Eventually, Sheila settled down. Moments passed as they both fought to regulate their breathing. Lots of heavy breathing had been on the agenda for this trip, but not like this.
“At the time taking you out of commission seemed the best thing to do. Yes, you would have gotten sick, but you would’ve been safe in the hospital. Everyone involved would’ve assumed I’d done my job and you were on your way out. Sheila, I needed that time to figure out who was after you and why.” He paused, giving her a chance to respond. When she didn’t he continued. “But after you threw the wine, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it again. I knew I didn’t want to be away from you or watch you go through that kind of agony. That’s why I flipped out when you got sick. Even though you didn’t drink it, I couldn’t help but feel guilty and worried some of it had somehow gotten into your system.”
“I drank the wine, dumbass!” was the last thing Luca heard before tremendous pain radiated through his skull, followed by darkness.
Chapter 22
The last week of February was bone–chilling cold in Maine. The journey from Cancun had been arduous, and Sheila was now weary, cold, and hungry, yet thankful to be in familiar territory.
Oddly enough, her concern for Luca had grown with every passing minute of her journey. She should have wanted him dead after what he’d revealed to her, but her thoughts were far from that line of thinking. It was all she could do not to call and see if he’d survived her attack. Her last words to him had served to immobilize him, giving her just enough time to grab the crystal lamp off the bedside table and whop him upside the head with it.
At first, she had panicked, thinking she’d killed him. But his steady breathing and strong pulse let her know he would live another day to run his game on some other unsuspecting sap. After grabbing a few essentials, she’d hightailed it out of there.
Luckily, she always kept a generous amount of cash hidden in her passport holder when traveling, granting her ample funding to hire one of the guards, who guided her to the border. From there, she was able to catch a train and a few buses back home. The accommodations had sucked, and it took her a while to reach her destination, but she figured this route would make it harder for the Moriattis, or anyone else for that matter, to track her.
With stealth, Sheila made her way across Luca’s land with the assistance of snowshoes. The strong northern wind whipped around her as she glided toward home with the intent of entering and exiting her rental home with a quickness. She was dressed in all white, the ski pants and sleek parka providing protection against the elements and helping her blend into the snow–covered landscape.
She’d need the deed to the house in Atlanta as well as the account information for her trust fund if she truly intended to disappear off the face of the earth. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have risked coming back. She’d briefly thought to have Tina ship the info to her or meet her somewhere. But she knew contacting Tina could potentially put her best friend in danger.
It was two o’clock in the morning, sleep tech hours. With the exception of the wind, all seemed quiet as she moved about the horse farm. The moon was high and full, its magnificent light bouncing off the frozen pond and whiteness surrounding her. If not for that, she would’ve virtually been in the dark, as no lights shone from either home.
Instinct told her that didn’t mean anything. However, the lack of footprints around her humble home provided reason to proceed up the porch step. She’d miss that step, her tiny home, and the paintings she’d done but couldn’t take with her. Albeit temporary, this place had strengthened her from the inside out while helping her achieve an independence she’d never thought conceivable. She’d never see it, her friends, or her family again; it was too dangerous. But she tried not to think about that. Wherever she ended up, she knew they would be okay.
Nevertheless, warm tears stained her frozen eyes as she forced open the ice–covered door. Despite Luca’s attempt to fix the weather stripping, air and water continued to seep in like a son–of–a–bitch under the right conditions. Sheila giggled because she’d had every intention of fixing it the right way before becoming distracted with him.
The frozen door was further proof that no one was there. She entered the home, closing the door behind her, and removed the bulky snowshoes. They would only make it harder to get away should someone sneak in on her. She headed straight for the safe hidden in her bedroom closet. As she removed the cover to the duct work, the memory of Luca complaining about how cold her house stayed made her simper. How would he have reacted if he’d known her safe had been impeding the flow of warm air and causing the furnace to shut off at inappropriate times? Good thing he wasn’t much of a handyman. She’d never had the heart to tell him how bad he was at it. He made up for it in so many other ways.
“Yay!”
Sheila nearly jumped out of her crisp white pants at the sound of her neighbor’s shriek. Her heart in her throat, she spun to find Janie standing behind her. Sheila started to ask the woman why she was there and how she’d gotten in without a sound, but became too distracted by Janie’s incessant babbling.
“I see you’re finally back from Italy,” she stated as though starting conversations in the middle of the night while standing in Sheila’s bedroom was oh so commonplace. “Where’s Luca? Did he drop you off and head home already?” Janie jerked her head around the room as though expecting him to materialize out of thin air.
“You wouldn’t believe how lonely it’s been around here without you two. Oh sure, Richard’s been by to feed the horses. But he does so and then heads right back out, usually before I can even get dressed to get over here good. No one’s around for me to share my goodies with anymore.”
Surely Richard being Richard had little patience for Janie’s chattiness and, no doubt, was intentionally avoiding the older woman. Sadness settled over Sheila as it occurred to her no one had been looking for her, not even her parents. First Ahmed had tricked them into believing he was the perfect man for her. Now Luca had them all fooled into believing she was out living the good life, and he possessed the riches and power to keep the charade going.
But this moment wasn’t about her or her fucked–up choices in men. In the year plus that Sheila had lived next to her, Janie had never spoken of family, friends, or even household pets.
Poor Janie. All alone out here in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the occasional wild animal to keep her company, Sheila thought before realizing she too was now alone in the world. Alone, just like Janie, with no one to trust or to talk to. No wonder the woman was roaming the farmlands in the middle of the night, latching onto company from whoever would provide it.
For the umpteenth time since Luca had revealed his original intentions, the gravity of the situation, and the solitude it brought, started tugging her emotions down that steep spiral of deep depression. Suddenly, Sheila was overwhelmingly glad of Janie’s presence. The woman would probably be the last friend or family member she ever saw before beginning her self–imposed life of seclusion, one somewhat similar to Janie’s.
“We’ve missed… I mean, I’ve missed you too.”
There was a brief look of shock before Janie’s eyes glistened with moisture. “No one’s ever said that to me before.” Her voice was overtly emotional, pulling Sheila toward the petite woman with the intent of embracing her lonely friend and displaying a mutual understanding.
The movement of lights briefly illuminating the snow outside her bedroom window stopped Sheila in her tracks. The window faced the side of the house, but headlights from cars pulling into the driveway at night always shone brightly across the field. Her visitor had thought to turn them off just a tad bit too late.
“Who’s that?”
Janie whipped her head toward the window, her eyes widening and mouth falling agape as a look of fear fell over her. “I–I don’t know, dear. No one ever comes here this time of the night,” she stammered.
“Well, someone sure the hell is here now,” she whispered frantically while a
ttempting to pull herself and Janie out of view of the window.
For the second time that month, Sheila felt true terror taking hold of her. Her eyes closed as she began to tremble, wondering if it had been a mistake to leave Luca’s protective bubble. He’d promised he wasn’t going to hurt her, but she hadn’t believed him. How could she believe him when the man had admitted to poisoning her? Yes, he had said it was for her own good, but that logic hadn’t sunk in until this very moment.
Now here she stood in her cold little room, possibly facing death with the realization she’d never see his handsome face again. How ironic that the man originally hired to kill her was the only person she wished to be with right now. God sure had a strange sense of humor.
A whimper brought her out of her self–pity party, and she realized she was squeezing Janie too tightly. Guilt washed over her at the comprehension she’d dragged her innocent neighbor into this mess. After looking into Janie’s horror–filled face, Sheila dug deep, finding strength to replace her own paralyzing fear with iron–clad determination. She was going to try her best to get out of this mess for no other reason than she owed it to her friendly neighbor.
Dropping to the floor, Sheila crawled toward the bedroom door. Just as she shut it and turned the small key in the lock, the sound of the front door being forced open made both her and Janie scream while simultaneously propelling her into action. Flipping off the lights, she quietly ran and jumped on the bed, looking out the closed window in all directions as far as she could see. Spotting no one, she removed the safety bar and slid it open before practically shoving Janie out into the cold night where she landed in the snow bank below with a thud and a loud “umpf”. There was no time for apologies as the rattling of the bedroom door handle had her following Janie out the window in no time.
Janie couldn’t have been too hurt since she managed to move before Sheila’s larger body had the chance to drive her farther into the snow. Both women remained crouched as far down in the bank as possible, breathing heavily with their backs pressed to the wall while Sheila contemplated their next move.
“Come on, Sheila. My truck’s out front,” Janie whispered. “If we move fast, we might make it.” Janie proceeded to move in that direction.
Sheila reached out, stilling her movement before whispering back, “No! What if there’s more than one of them? I’m sure they’ve seen your truck already. Someone might be waiting out front.”
Sheila’s gaze swept over Janie’s rail–thin, shivering body. As usual, her neighbor was wearing a long–sleeved flannel shirt, hunter green on this occasion, with her customary blue jeans and L.L. Bean boots. Janie wouldn’t last long if they didn’t get out of the harsh elements soon.
“We should head to the barn and then we can grab Luca’s truck. He’s told me where he keeps a spare set of keys.” She hoped to high heaven he hadn’t moved them and that she would be able to locate them quickly.
“Good idea, dear.”
Crouching down low, the two women made their way toward the barn. Sheila prayed desperately that they were blending in with the terrain, but seriously doubted it with Janie’s dark attire.
“Stop,” a female voice demanded from behind them, adding additional urgency to their plight. More words were shouted, either to them or perhaps another accomplice, but Sheila couldn’t make them out over the sound of the whipping wind and the sudden pounding from the blood pumping in her ears. Nor was she going to play the fool by turning back to find out what the crazy woman was shouting about, despite the niggling familiarity of the voice.
In spite of the extra exertion incurred from their legs sinking knee–deep in the pristine snow drifts, Sheila steps quickened, the bitterness of winter seeping into the soles of her thick boots and exposed hands. She cursed herself for leaving her mittens in the living room along with her snowshoes and goggles.
The combination of biting wind gusts and loose snow stinging at her face was making it difficult as all get out to breathe. But one scenario kept her plodding along. If the person behind them decided to start shooting, it would be over for them. That alone was incentive enough to shut down all other senses and forge onward through the bitter cold. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached the barn.
“In here,” Sheila prompted as quietly as she could, finding the task of conversing challenging with burning lungs.
She slid the door open just enough to give them passage and then shut it tightly behind them. The two of them tiptoed past the stables sheltering the stallions, trying to calm their heavy breathing so as not to stir the sleeping horses and give their position away.
The lack of lighting made it all but impossible to make out the names she knew to be neatly printed above each stall. She’d only been here once after bringing Chino back from the fair and was now searching for the stall of said horse because it held the key to their freedom.
Apparently, Richard had brought in more horses, making what should have been a simple task that much more confusing. The realization that any chance of escape diminished with every passing moment began wreaking havoc on her nerves and making it harder to concentrate. Suddenly, the barn door flew open, causing all the horses to start.
“Sheila, Janie… if that’s your real name. Come out now. It’s over,” the woman called out in her cool British accent.
The sound of a light switch snapping echoed loudly throughout the wide expanse of the barn, the sudden stimulation from the light temporarily blinding Sheila. Although feeling vulnerable, she moved to shove Janie behind her, but froze. As her eyes fully adjusted to the flood of soft light, recognition began to set in. Their pursuer was the exotic Asian woman from the Christmas ball. Sheila’s mind worked wildly to comprehend why a stranger helping a drunken friend out at a party in California would now be standing in Luca’s barn calling her by name.
“What do you mean, ‘if that’s your real name’?” Janie sputtered, interrupting Sheila’s train of thought. “Of course it is, dear. What else would it be?”
Instinctively, Sheila followed through with pulling Janie behind her, using her own body as a barrier between the two women.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were in your knickers, luv,” the stranger stated, moving toward them cautiously. Like Sheila, she was dressed in all white, with a fur–trimmed parka outlining her face, a face too pretty to belong to a stone–cold killer.
“I don’t know what you want from me, but you need to leave my neighbor out of this.” She and Janie took one step backward for every step the woman took toward them.
“It’s not what you think.” The woman reached in her pocket while continuing her slow advancement on them.
But before the woman could pull out whatever was in her pocket, a loud neigh pierced the air. To Sheila’s dismay, the stranger was soon airborne, her body soaring sideways followed by bits of the stable door wood flying behind her. The flash of a horse’s hind legs as his feet landed back on the barn floor was the only other indication that something had happened.
“Oh my God!” Sheila exclaimed as the healthcare professional in her sprang into action. Sprinting to the downed woman without a thought or care for her own safety, she kneeled beside her and began performing a quick assessment. “She’s out but still breathing,” she reported, relieved that the woman wasn’t dead. Lifting her gaze above the broken stall door, she found what she’d been looking for. “And there’s Chino’s stall,” she said excitedly.
Thrilled, Sheila stood up and rushed over to the animal. Before she could stop herself, she was hugging the big lug’s neck. “Good job, boy,” she cooed, rubbing him behind the ears just the way he liked it. An almost purr–like sound emanated from Chino, sending Sheila into a fit of euphoric laughter. “That’s my hero.”
Her heart filled with love and gratitude toward the one animal in the universe she’d once literally hated, and she found herself laughing harder at the irony of it all. However, the distinct sound of a gun cocking stilled her movements, her jovi
ality rapidly replaced with anguish as the depth of Janie’s betrayal raked over her.
After all those years of living in the so–called rough city, I manage to move my ignorant ass out in the boonies next to not one but two friggin’ psychopaths. Ain’t that a bitch?
“Why?” she asked, not bothering to turn and face the woman she had just tried to protect.
“I don’t know the whys, dear. I just know you’re worth more dead than alive. It’s too bad too. I actually liked you much better than that moody boyfriend of yours. Some assassin he turned out to be, putting his carnal urges above the cause. What an imbecile. Thank goodness I was sent to keep an eye on him. Maybe next time he—” Janie’s babbling was replaced by gurgling.
Sheila spun around just in time to see the gun fall from Janie’s hands. Janie, eyes bulging out of their sockets, was grasping her neck with both hands as a steady stream of red poured from the star–shaped object protruding from the left side of her neck. Sheila watched in stunned silence as the neighbor she’d once thought of as friend fell to the hay–covered floor with a sickening thud.
“That woman always did talk too much,” Luca stated matter–of–factly as he came into view and stared down at Janie’s limp body. He then strolled over and rested on his haunches next to the other woman with his back to Sheila.
At the sound of the warm, familiar baritone, Sheila’s heart started to flutter. Happiness spread through her as she gazed upon him in amazement. She hadn’t heard his steps and barely recognized him dressed in all brown and black fatigues with matching camo–paint and a full beard and mustache covering his handsome face. He resembled the soldiers from some of the pictures her brother had sent from overseas.
However, the memory of her actions during their last encounter effectively served to freeze her in place. Not sure of his intentions, all she could do was stare at him, hoping he wouldn’t retaliate against her for attacking him.
He turned and stood, shifting his gaze to her as he walked back toward her, the whites of his eyes popping against the faux darkness of his face. “It’s about time you brought your behind home. Do you know how long I’ve been staking out that cold–ass house and this cold–ass barn waiting for you to show up?”
Luca's Dilemma Page 21
