AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As if reading my mind, he advises, “You should stick to asking about art.”
I nod and watch as the server removes my bowl and places a steak before me. It’s accompanied by a red wine. But my appetite has waned, partly because I’m back to thinking about what’s going to happen to me.
“What happens if we can’t produce the Morelli?” I ask when the servers have left.
He cuts into his steak. “You heard what I told Alessandro.”
“But what if—I mean, I trust my brother wouldn’t have absconded with the painting, but what if something unexpected happened?”
“You want to worry about something you have no control over?”
“It’s hard not to.” I look down at the steak. My appetite is completely gone.
After a few minutes of silence, Rafe asks, “How do you like the view of the pool from your room?”
I blush. Did he see me watching him swim?
“It’s nice,” I answer. “I noticed a vineyard. Are we in wine country?”
“The Central Coast wine country.”
It makes me feel better to have some sense of where I am.
“Do you swim?” he asks.
Not sure why he’s asking, I answer, “A little.”
“You can access the pool whenever you like.”
Okay. I guess that’s a nice thing. “Thanks,” I say. “Don’t have a swimsuit though.”
“You don’t need one.”
“Yeah, I kinda do, because I’m not an exhibitionist.”
He looks across the table at me. I do my best not to squirm beneath his penetrating gaze and find myself reaching for the glass of wine.
Releasing me from his stare, he turns back to his steak, saying, “You’re welcome to walk around or use the fitness room.”
“What about Vladimir?” I ask, perking up at the prospect that if I’m allowed to roam around, maybe I could find a way out.
“I’ll let him know. It’s really not necessary to guard you. You’re not going anywhere.”
I’m not?
“My property is completely walled off, and if you haven’t already noticed, my security detail patrols the perimeter. No one gets in, no one goes out without my knowledge.”
My shoulders sag. I take another sip of wine, even though I should be careful with how much I drink. I wonder how high these walls are.
“Don’t even think about trying to test my security,” Rafe warns. “You’re going to be a niceguestfor the next seven days, Priscilla. Disregard my rules and there will be consequences.”
