• Lido di Ostia Beach, Rome •
It wasn't a simple detour.
The armed and masked men drove them farther from the airport until she saw the beach. She didn't need to use Google Maps to confirm they were driving into Ostia, a beautiful beach town near the city.
She'd seen the road signs and some photos online the other night while she was Googling tourist spots here in Italy and near Rome. Too bad she didn't have her phone right now.
She would do much more than look at photos if only she kept her cellphone in her coat pocket. As in call the cops, an ambulance, or someone nearby who could get them out of here, and let them know she and her ex got kidnapped by armed men who might just be drug dealers and mobsters...
Darn it. Her purse and luggage. It all got left behind. Her handbag was in the passenger seat of the rental car.
•What did he mean? Why ask if she knew what Théo did to Anastasia?What exactly did he want or expect to hear from her?"I don't...know what you want me to say," Veronica murmured while she tried not to scowl at the guy again.Still sitting before her, Rafa continued to stare at her face and into her eyes, as if gauging whether she had the guts to lie to his face. "Did he tell you where he met Ana?""No.""Where do you think they met?"She scoffed and turned her face away from his, her hands itching to shove him so she would no longer have to put up with his alcohol and cigarettes-smelling breath. It was making her quite nauseous already. "I don't know. We don't talk about your sister.""Again, I find that hard to believe, Via." Rafa stroked her hair and leaned even closer to her. "Look. I don't hurt people, especial
•Being treated like a helpless hostage in a foreign country was starting to trick her brain into thinking the experience wasn't so bad. The supposed mastermind of it all wasn't so bad, either.Maybe it was just Stockholm syndrome kicking in. Maybe not. Too early to tell. Maybe she was just overwhelmed with relief that she was still breathing on her own, with her body parts still intact and not chopped into ugly, unrecognizable pieces.Her hands were cuffed and her mouth was duct-taped shut to keep her from screaming for help, but at least the guy wasn't physically torturing her or giving her a deadly beating.Plus, he didn't blindfold her this time. Was it a sign that he trusted her to some degree? It seemed so."Don't run off."With her lips shut tight by thick, sticky stape, Veronica could only give him a slight nod in reply.&nb
•A bargaining chip.Whatever it was that Rafa wanted from Théo, she just realized that she would be used as a potential concession in the scenario.It seemed it had a lot to do with Théo and Anastasia's new relationship, and then some other issues Veronica couldn't figure out yet. Why the girl's brother thought Théo had "answers", she didn't know for sure.Also, Rafa just told her Théo had a multitude of secrets. It sounded suspicious and somewhat...sensible. Veronica couldn't help but mull over it. She wanted to think the guy just had too much to drink or had an exceptionally shitty week, thus the paranoia exaggerating his opinions of his sister's new boyfriend.But after everything that'd happened in the past few months, she felt like she should give Rafa the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Théo actually had deep, dark s
•Maybe? Just "maybe"?Was he actually planning to hurt her and Théo if he didn't get what he wanted? Did he tell his men to beat up Théo if he didn't talk?Veronica tried to ignore the twinge of panic creeping into her chest again, making her wary of the guy's next move.Rafa just left the room. He told her to stay in bed but didn't tell her where he was going. What was he up to? Was he going to talk to Théo now? Torture him till he got the answers he needed?With bated breath, she followed suit and kept her steps as quiet as possible. The hallway remained dim, and the house was still quiet. The entire house seemed to be dim. No lights left on. No sunlight passing through the windows because of the drawn blinds.Where the heck did they all go?Wherever Rafa was going, she was pretty sure he wa
7 days left•He wanted to die.A quick, easy death if possible.But him dying today wouldn't turn back time, unfortunately. Dying in the hands of some paranoid, filthy rich scumbag wouldn't undo everything. Théo swore in his head. It wouldn't undo the unspeakable horrors he let happen to the love of his life.Just the thought of that evil bastard touching Veronica with his bare hands was enough to make his blood churn with the damning urge to kill. Slit the bastard's throat. Shoot them all dead.Théo sat still, his entire torso still duct-taped to the chair. He let his aching head hang low while he pretended to be unconscious.One of the masked men was still in the room, pacing by the door with a handgun strapped to his hip.
Minutes earlier • 1. Agree to the guy's deal. 2. Help convince Théo to talk. 3. Beg for their freedom and convince Rafa that she wouldn't talk to the cops. 4. Get Théo to the ER before she buys the plane tickets. 5. Go see Kyle in the hospital. It sounded like a doable plan. Highly risky, but still doable. Their ticket out of here required her to be smart. Act fast but smart. To think on her feet but also to quickly recall what were at stake. If it meant she had to play mind games with their captor, then she would do what it takes to get her and Théo out of this country alive. She had already agreed to Raffaele's proposition. He said he wanted her to help him convince Théo that he had to talk and give him the answers he needed. She didn't know jack
• Ruptured brain aneurysm. It was what killed her best friend. Poor Kyle... So young. So full of potential. Lost in a blink. He was gone. Just like that. The shock didn't run out. Unless she saw him with her own eyes that moment his time of death was officially announced, she might never fully accept the painful reality that his life was over. Veronica let herself melt onto the cold floor while her head was trying to figure out a way to make her deal with the current circumstances. Her chest still felt painful and heavy with guilt, disbelief, and a fair amount of self-hatred. Fresh tears wouldn't stop coming out
•The earsplitting noises of actual gunshots destroying the front of the house left her feeling like the entire two-storey home was going to cave in on them.Her heart almost jumped into her throat when one of Rafa's guys took a bullet to his chest and ended up bleeding on the kitchen floor.Darn it! It meant the armed criminals outside were making their way to the left side of the house, where she and Rafa stood by while he waited for their ride."Call an ambulance! Just call the cops!" she pleaded while Rafa gripped her by the arm to keep her behind him, seemingly shielding her again from incoming gunfire. Veronica glanced to the injured guy being towed away from the windows by another masked man."The driver's gonna get us out of here. We'll run past the yard through that small gate, then get in the backseat." Rafa pointed to the edge of the tall, all-white