Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
Eliza
Simone is a more generous jailer than Adriano. Since he took over guard duties he hasn't locked my door once. Okay, it's only been a day, but I appreciate him for not being heavy-handed all the same.
Without Adriano up my ass every two seconds, I've had the chance to explore the house a little more and I've revised my initial opinion. I don't dislike the décor, I loathe it.
If I had matches I'd burn the place down, though realistically it's more likely to melt given the amount of synthetic material that's been used.
As I sit in the media room on a black leather sofa trying to find a movie I want to watch out of the small pool of about ten thousand available to me, I realize two things.
The first is that I should trust Adriano with what I know about Marton Vida. I'm confident he'll believe me when I say I never wanted any harm to come to Gabriele.
The second thing I realize is that Adriano was an asshole to me yesterday morning because he's scared about what's happening between us. I can't blame him. It's way too fast, like instalove or something.
But I can't deny the pull between us and it's up to me to coax him into accepting it. A big bad mobster like Adriano can't be expected to come to terms with his feelings all by himself after all.
In the end, I settle for The French Connection. I like these gritty old crime movies and it seems apt with Adriano in Marseille. I've just figured out how to turn up the volume when the door opens and a man I don't recognize walks in.
He's in his mid-twenties with sandy hair. He's scruffily dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and looks like he hasn't seen a razor in a week. He closes the door behind him and that's when alarm bells start ringing in my head. A man who's here for a friendly visit wouldn't need to close the door.
I get to my feet before he reaches me.
"Sit down," he says. "I just want to talk."
Like hell he does. He's twitchy, his eyes darting around the room and I don't like the way he's rubbing his arm. Whatever his purpose is here, he’s not entirely at peace with it. There’s an air of desperation surrounding him and that makes him dangerous.
"Where's Simone?" I ask. My jailer slash bodyguard was in the kitchen not long ago, fixing himself a sandwich. Surely he’ll realize there’s an intruder in the house?
"Busy." He takes a step toward me. "I have a message for you. From some people who've been looking for you for a while. They want to talk. You have to come with me."
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
"It's not really a request." He takes another step. "You've been a problem for a long time. They'd like to resolve it."
Since resolve probably means murder I know I can't let this man take me out of the house.
When he reaches for my arm, I don't stop to think. I've spent three years on the run waiting for someone to grab me like this. Though I wouldn't exactly say I've trained for this moment I have had various scenarios play out in my head.
I twist away from his grip and bring my elbow up into his face. His nose doesn't break, more's the pity, but he screams something at me and lets go. I try to dart past but he catches hold of my shirt and pulls me back.
Spinning around, I raise my knee and kick him in the groin. He doubles over and I run. I'm almost at the door when he reaches me.
Snatching a handful of my ponytail he pulls my head back and drives my face into the door. Pain explodes across my cheekbone and blood pours from my nose.
For a minute, as everything goes white, I think I’m going to pass out. Then it clears leaving me angry more than afraid.
Despite the dangerous turns my life has taken nobody has ever hurt me like this. How dare this lowlife come into Adriano fucking Volante’s house and do this to his woman.
My attacker spins me around and raises his fist. I duck the blow and he strikes the door. Somehow I get it open and I start to run.
Voices call out, one of them Simone's, instructing the others to grab Bruno. That tells me two things. The first is that my assailant’s name is Bruno and the second is that these men know him.
Is he a known enemy of the Volantes? A traitor in their ranks? Why the fuck do I care?
I keep running. The gate ahead of me is closing slowly but I pick up my pace and squeeze through just in time. Simone yells my name but I keep running.
As I see the village up ahead I stop. Bracing my hands on my knees I bend over and catch my breath.
Blood is dripping from my nose onto the road and my face is starting to throb. The village bar is up ahead. I could walk in there, phone the police and be done with Adriano, Vida, the whole sorry mess.
Only I don't trust the police to sort it all out. They won't go after Adriano because the Volante name carries too much weight. They'll tell me Vida's outside of their jurisdiction, maybe they pass something on to the Hungarian authorities but who knows where their priorities lie.
I could slip into the forest to my left and disappear again. My father's friend Giuseppe who made my fake passports could make another for me. My parents would wire me money like they did the last time and I could run.
Only I've been there and done that. Staying makes more sense. Adriano can protect me. But it's not just about protection anymore, is it?
Before Bruno tried to take me I was resolved to make Adriano face what he feels. Now here I am running away from our fucked up relationship. I'm not a damned coward.
This ends here. I need to go back there, tell Adriano about the past, admit what I feel for him and face Gabriele. Well, maybe that can wait a while.
Turning, I start to walk back along the road to the house. I get about fifty feet before a car comes toward me, blinding me with its headlights. As it pulls up I prepare to run again. Then Simone gets out of the driver's side.
"Need a ride, signorina?"
"No, I'd rather walk back to the house in socks." Fuck. How am I only just noticing I'm not wearing shoes? Adrenaline, I suppose. Simone shoots a sympathetic look as I hobble toward him.
He winces as he sees the state of my face. It’s the most extreme reaction I’ve ever seen from this cool, collected bodyguard. That doesn’t fill me with confidence about what I look like.
"I'll call a doctor, signorina. When we get back to the house.”
I could refuse. The blood I can deal with myself but right now I want painkillers. Maximum strength painkillers. I get in the car and rest my head back against the seat.
"Bruno?" I ask as he turns the car around.
“Dealt with.”
I don’t ask him what that means. The grim tone of his voice tells me enough.
“Are you going to tell Adriano?”
"Yes, Signorina, I'm afraid I must.”
“Will you tell him I ran?”
“Yes.”
Well, that’s just great.
“You realize I was coming back, right?’
“I know, but I still have to tell him.”
"Pity. I was just beginning to like you."
Simone smiles. "You'll like me again when I fetch you an icepack and some ibuprofen."
“Probably. I’m fickle like that.”
Resting my head back against the seat, I sigh. Perhaps I should have kept on running because when Adriano hears about this he's going to be angry.
Despite the fact I changed my mind, about escaping, he’ll probably want to punish me. This time, I'm not looking forward to it.