Chapter Four
Ella
My heart begins to race.
Flashbacks of my abduction make me break out in a sweat. My eyes dart around wildly, searching for somewhere to run.
“Come, Miss O’Neil.” My kidnapper opens his arms in invitation.
Unable to move, I cross my arms over my chest. I know it’s a protective gesture that gives away my fear, but I can’t help it.
Remembering the knife, I slip my hand into the pocket of my dress and grasp the handle. It’s not much of a weapon, given it’s blunt, but it makes me feel better.
My abductor looks at me expectantly, his face a blank mask.
“Have a seat,” he says again. “You won’t need the knife. Relax. You’re safe here.”
My pulse stutters.
How does he know? Was I that obvious?
I force my legs to cooperate, though they feel weak and tingly. Taking a deep breath, I move closer. He gestures to a chair on the opposite side of the table as he lowers himself back into his. I remain standing, too on edge to sit.
He looks familiar, even though I only saw him for a few seconds before he covered my face with the cloth. I narrow my eyes at him, willing my brain to remember, but it comes up blank.
“I’ve seen you before yesterday, somewhere. I just can’t place where,” I say, summoning as much bravery as I can.
“You have,” he replies. “At the De Marco Corporation. I was leaving the elevator just before you stepped in. I’m Emiliano Baroni, adviser to the De Marco family.”
The memory returns in a flash, along with the unease he stirred in me back then, but I can’t focus on that right now.
“Tiero kidnapped me?”
I grip the edge of the table, my legs threatening to give out.
Tiero.
My stomach drops. I pinch the bridge of my nose and drag in a breath, trying to hold myself together as the possibility cuts through me.
No. It’s not true. It can’t be.
But the breakfast Mariella served…
No. Tiero would never do something like this to me. He just wouldn’t.
This man could be telling me anything. I have no way of verifying any of it.
Maybe he’s the one who tried to run Tiero over, and now he’s using me in some twisted game to get to him.
I straighten, forcing steel into my spine. “You’re lying. Tiero would never do something like that.”
“Well, he did,” Signor Baroni says, still fanning himself with the newspaper. He leans back in his chair, relaxed, as if this were the most ordinary conversation in the world.
“Why would he do that? It makes no sense.”
“To keep you safe.”
I stare at him.
“Keep me safe? Why am I in danger?” I ask, doubts sprouting in my gut like weeds after the rain.
Signor Baroni studies me for a few long seconds before answering. “You’re at Gualtiero’s home. It has maximum security. Nobody will get to you here.”
And I won’t be able to get out. I’m sure that’s the real reason he’s mentioning it.
My annoyance starts to edge past the shock.
“You haven’t answered my question. Why am I in danger?”
“Gualtiero has enemies. Enemies who won’t hesitate to use you against him.”
“And how do I know you’re not one of them? You say you’re his adviser, but you could tell me anything.”
I don’t trust this man. There’s something about him that puts me on edge.
He regards me with bored eyes and doesn’t bother answering.
“Let me get this straight,” I say. “You’re telling me that Gualtiero De Marco had you kidnap me and is now keeping me in this maximum-security mansion to keep me safe? Is this some kind of joke?”
“Kidnapping isn’t the right word,” he says mildly. “We prefer to call it safekeeping.”
“I am not something to keep,” I snap. “You drugged me and brought me here against my will. That is kidnapping.”
“Semantics. The outcome is the same. You are better off here.”
I let out a sharp breath. Who is he to decide what’s best for me?
“Why would anybody want to use me against Gualtiero? I’m nobody special.”
“You’ve become important to him.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve known the man a little over a week. How important can I possibly be?”
He gives a humorless laugh. “Anybody with eyes can see the way he looks at you.”
A scowl darkens his face.
“I’ve known Gualtiero since he was born.
He has never taken days off work, let alone to spend them with a woman.
Since he met you, he spent time with you every day.
That hasn’t gone unnoticed. Gualtiero is closely watched by his enemies.
They’ve been waiting for him to slip up, and you are exactly the kind of opportunity they need. ”
“If I’m such a weakness, then all the more reason to let me disappear from his life.”
“It’s too late for that. More importantly, Gualtiero wants you in his life. What he wants, he gets. You’ll come to accept it.”
Come to accept it. What the?
“And if you play your cards right,” Baroni continues, “he’ll make your wildest dreams come true.”
Is this man for real? He kidnaps me and expects me to be grateful I’ve landed a rich man?
I stare at him in disbelief. “Right now, I’m dreaming of not being a prisoner.”
“You’re not a prisoner. You’re a distinguished guest,” Emiliano Baroni says with infuriating calm.
I raise an eyebrow. “So I can leave whenever I choose?”
We both know the answer.
My captor’s expression tightens, and he rises from his chair.
“You will comply.”
Excuse me?
What a chauvinistic asshole.
Fury heats my face. “I have a life in Dublin. A job, friends. They’ve probably already reported me missing to Interpol.”
He ignores everything I say, as though my words never left my mouth, and sips his cup of coffee.
“I still don’t believe you,” I say. “You could be making up this entire story. Put Gualtiero on the phone. I want to speak to him.”
“You can tomorrow when he returns.”
“I want to talk to him now.”
“That’s not possible. Gualtiero is away on business and cannot be disturbed. He regrets not being here with you to explain things further. Until his return, make yourself at home. If you need anything, Mariella is here to ensure your comfort.”
Movement behind me makes me turn.
A big, burly man is walking toward us.
Goosebumps ripple over my skin, and not the good kind. My heart hammers in my chest. The energy radiating off this guy is menacing, and every instinct in me wants to shrink away.
Is he here to take me somewhere?
God, please, no.
To my relief, he walks past me and stops beside Baroni. Leaning down, he murmurs something into his ear. Baroni’s face turns instantly stony.
I can only see the man’s back as I watch them with growing unease. When he straightens, I finally catch his profile.
My heart stops.
The man from the cathedral.
The one who nodded to man-bun guy.
My insides twist, my pulse spiking.
I knew Baroni was lying.
He’s working for the enemy.
This whole thing is a setup.
I swallow hard, forcing my panic down.
What am I going to do?
I’m caught in a viper’s nest.
Baroni rises and addresses me again. “I need to attend to a few matters. Until soon, Miss O’Neil.”
Without another word, he and the burly man walk off. I watch them until they disappear from sight.
Then I move to the balustrade and grip the stone railing as I stare out at the vast sea.
What have I gotten myself into?