Grabbing handfuls without counting, I stuffed money into my pockets and stood up.
I would go home, and Lily, Nat, and I would disappear somewhere Gio could never find us.
Somewhere Matteo wouldn’t either. If he ever came looking, which I didn’t think he would.
Taking a deep breath, I moved silently through the living room. I had my passport and cash, so the first part of my plan was sorted out. Now, all I needed to do was get past the guards that were no doubt waiting downstairs.
I moved toward the elevator, pressing the button and cursing it for the loud whooshing noise it made as it opened. Guiltily, I looked behind me, half expecting to see a sleep-tousled Matteo barreling toward me.
Only there was no one there.
My breath was shaky as I stepped inside, and the doors closed behind me.
I had done it, I had escaped. Now all I had to do was sneak passed the guards and I would be on my way home.
To my daughter.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Matteo
Open-mouthed, I stared at the open door of the safe and the cash that was falling out of it.
My keys were right there on the desk.
She was gone.
But hadn’t I known that from the moment I had woken up and found the bed next to me empty? I had looked for her, searched the house in vain for any sign of her, but I had known in my heart that she was gone.
There was an emptiness to the apartment, like the beating heart of my home had been ripped away and with it my heart.
Hands closed into tight fists at my sides, I headed back to the bedroom I had snuck into last night. The one she had locked to keep me out.
Not that any lock in the world would keep me away from her.
I needed to make calls, especially downstairs, because I wanted to know where the hell she had gone, and who had let her escape. Grabbing the phone, I quickly unlocked it and stared down at the open message that popped up.
One from her brother. I had messaged last night for a face-to-face, because I wanted to know the truth from him, but I hadn’t received the reply he had sent me,
Sophia had.
And it had caused her to run.
Over and over again, I scanned the words. What here had made her panic enough to run after all this time?
London.
The word seemed to jump out at me. It was the fact that Gio had said he was back in the UK that had spurred her into action.
What was in London?
And did it really matter? I wouldn’t let her run from me again. I’d allowed her to escape once, but I wouldn’t this time. This time, I would know all of her secrets.
My fingers flew over the keyboard, sending texts, and then I was heading toward the elevator. It opened before I could even press the button, and a man stepped out, holding his head. There was dried blood on his temple.
I froze. My eyes lingered on the angry cut and lump on his head. “Where is she?”
He lifted bloodshot eyes to me. “I-I don’t know,” he stammered. “She came down just after three. Said there was a problem upstairs and that you needed me. I didn’t see what she hit me with, but it must have been heavy because I’ve only just now woken up, I didn’t mean…”
