Page 4 of Conquered

Our kiss ends on a shuddering breath, then he lowers his arms, jaw working once more as he takes a step back. Then another. And another until he turns and walks away, out of the office. I hear his footsteps echo across the silent gym floor, then the main door opens and shuts. Then finally, the sound of a car driving away.

Another breath catches in my throat, and I close my eyes, gathering my pieces up off the floor before opening them again. I meet Enzo’s kind brown gaze, giving him a watery smile.

“Prego, this way,cara mia,” he indicates the doorway, and we walk out, his hand on my lower back.

He guides me towards another door at the back of the building, where his two cousins are waiting for us. He says something to them sternly in Italian, and they nod once before bowing their heads in respect.

Then he turns to me, placing both hands on my upper arms.

“In bocca al lupo. All the luck in the world, cara mia,” he says warmly, but I don’t miss the glint of sorrow in his eyes.

“How can I ever repay you, Enzo?” I ask, knowing that I can never fully pay him back. He’s helped me in my first steps towards my freedom. A shudder of unease runs through my whole body when I think back to Ace, his prone form lying on the bed.Please let the drug work. I only need a few hours.

“No payment needed,cara mia,” he assures me. “Abbiamo tutti diritto di Essere liberi di volare come gli uccelli.” I look at him questioningly. “We all deserve to be free, to fly like birds.”

As I clutch the packet in my hands to my chest, I remember the gaudy engagement ring that Ace gave me. It’s obscene, and he took great pains to tell me of its value.

“Take this,” I plead, taking the bauble off my finger and handing it to him. “It’s worth over three million dollars, and I can’t take it with me. I don’t want to.”

“Cara... “ he starts, and I can see he wants to refuse so I cut him off.

“I insist. Give the money to Rosa.” I hold it out to him, begging him with my eyes to take it.

He sighs, but eventually relents and pockets the jewellery.

“Just be careful where you get rid of it. He will recognise it.” I tell him and he nods, with a slight roll of his eyes as if to assure me he’s not a rookie in situations such as these.

I grin at him, then press up to my tiptoes and place a soft kiss onto his cheek. I notice his cheeks darken slightly in the moonlight as I pull away.

“Buon viaggio, safe journey, cara mia,” he whispers, taking my hands in his warm grip and kissing both my cheeks.

“Thank you.” I smile back, taking a deep breath of crisp autumn air.

Turning my back to him, I step up to the open door of the car that’ll take me on the next step to freedom. I get in while one of Enzo’s guys places my bag next to me before shutting the door quietly behind me.

A strange mix of desperate sadness, fear, and elation churn within me as we drive away. My hand goes to rest on my stomach, and I know that this is the right decision. That I would do so much more to keep the life blooming inside me safe.

CHAPTER THREE

Ispend the next few days in a permanent state of anxious exhaustion. The route Enzo picked out isn't the quickest or easiest, but it's thorough and I'm fairly confident that Ace won't be able to track me down, even with his endless resources.

As a precaution, once I arrive in Liverpool, I head to a pawn shop near the docks and sell some of the jewellery for cash, then go to the nearest salon. I emerge a fiery redhead, instead of my usual brunette, a colour admittedly, I've always wanted to be.

I decide to take the coach to London. I grew up in Surrey, and we visited the London house a few times so I know it well enough to feel comfortable there. I also like the idea of getting lost in the big city; there's a comfort of being around so many people. I know that it might be risky, it's one of the places that Ace may look for me, but if I avoid any of my previous haunts, I should be able to blend in with the throng.

The journey from Liverpool takes six long hours. Luckily, I bought a phone before I boarded the coach, and downloaded Spotify so I could at least listen to music and podcasts. I arrive at Victoria Coach Station just before ten in the evening, weary but glad that I’m almost to my new home.

It's still pretty busy, even for this late at night, and lucky for me it's not raining, as it so often is in England. My next task is to find somewhere to stay for tonight. I spy an open café across the street that looks like a good place to work out how I'm going to do that and grab a drink.

The sound of a bell tinkles as I push open the door, and I’m immediately engulfed in the warm smell of coffee and bacon. There's an empty table in the corner of the room next to the window, so I head there and take a seat. The whole place has that quaint vintage vibe about it, with mismatched chairs and old china plates, cups, and saucers. What sounds like wartime songs are playing in the background, alongside the hiss of the coffeemaker.

There are a few patrons, travellers like myself for the most part, all nursing steaming cups, and despite the late hour, one or two even have plates of a full English breakfast in front of them. There's a group of stunning women in the back, laughing and talking loudly, dressed in glittering party dresses that sparkle under the lights. I must admit, it's nice to be surrounded by the familiar sound of English voices again after hearing the American twang for so long.

One of the women, a busty brunette with green eyes, catches my gaze and gives me a blinding smile. I tentatively return the gesture, then look quickly down at the menu. I can't help the flinch as a shadow falls across the table, but breathe a sigh of relief when I look up to see a middle-aged waitress in a flowery fifties-style dress smiling down at me.

“What'll it be, luv?” she asks, her accent pure East End.

“Earl Grey tea, please. And maybe some toast and jam?” I ask timidly.