She hesitates, not convinced.
“Ella, think of the baby,” I say, knowing full well it’s the only thing that will get her moving. “This is for her future.”
She stares at me for long seconds. “Okay,” she reluctantly replies, and I take her hand to hurry her along.
We round a corner and Antonio is leaning against the wall, deep in conversation on the phone.
His eyes flicker to us.
Shit.
Not a good start to this escape. He ends his call and steps toward us.
“I was coming to find you,” he addresses Ella. “The jet is being readied to take you home.”
“Home to where?” she asks, narrowing her eyes. Ella neither likes nor trusts Antonio.
“Sicily, of course,” he responds curtly, as if the answer should have been obvious to her.
“Antonio, I’m not returning to Sicily,” she says, outraged.
“Miss O’Neil, you have no say in the matter. You’re carrying the heir to the De Marco empire. Don Mateo insists you live where he can protect and care fo—”
“I’m not going to be imprisoned again,” she interrupts him, spitting venom.
“You were the fiancée of the Don. You will never be a prisoner. More like…” He moves his hands through the air as if trying to pluck the right words from the ether. “More like a distinguished guest.”
