Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
Tony
I lean over Lucia and brush her long hair away from her face so it doesn’t fall into the toilet. My hand runs down her spine as I whisper in her ear. “There’s nothing left in your stomach, princess. Stop gagging.”
Seeing how pale she is, I curse myself for not bringing a doctor. Curling my arm under her knees, I lift her and help her sit on the bench built into the bathroom.
Pulling out my pocketknife, I cut the neckline of her dress, and rip it open down the front. I peel the filthy dress off her limp body. She’s too exhausted to resist.
I wet a cloth, leaning in to gently wipe her lips and chin clean of the mess. That’s when I notice a small leather pouch tucked between her breasts, hidden in her bra.
I reach out to take it, but she notices my movement. In a panicked motion, she grabs it and clutches it tightly in her fist.
I glare at her. My gut says that pouch has something to do with Carlo. When I notice her finger and see Carlo’s ring is missing, suspicion creeps in. She must have hidden it in the pouch.
I swipe the cloth over her chin with irritation, then slide my arms under her knees and back, lifting her effortlessly, and carrying her toward the cabin.
Rafael is standing near the cockpit, flirting with the flight attendant. He glances at me as I enter, but when he sees Lucia nearly naked in my arms, he quickly averts his gaze and turns back to the girl.
One perk of this private jet is the seating area that looks like a lounge. I lay Lucia down on one of the leather seats designed like a sofa. Then I head back to the bathroom to grab a bathrobe.
When I return, I drape the robe over her and force a piece of chocolate into her mouth. Then I turn to Rafael. “Why the fuck hasn’t this damn jet taken off yet? What are you waiting for? For Carlo to show up and slaughter us all?”
The flight attendant sways her hips and steps forward.
“I’m sorry, sir, but you need to take a seat and fasten your seatbelts so we can take off.”
I shoot Rafael a look. He draws his pistol without hesitation, seizes the girl by the arm, and brushes the barrel lightly against her temple.
“You and the pilot are taking off right now. Unless you want me to carve that safety manual into his face and your ass.”
His voice stays calm, but the look on the attendant’s face says she understood just fine. Rafael shoves her toward the cockpit.
The sound of the engine firing up fills the cabin, and Rafael casually takes a seat in a single chair, buckling his seatbelt.
He smirks. “Let’s hope she’s still in the mood to get on her knees later.”
I ignore him and focus on Lucia. She’s lying there with her eyes closed, tears streaming down her face as she clutches the pouch in her hands.
“What’s in the pouch?”
At the sound of my cold voice, she opens her eyes, but doesn’t answer me.
“I’m not risking a tracker. Tell me what’s inside, or I’ll find out myself,” I press on.
“It’s a necklace… from Nonna. I swear there’s no tracker in it.”
“And how can you be so sure?”
“Because it’s broken. If there was anything hidden inside, it would’ve been obvious.”
I study her for a few moments before breaking my gaze and fastening her seatbelt. I’ll deal with it later.
For now, I’ll enjoy the fact that I just humiliated that bastard Carlo.