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As he spoke, the town by the sea unfolded before them like a tapestry of blues and whites, the Mediterranean sun casting a brilliant sheen over the cobblestone streets.
Whitewashed buildings with terracotta roofs nestled against each other, and the scent of salt mingled with the aromatic tang of fresh fish from the markets. Seagulls cried overhead, circling the masts of the boats that bobbed gently in the harbor. He’d never seen a place like this before. Every oceanfront he’d been to had been an over-commercialized tourist trap with mini golf and Ferris wheels. The boardwalks were littered with fried foods and crying babies.
This place was the opposite of all that. They drove through the narrow lanes, the car's engine drowned out by the waves at some points as they moved closer to the sea. The address led them to a small apartment building, its façade weathered by thesea air, with wooden shutters thrown open as if the occupants were unafraid of the ocean or unwelcomed gifts.
Harry parked a short distance away, his instincts urging caution. Anyone in the area that had heard of the trouble would see Harry as a possible threat.
Instead, he watched as Rose stepped out of the car and approached the door, her movements composed yet filled with an undercurrent of nervousness. She knocked gently, the sound echoing slightly in the quiet street.
The door opened a crack, and an old man peered out, his expression one of guarded suspicion. He spoke rapidly in Italian, a gruff dismissal, his hand already moving to close the door. But Rose was quick, calling out Topeka's name.
The mention of Topeka paused the man's actions, his eyes narrowing as he assessed Rose anew. Her voice held a note of sincerity that seemed to penetrate the old man's initial unfriendliness.
"I am a friend," Rose insisted, her voice steady. "Please, it's important. Amica. Friend."
The old man hesitated, his gaze flickering over Rose's shoulder to where Harry waited by the car, a silent sentinel.
For a moment, time seemed to hang, suspended on the pivot of the old man's decision. Then, slowly, he opened the door wider, a grudging invitation for Rose to enter and explain her presence. Harry watched, ready to intervene if needed, as Rose disappeared inside, the door closing behind her with a soft click that seemed to resonate with the promise of answers finally within reach.
He wanted to charge in, demand to be in the room, to talk to Topeka and make sure both women were safe. But Rose was capable. And everyone was more likely to be at ease without his imposing presence there.
CHAPTER 29
Dipping her head low to clear the ceiling above the stairs, Rose followed the man down to the basement. This was something she would never do. But the man was quite frail and though she was not proud of the thought, she took comfort in knowing she could likely overpower him if needed.
“Topeka,” Rose said gently as the man pulled a chain to bring a light to life. “It’s Rose.”
“Rose?” Topeka asked with a hoarse voice as she blinked under the light. “How did you find me?”
“Gio knows a lot of people and they wanted to make sure you were safe. Can we talk for a minute?”
“You want me to go back? If that’s the case, you can save your breath. This is Emilio. He’s helping me. That’s all I need right now. I have a plan. He’s letting me use his computer. I’m handling all of this.”
“I know this is very scary,” Rose said gently, looking over at the old computer that seemed too outdated to even work. But if it did work, she could do something that could draw her father’s men back to this area. “But you shouldn’t log in to anything or give your location on the computer.”
“I’m getting on my email.” She was wild with frantic energy. “I’m sending my father an email. I’m going to tell him I’m done. He doesn’t have to send anyone else because I’m going to disappear. I’m going to forget any of this ever happened.” Her eyes were wet with tears as she began banging away on the keys.
“That’s not a good idea. Even if you tell him that, he’s likely to come after you. You’re a loose end he won’t be able to forget about. And getting on your email, he can track your location.”
“He doesn’t want to kill me. He wants this to end too. If I tell him I’m done, he’ll have an excuse to finally let this go. Let me go.”
The screen came to life as Rose tried to think of just the right words to convince Topeka to reconsider. But soon she’d realize it wouldn’t be her words that would sway Topeka.
“Russ,” she gasped, clicking frantically on an email. “This came two days ago. He’s alive. Russ is alive.”
“Topeka, you need to log off.”
The video crackled to life, grainy and spotty but his voice could be heard clear enough to make out the message.
“Topeka, please be alive. I hope you’re alive. I’ll never forgive myself if I got you killed with this story. Forget about the story. Forget about it all. If you’re alive, if you get this, just run. Keep running. I tried your phone but couldn’t reach you. If you still have it, ditch it. We’ve been blown and they’re coming. They’re coming for both of us. If you can get in touch with me, if you can let me know you’re alive, please find a way to tell me. I’m in the place we talked about. Remember the night we ate so many chicken wings we thought we would burst. On that night I told you about a place. That’s where I’ll be. If you can, find me. If you can’t, just be safe. Forget the story. I don’t care about it. I only care about you.”
The video cut off and Rose covered her mouth, completely flabbergasted.
“He’s alive.”
“Topeka, log out of your email. Do not send him a message back. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Topeka breathed out, shutting the computer down. “I’m not going to email him back. I don’t need to. He’s alive.”
