Chapter 14
The images on the screen didn’t do her justice.
I’m certain of that the moment I see Elodie step off the plane and walk toward me, feigning a confidence we both know she doesn’t feel.
The impact of her beauty only intensifies once we finally stand face to face.
I don’t bother to hide the way I examine her face and body. I’m used to having everything my way, and although the circumstances are far from conventional, I’m not about to change who I am by pretending otherwise.
My eyes trace her features, ending at the proud tilt of her chin, which only makes her look more defiant.
Her mouth is generous, her lips pursed into a slight pout that is, without a doubt, an invitation to sin.
I am Italian, an admirer of feminine beauty by nature.
But the word itself feels almost frivolous, useless when describing the golden-skinned, amber-eyed Romani woman.
Elodie is a woman in the fullest sense of the word.
A stunning woman with a combative stance that might intimidate a weaker man. But for me? It only makes my blood run hotter.
She wears no makeup, as expected. I doubt Abaddon thought of it, and doubt even more that she would have bothered with her appearance when she had no idea where she was being taken.
For all she knew, she might have traded one captor for another.
Her mouth is pressed into a thin line, as if to keep herself from saying something reckless, which amuses me in a bizarre way.
Abaddon told me that in the few words they exchanged, she didn’t act meek at all. She faced him, proof of her strength and courage.
She could easily pass for a princess, seated on her throne while adoring subjects throw themselves at her feet. In my world, men would fight savagely for a woman like Elodie.
Only a boy would fail to recognize the raw sensuality she possesses.
I force myself to mask the instant, voracious desire her presence sparks in me, reminding myself she isn’t here for pleasure.
Elodie is my insurance policy against my enemy. Through her, I will force the bastard to expose himself.
“How was your flight?” I ask, stepping close enough to savor her beautiful face but not close enough to catch her scent, though the wind has already carried it to me.
She doesn’t answer right away, and behind her delicate frame I see Abaddon standing a few meters away, clearly giving us time to face each other. The man despises interaction. More than two people in the same space is already a crowd for him.
I kept staring at her. I can see the fury etched on this goddess’s features. But there is something else, deep in her eyes, that stirs something sharp and primal inside me. Fear.
“Do you want me to lie, Mister. . .?”
I could give her a false name. But that isn’t who I am.
“Giancarlo Andresano.”
“Do you want me to lie, Mr. Andresano?”
“Feel free, Elodie. But know that I’m very good at catching liars.”
The madness of the situation isn’t lost on me.
We’ve just met, under the most unusual of circumstances, yet we are already provoking each other.
“I had a pleasant flight,” she begins, “which is unexpected for someone who’s been kidnapped.”
I ignore her anger.
“Welcome to Italy, Elodie. I hope you enjoy your stay. Now, be a good guest and get in the car. I’ll be with you in a few minutes.”
She bites her bottom lip so hard I’m sure she’s drawn blood. Again, I have the impression she is stopping herself from saying something she thinks she shouldn’t.
After a few seconds of holding my gaze, she finally relents and slides into the back seat of the car, where my driver is holding the door open.
I walk toward Abaddon.
“I’ll ask you again,” he says without a greeting. “Are you sure about this, Gianni?”
“Yes. She’ll remain under my personal protection.”
“In your gilded cage, you mean.”
“Far better than in Angelo’s hands. . .or the buyer’s.”
He grimaces with disgust. “You have no idea what they would’ve done to her.”
“Tell me.”
He spends five minutes explaining in detail who the other bidder was and what he enjoys doing to the women he purchases.
“I want you to dig up everything you can on him.”
Abaddon raises an eyebrow. “Are you hiring me for another job?” We both know what he means. He wants to know if I want the man dead.
“No. If necessary, I’ll hand him over to the authorities.”
“And he’ll slip away without consequence.”
“If you knew so much about the man, why didn’t you kill him yourself?”
“Because I made the mistake of taking things personally, once. Never again. I don’t kill for fun. For me, it’s work, the same way you run your companies.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“What I believe is the world is a cesspool, crawling with rats. Some wear expensive suits, others give political speeches. I see myself as the cleaner. The exterminator. Someone has to rid the world of that kind of filth.”
I can’t disagree. It would be hypocritical of me to claim I’ve lost a single night’s sleep over Angelo’s dead relatives.
“Keep me informed about the other bidder. If he’s the way you say he is, he won’t take losing Elodie at the auction lightly.”
“If I’m right, the only one we need to worry about is Angelo. Once he’s eliminated, she’ll be free.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“LeBlanc is involved with her sister. If Elodie goes to live with them, she’ll be safe.”
“Involved with the woman who was supposed to lure him into a trap? That doesn’t sound very smart.”
He almost smiles. “You’ve seen the Romani girl. The younger one is just as beautiful. Any man would have to be dead to resist either of them.”