Chapter Three: Payback's a bitch

A chilling thought ran through my mind.

Wait! What if he is a sex trafficker? I mean….this is Italy, right?

No way!

I shook my head, remembering how I had shamelessly moaned and begged him to have me in whatever way he pleased.

Yeah, well ... .I’ve come to my senses.

There's absolutely no need waiting around to find out what kind of man he is, no matter what kind of man was in be. Or in this case, on the floor, against the wall and other wild positions I would probably never forget.

I quietly stood careful not to make a sound. I found my coat crumpled on the floor somewhere, put it on and grabbed my phone from the nightstand. It was still recording and the piece of shit decided to choose that moment to buzz.

Message from Stefan. Tons of them. They kept coming but I didn't bother to open any of them.

The man stirred at the sound of the persistent buzzing and I froze. “Damn you Stefan!” I cursed under my breath putting the phone on silent and crept out the door, grateful it didn't make a sound.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and practically ran down the stairs.

The bar was empty now. Quiet. The only light came from a single lamp behind the counter.

My wallet and cash were still on the table where I'd left them.

I grabbed them. Took out a pen and wrote on a napkin:

"Thank you for tonight. I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye. Here's what I promised."

I folded it around the cash. Handed it to the bartender, who was wiping glasses behind the counter.

"For the man in the corner booth," I said, grabbed my suitcase and practically ran out.

The Naples air hit me—warm, salty, full of secrets.

I pulled out my phone. It was 2:17 AM.

I called the only other person I knew who lived in Naples. Leti, my roommate from medical school.

She answered on the second ring. "Brandy? It's 2 AM—"

"Hi Leti." My voice cracked. "Please. Can you come get me?"

There was a brief silence on the other line, "Send me your location” She said, ending the call.

Twenty-minutes later, a pair of headlights cut through the darkness and a car pulled up.

The door opened and Leti stepped out, "Hey, La Stellina." She crossed the distance between us and pulled me into a tight hug.

“What happened?” She asked, leading me to the car.

I told her what I could safely divulge. Stefan. The shower. The woman, deliberately leaving whatever happened in the bar room upstairs out.

What happened in Rome dies in Rome, however the saying goes. Besides, Leti's saintly ears would be horrified.

She listened without interrupting. "Che bastardo."she cursed under her breath

I let out a dry laugh. "That's one word for it."

"You're not going back to him..right?"

"Heck no! We're done"

“Good!” She reached over and squeezed my hand.

“But I have nowhere else to go now, Leti. I gave up everything to be with him. I…I can't go back to London like this..” I swallowed hard, sniffling back the tears

“Hey, I got your back. Don't worry, we'll work something out. You can stay with me for as long as you need” She said, patting my hands.

“Thank you”. I said, letting her hold me a little bit longer. Grateful.

She pulled back and turned the ignition.“

This might sound a little bit corny but this might be a way of fate sending you here”

I frowned. "What do you mean?”

Leti started the engine and pulled away from the curb.

"There's a little boy. Ten years old. RerebCongenital heart defect. It's Complicated. We’ve tried everything we can. She glanced at me “We've run out of options, Brandy “You're his only chance at survival”

I looked up at her. " But I don't even have a hospital to work in anymore."

Leti smiled, "Good thing I'm the Medical Director of St Gennaro”.

I let out a small laugh but it quickly faded, “I don't think I can handle surgery right now” I shook my head.

Her face turned serious, "I'm not asking for a permanent commitment, Just... Come see him. Look at his charts, that's all I'm asking. Besides, we both know impossible cases ....”

I smiled this time, it was real. Leti was right

I can already feel the familiar pull. The curiosity. The itch to solve the puzzle. I stared out the window. Despite myself, my brain was already working, already trying to piece together the anatomy of a heart I hadn't even seen yet.

"When I get to your house, I want to see his charts." I said.

Leti smiled widened, "I was hoping you’d say that”

---

The car pulled up to a sprawling villa. Cream-colored stone. Olive trees. Security gates. Armed guards.

Why did she have armed guards? I wondered but then again, Leti was from a wealthy home.

Inside, Leti showed me to a guest room.

“Get some rest…I'll see you in the morning” she gave me a quick hug and left.

“And don't you dare think about that whoring bastard” she shouted out the door.

I slumped on the bed laughing but it came out hollow. I can't believe my life turned upside down in a matter of hours.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I stared at the screen.

Stefan. I let it ring.

“What?” I answered on the fifth ring.

"Finally." His voice was flat, almost bored. "Do you have any idea how many times I called? You can't just disappear like this, Brandy. Where are you? I'm coming to get you."

I was too exhausted to even be angry at his audacity. “Don’t bother, I'm not coming back” I said flatly,

"You're acting childish, stop being dramatic, Brandy. Is this really worth throwing everything away because of some girl I can't even remember her name?”

“I'm not throwing anything away, Stefan. You did that.” I replied in a sharp tone.

He sighed, a long silence stretching between us. I could picture him dragging a hand over his hair, trying to come up with the right words to say to soothe me as if I was a child throwing tantrums.

“Fine, you've made your point, What do you want me to say? I'm sorry? fine I'm sorry, now can you just tell me where you are?” He blurted out

“You're not sorry Stefan, you're sorry you got caught” I scoffed

“It was just sex, Brandy You're being unreasonable right now”

“Oh, is that so…” A smirkish grin tugging at the corner of my mouth. I opened the video, covering the stranger's face with a bear sticker.

I pressed send and hung up the phone.

Moments later, his call came in hot. I picked up on the first ring.

“What the hell is this, Brandy?" He roared.

For the first time, the arrogance was gone. I could hear the panic in his voice

I smiled. I must say, it felt satisfying.

“ It's just sex Stefan, it means nothing”. I replied calmly.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Who the hell is he?" His voice turned raw, quaking.

I'd never heard him like this. The man who always had control was losing it?

I let out a lazy sigh, stretching the silence like a cat in sunlight. Savoring every second of it.

“Brandy, answer me!” He thundered “Who the hell is that bastard?”

"What difference would it make? He's a nobody. Just some random man I met in a bar." I paused, letting the words settle. "I don't even know his name."

He inhaled sharply. I could hear him gripping the phone so hard.

"And like you said, it's just sex.." I continued, my voice dripping with mock sweetness, "this doesn't change anything between us. I mean… you're reasonable, right?"

The silence on his end was deafening. Then his breathing changed—ragged, uneven. I could tell he was trying to contain his rage and failing horribly.

"Brandy Fischer…" His voice dropped to something I'd never heard before. Low and dangerous. "I swear ..…"I hung up before he could utter another word.

He called back immediately but I didn't pick up.

My phone exploded.

“WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?

"WHO IS HE?"

"I'M GOING TO KILL THAT BASTARD WHEN I FIND HIM."

"BRANDY ANSWER THE DAMN PHONE!."

I watched the messages flood in. Each one more frantic. More desperate.

And for the first time that evening, I felt nothing.

I picked up the phone and blocked his number