by Soraya Naomi
I’m rudely disturbed by the door banging open, and in struts Skye in her short jean skirt and pink tank top. Skye has brown hair similar to Fallon’s, only Fallon’s hair is thicker and shinier.
“Good morning, Luca.” Skye invites herself to sit right next to me.
“Morning.” My leg accidentally brushes hers, and a blush colors her cheeks.
“Rough night?” she asks.
“Yeah.” Leaning forward with my elbows on my knees, I attempt to escape her probing gaze.
Skye places her hands on my shoulders and starts to massage the knots out. “I can help you relax, Luca,” she offers.
I tense on instinct but begin to unwind as her fingers work their magic. Skye stands and guides me back against the sofa with her palms on my chest, her cleavage at eye level. I meet her hungry look, and a plan suddenly starts to form – a plan that could backfire on me. What if we use Skye for the trade instead of Fallon?
Skye’s making it so easy.
Palming her bare thigh, I allow her to touch me. But Fallon’s exquisite caramel brown eyes emerge in my thoughts – eyes that disapprove of using another innocent woman. I’m starting to get sick and tired of myself. Of my need for Fallon’s validation. Of Fallon constantly dancing in the back of my mind while she’s been lying to me too.
Skye actually moans from the slight contact, and her fingers travel to the nape of my neck as her mouth inclines to mine.
When her breath blows across my cheek, I say, “I have a favor to ask you, Skye.”
“Anything for you, Luca,” she answers in a husky voice.
I hold her desirous gaze. “I need...”
But when she pouts her lips, I shrink back slightly, not sure I can do this. Perhaps I don’t need to bring another person into this mess.
At that exact moment, a sharp intake of breath steers my attention to the door, to Fallon, who’s obviously shocked and repulsed, blocking the doorway.
What the fuck is she doing here? How did she get out of the room?
I release Skye as I lock eyes with Fallon before she spins around and sprints into the hall while Skye’s oblivious to it all.
“I’ll be right back.” Quickly removing her hands from my neck, I bolt out of the room after Fallon.
“Luca,” Skye whines, but I ignore her as Fallon heads toward the first staircase.
From the other end of the hall, Cam advances on her. “Fallon!”
I increase my speed as Fallon grabs the handrail to turn and start her descent, but I push her against the banister and circle her waist with one arm before she can take the first step down.
“Get off me.” She tries to elbow me, so I hold her firmly.
“Calm the fuck down.” I fleetingly glance around to make sure no one’s witnessing this.
The door I used to exit from the strip club is still closed, and I swivel us around, my intention to hurriedly climb the stairs to the third floor. I capture Fallon’s arms underneath mine, enclosing her, and shake Fallon to disorient her. Then I continue toward the stairs while her legs flail and kick wildly at the air.
“If you don’t calm the fuck down, so help me god...” I whisper-yell into her ear.
“Fuck you,” she spits.
Cam blocks my path up the stairs. “Luca, it was my fault. Don’t hurt her—”
“I’m not going to hurt her. Go to Skye and ensure she doesn’t follow me. Now!” My patience is wearing thin. “Give me my key.” I open my palm, arms still around Fallon, who’s determined not to keep still.
Cam places it in my hand, looking from Fallon to me with an uncertain glare and hesitating for a second before she runs off.
Fallon’s still struggling in my hold, so I tighten my arms and lift her off the floor, racing up to the third floor as fast as I can.
She gasps as I plant her front flat against the door of my private room, and the key almost falls as I try to unlock it and keep her restrained at the same time. When I get it open, we collapse into the room, me on top of her, and I scoot Fallon up, kicking the door closed with my foot. With a grunt, I pick her up and throw her onto the bed, our heavy breathing filling the silence as we scowl at each other.
Food’s scattered on the floor beside the dresser from where she flew out of the room when Camilla brought her breakfast, I presume.
“What were you planning to do when you got out of the house, Fallon?”
She scurries backward on the bed as I advance on her.
“I went to look for you,” she retorts in a voice laced with bitterness and sorrow. “You left me yesterday, and I didn’t know if you were coming back. I didn’t know if...I don’t know if you’re still helping me. Why didn’t you come back?”
“I’m trying to help you.” With both of my hands, I grasp my hair in desperation from wanting to give her some sort of comfort, yet my anger about yesterday prevents me from doing so. “I- I...” I sigh deeply. “You have to trust me, Fallon. I needed time to figure things out. I am helping you. Everything I do nowadays is to help you.”
“Who is she?” she asks abruptly, and I can see the resentment building up in her again. Even through her worry, her jealousy succeeds to be heard.
“No one of importance.”
“Were you with her last night? And how is kissing another woman helping me?”
“How was lying to me helping us?” I counter heatedly. I’ve been working nonstop to get us out of this mess, and she doesn’t comprehend the danger of this fucking situation.
Fallon’s hands ball into fists as she scrambles off the bed, standing on the other side. “I wanted to tell you, and I was wrong to keep it from you. I get that. But put yourself in my shoes. This is all new and terrifying territory for me...I didn’t sleep at all last night. Despite everything I’ve found out – and I’ve discovered a hell of a lot more than you – I still ache for you to make me feel safe.” She draws in a deep breath. Her anger is getting the best of her too. “But do you still need me? Was she worth it? Did it make you feel better to kiss another woman while the woman you supposedly love is stuck in this room because of you? Because make no mistake, I wouldn’t be in this situation if I’d never met you.”
Her accusation is true, and Fallon knows exactly how to rile me up. Seeing her torn between spewing her guts and latching on to me for security is a cold reminder of how my world is already staining her beautiful spirit.
“I just want out, Luca,” she cries. “And I need to know; otherwise, it will destroy me even more. Who is she?” Fallon adds in a resolved tone.
“You misinterpreted a situation. I was not with her, and I didn’t kiss her. Give me a little credit. You’ve got to trust me to end this nightmare for you.”
She stalks toward me, and I take a step forward since I don’t want her close to the door while she’s volatile and I’m losing my grip on her.
“Trust you?” Her manner reeks of contempt for me. “You were about to kiss her. How can I misinterpret that?”
“Because sometimes the end justifies the means, Fallon,” I retort.
“What does that mean, Luca?”
I choose to remain silent.
“Are you going to trade me for Danny?”
My weariness, combined with her attitude, is grating on my nerves, so I blurt, “Yes.”
A second before she caught me with Skye, I decided to follow James’s plan, our initial plan.
“What? No!” Confounded, she gapes at me, rushing to stop right in front of me.
I rub my forefinger and thumb over my eyelids. “I told you to trust me. I’m just repeating myself, and you’re only managing to anger me more.”
She’s lost in her mind for a couple of seconds, putting together the pieces of what will happen. “So you’re really going to do it?” Fallon clutches her hair in disbelief. “Your need to protect me, how long did that last? What am I now? Just a pawn in the Syndicate’s sick little games? Just a woman you fucked?” Her source of irritation – jealousy coupled with panic and resent
ment – is creating foolish thoughts in her head.
“You’re making no sense. You’re not just a woman I fucked,” I throw back indignantly. “You’re the woman—”
“Don’t you dare say it!” Her trembling finger is pointed at my chest. “I hate you. I hate this. What kind of life is this? I just want to leave here and forget this nightmare!”
She’ll always be the only woman I’ve ever loved and hearing her state how she wants to leave me spikes my anger again, so I use her words. “You make no mistake, whether you’re with me or not, our love will go on,” I promise her, and she flinches.
She’s going to lose it – I can tell by how eerily resolutely she spoke of her hate for me, so I need to get out before I break too. But as I stride to the door, she shadows me immediately.
“Fallon, stay back,” I demand, clenching my jaw without facing her as I push her back and quickly open the door to step out.
She dashes forward and squirms her arm into the small door opening.
“Goddammit!” I yell. “Be careful.”
I open the door marginally in an effort to nudge Fallon’s arm back without hurting her, but she puts all her body weight in the opening, scratching her arm open, and starts to scream, “No, Luca!”
She doesn’t look at me while she’s hysterically trying to push herself through the opening. Yet I have to close it before someone comes up and walks in on me not being in control of her.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Fallon. Remove your arm,” I almost beg her.
Still, she won’t back down, and even though I can easily overpower her, I don’t want to frighten her more. However, my annoyance is rising, so I shove her violently back into the room.
Fallon falls on her behind and darts back up, but I’ve already shut the door, which she bangs on with all her power, all of her anger voiced in her fists.
“I hate you so much for doing this to me!” she yells at me repeatedly.
Defeated, I rest my forehead against the door while she curses at me, and my hand constricts on the door handle until my knuckles turn white. I want to open it. I want to comfort her, hold her in my arms to make her feel safe in my embrace, but I can’t – not now.
Instead, I stand there for over an hour until she calms down, my throat dry from holding in my raging emotions so that I don’t break down alongside her. The banging lessens after she’s exhausted herself, and I hear her sliding down the other side of the door, hitting the floor with a loud thump as she cries quietly.
And, in a broken voice – a voice that terrifies me because maybe she has given up – she utters, “I’m scared. L-look what you’ve done to me. Why...why me?”
The brokenness in her tone is pinching my battered heart. My palm rests on the door as I let out a heavy breath in a futile attempt to force out the agony coursing through me. She can’t give up, because I’m afraid she’ll do something drastic if she loses hope.
I answer without letting her hear, “Perché ti amo.” Because I love you.
***
This situation is spiraling entirely out of my control, intensifying my frustration since I’m not used to working this way.
Back downstairs, I slam the door shut to get Cam and Skye’s attention. Cam takes this as her cue to start explaining, but I shush her by holding up my palm and address Skye, “Skye, I apologize, but nothing’s going to happen between us.” I jerk my chin toward the exit, and she complies sullenly, knowing not to argue with me if she wants to keep her job. Turning to Cam, I ask in a worn-out tone, “What happened upstairs?”
“Fallon ambushed me when I took her breakfast. She was asking where you were, but I had no idea about your whereabouts, so I told her that. She was pacing and suddenly pushed me aside, tray and all, and ran out of the room. Is she okay?”
“Yes. She’ll leave tomorrow at midnight. I’m trying here, Cam.”
She peruses me with scornful eyes.
“No one can know about her little incident,” I say sternly.
Cam’s guilty face gives her away. “I already told Adriano. He’s on his way.”
“No one else, okay?”
She nods in acceptance just as Adriano comes rushing into the room, standing possessively next to Cam.
“Are we all fine here?” he asks me, more in the form of a statement, warning me not to lash out at Cam; he’s oddly protective of her.
“Yes,” Cam answers instead and cracks a small smile.
Adriano relaxes immediately and presses his lips to hers. “So Fallon’s lost it?”
“Yeah, but I can clean up the room,” Cam offers.
Since I need space from Fallon, I give Cam the key. “Only to clean; then you leave immediately. Don’t talk to her.”
She nods before taking off, and Adriano simply cocks his head, inquiring about what’s going on.
“I slept here last night.” I point to the private room. “Fallon didn’t take that well. She saw me almost kissing Skye.”
“Why did you kiss her?” Adriano makes a disgusted face.
“I didn’t kiss her. I thought we could use her, so I was seducing her a little. The plan was never to kiss her.”
“Use?” he questions.
“Never mind. It was a fleeting thought,” I comment, remembering that Adriano and I have a busy day ahead, which robs me of the opportunity to let everything sink in.
We have to be in the Loop at noon to sign off on new investment plans for our company, then we have to drop off some cash to several associates, and tonight, we’re paying Fallon’s boss, Alex, a visit.
Every day, I need to change plans, do damage control, and keep myself and Fallon in check. I’m exhausted and drained. Her wariness is straining our love, and her constant need to fight me is exasperating. As it stands, due to both, we’re drowning quickly.
CHAPTER 40
Fallon
“I’m scared. L-look what you’ve done to me. Why...why me?” I sob, sitting on the floor with my back to the door after Luca has locked it again.
You’re causing him more problems every day, and that’s why he’s going to trade you now.
Erratically, I kick a piece of fallen fruit away with my foot. My eyes burn from lying awake and worrying the entire night. Not for one second did I drift off into the comfort of my dreams. Away from the harsh reality that the man I was building a life with is going to trade me to some corrupt Syndicate boss.
Hearing fast approaching footsteps outside, I scoot forward when the door is unlocked and heave a sigh of relief when Camilla appears.
She squats down beside me and worriedly asks, “Are you okay?”
“No,” I cry quietly while looking up into her concerned face.
Being locked up will cause you to make hasty decisions. Spur of the moment confusion. This morning, I told Camilla in my agitated state that I should just run out of here. She desperately tried to convince me otherwise, but she also realized Luca’s absence could have horrific consequences for me. I told her that I needed to at least give escaping a try, and my growing alarm propelled me forward, out of that room, and she followed me, knowing I had no idea which way to go.
“Fallon, what happened?” Camilla loops her arms around me, allowing me to let my tears fall onto her shoulder.
“It was definitely not a good sign when he didn’t come back. He’s so mad at me.” I pull back to catch her gaze. “He’s going to trade me,” I mutter, still not believing it myself.
“What?” she yells, unable to imagine Luca making that choice.
“I asked him if he was going to trade me for Danny. He said yes. Period.”
“Oh, shit!” she utters and starts to gather the food that’s littered on the floor. “I’m not supposed to talk to you. But they’ll be gone all day today, I think.”
“Camilla, can you think of any way for me to escape? Please?” I plead because my time is up.
“I’m not sure...” She bites her lip. “I’m picked up and driven back home daily, so it’s not like I h
ave a car here.”
“Are you here every day?”
She urges me from the floor, and we sit together on the comforter.
“No, I’m here four times a week. I also sleep here sometimes when there’s no one to drive me home. There’s a guard at the front entrance, and men walk around the house constantly. In the early mornings and late at night, it’s most quiet around here. Most activity takes place in the afternoon and at dinnertime. The back entrance is usually open, and you can easily round the house to the front. If you had a key for one of the cars, you’d have your getaway. But getting your hands on a key won’t be easy.” She looks at me, disappointed. “These guys pocket everything and keep it close. You can’t do anything while being locked in here.” Then she palms her forehead and rubs it excessively. “The only way out is with my help. But they’ll know I’ve helped you, Fallon, because I’ll have to steal a key from one of the guys.”
“I kind of need you. You know the roads here, so I’ll need you to drive us out of here as fast as you can.” I can’t allow her to help me and then live with myself if anything happens to her. “If you help me escape, you can’t stay here. There’s no way that will end well,” I warn.
“I know.” She sighs and leans sideways on her arm with her hand flat on the bed. “I’m leaving with you, Fallon. These people are too dangerous. If they can trade you this callously, what will they do to me when Luca and Adriano turn on me?”
“We have to act quickly,” I point out. “You’ve got to find a car key as soon as you step out of this room. And come right back when you have one.”
“Okay, but I’m a little scared,” she softly admits.
I cover her hand on the bed with mine. “So am I.”
***
Camilla comes in to check on me and bring me food and water once but still doesn’t have a key. For the rest of the time, tedious minutes turn into hours that belong to the past now. All the while, I wait and wait.
Feeling weak from dehydration and lack of nutrition, I force down the water and swallow back a few bites of a BLT to fill my empty stomach. I need my strength replenished if I’m going to stand a chance of escaping. Adriano and Luca are confirmed to be away today, but we don’t know until how late, and the sun has already set.
