Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Kathleen’s nerves were shot. Enzo had gone silent, almost sullen, since Dragan had left them. The way he was pulling away from her generated a burning pit in her belly.
Asshole. It was stupid. It shouldn’t matter. So they’d slept together. It wasn’t like it was the first time she’d had sex since she’d found her freedom. But it was the first time it had mattered.
Enzo mattered.
For shit’s sake, what was it with her? Why must she always fall for the bad boys? Why couldn’t she have fallen for Dragan? God only knew that man was sexy as hell. Smart, funny, and yes, even he had the bad boy vibe. So, why didn’t she fall for him?
Because he was too young for her. He was in his early, possibly even his mid-thirties.
She’d already crested forty, and as far as she was concerned, there was no going back.
No future for them. Different age and stage.
Still, it had been so good to see him. Someone she knew she could trust and depend on. It made a difference.
She glanced at Enzo. If she were truthful, she would admit she could trust Enzo.
It was herself she couldn’t trust. She knew Enzo would do his best to keep her safe.
He was her brother’s best friend. There was no choice.
She just wished he wanted to keep her safe because he wanted to, not because he felt obligated to.
And his attitude because of Dragan? She wanted to think it was jealousy, but she knew better.
It was a stung ego. He was supposed to rescue the damsel in distress, and another big, strong man swooped in and stole his thunder.
She’d seen it too many times not to see the signs.
Hell, her brother had those same issues sometimes when the Callahans were trying to keep him safe.
The male ego was a fragile thing.
She leaned back in the seat and stared unseeing out the window. She was in this mess because some thief picked her out of a crowd and put the damn statue in her bag. Just random. She paused as another thought hit her.
“What if it wasn’t random?” she said.
“Che cosa?” Enzo glanced over at her. “What did you say?”
“Ernie ending up in my bag. What if it wasn’t random?”
“How do you mean?”
Kathleen swore. “I can’t believe I fucking missed it,” she said, swearing again. “It’s so obvious.”
“Care to share with the class?” Enzo sniped.
“Why pick me? Why go to Teterboro and pick me? Why put Ernie in my bag? It can’t be a coincidence.”
Enzo stared at her, and she knew the wheels were starting to turn.
“You see what I’m saying? Why go to Teterboro unless they knew they could put it in someone’s bag? It’s for private planes. Were they just hoping to find someone? I don’t think so. I think I was part of the plan from the beginning.”
Enzo’s eyes narrowed. “Did you recognize them at all? The couple you told me about at the airport.”
She cocked her head. “I had the vague feeling that the guy looked familiar, but I have no idea where from.”
Enzo leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. “To what end? Why target you?
She shrugged. “Vitale could hold me hostage, and Jamie would pay. Not too many people in this world have the kind of money Vitale needs, but my brother does. I was Vitale’s insurance policy in case the whole treasure thing didn’t work out.”
Enzo frowned. “You think Carlotta told Vitale about the thieves, and he took over?”
“I think Vitale made Carlotta use the thieves. I think they’re his people.” She licked her lips. “I think they were waiting to scoop me up in Paris at the airport, and when I switched to Lake Lugano, they had to rethink and re-work their plan.”
Enzo met her gaze. “You think then that once I was involved, Bianca, Rocco, and Vitale came up with the hostage idea.”
Kathleen nodded. “You said it yourself. Rocco wants you out of the picture, and using Bianca as a hostage gives him the perfect reason.” She watched Enzo, but his face remained blank.
Was he feeling betrayed by Bianca? He didn’t appear to be any more upset at this idea than before.
Maybe Bianca didn’t mean as much to him as Kathleen had thought?
More likely, he was just getting his brain wrapped around this whole concept.
She understood that. It was a lot to take in, but it made a hell of a lot of sense.
“I think you’re right in general, but wrong on one thing.
I think they would have released you in Paris, but still staged the mugging.
Your brother was busy flying to Japan, and the Callahans were all at a wedding, so I would be the next logical choice for your brother to call.
Rocco counted on it.” It was Enzo’s turn to swear. We’ve been pawns since the beginning.”
“I agree,” Kathleen said. “But how do we make that work to our advantage?”
“I have no idea, but we have the rest of the train ride to figure it out.”
The train was pulling into the station when it suddenly hit Kathleen that they were in more trouble than she realized. “Shit. Who do you think will be waiting for us at the palace? Dominic? Carlotta? Would Carlotta have told Vitale about us pinning down the location?”
“Maybe.” Enzo stood, and as the train came to a halt, his body swayed, his hip brushing near her cheek.
And damn, but that closeness triggered a rush of warmth in her core.
Enzo jerked back and steadied himself with a hand on the overhead strap.
“But I think it’s more likely she kept her mouth shut.
She wants this treasure for herself. I’m betting on it. ”
With a resigned sigh, Kathleen got to her feet. “I hope you’re right.” Her stupid body wanted this man, even when her head told her to knock it the hell off. Bad boy, remember? No and no and fuck no.
Enzo grabbed her hand and drew her off the train. They followed the crowd until they were out of the station and on the sidewalk. “It’s this way,” he said, moving swiftly along the sidewalk. Enzo dropped her hand.
She wanted to grab his hand back and never let go. She missed the warmth and safety of his touch. “Should we reach out to the Callahans and see where they are?”
Enzo shook his head. “Let’s get there first and see what’s what. Then we can call them.”
Kathleen wasn’t keen on that idea, but she kept her mouth shut and her head on a swivel. She didn’t trust that Carlotta hadn’t ratted them out. One whiff of Dominic or his goons and she was calling in any and all reinforcements.
“What if we’re wrong?” Worry made her breathless. Or maybe that was a result of hurrying to keep pace with Enzo.
“Carlotta doesn’t want to share her treasure with her brothers. She sure as hell doesn’t want to share it with the Rinaldis or Vitale. I’m willing to bet she deeply regrets the day she met Bianca.”
“No, not about Carlotta. What if we’re wrong about Bianca? What if her being hostage wasn’t part of her plan? What if Rocco and Vitale aren’t allies like we think they are? What if Rocco is telling the truth?”
“Rocco Rinaldi very rarely tells the truth.” Enzo walked up to the ticket window and bought two tickets.
He stepped back from the window and handed her one.
“But I take your point. We’ll deal with that once we have the treasure.
I’m well aware that Bianca is an unknown entity in this mess.
I will do my best to protect her. I promised her father. I don’t want to see her hurt.”
They walked onto the grounds and strode to the edge of the terrace overlooking the gardens. Gardens seemed like a misnomer. Two thousand acres of trees, plants, flowers, hedges, and a multitude of fountains, monuments, and statues. No, garden didn’t quite cover it.
Kathleen stood staring out at the greenery. “This is beautiful,” she said, tripping over every word.
Enzo glanced at her. “You’ve never been here before?”
“Being a tourist wasn’t high on the list of things I was allowed to do in WitSec.” She laughed. “It was on my list. It’s a true monument to beauty.”
Enzo snorted. “It’s a monument to one King’s ego, but it is beautiful. You should take the time to tour the palace at some point. It’s stunning.”
“No doubt,” she agreed. Then, sighing, she commented, “So, what are we looking for? I assume the map doesn’t show the whole two thousand acres.”
“The map shows the north end of the gardens. We’re looking for the Bosquet de l'Obélisque. It’s a grove off to the right.” He waved in that direction.
Kathleen was suddenly overwhelmed. What they’d been through, what she’d been through, the train ride, the interlude with Enzo…all of it. The beauty of this spot seemed to have unlocked something in her. She put her hand on Enzo’s arm.
“This isn’t a game.”
He frowned at her. “No, it’s not.”
“We’ve been treating it like it’s a game. Up until the train ride, it was a big adventure. Yes, somebody shot at us, but it was still a big adventure. That’s how we’ve been seeing it. A treasure map. Wondering about the treasure. X marks the spot. I’ve been treating it like a big game.”
“It’s not a game,” he said again, seriousness lining his face. “Dominic’s presence made sure of that.”
“Bianca’s life is on the line,” Kathleen blurted, fully aware that Enzo wasn’t getting what she was saying.
Enzo shook his head. “You don’t know—”
Kathleen cut him off. “It doesn’t matter what we think.
We’ve been jumping to conclusions, supposition after supposition.
We don’t know anything other than Bianca told you she was in trouble and that Vitale said he was holding her as collateral for obtaining the map.
That means she’s in trouble. We don’t know any different, and we have to stop thinking we do.
You’ve told me what kind of man he is. We need to take this seriously.
I don’t want to be responsible for someone’s death.
I have no idea who Bianca is or what her story is, but I can tell you nobody wants to be held for ransom. We need to take this more seriously.”