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“Elle! Oh my god! Are you okay? How are you calling me? Where are you?”
My eyes widened as Olivia turned to stare at me in complete shock. How was Elle calling her? Olivia pressed the loudspeaker button and Elle’s cheerful but emotional voice filtered through the phone.
“It is so good to hear your voice Liv! I am fine! Are you okay? Is the baby okay? I was so worried about leaving you in that trunk!”
“I’m fine. The baby’s fine thanks to you! You saved us, Elle. I am so sorry this has happened to you because of it. My god, you have no idea how worried we have all been,” Liv said with tears in her eyes.
“Liv! I told you I am fine. Please, don’t worry about me, okay? They haven’t hurt me and I am going to be fine. I just needed to check you were okay,” she replied with strength in her voice. I smiled when I heard it. I believed her. She was fine. In fact, she sounded more than fine.
“Haven’t hurt you? Elle we’ve seen the video! That man attacked you! Did he rape you, Elle?” Olivia blubbered, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“No! I promise. Yes, he attacked me because of that shipment Gio stole. But Alessio stopped him. Nothing actually happened to me,” she said slowly and carefully and Olivia closed her eyes, breathing out a sigh of relief. “Why did Gio do it, Liv?”
“It was before you were kidnapped. The deal was all arranged the day we went to the doctor’s and with the craziness that happened over the next two days, Gio completely forgot about it! He feels so terrible, Elle. It has been killing him. He thinks you hate him.”
Elle sighed into the phone. “I was upset, but I don’t hate him. Deep down, I knew he wouldn’t have put the North before my safety on purpose. Is he there? Can I talk to him?”
Olivia stood up and started to run towards the house. I grabbed my crutches and hobbled after as fast as I could. Giovanni and Maximus were in the downstairs meeting room when I finally got there. Liv had placed the phone on the table. Gio was leaning over it with his hands either side.
“Elle! Are you okay? Have they hurt you? Where are you?” He bombarded her with aggressive questioning.
“I’m fine. Please Gio, calm down and listen to me. I don’t have long. I am not hurt. They haven’t touched me since that video and I am fine. Nothing has happened to me and I am safe and well.”
“Elle! I saw that video! You are not safe!”
“I am, Gio! Alessio stopped his cousin and beat the shit out of him for doing that to me. I promise you, nothing happened and I am fine.”
Gio frowned as I took a seat at the table, my eyes connecting with Maximus, who looked unconvinced by her words.
“How do I know that he isn’t standing right next to you, holding a fucking gun to your head to make you say that Elle? How are you even phoning Liv?” Gio growled, his frustration and anger, causing his face to grow redder.
“He is not. I’m alone. He gave me a phone and let me call whoever I wanted. I told you Gio, I am being treated well and with respect.”
Giovanni scoffed loudly, shaking his head. “If that is true, tell me where you are.”
“I-I can’t,” she muttered.
“Because he is there?”
“No!” she shouted in frustration, the feisty Elenora I love coming through the phone. “I just can’t tell you where I am right now. You have to trust me when I say I am okay and just don’t retaliate. Just a few more days, okay?”
“A few more days? What does that even mean, Elle? You aren’t making any sense? Do you have any idea what this is doing to us? How much I have lost because of this?” he shouted, losing his temper.
“Gio, calm down,” Liv said firmly, standing up from her chair. I knew this all too well. Gio and Elle had had some massive sibling blowouts over the years. They were too similar. Both stubborn and both hot-headed. It never ended well.
“Oh, I am sorry I am such a burden to your business, Giovanni!” Elle roared through the phone.
Gio huffed, closing his eyes. “That is not what I mean. Just tell me where you are and I will come and get you. I can save you, Elle. Bring you home where you are safe and put an end to all this mess.”
There was a silence on the phone as we all held our breaths. Did Alessio really give Elle a phone and leave her to call them in private? He had to know that Elle could very easily give up her location and tell them exactly where she was. Was Alessio expecting me to let him know how this goes down? Was it a plan to trick Gio into coming to the South? My head was spinning with unanswered questions again and I didn’t know what to think.
“No. I told you; I can’t tell you where I am.”
Gio’s head snapped up as he stared at Liv, rage and confusion swirling in his dark eyes.
“Can’t or won’t?”
Another pause. “Won’t. Not yet. Please Gio, just don’t do anything stupid for the next few days, just—”
