Chapter Thirty-Eight Ella
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Ella
“Rhia is in the cabin by the driveway,” Tiero says as we step outside the cabin hand in hand.
A frosty gust of wind bites at my face, and I shiver. Tiero immediately moves closer, fastening the last button of my jacket and tugging my scarf a little tighter around my neck. He kisses the tip of my already cold nose as I look at him, confused.
“Why was she moved?”
He looks away, his jaw tightening as he bites his lip. He clearly doesn’t want to answer.
“Why, Tiero?” I press. “No more secrets, remember?”
He exhales slowly. “When she woke up, she got a bit feisty. My men thought it best to separate her from the other two.”
I almost smile at the image of my best friend giving his men hell. Almost. Something in his expression doesn’t sit right, the restraint in his posture too deliberate.
Before I can push further, we reach the cabin. I climb the steps, unease sliding through me as my fingers close around the handle.
God, I’m dreading this.
I have no idea how Rhia is going to react to seeing me back at Tiero’s side. The guilt I’ve been carrying sharpens as I draw in a breath and push the door open.
My gaze lands on my best friend, and everything in me freezes. For a split second, my mind refuses to make sense of what I’m seeing.
Rhia is sprawled on the sofa. Her wrists and ankles are bound, and a gag is shoved between her lips.
The room tilts.
“Gualtiero Leandro De Marco, how could you?” I shout, already moving and yanking the gag free as I drop to my best friend’s side.
So much for her not being a captive.
“First you drugged her, and now you had her tied up and gagged? I trusted you.”
Tiero turns sharply, his entire presence hardening as his attention locks onto one of his men.
“You were under strict instructions not to touch her, Roberto.” He grips the front of his shirt and hauls him up.
“I swear I didn’t touch her,” Roberto stammers, panic written all over his face. “Not like that. I only tied her up. She bit me.”
That almost makes me laugh. Rhia would absolutely do that.
“And the gag?” Tiero asks. His voice is low and dangerous.
“She wouldn’t shut up,” Roberto sputters.
Tiero releases him abruptly. Roberto stumbles back, barely keeping his footing.
“Never go against my orders again,” Tiero snarls. “This is your only warning. Get out.”
Roberto doesn’t wait to be told twice. He grabs his jacket and bolts.
Realizing Tiero didn’t order this takes the sharpest edge off my fury, but it doesn’t erase it. This should never have happened.
I shoot him a look that could peel paint as I pour Rhia a glass of water and press it into her hands.
Unfazed by my glare, Tiero steps closer and kisses the top of my head before turning toward the door.
“I’ll be back in a little while.”
The moment we’re alone, I pull Rhia into my arms.
She hasn’t said a word through any of it.
That’s not like her.
A prickle of unease crawls up my spine. What if the side effects of the sedatives hit her really hard?
I take Rhia’s hand in mine. My fingers tremble as I touch her, inspecting her for any injuries.
“Are you okay?” I ask, still shaken to have found her like this.
She puffs up her cheeks and lets the air out slowly.
“I feel like I’ve got a hangover,” she says. “But otherwise, I’m fine.”
Relief flickers through me, but it’s gone almost as soon as it arrives.
“You’re doing better than I did,” I say quietly as I stand to remove my jacket and scarf. “I always felt nauseous, like I’d been run over.”
My voice wavers. “I’m so sorry, Rhi. This should never have happened. It’s my fault.”
The words taste bitter, but I can’t stop them.
“Don’t be silly, El.” She squeezes my hand. “You can’t predict what Tiero or his guard dogs will do.”
I open my mouth to argue, but she lifts a hand, cutting me off.
“Do you know if Lex is okay? When I woke up in the other cabin, he was still out.”
She looks really worried. I hate that Tiero sedated them all.
“He’s due to wake up soon. Dr. Agosti’s been monitoring you all overnight, making sure there were no adverse reactions,” I tell her, hoping it will reassure her.
“How is Lex here?” I ask, still baffled about it.
Rhia drinks another sip of water. “I think he must have been alerted when Gualtiero left Sicily and followed his trail.”
“Oh, that would make sense,” I say, pulling Rhia in for another hug.
She holds on tightly.
“I was so worried about you.” She takes a step back to look at me. “What happened after they dragged me away? To be honest, I’m shocked to see you and Tiero so chummy. What’s going on?”
I copy her earlier gesture, puffing air into my cheeks and holding it there until my lungs protest.
How am I supposed to explain the last twelve hours? That I gave Tiero another chance?
“Just tell me,” she says. “It’s obvious the two of you have sorted through some things. Just don’t tell me you’re back together.”
Umm. Yeah…