I almost told her. I almost said the words out loud. But then I backed off. She might not believe me, but she would believe Luca-or Enzo-if they told her. "Just ask," I told her. "And then think about your decision not to help me. Either way, I don't plan to be here tomorrow." Sorrow filled me at losing this person who, I truly believed, would've become one of the best friends I'd ever had. "But I understand where you're coming from, and I won't blame you for it. So, all I'll ask is that you don't give me away."
She didn't respond, but I could tell by the look in her eyes that she wouldn't.
I stood up and took our plates to the sink, leaving my untouched meal to the side. "Is there any alcohol in this kitchen?"
"In the pantry over there," she said in a distracted tone. "There's some wine. Help yourself."
I opened the door and found a few bottles of some kind of pinot. I wasn't a wine expert, but honestly, I didn't really care what it was.
Taking one of the bottles, not bothering with a glass, I stopped when I got beside Veda. "Thank you for being so nice to me. I really like you, and I wish I didn't have to go."
She pushed back her chair and stood to give me a hug. "You don't have to," she insisted. "Please. Just hang around and give me a chance to talk to Luca and see what's going on."
I hugged her back as tight as I could with the bottle of wine dangling from one hand, and then released her. "I don't have time to wait. And if I'm going to get out of here, tonight is probably the only chance I'll have. The guys will be gone for a while and I'm sure Luca took some of his soldiers with him. Which means there are less men patrolling the property and lessons the chance of me being caught. Or shot." I tried to make light of it, but the joke fell flat.
Veda gave me a serious look, and I thought she'd try again to talk me out of it, but in the end, she only said quietly, "Be careful. And good luck. I'm going to be in the library for a bit working on a project for school and then I'll be in my room. The door will be closed, and I'll be watching something on TV."
"Thank you," I told her. "For everything." Leaving her in the kitchen, I made my way across the great room to the stairs. I didn't hurry. As a matter of fact, I made it a point to seem only as nervous as anyone would be as the new guest of the mafia underboss who was left to their own devices. I knew there were cameras throughout the house. Luca would be stupid not to have surveillance both outside and inside his home, and that man was definitely not stupid. However, they were hidden well. I'd only been able to locate a few of them-one in the kitchen while Veda and I ate, one in the hall outside my room, and one near the front door. As far as I knew, there weren't any in the bedrooms or bathrooms. So I had that going for me at least.
What I didn't know was how I was going to manage to sneak out with a suitcase. The answer was actually simple. I wasn't.
I didn't have any money, either. But what I did have was Enzo's watch that I'd tucked beneath my pillow earlier during our sex-filled afternoon. I wasn't an expert on watches, but it was a Rolex, so it had to be worth something. And judging by the tags on his suits and overall quality of everything he wore, it had to be worth a decent amount of money. Enough to get me the hell out of here. I'd worry about everything else once I was free of the threat of my father.
Six hours later, I sat on the edge of the bed in the bedroom. I'd added a thicker, long-sleeved fleece over my T-shirt and put sneakers on my feet. Enzo's watch was on my arm, and my coat was lying beside me on the mattress. I wasn't taking anything else. If I got caught trying to get off the property, I had a better chance of making the guards believe I had insomnia and got bored just being in the house if I didn't have a bag of clothes with me. They'd believe me. After all, I was just a woman. And every man knew women were ridiculous enough to do something like wander around outside at night by themselves without thinking they could be in danger.
Or, better yet, I could tell them I was looking for Enzo. That we'd had a fight or something. A few tears and it was guaranteed every man there would be too uncomfortable to question me farther.
Also, I didn't want anything on me that could identify me as the runaway daughter of Ciro Cordaro. My driver's license was staying here along with anything else that could tell people who I am. When I got to where I was going, I'd make up a name and a story and only work jobs that paid me under the table.
It would work.
So, why was I still sitting here?
Veda had come upstairs hours ago. I'd heard her door shut. The house was quiet. I had no idea when Enzo, Luca, and Tristan would get back, or how many guards remained outside, but it didn't matter. If I was very careful, I could get past them.
Taking a deep breath, I stood up and pulled on my coat. It had a hood that I'd use to cover my bright hair once I got outside. I glanced around the room one more time, blinking back the tears that were gathering in my eyes. Stupid, traitorous tears that dreamed of things that couldn't come true. Wiping them away with the back of my hands, I used the bathroom one last time and then I strode across the room and opened the bedroom door.
As quietly as I could, I made my way downstairs and out the patio doors. A cold, misty wind blew up around me as though the night itself was trying to tell me to turn back. But I couldn't. Not now.
The pool was lit with softly glowing lights that lit my way across the deck. To the right, a set of stairs disappeared into the dark. Stepping carefully as I lost the light from the pool, I made my way down into the darkness.