Chapter 44

Once the elevator doors closed and I was alone with Emiliano, he lunged at me, hands around my neck. He reeked of alcohol and weed. His eyes were completely black and he squeezed my neck tight when he asked,

“Who is *he*.”

I clenched my jaw and remained silent, refusing to comply in that condition. The elevator reached the lobby and before the doors opened all of the way, Emiliano was dragging me by the hand out of the elevator and out the front door of the hotel.

Three black SUVs awaited us and Emiliano threw me into the third one. Before Emiliano joined me in the SUV he demanded,

“Give me your purse!”

I gave him an offended look and shouted,

“What? NO!”

Emiliano violently reached into the backstreet and ripped my purse out of my hands. He quickly handed it to one of his goons before I could try to take it back, then he sat beside me and closed the door behind him. I saw the goon with my purse get into the first SUV.

The three SUVs drove close together quickly out of the long driveway of the hotel. Once on the main street, however, the three vehicles broke off into three different directions.

I immediately became sick, knowing the diversion was most likely going to work. Emiliano pulled his beretta out of his back holster and rested it on his lap. He looked at me and said,

“I don’t ask twice, Hera.”

I grew angry and asked,

“Are you going to fucking shoot me if I don’t answer? Why do you have your fucking gun out?”

Emiliano jumped on me, one hand around my neck, one hand with his gun to my face and he shouted,

“Answer my question!”

I clenched my jaw and Emiliano slit his eyes and I finally said,

“He’s my brother’s friend.”

Emiliano lowered the gun and released his grip and straightened his posture. I sat back up in my seat, raging mad. I was finally starting to think I could get over him and out of my life and he fucking kidnaps me.

Emiliano seemed a little cooled off when he asked,

“Why were you on a date with *him*?”

I tried to keep him calm when I responded,

“We weren’t on a date.”

Emiliano barked,

“Hera don’t lie! My intelligence specifically stated that *you* called it a date, and you show up in that sexy little dress.”

I instantly became aware of my body on display in the outfit I was wearing. I wanted to crawl into a hole and cover myself in the earth.

Emiliano grew inpatient and snapped,

“Answer, Hera!”

“I was trying to get over you!”

I cried out as a tear escaped my eye. I saw Emiliano soften and he put his gun back into its holster. He leaned in close to me but I stiffened and became cold. He gently put his hand on my arm and was kissing my shoulder between words as he said,

“Hera, I can’t get over you either.”

I shrugged out of the reach of his mouth and reminded him,

“But you have a *wife*. Where is *she* by the way?”

Emiliano tightened his body as said between his teeth,

“She is in the hospital, she refuses to see me. She only sees her captor.”

Emiliano looked like he was going to ugly cry when he said,

“She chose him over me.”

My breath quickened and I clenched my fists and said,

“That doesn’t mean you can just kidnap me and make me yours!”

Emiliano took a deep frustrated breath and explained,

“Hera, I know, I’m so sorry. But after that *boy* told me you weren’t coming, I couldn’t bear another second without you.”

Fury burned in my veins when I asked,

“This was *after* your wife chose another man?”

The black took over Emiliano’s eyes before he struck me across the face. I instinctively touched my cheek and glared at him. He looked regretful and started to apologize but I put my hand up between us and said in Italian,

“Basta!”

*“Enough!”*

Emiliano stayed on his side of the backseat the rest of the drive. When we pulled up to the San Diego International Airport, I started to get nervous. Where did they take my purse? How far away was Dario from finding me?

The driver opened Emiliano’s door and he yanked me out after him. He kept his grip tight on my hand as we walked through the airport to our terminal.

The people around us stared as we walked through. Two overly dressed people without any luggage. It didn’t help that my heels kept me from keeping up with Emiliano’s quick pace. He didn’t like the attention either and I could tell he was losing his patience more and more that I couldn’t keep up.

When we reached our terminal, the private jet section out of the eye of the public, Emiliano picked me up and draped me over his shoulder. I tried to protest but he growled,

“You’re too fucking slow in those shoes! I’m in a hurry!”

Inside the plane, Emiliano sat me down in a seat and buckled my seatbelt. I saw him lean down to kiss me so I bowed my head. He took a deep breath then kissed my forehead and took the seat next to mine. I glanced at him and he said,

“You’re mad at me now Hera, but I know I’m the man of your dreams.”

I felt anger start to boil inside me and my breath quickened. I regretted telling him that. Emiliano rolled his eyes and said,

“Calmati, Era. Non ti farò del male.”

*“Calm down, Hera. I’m not going to hurt you.”*

I barked at him,

“I am not afraid of you.”

Emiliano laughed and I kept glaring at him. He left his seat to talk to the pilots in the cockpit. I decided this was my moment and I discreetly unbuckled my seatbelt. Emiliano glanced back at me then whistled and a small woman rose from the seat behind the cockpit and quickly closed the cabin door and locked it. Removing any chance of escape.

He turned his attention back to the cockpit for a few more seconds. I heard him mumble a few things in Italian then shook both the pilots’ hands and returned to his seat. He leaned over to me and refastened my seatbelt as he said,

“Let me help you with that.”

The engines started up on the plane and Emiliano buckled his seatbelt as the aircraft made its way on the tarmac. As the plane elevated into the sky, I looked down at the lights of San Diego, praying I would make it back home soon.