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CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Mya

My mother used to tell me that I was the most resourceful kid she’d ever met. That I was certainly capable of figuring things out. I’d forgotten about that.

Losing her led me to forget a lot about myself in the process. Grief had turned me into a person I barely recognized. But for a moment, I remembered who I was, and what I was good at.

When I was younger, I used to imagine I was like that little girl in the book Harriet the Spy . As a kid, I had been good at watching, waiting, and paying attention to the details.

I had memorized the schedules of the household. I knew when a new security team was coming in and out. I had even memorized where all the cameras were.

Matteo’s note had been the last piece of the puzzle. The information he gave me was my ticket out. And then I would disappear. Easy peasy , I told myself.

Maybe I was being foolish. I couldn’t trust Matteo. Wouldn’t he kill me as soon as I got into the car?

My whole plan relied on him not killing me immediately. At least, I didn’t plan on giving him the opportunity. He was going to be my ticket out, and then I would lose him and his goons.

I had done some digging of my own. I knew that Dr. Kali owned several homes. It had occurred to me that he must have homes near Dario, otherwise how was he able to get to Dario so fast whenever he was needed?

My plan was to use Matteo to get away from the house and from there, figure out my way to Dr. Kali’s house. It was exhausting just to think about, but I had to do this.

This would probably be my only chance. It was now or never.

The note from Matteo said I was supposed to follow a housekeeper out to a van and climb inside, but there wasn’t anyone around when I got up. The house was eerily silent. Where was everyone?

I avoided the cameras and tried the doors, but each one was locked from the outside. In frustration, I punched a wall, and fought back tears. What the fuck was I supposed to do now?

Come on. Come on. Think. Think!

I looked out the window at the rainy street below, feeling listless. Suddenly, I heard the sound of the elevator.

I sat up straighter. Was Dario coming back?

I stared at the locked doors blocking the entrance to the elevator.

They slid open just an inch, and I gasped as I watched someone pry them open from the other side.

“Come with me,” said a man I didn’t recognize. I didn’t recognize his voice, either. I hesitated. This was all too much. “Matteo sent us,” he said.

I felt like I was making a deal with the devil for my freedom as I climbed into the elevator. There were two other men in the elevator with us. No one spoke.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

None of them even looked at me.

The man who had told me to get in the elevator, grabbed my arm and hustled me down the street to a black SUV. He shoved me inside and slammed the door behind me.

The two men in the front seats were both wearing masks, I realized.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked.

“Somewhere safe,” one of them responded.

Yeah right. The car slowed down at a light in front of a strip mall with lots of foot traffic, and I realized that was my chance. There were lots of people around. This was perfect.

“I don’t feel so good?—”

The man in the front seat didn’t react.

That was okay. “I mean it, I feel…” I let my voice trail off as I tossed myself across the back seat and prayed that I could convince them I was sick.

I took a deep breath, hoping that it looked authentic enough, and started to flail around, pretending that I was having a seizure. I’d watch my foster mom fake all sorts of medical emergencies in public places, everything from “slip and falls” to seizures.

She was the litigation queen. Her only source of income had been the checks from the state to take care of us kids, which she did not do, and all the bogus lawsuits she pursued from her fake accidents.

The woman really knew how to run a con.

“Oh fuck!” one of them shouted. “He said to bring her in alive. What the fuck are we supposed to do now?”

I heard one of the men climb out and open my door. I pretended to faint, falling out of the car, landing a little hard on my side, and fighting back a wince.

And then I opened my eyes and let out a moan. Soon enough there was a crowd around me.

“Miss, do you need help?” came a voice that sounded authoritative. I looked in the direction of the voice. It was a security guard who was looking at the men suspiciously. They had removed their masks, but they still looked like trouble to me.

Apparently, the security guard agreed.

“Get away from her. I’m calling the cops.”

Perfect. “Can you please call an ambulance?”

The driver looked at the other guy and they exchanged a glance and tried to pick me up off the ground.

I went limp. I wasn’t going to make it easy for them.

“Put her down! Don’t touch her!” someone close to me yelled. “I’m calling 911.”

They exchanged glances again and the driver turned away from me to make a phone call.

“Go with her,” he commanded the other guy.

I hadn’t expected that. The ambulance arrived, and I pretended to lose consciousness. As the EMT bent over to assist me, I whispered. “That man is stalking me. I’m scared. Please don’t let him ride with me.”

“Are you in danger? Should I call the police?”

I nodded.

The next thing I knew, I was in the back of the ambulance and Matteo’s guys were being interviewed by the police.

When the ambulance pulled up to the hospital, I expected to see Dario or Matteo waiting for me. Had I pulled it off?

My heart was racing as I scanned the halls for any sign of them, but no one was there. As soon as they escorted me inside, I gave them a sob story about trying to escape an abusive ex and convinced one of the EMTs to call me an Uber after the hospital staff got done examining me.

I had memorized the address of Dr. Kali’s closest house and knew that it wasn’t too far away from downtown where the hospital was located.

Within minutes, I arrived at the safe house, and finally, I felt I could take a breath. It wasn’t easy faking a medical emergency and then lying to everyone in sight.

However, it was easy to figure out where Dr. Kali kept the key. I opened the door and made my way into the house. I noticed that everything was prepped as if Dr. Kali had been expecting me. There was food in the refrigerator. There were clean towels and linens.

I went straight to a bedroom and took a long nap, expecting to feel at peace, but I was still on edge, tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable. Finally, I fell into a fitful sleep.

When I woke up, I made my way to the shower and stood there for a long time, just letting the water hit my shoulders, trying to erase all the bad memories from the past months.

I tried to forget about Nico, Matteo, and most of all Dario. But a part of me felt sad inside. I missed Dario. I refused to acknowledge that.

It was only natural to grieve something I would never have, right? I touched my belly unable to stop a tear from falling.

I’d grown up without a father, and I’d come out all right. My child would too. We would be fine.

I had gotten away from Dario, so why didn’t I feel a sense of relief? Why was I still scared? Why did I feel as if I had done something wrong?

I’d made the right decision. Right? I’d done what was best for me and my child.

I felt like I had to convince myself and that feeling unsettled me.

But it was not as unsettling as it was to hear the doorbell ring.

I peeked out the window and felt faint.