Page 20 of The Pawn

“And she’s what?”

“Seventeen,” Jet calls out.

“What did Amal think of this arrangement?” His eyes dart away.

“I’m guessing she didn’t want to sleep with a man old enough to be her father,” Jet says. “Truly just a guess though. I’m sure you’re very appealing to aseventeen-year-old.”

“Where is Malek Lombardi?” I ask.

“I don’t know. I don’t know that.”

“Did you see her? Did you see Allegra?”

“No.” He shakes his head furiously. “I didn’t know. I swear. I didn’t know about Michael or Allegra. All I know is Malek said things were changing and I’d have a new contract soon. He said he’d give me Amal. He was going out of town and when he was back everything would be arranged. That’s all. That’s all I swear!”

“Out of town where?”

“He didn’t say. I told him she wouldn’t do it. I told him she was with you.”

“Did you? And what did he say?”

“He just said she’d go along with whatever he was planning after their trip. That’s all. I swear, that’s all I know.”

“You’d better not be lying to me or mark my words, you will regret it.”

“I’m not. Why the fuck would I?”

I shove him to the side and toss the poker into the stone fireplace. It clatters, sends ashes up. I look at those ashes, then back to Governor Moore.

I know Malek’s plan. He’s killed Michael. Now he wants to force Allegra to marry him. Once he’s head of the Moretti family, he’ll sell off his daughter to this pervert and build himself a safety net. How would he get Allegra to go along with it? She wouldn’t. She hated him. And she’s fucking stubborn as hell. He’d have to force her hand.

Her father had her mother and her kidnapped. I know he did. He used his daughter to punish his wife.

Would Malek use his own children to force her hand? She’s very close with Amal and I saw how the little boy clung to her. But would their father hurt them to get ahead?

Yes, he would.

The fire is built too high and another log rolls out of the pile sending more ash onto the hardwood.

I look at it like I did before, the ashes in the grate. The soot-blackened stone. It triggers something.

Malek Lombardi won’t need to use his children to force her hand. There’s another way to get to Allegra. One that wouldn’t involve his children at all. Her own father did it to her. What’s to stop Malek? The trauma she suffered with her mother is something she’ll live with for the rest of her life. And as much as she may think or hope to have it under control, she doesn’t. If she did, she wouldn’t lie to herself about it.

He’s going to take her back there, to that house, or what’s left of it.

He’s going to terrorize her.

And worse if I don’t get to her in time.

7

ALLEGRA

Idon’t know how long I sleep. Not long though because when I open my eyes the lids are heavy and sticking together.

The metal door screeches and a moment later, a soldier enters carrying a chair and a small, low table into my cell. He sets the table a few feet from me then places the chair down. Rami follows him in. When I see what he has in his hands, my heart begins to race, my breaths short and shallow. He gives me an evil grin and sets the butcher’s block on the table.

I look at it. I can’t help it, but I wish I hadn’t. A ringing starts in my ears, and it takes all I have to keep from screaming.