Chapter Fourteen
Mia
It was a little past ten in the morning when I woke up. I stretched my arms and opened my eyes. It took me a minute before I remembered where I was. And with whom. But a look around the room told me I was alone.
I’d slept through the night somehow. That hadn’t happened in… well, since I’d been on the run. Last night was the first in a long time. Which was strange considering my housemate was a hit man whose original intent had been to kill me. But he wasn’t going to kill me now. He was going to keep me alive, in fact. The cost would be half of my inheritance — but that piece would be easier to give up than the other — the part that made me question who I was. Why I was reacting the way I was to him.
What had happened yesterday, what he’d done to me… he’d made me come. He’d whipped me, and he’d made me want him. I’d taken shelter in his arms after he’d punished me. I still felt the residual pain of the whipping when I sat up, a reminder for the next few days, I imagined. What had he said when I had asked him why? He’d wanted to do it? No, he liked doing it. I didn’t understand that.
I climbed out of bed and picked up my blouse, which was torn. At least he hadn’t ripped apart my jeans. I didn’t have any other clothes with me. I’d have to keep my raincoat on and just buy something new. Walking quietly to the bathroom, I tried to remember how much cash I had left. Problem was, some of it was in my suitcase — which was at the hotel in Cosenza.
Crap.
I opened the door to the tiny shower, switching on the water, finding a half bottle of shampoo and conditioner in there. The water spurted at first — the shower probably hadn’t been used in a while — but after a moment, I had hot water. After locating one of the towels Gianna had sent up to us, I climbed into the stall and closed my eyes, enjoying the warm spray.
Julien had agreed to help me get the money. On the one hand, that was a huge relief. But on the other, it was scary as hell. What would he demand of me in the meantime? What had I agreed to?
I couldn’t think about that now though. I needed to call Allison to let her know that I was all right, in case she had heard about the men Jason had sent. She would be worried by now. I thought about what Julien had said about her. He didn’t trust her intentions, but that was because of who he was. I had to remember that. He didn’t really know Allison.
I wish I knew how Jason had found me. I’d thought I was being so careful, but I was naïve. Julien was right, he was better at this than I was. But I wasn’t a criminal like him. Like Jason. I would learn, though, over the next two weeks. I’d learn, and once I got the money, I’d disappear.
But first, I had to survive the next two weeks.
The water cooled a little and I switched it off, feeling better after shampooing my hair. I wrapped the towel around myself and stepped into the hallway, peering down the stairs into the living room. I saw Julien lying on the couch, asleep. I watched him for a minute, so curious about him, but when he moved a little, I quickly went into the bedroom and closed the door. Pulling on my jeans, I picked up my ruined bra and tossed it into the trashcan. I then slipped on my blouse and tied a knot to hold it together at my belly. It would be a cute way to wear it — if I were twelve. Shaking my head, I picked up my shoes and carried them down the stairs, not wanting to wake Julien.
In the kitchen, I found my purse along with some money and a note:
Go into the village and buy some clothes.
J.
I supposed this was the closest to an apology I would get from him.
Slipping my shoes on, I shoved the money into my purse and left the house. The village was small enough that I found my way easily, coming to Gianna’s café first. I checked that I was appropriately buttoned up and walked inside to find Julien’s grandmother talking to one of the men whom I’d met yesterday, but when she saw me, she threw her hands up, beaming at me, chattering loudly in Italian. I couldn’t help but smile back.
Without asking, she made me a cappuccino and set it in front of me, along with a croissant.
“Thank you,” I said, picking up the coffee.
“Where is my grandson?” she asked, making a show of looking around me.
“Sleeping on the couch.”
She studied me and I realized I’d perhaps given away too much. I thought back to yesterday, remembering how I’d screamed, embarrassed at the idea she may have heard, that she might know what he’d done to me. But if she did, she didn’t let on. Her clever eyes simply regarded me for a moment.
“He went to see his family yesterday,” she said, nodding. “About time he is back. He needs to make peace with what happened.”
“What do you mean he went to see them?”
“The cemetery. I stop there every morning to speak with them, tell them what’s happening in village.” She waved her hand in the air to dismiss what she was saying. “Old Italian women are strange, Mia. Pay no mind. Tell me how he is, truly,” she asked, with a quick, earnest nod of her head, wanting to draw out any information I could give her.
“I don’t know. I’m sorry, we haven’t known each other long.” I felt my face flush as I said it, thinking about the circumstances that had brought us together.
Her dark eyes studied me, waiting.
“He is angry. I know that much,” I said.
She nodded, her face growing sadder, her gaze sliding away. “How long will you stay?”
“A couple of weeks, I think. I’m not sure, really.” I finished the pastry and sipped the last of my coffee. Three customers walked in then and Gianna turned her attention to them.
“Mia, stay. Help me later?” Gianna asked as she moved back behind the bar. The woman’s eyes seemed to beg me to say yes. “It will be very busy today.”
“I can help. First, I need to buy some clothes. My suitcase was… lost.”
Her expression told me she didn’t buy it, but she pointed out the door and to the right. “Go to Myra. She is in main square. Tell her Gianna sent you.”
“Myra?”
She nodded.
“Okay, I’ll be back as soon as I can to help.”
I reached into my purse to take out my wallet, but she put her hand on mine to stop me. “It is okay, Mia. You are with Julien. You are family.”
I hesitated, but then thanked her and put my wallet away. She was lonely and I could see she was hurting more than she let on. I imagined it had to do with Julien. I would be back to keep her company, at least. I had nothing else to do anyway.
Walking out the door, I headed down in the direction of the square which we’d passed on the way into town the day we arrived. While I did, I picked up my phone and, although I knew it would be late, I dialed Allison. I could at least leave her a voice mail.
But when she picked up after the first ring, I stopped short.
“Mia?” She sounded frantic.
“Allison, what is it?” I asked, suddenly panicked.
“Mia, I heard about the men Jason sent. How did you… are you okay? Where are you?”
“You heard? How?”
There was a pause. “Jason came by again. He was pissed, said you killed two of his men.”
“No, it wasn’t me. It was—”
You can’t tell her.
Why was Jason involving her at all in this? He’d accused her at first of taking my side, calling her a traitor to her own blood. But now, he was telling her he’d sent men after me?
“Mia?”
“I’m here. I’m sorry. It’s okay, Allison. I’m fine, and I have someone who’s going to help me get the money and disappear where I won’t have to ever worry about Jason again.”
“Who’s helping you?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Can you trust him?”
“I don’t have a choice, Allison.”
“I’m worried about you.”
“Don’t be, it will be fine.”
“Where are you?”
I paused, looking up at the wide blue sky. “I can’t tell you, but I’m safe. For now.”
She sighed deeply. “I won’t tell him. I just want to help.”
“I know, Allison. I just… it’s safer for you if you don’t know.”
“Tell me who you’re there with, in case anything happens to you.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me. He’ll keep me safe, at least until he gets paid — and he can’t do that until I get the inheritance.”
“So, you’re paying someone?”
“Listen, I have to go.” I had to get off before I told her more than I already had. If Jason was now visiting his sister with details of the kidnap plan gone wrong, I couldn’t take a chance on her knowing anything — and I’d already said too much.
“Stay safe, Mia.”
“You too, Allison.”
I hung up the phone and dropped it back into my bag, locating Myra’s shop and heading toward it. There were more tourists in the village today, probably because it was the weekend. When I went into the shop, a pretty, young girl looked up from the counter, her eyes moving over me from head to toe before greeting me.
“Ciao.”
“Ciao. Gianna sent me to see… Myra?” I didn’t guess this was a Myra. She definitely didn’t look like I imagined a Myra might look.
“Myra is my grandmother. I am Angela. She is not here today, but I can help you. Are you the American here with Julien?”
Although I wasn’t surprised that news spread fast in the tiny village, the way she said what she said grated on me. It wasn’t meant to sound friendly.
“I am. I’d like a blouse, please.” I looked around the shop, quickly picking out two blouses as well as a pretty white linen dress.
Angela led me toward a tiny fitting room with hardly a smile on her face.
“Do you know Julien?” I asked, not sure why I was getting the look of a jealous lover. I certainly wasn’t his lover, not by choice anyway. That was true, right?
And besides, how would she know him? He’d not been back in years from what I had gathered.
“Everyone knows of Julien, the prodigal grandson,” Angela said when I came out of the fitting room in the dress. “I saw him last night. Looks nice.”
I wasn’t sure if she was talking about the dress or Julien.
She’d seen him last night? He’d gone out for a drink — he’d told me he would. And certainly, he had no obligation to me, but had he…?
“The dress, or Julien?” I asked without thinking.
Angela grinned, challenge clear in her eyes. “Both.”
“I’ll take the dress and the blouses. And some of these.” I picked up several pair of panties along with two bras in my size, and handed them all over to her. “I’ll wear the dress out in fact. How much do I owe you?” I took out the wad of money Julien had left, which just covered the cost.
“Thank you, American lady,” she said, her tone cutting.
I gave her half a smile as I took the bag and walked out, heading back to Gianna’s, fuming by the time I got up there. If Julien wanted to fuck around, that was fine by me.
But I’d be damned if he was going to fuck me while he was at it. And without a condom.
* * *
“Very nice dress,” Gianna said when I walked back into the café.
That made me smile and I smoothed my hands over the fabric. “Thanks. I also bought these.” Gianna admired the two blouses I held up.
“Myra does good job,” she said, checking the stitching on one of the blouses. “She makes everything herself.”
“It wasn’t Myra who helped me.” I wanted to know about Angela. In fact, I couldn’t not ask. “Angela was there.”
Gianna’s expression changed a little, her lips tightening as she exhaled as if she knew what I was trying to say and she wasn’t surprised by it. “Angela is back for the season to help her old grandmother.”
“She doesn’t live here?”
“No, she lives in Rome.”
“She told me she ran into Julien last night.” I paid extra attention to folding the blouses in order to avoid Gianna’s knowing gaze.
“She is a child. Twenty, barely.” Gianna shook her head, dismissing her. She then put her hand on my arm so that I looked at her. “My grandson too clever to be distracted by such girls.”
I nodded, wanting to end this conversation. A conversation I should never have started.
“What do you need me to do?” I asked, taking the apron she handed me and slipping it on while I looked around behind the counter.
I spent the afternoon making simple lunches and chatting with the customers who came into Gianna’s café. There were several American tourists and I didn’t realize until after talking to them how much I missed Americans, how much I missed hearing my own accent, talking to people who thought like me. I loved traveling, loved Italy specifically, but here, I was a foreigner, and it felt good to just have a casual conversation in my native tongue and know I was being understood.
Every time the door opened, I looked up, annoyed to find myself disappointed when it wasn’t him. Finally, at a little after three in the afternoon, there he was, strolling in with freshly washed hair that was still wet, wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Even though I’d been watching for him for the last couple of hours, seeing him still made me jump, made my heartbeat pick up a little.
He walked in casually enough, but his gaze searched the café until he found me — and in that moment, I knew he’d been looking for me too.
“Ciao, Julien!” Gianna went to greet him while I stayed behind, still able to watch through the pass-through space between the kitchen and the bar.
“I was wondering where you were,” he said to me when I was within earshot.
“I had to buy new clothes,” I said, nodding to Gianna who took the plate and left us alone.
Julien grinned and I felt a sudden need to confront him about Angela — which was completely stupid.
“You had left me the note and the money.” I didn’t thank him. If he hadn’t torn my things, I wouldn’t have needed to buy anything.
“I expected you to be back at the house once you’d finished.”
I shrugged my shoulder and turned to slice a piece of bread even though all the lunch orders had been filled. “I guess I don’t read minds. Besides, it’s not like you tell me who you’re meeting at night,” I added, flicking a glance at him before slicing the sharp knife through the bread.
Julien paused, then, when I heard him cluck his tongue, I set the knife down and turned to him, wiping my hands on the apron.
“Make me a sandwich,” he said, his eyes narrowed a little, his lips in a much too comfortable smirk.
“Make your own sandwich,” I said, untying the apron. “I’m on break.”
I walked out of the kitchen then but when I passed the bar, he stood, grabbing hold of my hand and pushing me down hard onto the stool he had just vacated.
“Ouch.” My butt still hurt when it made contact with anything, but he kept me there anyway, his eyes on me as he held me in place.
“If you’re on break, you should sit,” he said calmly, then smiled. “Remember what rude behavior gets you, Mia?”
Gianna walked behind the bar then and I wasn’t sure if she hadn’t watched the entire exchange. “You must eat, Mia. You are too skinny. I will make you both sandwiches you can take with you. I think the rush is over, Mia. Thank you for helping me.”
Rush wasn’t exactly how I’d have described the last few hours. There had been customers, yes, but I still felt like Gianna was happy just having the company.
“You’re welcome, Gianna. Maybe I can come back tomorrow if you’d like the help? I could use the pleasant company,” I added, casting a sideways glance at Julien.
His grin widened and he gave me a wink. “Let’s get those sandwiches and we’ll go on a picnic. I didn’t realize you were feeling lonely.” He laid his hand over mine where it rested on the countertop.
Gianna mumbled something, but went behind the counter to work. Within a few minutes, Julien was escorting me out the door carrying a basket with a picnic blanket, sandwiches, two bottles of water, and a bottle of wine.