AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Andrea? Wait. Why is he still here? Didn’t he…?
My thoughts stop in their tracks as he starts looking around. I hold my breath.
If he was any other man working for my father, he probably wouldn’t notice my presence. But Andrea is different. He’s an assassin, extremely talented, just like Cain. And even more ruthless.
As I remember the look on his face the last time I saw him, a chill goes down my spine. This is not good. If he catches me, I’ll be in trouble.
My heart starts to race as he walks in my direction.
Shit. Have I already been caught? Does he already know I’m here? What do I do? Jump out and make my presence known? Run?
Suddenly, I hear a clatter. It seems Jodie has passed out. Andrea runs towards her. As concerned as I am for her, I follow my instinct and seize the opportunity to leave.
Once I’m outside, I run to my truck and drive. I don’t know where I’m going, but I keep driving until I’m a few blocks away. Then I stop. I take my hands off the wheel and try to catch my breath. I run my fingers through my hair.
This is not at all how I imagined my homecoming would be. I imagined a warm welcome, a long talk and then maybe a grand celebration. I didn’t expect to find that atmosphere of gloom and danger.
What is going on?
I draw deep breaths to calm myself down. As my mind becomes clearer, I decide on seeing Leo so he can explain everything to me. He’s the only one I can trust.
I’m about to start the engine again but a hand clamps over my mouth.
Not again.
A stifling, sweet scent enters my nostrils. It fogs my mind until I can see nothing and feel nothing. Even my thoughts and my memories start to leave me again, though one seems to linger in the darkness.
Triss.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Triss
“Antonio Ursini,” I whisper Antonio’s real name to my reflection as I wash my hands in the bathroom sink.
That’s what Leonardo – Leo – told me. Apparently, he’s Antonio’s twin. That’s why they look so much alike. He’s smart, too, but I find Antonio’s personality softer, if that makes any sense. It seemed to when I said it to Leo. He chuckled and said I wasn’t the first to notice it.
He didn’t believe me at first when I said Antonio was alive. He thought his brother had been dead for thirteen years. But I explained everything to him, told him all I knew about Antonio, and in the end, he believed. He also said he would take care of everything.
So here I am back at the hotel room with Lara. Waiting. Waiting for Leo to call and tell me he found his brother. Waiting for Antonio to walk right through the door.
Just then, I hear the door open. My heart leaps.
I rush out of the bathroom, ready to throw my arms around Antonio. Instead, I freeze as I see Jim with his gun. He points it at my forehead.
What is he doing here? Didn’t Antonio say he wouldn’t bother me anymore?
“Surprised?” He grins. “I just thought it was a pity that our fun was interrupted earlier, so I’ve come to continue it.”
I try to stay calm as I back away from him with my hands up.
“Does your friend, Louie, know you’re here?” I ask him.
“No.”
I glance at the bed and find Lara still asleep. I hope I can get Jim to leave before she wakes up.
“Didn’t you hear what he said?” I ask Jim. “That if you try to hurt me, Leonardo Ursini…”
“Can go to hell,” Jim finishes my sentence. “I’m not scared of him or any of the Ursinis. My new friend is already taking care of them.”
What? What does he mean?
“It’s all thanks to your fake husband’s help, actually,” he adds.
My eyes grow wide. Antonio? So Antonio did go to Jim? To do what? Help Jim and his friends bring down his family? Does that mean he remembers his family now? Does he have some grudge against them because they gave up on him?
I don’t believe it. Antonio would never do anything like that. At least, the Antonio I know never would. Then again, the Antonio I know wouldn’t just walk out on me, either. He’s changed.
Maybe his memories have returned.
“But let’s not talk about him,” Jim says. “I’m here to talk about us.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “There is no us, Jim.”
“You’re my wife.”
“I’m not.”
Jim snickers. “You’re right. You’re not. I was just kidding.”
A cruel joke that only a man as cruel as him could make. I should have known it.
“But you will be my wife after we get back home,” Jim says. “I intend to marry you, Christine Mathers.”
“And I don’t,” I tell him. “I’m not going back with you, Jim.”
