Chapter 15
Antonio watched from his office window as the ladies stepped out of their rental car, laughing and chatting happily. He noticed that Astra pulled several items out of the trunk.
“No!” he snarled, startling Matteo and Edward who were debating the merits of an investment.
They looked up, confused. “No?” Edward asked.
Antonio spun around and stormed out of his office. It took him a few moments to reach the castle door, simply because the stupid place was so monstrously huge. But finally, he was able to intercept Astra and the other ladies.
“I’ll take those,” he said, plucking the packages out of her hands. “You go inside and rest.”
Astra looked startled, but Antonio didn’t care.
“They aren’t heavy,” she told him, reaching to reclaim them.
He lifted them out of her reach. “Tell me where you want them. And I’m cleaning out one of the downstairs rooms so that you and Macie have private offices.”
Astra’s mouth fell open with that announcement, but Antonio ignored her surprise. “I should have done so when you both first arrived. You need the space for planning and for whatever storage needs you have.”
Macie and Astra shared a glance as Antonio turned and went back into the castle. He deposited the bags in the room he’d chosen for Astra’s office, which was only two doors down from his own. At some point in time, this room had been used to store weapons. But over the centuries, it had been converted to just a storage room.
Now, it contained only an old table and chairs.
He sensed Astra and Macie behind him and turned. “Order whatever supplies you need for the events and if you need more room, there are about twenty additional rooms you can use.”
Then he shifted around them and walked out of the room, pausing at the doorway. “I gave Eldora the night off. I’ve ordered pizza for dinner tonight.”
Astra stared at the empty doorway, not sure what to say. Macie and Bailey were right next to her, both just as dumbfounded as she was.
“What just happened?” she whispered, not sure she wanted to use a louder voice.
“Um…I think,” Bailey said with a teasing tone, “that you’re moving into the castle.”
Macie laughed, nodding her agreement. “Sounds about right.” She turned and looked at Astra. “Should I organize movers to pack up your stuff in Philadelphia?”
Astra gaped at her assistant. “Movers?”
Bailey and Macie laughed, hugging her a moment before they headed back out for the rest of their supplies. “Let’s get this sorted out. The big plastic bin is still in the car. I’ll go get it,” Macie said and disappeared.
Matteo poked his head into the room. “May I have a moment of my wife’s time?” he asked.
Bailey looked up, startled. When she noticed her husband, she smiled. “Of course.” She looked over at Astra and said, “I’ll be right back.”
Alone, Astra looked around. She wanted to get this project finished. Yes, she should be working on the wall competition that was coming up in three days, but this…getting the “package” ready was a priority at the moment. It would hopefully never be used, but that wasn’t the point.
Thirty minutes later, she and Macie had the plastic bin filled with essentials.
“Let’s get this down there,” Astra said.
“I’ve got it,” Macie replied, then lifted the heavy box into her arms. “Goodness, this is full!”
Astra led the way down the “hallway of misery”, then down the dank, stone stairs. They had to drag the bin down the steps because it had gotten too heavy for Macie to carry by that point.
“What the hell is going on?” a male voice called out.
Macie turned with a welcoming smile but her expression soured when she saw the tall, handsome man coming down the stairs. “Go away, Your Grace,” she snapped. The last two words had been spoken with a twinge of sarcasm.
Of course, Edward ignored her, walking over and picking the heavy box up as if it was filled with feathers. “Where are you taking this?” he asked.
“Down to the dungeon,” Astra explained, then pointed towards the damp hallway. “It’s this way.”
He followed behind Macie and Astra down the hallway, then shoved the plastic bin into the darkest corner of the first cell. “What’s in this?” he asked, straightening and slapping his hands together as if to dust them off.
“It’s a secret,” Macie told him, then left the cell.
Edward stared after her for a moment, then turned to look at Astra, his eyebrows lifted in query.
“It’s more symbolic than anything else,” Astra explained. “I can’t explain more than that.”
Edward nodded, then looked around at the age-darkened walls and damp cells. “This place is horrible.”
She agreed but changed the subject, asking about where he lived in England as she led the way back up the stairs. He told her about his ancestral home in Bristol and the small village.
Once upstairs, they ran into Antonio and his eyes darkened. “What’s going on?” he demanded, glancing towards the door. “Why were you down in the dungeon?”
Astra waved to Edward and Macie who both moved on down the hallway. When they were alone, she looked at Antonio. “Do you have a moment to discuss a new idea I had?”
He looked down at her, his hands fisted on his hips. “What were you, Macie, and Edward doing down there?” he demanded.
She laughed and moved closer. “I was hiding something in the dungeon,” she told him honestly.
There was a moment of stunned silence as he stared down at her. “What were you hiding?”
“It doesn’t matter. It won’t ever be used.” She moved closer again, resting her hand on his chest. “I was…um…thinking about last night,” she told him.
He sighed, looked over her shoulder to the dark door that led to the dungeon. “I don’t want you going down there alone, Astra. If you fall, no one would know and we wouldn’t be able to hear you if you called for help.”
“Okay,” she replied. “Now about last night,” she whispered, feeling nervous since he wasn’t encouraging her flirting. But she wasn’t going to give up. She’d given up five months ago. She was different now. She had a baby to care for. And she wanted a father for that baby.
He hesitated, then put his hands on her waist. “What about last night?” he asked.
She started to pull away, discouraged by the tone. “If last night was a one off, you just need to say so.” She stepped away, but he pulled her back into his arms.
“It wasn’t a one off for me,” he growled. “And I’m not going to wait until you get away and then have you return my phone calls at odd hours.”
Astra didn’t understand what he was talking about. “Is that…do you think that’s what happened after Sidrina?” she asked. “Because…I returned your calls. You kept calling me in the middle of the night when I was sound asleep. I turn off my phone at night so that I’m not interrupted.”
He sighed, but didn’t release her. “Astra, I called you at…” he stopped and stared at her. “Wait a minute. Where were you after you left Sidrina?”
She was startled by the gruffness of his voice. “I went back to Philadelphia.”
His eyes widened. “You weren’t in London?”
She pulled back, confused by his question. “Why would I be in London?”
He stared at her as if she’d just told him she was a pterodactyl. “You were supposed to be doing an event for a woman in London after Zahir’s wedding.”
Astra’s mouth fell open and she stared at him. “Is that why you left messages for me at one or two in the morning?”
“Infierno,si. I was in Tokyo after Sidrina, but I tried to reach you when I thought you’d be awake.”
Astra stepped back and burst out laughing, then caught herself and stared up at him. A moment later, she lost the battle and burst out laughing again. But this time, she couldn’t stop the tears. Laying a hand on the wall, she bent over, holding her belly as she laughed and cried.
“Care to share the joke?”
She lifted her hand and laid it on his arm, still laughing as she wiped away a tear. “I left Sidrina and went back to Philadelphia. I worked two weddings and one charity ball.” She sighed, trying to control the rush of emotions. “I was so upset and hurt because I thought you were purposely calling me at odd times because you were trying to avoid speaking with me.”
There was a long silence, then he growled and pulled her into his arms. “I had the exact same thought,” he told her, then kissed her lightly, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her closer. Leaning his forehead against hers, he said, “I was in Tokyo, but stayed up so that I could talk to you, needing to hear your voice, Astra. I wasn’t trying to avoid you. Just the opposite, in fact.”
“And I thought you were back in Spain. I stayed up until one or two in the morning some nights just so that I could speak with you in Spain’s time zone. I had no idea you were in Tokyo!”
He groaned and she laughed. When he lifted his forehead, he asked, “So you really weren’t trying to avoid me?”
“I was trying so hard to reach you. I desperately needed to hear from you, just to hear to your voice, Antonio.”
“Why?”
She blinked, her heart thudding against her ribs. She wanted to be brave, but this…Antonio…it was a lot to take in all of a sudden. But under the intensity of his dark eyes, she blurted out, “Because I was addicted to you. I needed to just hear your voice. Every day in Sidrina, you were there. You would tease me, talk to me. Calm me down when the wedding plans grew larger and more complicated. Every time I needed to speak with you, somehow, you were right there.” She looked at him, praying that he felt the same way. “And then you took me into your arms that night and…and it was such a perfect night. Everything was just so…amazing. I…I wanted more,” she whispered up to him.
He cupped her face and leaned in, as if the intensity of his words needed to be said closer to her. “I wanted every damn night with you, Astra. I was furious when I thought you were trying to avoid me.”
“I wasn’t!” she gasped, placing her hands over his and leaning into him.
“And then you showed up here. I had no idea that the company my assistant booked for the village events was you, and when you stepped out of the car, I couldn’t believe how…”
“What?” she prompted, placing her hand against his cheek. “Tell me, Antonio.”
“I couldn’t believe how badly I wanted to just kiss you again.”
She stopped, her heart bursting with joy. “You could kiss me now.”
He growled and pulled her into his arms, kissing her until he felt the tears slipping down her cheek. When he straightened, he said, “I know that we haven’t known each other for very long but…”
“I know you,” she argued. “I know that you’re a kind, wonderful, generous person.”
“Then marry me.”
“But…”
“We’ll figure it out as we go along,” he argued, not letting her put any other obstacles in their way. “Marry me and we’ll figure everything out together.”
She knew that this was insane. “Yes!” The agreement escaped her lips before she could stop it. As soon as she’d said it, Astra knew that it was right. He was right! He felt right and every time he kissed her or touched her, the entire world was right once again.
“Well, isn’t this nice and cozy!” Maria said, stepping out from behind the corner. She pointed a gun at them and her eyes looked wild. She was holding the gun in her left hand though, since her right hand was wrapped in a bandage. “But I’m afraid that I’m going to have to object.”
Antonio turned, immediately pushing Astra behind his back, shielding her. “Maria? What the hell are you doing?”
She cradled her bandaged hand against her belly. “No!” she snapped. She pointed the gun at Astra when she peered around Antonio’s body. “You’re supposed to be dead and I’m supposed to marry Antonio!” She tried to control her temper, but she was too far gone. “And you sure as hell aren’t supposed to be pregnant! I’m supposed to be the next Marquessa!” She stomped a pink stiletto. “I deserve the title and the respect!” She glared at Antonio. “Your father promised me that I would marry you! That he would order you to marry me so that I could live here in this grand castle!” She waved her hand in the air. “But your father is insane! There’s no way in hell I’m going to live here once he’s out of prison. That man gets off on hurting people!”
Antonio backed up, pressing Astra against the wall.
Antonio nodded to Maria, agreeing with her. “I know this. He made my childhood a living hell.”
“Wrong!” she bellowed, the pistol waving in the air as her fury intensified. “You got to live here in this beautiful place! You got to eat all the food you wanted and live in the lap of luxury. The rest of us were treated like peasants! We were humiliated by your father simply because we were poor!”
She started crying and the pistol wavered wildly. “I didn’t want to be poor! I didn’t want to be a peasant!” She sobbed now, her shoulders hunched as those past humiliations haunted her. “I hated growing up in the village! Your father made everyone’s lives miserable!”
“Mine too, Maria,” he said softly.
“Liar!” she yelled, then straightened up. She sniffed, wiping at her tears with her sleeve. “And now he’s going to get out and…” she lifted her bandaged hand. “He did this to me today! He’s going to get out of prison and do this to me over and over again!” She shook her head. “I can’t let him find out that I failed him! I can’t! I’m sick of the pain, Antonio! I can’t take anymore!”
“Maria,” Antonio soothed, “I know you’re scared. But my father isn’t getting out of prison. He’s going to rot there.”
“He won’t!” she screamed hysterically. “He told me he’s getting out! In fact, he’s going to be released any day now and I haven’t killed her yet!” She sniffed. “Eldora was supposed to poison you, but you didn’t drink the tea! Then Manual tried to poison you again but you wouldn’t drink the damn lemonade!” She sniffed. “I went to visit your father today, to tell him that I couldn’t do it and he did this!” she repeated.
“Maria, I don’t know what you’ve done in the past, but right now–”
“Stop it!” she yelled! “I don’t want to hear any more! I can’t! I won’t marry you. I can’t do it! Your father would beat me just for the pleasure of it!” She glared at Astra, who was still peering around Antonio’s arm. “He can’t learn she’s alive!” Her eyes were wide and unseeing as the pistol kept shifting from side to side.
“Maria, we can–”
“Get in!” she hissed, looking behind her to make sure there wouldn’t be any witnesses. “You’re going to get into that damn dungeon and no one will find you!” She glanced at the door behind them. “Go on! That’s it, isn’t it?”
Antonio stiffened, his voice dropping into an authoritative tone. “Maria, you don’t have to do this.”
“Move!” she yelled.
Astra tugged on his shirt. “Let’s go,” she whispered.
“Not in there!” he warned her.
Maria pointed her gun at Astra’s belly. “Move, or I shoot her and kill your baby!”
Antonio shifted so that his body was shielding Astra. With a deep, helpless sigh, he began walking backwards into the cell.
The short space didn’t provide any opportunity for escape and Astra took his hand. “Just go with it,” she whispered to him.
“Stop talking!” Maria yelled, and the words echoed off the damp stone walls.
They backed up into the cell and Maria shoved Astra in. Antonio hurried to catch her so that she didn’t fall, and as soon as he was over the threshold, Maria slammed the cell door shut. The iron keys were hanging on the hook and she locked the cell door.
“When I figure out how to stop your father, then I’ll send someone to let you out,” she promised, still frantic. “I just…I need time,” she told them, sobbing again. “I’m sorry, Antonio. I know that we could have had a beautiful relationship but…” she sniffed and wiped at her tears. “Your father is a psychopath!”
And with that, she turned and ran away.
“Maria!” Antonio called after her furiously. He rattled the bars of the cell, hoping to release the ancient lock. “Maria, come back right now and let us out! I can help you!”
Silence.
Frustrated, Antonio spun around. “I’ll get us out of here somehow!” he vowed, then started pacing.
“We’ll be fine,” Astra assured him calmly, moving to the plastic bin and tugging it out from the shadows. It had been shoved there only minutes before. Was that good timing or what?
But Antonio wasn’t listening. He paced back and forth, running a furious hand through his hair. “Why the hell would she decide to lock me up just because she has some wild idea that my father will be released? What’s the point? There’s no point to locking us up.”
Astra struggled because the bin really was heavy. “I suspect that your father doesn’t want you to marry me. So, if I’m out of the way, then he won’t be angry with Maria.” She huffed a bit. “You heard her. She and someone else have been trying to poison me.” She stood up and turned to face him. “Sorry, but I haven’t been exercising over the past several months so I’m a bit pathetic in the muscles department.” She gestured to the bin. “Could you pull this out?”
Antonio stopped pacing and turned to look down at her. “What?” he snapped. Then looked down. “What the hell is that?”
She patted the bin. “This,” she said with pride, “is your safety net.” She chuckled, then shook her head. “Well, it’s our safety net now.”
Antonio easily lifted the bin, carrying it to the center of the relatively large cell. “What have you done?” he demanded, flipping the lid off and peering down at the contents.
Astra moved to his side, leaning against him and lacing her fingers through his. “You told me how your father had locked you in here when you were a child,” she explained softly. “Matteo was locked up in an attic at his school. Bailey would sneak food, candles, matches, and blankets under the door for him. It’s how he survived.” She waved her hand over the contents. “I wanted to give you the same security.” She kissed his shoulder.
Antonio groaned, then turned, pulling her into his arms and pressing his face against her neck. “I love you so much!” he whispered harshly.
Astra was so shocked, it took her a long moment to respond. “I love you too,” she replied, then leaned her head against his shoulder. “I was heartbroken when you didn’t call me back, Antonio.” He started to reply, then she smiled. “I understand why, now. I get it. I just…wanted you to know that I was devastated.” She patted her tummy. “That’s why I didn’t realize that I was pregnant. I just thought I was pushing myself too hard, working long hours, and accepting too many assignments.”
“No more!” he told her and kissed her. “You will slow down.”
She laughed, feeling lightheaded suddenly. “This contract with you was supposed to help me slow down,” she told him, then looked around. “How about if we call someone to get us out of here?”
He sighed and kissed her. “There’s no signal this far under the castle, love. We’re going to have to figure out another way.” He gazed down at the bin. “You didn’t happen to purchase a lock pick set for your secret stash, did you?”
She laughed and shook her head. “Nope. No lock pick,” she replied, then pulled out of his arms and bent down to sift through the items. “But how about a satellite phone?” She pulled the phone out of the box and stood up, beaming at Antonio.
Antonio stared at the phone, then at her, a stunned expression in his eyes. “Woman, you…!” he stopped, then pulled her into his arms again, hugging her tightly.
“I have chocolate as well.”
His response was a bark of laughter, then he pulled back, looking down at her.
“You get the chocolate while I figure out how to get this thing to work.”
Astra bent down again and plucked the foil package of chocolate from the bin. “There’s a battery operated light in here too,” she explained, then walked over and sat on the edge of what might have been a stone “bed” at one time, but was now the perfect height for a bench. “I think we should offer tours of the castle,” she announced, looking around. She peeled the foil away and snapped off a piece of the chocolate, popping it in her mouth. “In fact, one of the ideas I had for a festival was a whole medieval tourney type thing, complete with costumes and crafts. We have renaissance festivals all over the United States that are a lot of fun. The food is awful, but the creativity of the visitors’ costumes is well worth the admission price.”
She went silent when Antonio started pressing buttons on the cell phone. A moment later, she heard him say, “Matteo, could you come down to the dungeon in the castle? Astra and I are in a bit of a predicament.”
Matteo must have replied because Antonio nodded, then started giving directions. Obviously, his brother hadn’t spent much time exploring the castle. Which would make sense since Ricardo hadn’t acknowledged Matteo.
Ten minutes later, Matteo and Edward appeared.
“What the hell is going on?” Edward demanded, staring at Antonio pacing and Astra munching on chocolate.
“Maria thinks that our father is going to be released from prison and will return to the village. Apparently, our father promised her I would marry her if she got rid of Astra.”
Both men glanced at Astra who merely lifted her hand, wiggling her fingers in a friendly wave before she snapped off another piece of chocolate.
“Is she crazy?” Edward demanded coming up behind Matteo.
“Apparently, our father broke her hand when she visited him earlier today,” Antonio explained. He rattled the cell door again. “Can you find the key and get us out of here? I don’t like Astra being down here.”
“I’m on it,” Matteo replied, then spun on his heel, a determined, furious expression in his eyes as he retraced his steps down the hallway.
“I should go alert the authorities,” Edward began, starting to turn away. But he stopped and looked back at them. “Will you two be okay if I leave?”
Antonio nodded then glanced at Astra, who waved the chocolate bar at him. “I’m good!” she laughed.
The men chuckled and Edward hurried away, determination and anger in every stride.
Antonio turned to Astra, who smiled and offered him a square of chocolate. Antonio chuckled, shaking his head but he walked over and took the bite – with his mouth.
Astra gasped, staring at his lips as he tickled her fingers with his lips and tongue. “You’re…teasing me,” she whispered, her body coming alive.
“I want you naked,” he replied, his eyes moving over her soft sweater. “And then I want you in front of a minister with my ring on your finger.”
“Do I get to put a ring on your finger too?” she asked, breathlessly.
“Absolutely!” he replied. Then a startled look came into his eyes. “When…” he paused, clearing his throat, and started again. “When is our baby due?”
She grinned and told him the expected date. “I arranged to see an obstetrician in Madrid while I’m here.”
He lifted her into his arms, then turned so that he was sitting on the stone “bench” while she straddled his hips.
“And may I come with you to these doctors’ appointments?”
“Do you want to?”
“Hell yes!” he replied, his hands smoothing down over her bottom, cupping and pulling her against his growing erection. “I want to be by your side every step of the way. And I want you to be my wife.”
Astra liked the sound of that. “I think I could arrange a small wedding for us pretty quickly.”
He smiled, then kissed her sweetly. She offered him another bite of chocolate, which he took, nibbling her fingers again.
Things were just starting to heat up when they heard voices echoing down the hallway. Antonio sighed heavily and Astra couldn’t stop her giggle. She buried her face against his neck as Matteo arrived, keys in hand.
He chuckled when he caught sight of their position. “Should I come back later?” he teased.
Antonio growled and stood up with Astra in his arms. “Get us out of here.”
She laughed again as she unwrapped her legs from around his waist. She had to stand in front of him because his body revealed his reaction to their time alone. Antonio wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her bottom against his thighs.
“Edward is alerting the authorities,” Matteo explained, pausing when the lock screeched as the key opened the cell door. He then stood back to let them out.
“Hold on,” Astra called out and stepped away. “I want this hidden,” she explained and put the satellite phone back in the bin, then started shoving the bin back into the shadows.
“Let me do that,” Antonio ordered, then easily lifted the bin and set it as far back in the shadows as possible. “Now, let’s get out of here and figure out who the hell has been helping Maria.”