Chapter 20

 

Arie’s POV

I lost two days in fragments.

The thunder of an aircraft engine. A cold hand pressing against my forehead. Unfamiliar voices speaking Italian somewhere nearby. Nico carrying me through the darkness while my head rested helplessly against his chest.

Each time I tried to open my eyes, exhaustion dragged me back under.

When I finally woke properly, sunlight was pouring through tall windows.

For several seconds, I stared at the painted ceiling above me without understanding where I was. My mouth felt dry, my head throbbed, and a dull ache remained in my arm where the sting had pierced my skin.

Then I remembered Nico’s mouth on mine.

His hand around my waist.

The injection.

I sat upright too quickly. The room tilted violently, forcing me to grip the silk-covered mattress until the dizziness passed.

This wasn’t my apartment.

The bedroom was enormous, decorated in shades of cream and gold. Heavy curtains framed doors opening onto a stone balcony, while antique furniture stood against pale walls. A fire burned quietly inside a marble fireplace despite the sunlight outside.

My clothes had been changed.

The sweater and jeans I had worn in Seattle were gone. Someone had dressed me in a white cotton nightgown.

Panic rushed through me.

I threw back the covers and climbed out of bed, but my knees weakened the moment my feet touched the floor. I caught the bedpost before I fell.

“Easy, signorina.”

A woman hurried from the sitting area near the windows. She appeared to be in her late fifties, with grey threaded through her dark hair and concern softening her face.

“Who are you?” I demanded.

“My name is Elena. I manage the household.”

“Where are my clothes?”

“I changed you when you arrived. Mr. Contini instructed that only female staff were to enter while you were unconscious.”

Relief came, but it did nothing to lessen my anger.

“How long have I been here?”

“Almost two days.”

“Two days?”

“The doctor said the journey and exhaustion affected you badly. You woke briefly several times, but you don’t appear to remember.”

A doctor. Nico had drugged me, transported me across the ocean, and arranged medical care as though that transformed kidnapping into concern.

“Where am I?”

Elena hesitated.

“Where am I?” I repeated.

“At Villa Rosalia.”

I recognised the name. The estate belonged to Nico, but I had never visited it. It stood somewhere in the hills outside Florence and had once belonged to his mother’s family.

“I’m in Italy.”

“Yes.”

The words struck with enough force to make the room feel unsteady again.

Seattle was gone. My apartment, my work, Shelly, and the ordinary life I had built were thousands of miles away. Nico had removed me from all of it while I lay unconscious in his arms.

“Where is he?”

“Mr. Contini had business in the city.”

Of course. Nico had destroyed my life and then left to attend a meeting.

“I need my phone.”

“I’m afraid I don’t have it.”

“My handbag?”

“Your belongings have been placed in the dressing room.”

I moved toward the adjoining door, forcing my weak legs to cooperate. Inside, my clothes hung across an entire wall. The dresses and office clothes from my apartment had been arranged beside new garments I had never seen. My shoes occupied the shelves below them.

Nico’s men had packed my life without my permission.

My handbag sat on a table.

I opened it quickly. My wallet remained inside, along with my keys and cosmetics, but my phone and passport were missing.

“Where are they?”

“I don’t know.”

“He took them.”

Elena lowered her gaze.

I searched every pocket anyway, then emptied the bag onto the table. Nothing.

Anger steadied me better than my legs could.

I returned to the bedroom and headed for the door.

“Signorina, the doctor said you should rest.”

“I’m leaving.”

Elena moved after me. “Please don’t make this difficult.”

“I’m not the one making it difficult.”

The bedroom door opened without resistance. For one hopeful second, I thought Nico had been arrogant enough to leave it unlocked.

Then I saw the guards.

Two men stood in the corridor, both dressed in black. One immediately stepped into my path.

“Move.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Romano.”

“I said move.”

“Mr. Contini instructed us not to allow you beyond this floor.”

“I am not his prisoner.”

Neither man answered.

I attempted to walk between them, but the first guard shifted sideways, blocking me without touching me.

“Do you understand that he kidnapped me?” I demanded. “He drugged me and brought me here against my will.”

His expression didn’t change. “You need to return to your room.”

“I need to contact the police.”

“The nearest telephone is downstairs.”

“Then let me downstairs.”

“I can’t do that.”

The emptiness of his voice frightened me. These men weren’t deciding whether Nico’s orders were right. Their only responsibility was carrying them out.

I stepped back into the bedroom and slammed the door hard enough to shake the frame.

Elena remained beside the bed, her hands clasped in front of her.

“How far are we from Florence?”

“I cannot answer that.”

“Can I leave through the balcony?”

Her silence gave me the answer.

I crossed the room and opened the balcony doors. Warm air rushed inside, carrying the scent of roses and cypress trees. Beyond the stone railing, green hills stretched beneath a cloudless sky. Vineyards surrounded the estate, interrupted by high walls and iron gates in the distance.

The view was beautiful.

That only made the prison more cruel.

Below the balcony, two guards patrolled the garden. Security cameras faced every path leading away from the villa.

Nico had prepared for every possibility.

I gripped the stone railing as grief rose inside me. Two days earlier, I had walked through Seattle carrying yellow tulips. I had laughed with Shelly and believed I was finally creating a life that belonged to me.

Now I didn’t even know whether Shelly thought I was missing or dead.

“Has anyone contacted my family?” I asked.

“Mr. Contini handled everything.”

Terror tightened inside me. “What does that mean?”

“I don’t know.”

I turned toward Elena. “Did he tell them I was here?”

“I’m not included in Mr. Contini’s private conversations.”

“Then bring him to me.”

“He will come when his meetings are finished.”

“No.” My voice sharpened. “Call him and tell him that if he doesn’t come immediately, I will destroy everything inside this room.”

Elena looked around at the antique furniture.

“I believe he expected that possibility.”

“Good. Then tell him his expectations were correct.”

After Elena left, I began with the vase beside the fireplace.

It shattered against the wall with a satisfying crash.

I swept a crystal perfume bottle from the dressing table and watched it break across the floor. A lamp followed, then a framed painting that probably cost more than my yearly salary.

The guards entered after the third crash but didn’t attempt to stop me.

“Get out!” I screamed.

They obeyed only after confirming I held nothing that could seriously injure me.

By sunset, the bedroom looked as though a storm had passed through it. Broken glass covered the carpet, the bedding lay on the floor, and one of the curtains had been torn from its fastening.

I sat against the headboard, exhausted but still furious.

Nobody entered again.

Darkness settled across the hills. The estate became silent except for the guards’ footsteps beyond my door.

Close to midnight, I heard a vehicle approaching outside.

Doors opened below. Men exchanged quiet greetings, and footsteps crossed the marble entrance hall.

My pulse began pounding.

The bedroom door opened several minutes later.

Nico entered alone.

He had removed his coat and tie, and the sleeves of his black shirt were folded to his forearms. His gaze travelled across the destruction before settling on me.

“You missed a vase,” he said.

I grabbed the glass of water beside the bed and threw it at him.

Nico turned his head. The glass struck the doorframe and shattered.

He looked at the broken pieces and then back at me.

“You kidnapped me.”

“Yes.”

“You drugged me.”

“You would never have boarded the aircraft willingly.”

“That should have told you not to take me!”

“It told me to choose a method that wouldn’t end with you injuring yourself while trying to escape.”

I climbed from the bed, ignoring the weakness remaining in my legs.

“Take me back.”

“No.”

“My family will look for me.”

“They believe you accepted an urgent assignment in London.”

My stomach dropped. “And my office?”

“Received your resignation yesterday.”

“You resigned for me?”

“You won’t be returning.”

Rage blurred my vision. “You had no right to destroy my career.”

“I can give you a hundred positions better than the one you had.”

“I don’t want anything you can give me!”

Nico watched me with unbearable calm.

“That job was mine,” I said. “That apartment was mine. You had no right to take them from me.”

He stepped over the broken glass and stopped in front of me.

“You wanted freedom, baby girl.”

His hand rose toward my face, but I moved away before he could touch me.

Nico lowered it.

“You had it,” he continued. “Now you’re home.”

“This isn’t my home.”

His gaze became dark and absolute.

“It will be.”

I looked toward the locked door and the guards waiting beyond it. Then I looked at the man who had taken everything from me while insisting it was an act of love.

“What happens when I keep refusing you?”

Nico’s expression didn’t change.

“You’ll refuse,” he said. “You’ll fight me. You’ll break every valuable thing in this house if it makes you feel better.”

He moved closer, forcing me to lift my face to maintain eye contact.

“But you’ll do all of it here.”

Cold travelled through me.

Nico had not brought me to Italy to persuade me to return.

He had brought me somewhere my refusal no longer mattered.