"I'm no princess. Who are you?" The man had such gall.
"Who I am doesn't quite frankly matter and you, my dear are exactly as described. Arrogant and opinionated. I am the only man who can change the course of your life."
Sighing, my nerves were already frazzled, my heart racing. I couldn't help but think that I knew this man from somewhere. His face. His voice. They were so familiar. But where? "You're a bastard if you think for a second I'd make any kind of deal with the likes of you."
"The likes of me," he said in a far more dangerous tone as he inched closer. "I am many things, Francesca, including a bastard, but there's so much more. I will say this one last time then the deal is off the table. What happens after that will be less... comfortable."
My legs began to shake. This man was serious. What choices did I have? "Fine. I'm listening."
His golden boy smile returned. "That's more like it. This should be very easy for you. You're going to come with me and disappear, at least in the terms of what Vincenzo believes."
I was taken aback, almost bursting into laughter. "You're insane. I'm not going anywhere with you. Besides, my father would hunt you down for the attempt alone."
"Oh, I have ways of dealing with your father. I've done my homework. Don't worry your pretty little head."
Now he'd pissed me off. "Why the hell should I come with you? You're nobody!"
"You might be surprised. I assure you, what I have in mind is a far cry better than the man you're betrothed to." He seemed pleased with himself.
This was crazy. "I'll get out of the marriage eventually, if I want to I mean." I blurted out the words as if they actually mattered.
"Hmmm... I know all about your trust fund. I am well aware of the codicils that you're facing. You will need to stay married to him for ten years. Ten long years. As I said, I know the man and his tastes. He's quite... sadistic, but maybe that's exactly what you need. You have thirty seconds to think this through."
How he knew Vincenzo didn't matter. I needed to follow my instincts and they were telling me this man was just as dangerous. Time to gather information, which meant pretending. "And what if I come with you? What else? You're not here to save me from a sicko marriage. That much I know." I slowly lowered my arms, although there was no way I could trust the asshole.
"How astute of you, Francesca. Then you and I are going to work together to ruin the Saltori family." The words hung in the air. "But there's one catch."
The man was actually serious. Just who did he think he was?
"Of course there is." You asshole. Bastard! "What?"
"I'll save you from a horrible marriage, help you destroy the man you obviously hate but you will belong to me in every way."
The audacity wasn't shocking. It was sick. Disgusting. "You are kidding me."
"Not even remotely. I can assure you that what you would face with Vincenzo would be... Let's just say you'd find it difficult to be seen in public."
"You are incredible."
"And I hold the key to your freedom." He gave me a hard look, never blinking.
I thought about his offer. What I did know is that there was no way I could marry Vincenzo. He was right. My entire body was revolted at the thought. Maybe if I played at the game, pretending to go along with this jerk's bullshit. That is, unless I could get away. I thought about all the scenarios, trying to rationalize them in my mind. I was a fighter. I had to make a stand.
Even though my legs were shaking.
"Okay. I'm interested. I'll make a deal with you." He had to be out of his freaking mind. I knew exactly how powerful the Saltoris truly were. They would eat him alive, and in the process destroy my father.
"You made a wise decision. We will make excellent business partners." He turned, as if prepared to leave.
The man in the expensive attire with the dimpled chin and stunning eyes had made a mistake. I pointed the gun at his head. "Asshole. Whoever you are, you will pay."
"A mistake, Francesca. Sadly, you're going to pay dearly for your disobedience. As I said before, you're coming with me and something else to keep in mind. You now belong to me to do with anything I so desire."
"Over my dead-" I would remember the gun whipping from his pocket, the sting of a dart as it entered my neck then... I stretched, shifting as I drifted up from sleep. The sounds around me were... odd. What was I hearing? I tried to open my eyes, but they were so heavy. Then I realized that my head hurt, my temples pounding. Birds. I was hearing chirping birds.
A rush of realization jetted through me, the thought terrifying. The moment I lifted my head, I doubled over, the pain blinding. My stomach churned to the point there was no holding back the extreme nausea. I managed to shift onto my side, hanging my head over whatever I was leaning on. Even in my fog, I could tell a bucket had been strategically placed on the floor. As I retched, I could still hear the damn birds, joyous singing as if they didn't have a care in the world.
After dry heaving for thirty seconds, I winced then leaned back, finally able to focus on the ceiling over my head. The spinning of the ceiling fan almost brought on another round. I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate on remembering. Very little came to my mind.
Except his face.
And gorgeous body.
And twinkling eyes.
Christ. What the hell was I thinking and just who was this asshole who'd kidnapped me? I remembered his words. They were chilling and so demanding. He really believed that I would allow him to touch me?
As if I had any other choice. I'd made a deal with the devil, or so he thought.
Groaning, I wiped my mouth before shifting my gaze down as far as I could stand it. The dress had been removed, replaced with shorts and a tee shirt. "What? God..." The bastard had stripped me naked. And where the hell was I? A house. I had to be in some kind of a house.
I took deep breaths, trying to control my nausea as I glanced around the room. The area was sparse, a bed and a dresser with nothing else, the floors wooden. While there was a window, I could see nothing from where I was lying. Then there was my wedding dress, carefully hung on a padded hanger, a reminder that the bastard had saved me from impending doom. I almost broke into laughter at the thought.
Was Vincenzo actually looking for me? Were he and his goons hunting the city in an effort to find me? My guess was he was if for no other reason than to save face with his mafia buddies. And his father. I shuddered at the horror my father was going through. Something was very off about this abduction. My kidnapper had mentioned working together. I repeated the same question in my mind from before. Who the hell did he think he was?
Maybe the true question was, how did he have important details about my family?