He is a wild card in my arsenal.
The entire boat went silent, the crashing waves and the boat’s motor the only noises. But I heard nothing but the beating of my own heart. Saw nothing but her.
Romeo made a noise close to mine—a growl—that seemed to break up the tense silence of men.
“We know where she is,” Donato said. “I know the village well. There is an Easter celebration coming up. We will blend.”
The men dispersed after that, returning to their own pockets of solitude. Iron bars had imprisoned me with solitude as my cellmate the moment she had been taken from me. There was no escape without her.
Tito took a seat next to me, sighing as he did. He had a beanie on his head to keep his wisps of hair from flying in every direction. He crossed his legs and rubbed a hand down the salt and pepper hair along his jaw, the wiry hairs making a scratching noise. “Your grandmother rescued Marzio once. This was a long time ago, of course. His captors released him when it was known thatshewas in charge of getting him back.”
I had no idea why he was telling me this. What was the point? It wasn’t me they had. It was my heart.
“I suppose you are wondering why I am telling you this.” He let that hang between us for a minute. He sighed. “I say this because they had your grandmother first. You will get her back. Now you must rest. Or you will be of no use to anyone. I will keep watch, nephew. We are here for you.”
I used my bag as a pillow, shoving it underneath my head after stretching out along the seat. Sleep was lost on me. I hadn’t slept since she had been taken. If I did, it was in horrible stretches, punctuated by a need for her that equaled physical pain.
“Scarlett, my baby,” I whispered, staring up at the velvet sky, the picture of us over my heart, seeing nothing but her eyes staring back at me.
* * *
“Tell me again. Once more.”
We stayed with a family in Pietraperzia. We had Intel that told us the compound where Scarlett was being held wasn’t far, though no one knew exactly where. Sitting on a bench outside of the small villa, I bent over my knees, hands together, staring at the ground.
Donato filled me in on what he had learned. A mole inside of the villa where Scarlett was being held had contacted us. The problem was, we had no idea who he or she was, just that the mole had spotted Romeo in the town and followed him to the villa. The mole warned us in a letter that if Spataro and his men got wind of our presence, he would not give us any more information. He or she would come when the time was right.
Part of the story made me pause. Donato repeated it for me once more after I ordered him to.
“Spataro is using her. He sends her out with his men to recover whatever it is he wants. No one can lie in her presence without her knowing. However, there is a problem.”
I looked up at him.
“Scarlett is lying to Spataro. He knows it. I can only guess that she does not want to cause harm to another with her…feelings. She must know he will kill them once he finds out what it is he wishes to know.”
“I see.”
“We all see.” Donato sighed. “He is getting sick of the game. Spataro is not a patient man.” Donato bent down, meeting my eye. “He will no longer protect her from the inside if she does not cooperate. He risked all he has built to have a weapon that no one else has—a woman who can read the truth of others. He tested her in that meeting. He knows she is the real thing.”
I didn’t need to see my face to know that my eyebrows drew down in confusion. Donato was en route to telling me something I, no doubt, didn’t want to hear.
“Enzo is there, at the compound. His hand has been instrumental in orchestrating this—” He waved his hand around, in a gesture that encompassed our situation. “Spataro knows that Enzo is going to double cross him when he gets the chance. Ciro gave his word, not Enzo. At the moment, he is being patient. He is in the midst of one war. He cannot afford another.”
“Enzo wants her.”
Donato nodded once, a severe move. “Sì.Enzo is convinced that in order to avenge his father, he will have to continue to move forward with the original plan. Their loyalties were in line with Ettore until something shifted. If they have Scarlett, they feel they have leverage. They have the multifaceted weapon. However, Enzo might know about Lothario refusing our request for help, or suspect it, but he will keep it to himself. The lessle sanguisugheknows about our family, the easier for Enzo to manipulate.”
I watched Donato for seconds, minutes, hours. It all felt the same to me.
“Tell me,” I demanded. There was no doubt he left something pivotal out.
“Enzo attacked her in the bedroom. The source says he took her with force. After, it appears she kicked him in the balls and attacked him with a lamp. He has not been left alone with her since.”
“That’s what Spataro’s holding over her head,” I said. “If she refuses to play along, he’ll stick her in a room with Enzo. So he can abuse her again.”
Donato nodded once more, a grim set to his features.
Every fiber of my being shrank and hardened with the oxygen in my lungs. I wasn’t sure if I was even breathing anymore. I felt like an animal, a ruthless, feral animal that could kill the man in front of me for even telling me this. One sudden move and I’d be on someone’s throat.
