Great. I’d offended him, too.
“Ihave protected you all your life in ways you don’t even know.Idarted to the altar to cover you when he didn’t even shoot back at them.Igot you here, where no one can find or hurt you, while he was busy getting shot like a helpless victim.”
“I…” Was speechless? Was clueless? Was a fucking idiot? “I’m sorry, Tino.” I put as much sincerity in my apology as I could. I was sorry from the bottom of my heart.
“For what?”
“Everything.”
He straightened his back. “Good for you.”
He left me at the beach and strode fast back to the house. A couple of bodyguards in black suits appeared out of nowhere and helped me back to my room.
Tino’s words replayed in my head all morning. What did he mean he’d protected me all my life in ways I didn’t know? In the afternoon, Arancia came with lunch and some pills. She ate with me and made sure I took all the medicine. Then she told me Tino was leaving the island.
Fear jolted through me. I only felt safe in the middle of nowhere because he was here. “What? Where is he going?”
“Non lo so. I don’t ask.”
I shuffled out of the bed to see him, but she stopped me. “You need to rest, Lina.”
I frowned at her. “I need to see him before he leaves. Excuse me.”
Loud noise boomed from a distance. A plane taking off noise. “He left already?”
“That’s what I was trying to tell you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I could’ve caught him before he took off.”
“I do what he tells me to do. I’m sure you know how it is.”
I sighed. “Do you know when he’s coming back?”
“No.”
“Fine. Do you know where my phone is?”
She shrugged. “I don’t think you came with one. There’s no reception here anyway.”
“How do you make phone calls here then or use the internet or even shop for supplies?”
“We don’t.” She chuckled. “Don Bellomo gets everything we need on the plane with him whenever he visits, and there’s one satellite phone on the island, but only Don Bellomo has access to it.”
“Ugh… How can I reach my sister and Leo? I need to call them.”
“Don Bellomo mentioned nothing about that. You can ask him when he returns.” She lifted the lunch tray and headed for the door before I could say anything else.
Awesome. Just like the academy and the mansion, this little piece of paradise was nothing but another Bellomo prison in disguise.
Chapter 43
Lina
If the bullet didn’t kill me, boredom would. I hadn’t left the room in three days. There was nothing for me to do but eat and sleep. I couldn’t exactly drink cocktails and go for a swim like Arancia did every day, flaunting her gorgeous, tanned body in a red bikini. I didn’t have my violin or my phone or my books. I couldn’t believe I’d say this, but I missed homework.
“Buongiorno.” Arancia’s early morning grin had started to annoy me.
“It’s just another boring morning. Nothing is good about it.”
