He sighs but does as I say. We both know this is not going to be good. Once he opens the box, he stares down at it for a long moment.
“What is it?” I demand.
“Nina…”
“What?” I rip the box away from him and gasp when I see… a finger. A feminine finger that looks a lot like Susanna’s. Except… the nail is black. Susanna always kept perfect care of her nails. “Why is it black?”
“Maybe she was digging in dirt to get away from Gabriel somehow? Maybe he did something to her to make her nail black?”
“But I know my sister. She was meticulous about her looks. She never would have let her nail get like this.”
“Nina, we know Gabriel has her. That’s a fact. The lock of hair he sent us was her hair.”
“I know but…”
“You don’t think this is her finger?”
“I have to hope it’s not.”
“I’ll get it tested.” He picks the finger up gently, then frowns. “Wait a minute. The fingertip has been burned off, meaning there won’t be any DNA evidence on this.”
“So we can’t know for sure if it’s Susanna or not. But doesn’t this mean that it’s not her? That Gabriel is just messing with us?”
“It could be. Or it is her and he just wants to drive us crazy wondering. I’m sorry, Nina, but you have to come to terms with the fact that Gabriel has your sister and chances are, he’s hurting her.”
“No,” I gasp. “Don’t say that.”
“But it’s true. Even if I find Susanna, chances are, she’s never going to be the same again.”
“Then you need to find her now, Luca. Find my sister. She needs to know that someone is out there looking for her.”
Susanna
Gabriel returns and I can’t deny the slight thrill I feel when I see him. It’s stupid and naïve. We shared one kiss. It’s not like I’m in love with him.
“Here,” he says, throwing a dress at me. It’s a simple summer dress. Pretty. But what I don’t understand is why Gabriel is doing this.
“What’s this for?”
“I’m moving you.”
My heart squeezes. “Moving me? Where?”
“To a new home. This house is dirty. Frankly, it’s a shithole. I only brought you here since no one looks around at this neighborhood.”
“So why would you move me?”
“Because I’m tired of spending time in this shithole. I’m taking you to my house. My actual house. It’s nice there.”
I stare at him for a long moment, trying to tell if he’s serious or not. “For real?”
“Yes. Now put on the dress. I don’t want my neighbors asking questions why I’m carrying a naked girl into my home.”
“Does this mean I don’t have to be around Chip any longer?”
“Chip is still my guy. He works for me. But he knows to leave you alone.”
“Because… you don’t want him hurting me again?” I ask, brushing my fingers over my cheek.
