Page 10

Katie

Gasping for breath while fighting the urge to throw up, I frantically search for my phone. Got it. I ring Damien, praying he will answer.

“Katie?”

Oh, thank goodness.

“Damien. You need to get me out of here,” I whisper while checking the door is still locked.

“I’m working on it.”

“No, Damien, you don’t understand. I have just seen him cut a man's finger off; well, not him exactly. But it was done at his command.”

Ignoring my outburst, Damien continues. “At the moment, we can’t find a get-out clause. But if you can get back to England, I can protect you. While you are in Italy, my hands are tied.”

“Okay, I can do that. I’ll just get my passport and get a flight straight home.”

“Katie, Guerra will not let you just walk out of there and come home. Especially after you have seen what you have tonight.”

I can’t breathe. I am having a panic attack.

“Katie, listen to me. Everything will be okay. You need to get him to trust you. If you can get yourself to the airport and on a plane to anywhere in the world other than Italy, I can take it from there. While you are on his turf, I’m helpless.”

Tears roll from my eyes. I’m shaking, huddled in the corner of the room.

“If I thought he would hurt you, I would have a team there immediately, Katie. But I cannot do that knowing I would lose the lives of my men. Not when I know he won’t hurt you.”

“How do you know he won’t hurt me?”

“Because he chose you.”

“I don’t understand,” I whisper.

“Get him to trust you, Katie. I will ring you tomorrow and see how you’re doing. Get some rest.”

Remembering the sound of the shears cutting through bone makes me heave. The image of the finger hitting the floor has me hugging the toilet bowl, bringing up everything I can. I cry my heart out, sobbing until my tears dry up. When I return to the bedroom, Leo is sitting on the end of the bed .

I can’t look at him. He turns my stomach.

“He was a bad man, Katherine.”

“And what are you, Leo?”

I get into bed and turn off the light, hoping he will leave.

“He stole from me. As a result, women and children died. I might not be a good man. But there are far worse.”

“Who are you, Leo?”

His tone becomes more aggressive. “You don’t understand.”

“Try me?”

He is still for a few moments, and I think he is about to open up. But no. He rises and marches to the door.

“Do not ever go down there again. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, boss,” I mutter, pulling the covers over my head as he slams the door behind him.

He need not worry. I will not be going down there ever again.

Well, they say curiosity killed the cat.

That will teach me to be so nosey. It hadn’t taken me long to figure out the last number of the bookcase passcode.

2001. The year Leo and I met. Coincidence?

Maybe. The guy Leo had left to watch me was as gullible as he was wide.

Van was huge. When I said I was going to bed, he believed me and went to work through the contents of the kitchen fridge.

The bookcase led me down stone stairs to a tiled room that smelled of bleach mixed with something putrid.

A shutter door filled one side, while tools were neatly lined up on the other three walls, with some set out on a table as if it was a work area—a garage of some sort, I imagined.

When the shutter doors started to open, I hid in a cupboard and watched through a crack in the door.

Leo looked evil. Devil-like as his cigar smoke circled around him.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. I couldn’t breathe.

I heaved at the sight, needing to escape.

I doubt I will ever get the image of a finger hitting the floor, blood spurting in all directions, out of my mind.

Having not slept a wink, I put on my sunglasses and throw my beach bag over my shoulder, hoping I can go to the beach. I need to get out of this house and get some fresh air.

“Where do you think you are going?” Leo’s voice booms through the hallway.

“The beach.”

“I do not think so.”

“Are you worried I am going to run off and leave you? I won’t get very far, seeing as you have taken my passport!” I know this because I spent all night tearing up the bedroom, looking for it. It had been in the zip pocket of my suitcase, which is now empty.

I continue heading for the front door just as Marco stands and blocks my way.

“Let her go,” Leo instructs.

Marco reluctantly moves to the side and opens the door for me.

“Thank you, just Marco. You are such a gentleman.” I give him a smile as I escape the madhouse.

The further away from the house I get, the better I feel. I know Leo will have his men watching me, but I just need some air. The sun warming my skin releases the tension in my shoulders. A light breeze fills my lungs with oxygen, and I feel some of my anxiety leave as I breathe out.

A stone-cobbled path leads down steps to the seafront.

I’m greeted by white sand and blue sea when I reach the bottom.

The sea air makes me smile. It’s a quiet beach with a few locals sitting under their own umbrellas.

I find a nice spot and set my blanket and towel down.

Sitting there, people-watching and taking in the country's beauty, it is hard to believe the horrendous cruelty I witnessed last night.

There’s a lady about my age playing with her son in the sea.

They have a dog with them, too, who obviously doesn’t like the water, so she just stands there barking at them, running forwards and backwards as the waves go in and out.

They look English, but I would presume they live here, since they have a dog.

Feeling relaxed, I lie back, enjoying the burn of the sun’s rays on my skin.

The music from my earphones, mixed with the lack of sleep, soon has me dozing.

A spray of cold water on my hot skin wakes me instantly from my dreams. “Aahh!” I sit up in shock.