Chapter Sixteen Ella
Chapter Sixteen
Ella
Iswallow as unease settles low in my belly at the sudden shift in Gualtiero’s tone. My palms grow damp, and I wipe them against the fabric of my dress.
“I was rather impressed,” he continues. “It was a bold move.”
He sounds anything but impressed. There isn’t the slightest trace of humor in his expression.
“You had Emiliano worried until they could locate you. He wisely didn’t inform me until you were already back.”
I say nothing, just stare at him, one eyebrow raised.
For a moment he studies me. Then a quiet laugh escapes him.
The tension around him loosens slightly, and I feel myself breathe again.
That other version of Gualtiero, the one that looks carved from granite, is terrifying.
“I didn’t know you had the spirit of a mountain goat,” he says, half-teasing.
Mountain goat?
Did he really just compare me to a goat?
“There are plenty of things you don’t know about me,” I reply coolly. “And if we’re talking animals, I’m much closer to a mountain lion than a goat.”
He chuckles. I don’t.
“True, cuore mio,” he says. “My apologies. You are definitely a fierce lioness.”
“Yes,” I say dryly. “Watch out for the claws. And the teeth.”
He laughs again. Does he think this is all some entertaining game he’s already won?
“I welcome the challenge of taming you, my beautiful lioness,” he says, confidence radiating from every word.
Anger surges through me at his arrogance, at the way he speaks as if the outcome of my life is already decided.
What on earth did I ever see in this man?
“If you think I’ll give up,” I say evenly, “then you don’t know me at all.”
I lean forward, my gaze fixed on him.
“But don’t worry, Signor De Marco. I’ve learned from my first failure. That one was spontaneous. The next time will be better planned.”
His expression hardens instantly.
The brief amusement vanishes, his eyes turning cold and merciless. I lean back before I even realize I’m doing it.
“There will not be a next time, Ella.”
His voice is calm, but unyielding.
“Climbing down those rock stairs was reckless. You could have died.”
His gaze sharpens further.
“I’m tempted to put you over my knee and give you a spanking you won’t forget. Perhaps that would teach you not to put yourself in such danger again.”
My eyes widen. He wouldn’t. Would he?
And why did that threat just send a flicker of heat through me?
I’ve clearly read too many questionable novels.
“Let me make one thing very clear to you,” he continues.
His gaze locks onto mine, unblinking.
“There is no point in running from me, Ella. Ever.”
He lets the words hang there.
“You will never get away from me. I will always find you.”
The certainty in his voice makes my heartbeat falter.
“There is nowhere on this earth you could hide. I would cross the entire world to bring you back.”
And I know he means it. Every word.
The conviction in his voice strikes something deep inside me, an echo that makes my pulse race. Not with want and desire like before, but with pure, undiluted fear.
Until now I had only glimpsed this side of Gualtiero when he spoke on the phone with someone else. It’s never been directed at me.
My entire body goes cold. Every muscle locks in place.
For the first time since meeting him, he truly frightens me.
The pulse in my throat must be visible beneath my skin because Gualtiero reaches across the small round table and places two fingers lightly against it.
He holds them there for several seconds, feeling the rapid beat beneath his touch, never once breaking eye contact.
Then he withdraws his hand.
For a few moments he says nothing, his gaze drifting away as if weighing something.
When his eyes return to mine, the tension in them has changed.
Moments ago he looked like a judge passing sentence. Now he looks like the man who would carry it out.
He shifts between these moods so quickly it leaves my head spinning, as if he’s steering my emotions wherever he pleases.
How do you deal with someone like him and remain sane?
I suddenly understand something.
This is how he controls people.
Fear. Intimidation.
And it’s disturbingly effective.
“Your life is aligned with mine now, Ella,” he says calmly. “The sooner you accept that, the easier things will be.”
His voice lowers slightly.
“You cannot fight the inevitable.”
Can’t I?
That is exactly what he wants me to believe. But I refuse to accept it.
I need distance. Space to think. A break from the madness swirling around him.
Without another word, I stand and leave the room, heading toward the garden.
To my surprise, he doesn’t follow.
But why would he? He knows I can’t go anywhere.
There are cameras everywhere on this property, watching every movement. Guards, too, no doubt.
For the foreseeable future, I’m trapped here.
When I return to my suite later, Gualtiero is gone and every trace of dinner has vanished with him.
I release a quiet sigh of relief. I’ve truly had enough of him for one day.
Getting ready for bed, I open the wardrobe in search of something comfortable to sleep in. Normally, I prefer a loose T-shirt and sleep shorts.
Naturally, none exist.
Instead, there’s an entire drawer filled with skimpy chemises and babydolls.
Great.
They might entice any man, but the last thing I intend to do is give Gualtiero more reason to desire me.
After a frustrating search, I settle on a deep lavender nightdress. It’s still far more revealing than I’d like, but at least it’s long enough to cover my lower half completely.
I climb into bed and pull the blanket around me, cocooning myself from the world.
My defiance is still burning strong.
I will not cower.
Of course Gualtiero would tell me running is futile. He wants me to believe he could find me anywhere so that I simply give up and accept my fate.
He’s dreaming.
Prisoners escaped from Alcatraz. Surely I can disappear from a Sicilian mansion.
I try to think, try to form a plan.
But my mind comes up blank.
The fear and uncertainty of the past few days finally catch up with me, draining what little strength I have left.
Exhaustion pulls at my limbs.
I close my eyes and let myself drift into the quiet darkness where abductions and obsessed Sicilians don’t exist.