Chapter Five
Ella
Idon’t know what to think.
My mind is a tangled mess of fear, anger, and confusion.
One thing is certain. I should have listened to my gut.
Didn’t it warn me right from the beginning to stay far away from Gualtiero De Marco?
Didn’t it tell me to run the other way?
Why didn’t I listen?
Rhia and her overactive libido.
Why did I let her talk me into this? Now she might be in danger too. If I ever see her again, I swear I’ll put her over my knee.
Rhia. She will be beside herself with worry.
The thought twists painfully in my chest.
What if I never see my best friend again?
She’s the only family I have left.
I drag a hand through my hair and pace the small alcove.
If only I had listened to my instincts.
If only I had resisted temptation.
If only…
I stop myself.
If only isn’t going to help me now.
Gualtiero Leandro De Marco, who the hell are you?
The question loops through my mind.
He was always vague whenever I asked about his business. If he were completely legitimate, would he really need this much security?
And his upbringing…
He said he’d been groomed from childhood to take over.
Why didn’t that set off alarm bells?
Let’s face it. It doesn’t look good.
Wasn’t my very first suspicion that he might be a Mafioso?
And now I’m probably being held captive by a rival family hoping to use me as leverage.
Baroni claims he works for Gualtiero, but that burly man suggests otherwise.
What are they planning to do with me?
And why treat me so well if I’m just a pawn?
If Baroni told the truth and I’m actually important to Tiero, would they expect him to cooperate more easily if I’m kept comfortable?
Does any of this make sense?
God, I hope Tiero is already searching for me.
But then why would Baroni say he’s returning tomorrow?
Did he make that up?
Argh.
What’s true and what’s a lie?
If Tiero were behind this, he wouldn’t leave me here in the dark, terrified and confused.
He just wouldn’t.
But then how much do I really know about the man and what he’s capable of?
Frustration boils inside me until I feel like I might explode.
I don’t know what to believe or who to trust. This is pure mental torture.
I need an outlet for this growing rage.
Looking around, the only thing I can throw is the tray with the water jug and vase.
I grab it and hurl it over the balustrade. Far below, it shatters against the rocks. The crash echoes upward.
It doesn’t make me feel better, though my breathing slows a little.
There are only two possibilities.
Either Baroni is telling the truth and Tiero ordered my kidnapping, or he’s lying and Tiero’s enemies have me.
Both scenarios fit.
So which one is more likely?
Let’s assume, just for a moment, that Baroni is telling the truth. Could my life really be in danger?
I know nothing about Tiero’s world. Maybe that’s exactly why he didn’t tell me. It would explain the constant security, and Alonso guarding me the other day, even though he denied it.
But then why not talk to me?
We could have figured something out together.
Why kidnap me?
It makes no sense.
And if I’m truly in danger, what about Rhia?
She’s the closest person in my life. Wouldn’t that put her at risk too?
I try to calculate when Lex is due back from South America. He’d protect her with his life.
But he won’t return for another two or three weeks.
I need my phone.
I need to know Rhia is okay.
Suddenly, escape is the only thing on my mind.
Especially if I’m being held by Tiero’s enemies.
I’m not going to sit around and wait to see what they plan to do with me. If Tiero refuses their demands, they could sell me off to some sheikh and ship me to the Middle East.
No, not happening.
And if Tiero really did orchestrate this kidnapping? I’d never want to see him again.
But this place is crawling with security.
How am I supposed to get out?
Dad always used to say, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
I just have to find it.
And I will.
If it’s the last thing I do.
Mariella appears on the path carrying a tray.
“Here is more food and English books if you want read,” she says kindly.
I force a polite smile. “Grazie, Mariella.”
“If you need me, please buzz.” She places an old-fashioned pager on the table before leaving.
The smell of freshly baked bread drifts toward me, making my stomach rumble.
There’s a platter of cut fruit, seafood salad, warm bread, and a small pizza with tomatoes and basil.
Perhaps I should go on a hunger strike.
Who am I kidding? I wouldn’t last a day. I love food far too much.
And if I want to escape, I’ll need the energy.
I eat the seafood salad absently while my mind keeps turning.
How will I get out of here?
Walking out the front door with a middle-finger salute would be satisfying, but unlikely to succeed.
On the way to this alcove, I saw several security guards patrolling the grounds, large guns slung over their shoulders.
There must be security cameras everywhere too. I glance around instinctively, trying to spot them, but I can’t see any.
Stepping back to the balustrade, I study the landscape carefully.
I had hoped I might see houses somewhere along the coastline, but there’s nothing for miles.
When I peer over the edge of the cliff, my stomach flips.
It’s steep. Easily three hundred feet.
If I could somehow get down there, I could follow the shoreline. Eventually I’d have to reach civilization.
But how would I climb down without being seen?
Guards don’t seem to patrol this area. Probably because I’m here and they’ve been told to keep their distance.
That might work in my favor.
I examine the rocky cliff face.
Where is abseiling gear when you need it?
I snort softly at the ridiculous thought of there being a conveniently stocked escape shed nearby.
If only.
Then something else surfaces in my mind.
A book I read years ago.
It was about a woman who survived a plane crash in the Rocky Mountains and trekked back to civilization alone. At one point she faced a rock cliff that looked impossible to descend. But after studying it carefully, she realized there were enough natural ledges to climb down.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
I study the cliff again, following the same logic.
That’s when something near the water catches my eye.
It looks like a small jetty hidden among the rocks.
Why would there be a jetty beneath an otherwise impassable cliff?
Is there a tunnel somewhere leading to the shore?
I focus on the rock formations around that spot.
My breath catches.
Wait.
I blink and look again.
Are those stairs carved into the rock?