“Hello, lover,” she says with a smile.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Emelia
I’ve been on edge since last night. And… conflicted.
I’m a mess. Massimo came home in the early hours of the morning. I had to put on that stupid act, like everything was okay, when all I wanted to ask him was where he’d been all night.
We had breakfast together, then he left for work with the promise to be in and out of the house today.
Needing to be alone, I stayed in the room to gather my thoughts. I’ve been thinking of how I’m going to talk to him about Gabriella. I can’t think of anything that won’t cause a really bad argument.
And realistically, what am I arguing for?
I shouldn’t have to stay with a man who leaves my bed in the middle of the night to go to another woman’s.
I sit in the room for hours, contemplating what to do, trying to calm my anger. Deciding to head down for lunch, I make my way downstairs. When I walk past the sitting room, I hear raised voices. It sounds like Massimo, and… a woman?
I wouldn’t normally stop, but the door is ajar, and hearing a woman talking has my nerves spiked and my curiosity piqued.
Who is he talking to?
I divert my path and walk closer to the door so I can peek in.
My damn heart squeezes when I see her. Gabriella.
It’s her, with her luscious blond waves, wearing what looks like a kimono.
“I don’t have time for this shit, Gabriella,” Massimo says to her. He takes a seat. In his hands is a large manila envelope.
“You used to make time for me.” Her voice sounds exactly how I thought it would sound. Sugary and slick. Seductive. “You used to always make time for me, Massimo D’Agostino. I’m just reminding you that all work and no play is never a good thing. We used to play a lot. Remember the hours of fucking in the hot tub in Switzerland?”
I bite down so hard on my lip I swear I’ve pierced the skin. My back teeth press down so tight I think they might break.
“Gabriella, like I said, I don’t have time.”
That’s all he’s saying. Any man who was truly mine would send her packing. They’d throw her out. Fuck. They would even say something as simple as I’m a married man. Not him though. Not him. Because he’s not mine. He never was.
He’s just my husband on paper. Business.
God. I’ve been so stupid. Dad said I’d eventually just become a thing in the house. He was right.
“Make time,” she coos with seduction, and as her kimono floats down her back, revealing her nakedness, my mouth falls open.
When she walks over to him and sits on his lap and he does nothing to get her off him, an uncontrollable tear slides down my cheek and my heart shatters.
I back away from the door and fight the tears that threaten to come. I will not stay in this house another minute. I’m leaving now. I’m leaving right now. Rushing back up the stairs, I return to the bedroom and get my phone to call Dad.
He answers on the first ring, unusual for him. He’s always in a meeting or something business related. Answering shows he must have been waiting on me, waiting desperately.
“Dad, I need to come now,” I blurt, trying to hold the emotion in. “I need to escape now.”
“Emelia, stay calm. Are you okay?”
“No, I need to leave.”
“Okay, tell me what side of the beach the boat is on.”
“The south side.”
He sighs. It sounds like he’s relieved. “Okay, we need to get this right. We have one shot. Go now, and I’ll send someone to get you. Just try to be okay once you get on the water. Call me again if you can, but go now. They’ll wait if they don’t see you, but they won’t wait for too long.”
I nod even though he can’t see me. “I’ll go now. Thanks, Dad. I love you.”
“I love you too, sweet girl. I love you with all my heart. Go now, quickly,” he says and hangs up.
I won’t take anything other than the phone. Massimo has a door leading out to the beach, so I leave through it.
I walk down the steps on the terrace and head down the sandy path, walking like I’m just enjoying the weather, like I usually do. There aren’t any guards around, but there will be someone on surveillance watching this part of the beach. I walk along and pretend I’m picking up shells until I reach the camera Candace told me about. The one that’s not working.
The cave is just ahead of me. I start to run when I get past the camera. I have to walk in the sea a little, and the water is rough. I pray I’ll be okay once I get out on the open sea. Earlier, it looked like a storm was brewing. The angry gray clouds rumbling in the sky do nothing to calm me, especially knowing the waters are dangerous.
I rush past boulders and try to focus, pushing aside the sight of Massimo with that woman. I can just imagine what he’s doing with her now. I saw what she looked like. I can’t imagine him saying no to her, and why would he? For me?
I’m a fool.
I push and splash as I enter the cave. There’s a little dock. Moored there is the rowboat, and a massive speedboat in front of it. I know nothing about boats, but the speedboat would make me feel a lot safer. It’s not like I have much choice though. Candace said even if I could get the thing started, Massimo has a security system on the boat he can control from inside the house.
I rush down the dock and exert extreme caution when I step into the boat. It rocks from side to side on the water, making me unsteady. I almost fall. Luckily, I stable myself. I look at the large wooden oars, take a deep breath of courage, and unhook the ropes holding the boat in place. As soon as I do, the boat drifts away, pulling out with the current, which is quite strong.
As I drift, I think of what I’m doing. Escaping. I’m doing it. I’m actually doing it.
God…
I’m leaving my husband. The man I was forced to marry. Forced? It feels weird to think of it being forced now, given all that I’ve done with him and the way I felt. I loved him. The sad thought hits me. I fell in love with him. It was the stupidest thing I could have ever done.
I can’t think of that now. It’s my fault my heart is shattered. My grandmother used to say that a snake will always be a snake, no matter what you do. Shame on you if the snake tells you it’s going to hurt you, yet you refuse to believe it. Massimo warned me. He told me he was the big, bad wolf. The devil. That I shouldn’t want him. He told me don’t. That don’t was in reference to everything. Look what he did today with that woman.
I gather my strength and start rowing. I’ve never done this before. It looks much simpler in the movies. Granted, it looked a lot easier when I’ve seen people rowing on the river as opposed to the sea. What I think of as I pull out from the cave and row out to sea is Titanic.
Huge waves roll toward me, fueled by the oncoming storm. The boat lifts high. I yelp when water splashes inside the boat and rocks it so hard I think it’s going to capsize.
I row hard, but it’s like trying to move concrete. It’s not working. I’m not strong enough. Ahead of me, another wave flows toward me. It’s what Jacob would call a surfer wave.
It comes for me, and I row hard, As it slaps the boat, I fall and drop one of the oars. It’s gone. I made the mistake of looking and nearly fell over the side. I have one paddle now, and I don’t think it’s going to be able to do what two paddles would do.
The angry sea takes me further out as the water turns fiercer. I can’t imagine Massimo using this boat on these rough waters.
Jesus, it’s too rough. The boat rocks hard from side to side, carried by the waves. Whatever I do with the remaining paddle counts for shit. Water soaks me, and I start to cry. I can’t see anybody coming for me.
Dad, where are you?
Jesus, where is Dad?
I glance back to the entrance of the cave when another wave hits me. I’m shocked that I can barely see it. I didn’t realize I was that far away.
I’m so far away, and the waters
are getting more turbulent. Another high-rise wave rolls toward me. I scream when it hits the boat so hard it twists me right around and makes me feel sick, like I’m going to vomit.
More waves are coming, higher and stronger looking than the last. So high they seem to touch the sky.
I don’t think I’m going to make it.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Massimo
God, I don’t have time for this.
Arguing about fucking shit.
I’ve never met a more stubborn woman. It’s because I know her why I’m sparing the time to have this fucking argument.
I’m not violent toward women. It’s not my way, but fuck, this woman has me all riled up in ways I can’t describe.
It took all of ten minutes just for me to get her fucking clothes back on.
“Something is wrong with you,” she snaps at me, setting her hands on her hips.
“What? What the fuck could be wrong with me? I told you we can’t play this game anymore,” I retort. I’m loud and I know I could be causing a scene. What I’m mindful of is Emelia coming in here after hearing the argument and seeing Gabriella.
I know what Gabriella is like. If that happened, she’d find some way to make Emelia feel bad about shit.
“Massimo, you’re saying this because of the marriage. It’s not real. It’s an arranged marriage to conquer an enemy. You and I are more than that. Look how many years we’ve been together,” she says, giving me an incredulous glare, like I should see her point.
The thing is, I do see it. If I had been with anybody, it should have been her. We’ve been screwing around the way we have for the last ten years.
I look at her and know she can see what everyone else who’s close to me in is seeing when it comes to Emelia. Some show me respect. Some keep quiet. She wants to ruin it.
I fucking hate being forced to do anything. I’m not ready to accept whatever it is I feel for Emelia, but being backed into a corner with a naked woman on my lap I used to fuck on the regular woke me up in a massive way.
Gabriella came here and tried to seduce me again, and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do shit because I want Emelia. I want my wife. If that is who I want, I have to tell Gabriella straight that she’s to stop this shit.
“Listen to me,” I say, walking up to her. I get close, real close. So close I see the tremble in her skin she tries to hide. She’s always been afraid of me, never knowing if I just might snap if she pushes me the wrong way. Today came damn close. “Listen to me, Gabriella, and listen well. Today is the last day you do this. You are not to come back here, and you are not to message me about shit again. You are not to come anywhere near me or try to pull shit like you did today ever again.”
She can no longer hide the shaking. Her eyes brim with tears, but I know she won’t cry. She’s not a crier. It’s not that she’s strong. She just doesn’t want to reveal that vulnerability.
“Right. So, this is it? The end of us.” Her voice quivers.
“We ended when you thought it was a good idea to jump in bed with Senator Braxton. That was it for me. We ended a long time ago.” That is the truth and more emotion than I would normally reveal. It tells her I was hurt by what she did.
“You will never love her. You loved me.”
“Just go.” I can’t talk about this anymore.
She cuts me a crude glance, gathers her purse, and storms out at the same time Tristan and Dominic walk into the sitting room. She almost bumps into Tristan as she makes her exit, heels clicking.
Dominic’s eyes widen, and Tristan gives me a look of disproval. From what Gabriella was wearing it was obvious she was naked under that kimono.
“Massimo, did you?” Tristan asks, pointing after the empty trail Gabriella left. Dominic looks on curiously.
“No, these women are driving me fucking crazy,” I seethe.
“Well, you’re about to go crazier,” Dominic says, chewing on the side of his lip.
He has news. More pieces of the puzzle.
“Hit me with it,” I say.
“I hacked, and from what I could see, I think they’re waiting on a shipment of diamonds that’s supposed to come in the next three days. It has to be that. It’s blood diamonds worth a shit load of money. There was references to Africa and mines in emails I saw between him and Vlad. They have a deal. I’m still looking into it, but I wanted to give you the heads-up.”
Fucking fuck. I grit my teeth. Diamonds.
Before I can open my mouth, the door opens, and Priscilla rushes in. She knows never to interrupt when it looks like I’m in business meetings. But I’m not about to talk down to a woman who’s like a mother to me.
“Massimo, we can’t find Emelia. She was supposed to come down to lunch. She didn’t. We’ve been looking around. The cameras show her on the beach, but then she just disappears.”
My blood runs cold, and my throat goes dry
“What? What do you mean, disappear? She couldn’t just disappear. The cameras should pick everything up.”
“Where on the beach was she?” Tristan asks. “Did she go in the sea?”
Oh my God. What if she did?
Ma’s cold dead eyes come to my mind. Would Emelia do that? Go in the sea and die? If they can’t find her and she was on the beach, there’s only one place she could have gone. She doesn’t know about the cave. I made sure no one told her. So, what happened?
“She was just walking on the beach picking up shells. She didn’t look herself,” Pricilla says.
“How long ago did the camera pick that up?”
“Twenty minutes.”
“And nothing more?” I ask. My fucking voice waivers. This is my fault.
Priscilla shakes her head.
“I think I know where she went,” Candace says, stepping forward. Her face is ghostly pale, her eyes heavy with sadness.
“Where?” I ball my fists.
“The cave. She would have taken the rowboat. The cameras don’t work on that side of the beach,” she confesses. I glare back at her. Candace is a woman I trust nearly as much as my brothers.
“The cameras don’t work?” I bark. I wasn’t aware of that, but clearly, security has been keeping things from me. Someone will die tonight.
“No. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“And how did Emelia know about the cameras and the boat?” I’ve guessed it, but I want to hear it for myself. From her lips. How she helped Emelia escape. So clever to betray my trust.
“I told her.”
I roar, and she starts crying. I lunge for her. Tristan and Dominic grab me.
“Massimo, there’s a storm coming, and Emelia isn’t a strong swimmer,” Priscilla says quickly. “I can’t imagine a young woman rowing a boat on the sea the way it is. And to where? Where is she going? She won’t survive water like that.”
Panic and terror already have me moving. I don’t care why she left, or how she left, or who helped her leave. Fuck, I don’t even care if she does manage to escape. I just don’t want her to die.
I run with everything inside me. It’s not until I get outside that I realize Dominic and Tristan are following me. We rush across the terrace and down the beach to the cave. The rowboat is indeed gone. It confirms that part of the puzzle. She took it.
We jump into the speedboat, and I shove the keys in the ignition. Once we pull out, I instantly see how turbulent the sea is. I usually take the rowboat out on calmer waters to fish. I would never venture out to these types of waters in that boat, not with the sea wild like it is.
Tristan grabs a pair of binoculars while Dominic starts looking around at the ropes and other things I have stashed under the dashboard.
“Can you see her?” I ask Tristan.
“No,” he answers.
I’m trying to calculate the timing. Priscilla said she was seen twenty minutes ago on the beach. So, maybe she’s been out here for at least thirty minutes, give or take. My guess is as good as shit, though, because it doesn’t count for
anything.
I don’t know how long she’s been out here. I don’t know if I’m too late. If she’s thirty minutes ahead of us, then she’s far away. I speed faster and faster.
“Massimo!” Tristan cries. “Over there. Look!” he points, and I see. I see the boat rocking on the water.
“There’s another boat coming,” Dominic states. He points further out to speedboat heading toward Emelia. There’s no mistake it’s going for her. It’s going to crash into her.
I accelerate and get the boat going as fast as I can. When we get closer, I see her crying inside the rowboat. She doesn’t appear to have any oars. I’m not surprised. The boat rocks violently on the waves, and water splashes inside.
Dominic starts waving a flag to the other boat to warn them of a hazard ahead so they can turn, but they keep coming. They keep coming fast, and they’re heading straight for her.
They get close, then a fucking bullet whizzes by my ear.
“Holy fuck!” I shout.
“Fucking hell, this is some kind of plan,” Tristan cries, grabbing his gun. As the boat gets closer, as do we, I see the guy who’s shooting at us. He’s a bulky-looking Russian guy. Who I see next, though, emerging from the cockpit with a shotgun has my blood turning hot and cold at the same time. It’s Vlad!
“Oh my God,” Tristan gasps and starts shooting back.
Emelia screams. She’s in the middle of this and could get caught in the crossfire.
Vlad’s boat gets closer to her. He has men readying themselves to get her. Tristan manages to shoot two of them, and they fall into the water. Vlad dodges the bullets but goes to the side to get her while two men cover him by shooting back at us.
I don’t want him to touch her. I don’t even want him to look at her. The panic has stalled my mind. My brain can’t function right now to process what this means. I just know that if he gets her, she’s dead. I just know.
When a twenty-foot wave bounds down on her and the boat flips over, I die a thousand deaths.
Ruthless Prince : A Dark Mafia Arranged Marriage Romance (Dark Syndicate Book 1) Page 25
