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I could have flung myself down the stairs at the club, or wrested my arm out of his grip in the alley. Taken my luck that he was a lousy shot in the dark and run for my life–literally. Why didn’t I?
He didn’t respond, and I stared out the window as the trees grew closer together. I’d never liked being in the woods. Badthings happened to kids who wandered in the forest, or so I’d read.
How sad that Antonio and I, though I had no memories of him, should have followed the same path. It was eerie thinking maybe this was where his life ended, particularly if it was where the Durand family buried their problems.
“Why would I know him?” He slowed the car as it approached large metal gates, set in the middle of a huge fence, cameras atop each pillar.
I bit the inside of my lip, the pain reminding me I was on borrowed time. I’d survived this far, though with each mile, I’d expected him to stop and shoot me.
“Your family might have killed him.”
He slammed on the brakes, and his head swiveled toward me. He hissed, a sound so primeval it conjured up images of an animal, its back arched, ready to attack.
“Tread carefully, Tony.”
I couldn’t bring myself to use his name, though I knew it. Even boss seemed too personal now. For the moment, the man at my side was just “he.”
“You were caught spying. Now you’re accusing my loved ones of murder.” His fingers gripped the steering wheel, the gold signet ring shimmering in the moonlight, but they weren’t on the gun, so I hadn’t run out the clock just yet.
He tapped an app and the gates opened. I squinted ahead at the road lined by tall trees, lights at the base of each one and in the branches. He drove through the gates, but I yelped at a flickering movement to my right.
He shot me a glance. “Security.”
I hated that I’d shown how spooked I was. Up until now, I’d kept a mask over most of my emotions, replacing terror with sass. I concentrated on why he’d brought me to a private estate, his presumably. Would I be facing the mafia council? It was alittle over the top for a snooping offense, though I was pleased to have lived a few extra hours.
He drove up the long driveway, motion sensor lighting flicking on as we passed. With each flicker, it was like a spotlight on a stage, and we were the main attraction. Or was that just him and I was the sidekick? I peered out the window, picking out more security guards who almost blended into the undergrowth. Would they melt back into the bushes, similar to a wild animal, after we passed?
My thoughts were zigging and zagging as I attempted to think of anything but what lay waiting, so I kept my gaze straight ahead as we left the wooded area which was replaced by manicured lawns. A huge expanse of lush greenery ringed by the forest. The lawns were kept in place by trimmed hedges and bushes shaped like animals.
Now the building itself caught my attention, and I gazed at it, blazing with lights. It wasn’t a modern house, its exterior of gray stone giving it a stern look. The first, second, and third floors were dotted with huge windows, each lit up as though they were staring at us.
There were other smaller buildings fifty yards away, their lights dim, as he circled the house and tapped his phone. A four-car garage door flipped up, the headlights picking out three other cars, before he drove in and the building swallowed the car, the small clunk when it closed a contrast to my hammering heart.
While there’d been no escape route since I was cuffed, now I was a prisoner in a mansion or whatever mobsters called their pad. Freaking big house maybe.
He got out and came around to my side. He could have let me starve and wither in the car, but that would be messy. I couldn’t fathom why I was here but guessed I’d find out once we were inside.
He unhooked me from the armrest but recuffed me and led me into the house, after unlocking a door with his thumbprint. I surveyed the room, searching for an escape, knowing there probably wasn’t one.
The interior wasn’t what I expected. I assumed mafia chic was fake french furniture, gold-plated everything, carpet so thick it reached my ankles, gaudy chandeliers hanging from every textured ceiling, and a mess of twirly crown molding.
Instead, the floor was a honey-colored wood, the furniture comfortable and understated, and the walls lined with quirky modern artwork. But this was one room. There were plenty of others where gaudy design might lurk.
Without thinking, I kicked off my shoes. It was something we did at home, and I’d continued during my college years. It was weird how my body performed actions automatically, even though my brain was in survival mode.
“You’re wearing hospital socks.” He stared at my feet, a playful grin on his face. But I wasn’t taken in. This was a trick to get me to forget about why I was here, and then, when I least expected it, I’d get what was coming to me.
“Yeah. They’re comfortable.” The non-slippy grippy things made for a more pleasant experience when working. “Bartenders are on their feet for hours each night.” I lowered my voice. “Something you wouldn’t know in your mezzanine palace.”
One brow shot up, like a right angle. He couldn’t have heard me. Maybe he could read lips. Damn, I needed to stop running my mouth. But this guy, my now former boss, was a combination of steel and… and… softness. No, there was nothing vulnerable about him. Fear had warped my brain.
“Why am I here?” I’d gotten no response to the question about my father.
“This is where you’ll stay.” He ignored me and jerked his head at a door.
Stay? Gods, he was doing concrete work in the basement and I’d be buried under layers of lime and other stuff. That was why he brought me here. This house would never be sold, and no hiker or hunter would ever stumble across my body.
He unlocked it with another code. I strained my neck to see, but he was too savvy and covered it with his other hand.
