71. Rose
ROSE
Okay, maybe I can get past the crazy stalker Dante I am sitting with now if it means that I can find Luc. Or at least get some closure. Please don’t let it be the latter. He has to be alive. I just got him back in my life. I don’t know if I can survive losing him again.
“I already checked all the cameras I had on the property last night after I got you to safety.” Dante isn’t giving away anything with his tone, but I still need to know.
“Is Luc okay?”
“Unfortunately, the attack took out all the camera feeds. The last thing I can see is Luca talking with you in the foyer. After that, everything goes black.”
“How is that even possible? Every single camera?” I guess I don’t know how many cameras there were around his place, but judging by the information he’s shared with me, I’m guessing his coverage was thorough.
“The only logical reason I can come up with is that they knew where the cameras were before the attack and knew to take them all out first. What I still can’t figure out is how they would know where they all were if they had never been on the property before.
And trust me, I had many safety measures in place to ensure no one got onto my property without my knowing. ”
“Someone had to have, though. There’s no other explanation.” I’m racking my brain for any possible way someone could get through his defenses, but without knowing what they even are, I don’t have the slightest clue where to start guessing.
“There is one explanation.” Dante is being purposely vague as if he doesn’t want to voice his hypothesis.
“Okay, what? If we can figure out how they knew about the cameras, then maybe we can figure out who they were.” I realize I said ‘we’ as if I’m actually involved in this now. But I guess until I can figure out if Luc is alive and if I am actually still in danger, “we” it is.
“I think someone who had open access to the property must’ve been involved and provided information on my security setup.”
“That’s crazy. The only person who had open access other than you is me.
You don’t think I had something to do with this, do you?
Maybe it was one of the delivery people?
” My voice is sounding panicked now. If Dante thinks, for some reason, I am involved, then I don’t know what he would do to me.
And we are here alone, and I have no way of contacting anyone for help.
I don’t even know who I would contact at this point.
I feel like we might be past the skill set of the regular police.
And I have no clue how to get in touch with the FBI.
“No, of course I don’t think you had anything to do with it.
For one, they were after you, and two, as I’ve mentioned, I’ve been watching you for quite some time and would know if you had any connections to other organizations that would concern me.
And I vetted every single delivery person prior to their arrival. ”
“You don’t know everything. Maybe I only communicate through email or some dark web portal.
” I don’t even know what the dark web is, and why on earth am I being combative and giving him reasons to think I could be involved?
I’m just annoyed he seems so sure of himself and smug that I wouldn't be able to get something past him. Not everything shows up on camera, you know? And why is he smirking at me like I’ve told some kind of joke?
This is serious! Maybe I’m actually some criminal mastermind and have been playing him this whole time?
Wouldn’t that be something? I mean, apparently criminal activity runs in my genes if Angelo is actually related to me.
“Belladonna, while I would be very impressed if you knew anything about the dark web, let alone how to access it, I know you haven’t been in contact with anyone with criminal ties or connections.”
“Just because you can watch me on camera and follow me on some little GPS tracking dot doesn’t mean you know everything I do. And I thought I told you not to call me that!”
“Fine. Rose.” Dante corrects himself, still smirking like there is a joke only he is privy to.
“I know all of this because I have access to everything about you. Not just cameras, but your email, bank information, shopping habits, and more importantly, web browsing history.” He adds the last item with a raise of his eyebrow like he knows something I don’t.
Oh no…does that mean he knows everything I’ve searched for online?
As if this nightmare couldn’t get worse, now Dante knows everything.
Kill me now because I’m going to die of embarrassment anyway.
I’m a single, adult woman with needs, and I live alone, okay…
so sue me if I like to partake in some solo adult time.
Like he has never…handled his own…needs.
I will not let him embarrass me, not after everything.
And I’m supposed to be mad at him for this.
Why am I not more upset and only embarrassed?
Is this what Stockholm syndrome feels like?
Focus, Ro, be mad, or at minimum, act mad. You need to figure out a plan out of this crazy situation.