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Why had my father decided to work for organized crime? Why had I befriended and helped Elena, a Mafia princess? Why couldn’t Liam be the hero I needed him to be?
Alittle later, Cherry shows up with food. “When you didn’t come down, I thought I’d bring you something.”
I stare at her, feeling a little bit like Alice falling into the rabbit hole. “These men are murderers.”
She gives me a sympathetic smile. “They can be. They’ve been killing for you.”
I feel sick to my stomach at that. “No. They’re killing because Liam told them to.”
She cocks her head to the side. “Why do you think he’s doing that? I’ll be honest, we’re all a little surprised. Liam didn’t want to be Boss. But here he is. Because of you.”
I shake my head. “No. None of this is because of me.”
Her eyes are piercing as she gives me a serious look. “Would you rather be with Don Fiori? Because I can tell you now, you’d be in a way worse state if?—”
“That’s different.”
“How? Killing Alex was no different from killing Fiori or Peprov.” She leans toward me. “Liam will kill anyone and everyone to keep you safe. You should be grateful.” She’s annoyed at me as she stands back. “I’ll be back later to get the tray.”
I eat because I don’t have anything else to do. When I finish, I sit in my room until the boredom nearly kills me. I decide to wander through the house as Liam said I could.
Downstairs, it’s quiet, and I wonder where everyone is. I consider making a break for it, but it’s dark out, with temperatures falling way below freezing. I explore, finding a locked office, a library, and a game room, where I can hear a few people talking. Off the kitchen, there is a door with stairs that go down to a basement. I’ve seen enough horror movies to know that’s not a place I want to explore.
I go to the library and grab a few books to take back to my room. I return upstairs and decide to check out the bedrooms.
I try not to think about why I’m interested in seeing Liam’s room.
Maybe it will tell me something about him so I can understand how he’s gone from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde.
The first rooms I knock and then open when I don’t hear anyone appear to be guest rooms. When I get to the final door at the end of the hall, I reconsider this foolish mission. I should go back to my room and read. But curiosity gets the best of me. I knock, and when I don’t hear anything, I enter.
The room is magnificent. Like mine, it has wood walls and a large stone fireplace. It’s larger with a sitting area near the fireplace, a mini-office area at the other side, and double doors out to a deck. The décor is warm and inviting, nothing like Liam.
I move to the bathroom to find a large tile shower and a clawfoot tub large enough for two. For a moment, I wonder what woman has shared this tub, this room with him. Jealousy spikes, but I remind myself that he’s a made man, a murderer.
I go to the desk and riffle around, careful to put everything back where I found it. I don’t find anything useful until I open the side drawer and find a cell phone. It’s likely a burner phone, which could turn out to be a good thing for me.
I listen for a moment to hear for anyone approaching. Quiet surrounds me. With shaking hands, I pick up the phone. Who should I call?
At first I think to call Elena, but then I decide to call Lucy. She came in like gangbusters at the warehouse and killed her father. I need someone like that to come and save me here.
I dial her number and wait.
After three rings, she picks up. “Hello?”
“Lucy?”
“Kate? Are you okay?”
“No… Liam kidnapped me, and he’s a killer, and he’s not really in the FBI, and…” I ramble incoherently. “I can’t be here. You have to help me.”
There’s a pause on the other end. “Let me see what I can do.”
“Thank you.”
I hang up, delete the call, even knowing that doing so isn’t foolproof to keep Liam from knowing I broke the rules again. I put the phone back exactly how I found it and shut the drawer. I pick up the books I set down and head back to my room.
Now I just have to wait until Lucy arrives, maybe with reinforcements, to save me.
