Chapter 63 The Lagoon Trap
\[Lilia\]
My gag reflexes weren’t helping the entire journey inside that sewer. All the food we ate before coming here was making its way directly into the back of my throat, and I had been doing my best to swallow it back in order to prevent myself from throwing it up.
I could tell that Aya was feeling the same way I did. Flavio, on the other hand, appeared to be very accustomed to being in this kind of setting, and he made no effort to show it on his face that the smell didn't bother him in the least.
In contrast to the first wave of stench that we were blasted with when we entered the sewer, the offensive odor gradually lost some of its power as we continued to go through it.
Kael’s men must be throwing off their wits out by now, thinking why we didn’t come out from that bridge. Probably they were already scouring the entire city of Venice, and this realization has caused me some concern. What if, as soon as we emerged from the dead end, they were already there, waiting for us?
A wave of anxiety washed over me, and I immediately began to feel queasy, exacerbating the swirling sensation on my stomach as if someone had shoved their arms down on my throat and stretched my intestines. Though, I didn't want it to show on my face because I knew it would affect Aya significantly. This was my idea, and she was just riding in it.
I turn my head and look at our gondolier, asking, “Uhm, Flavio, are you sure we are going to be safe when we get out from here?”
Flavio paused on his mid-paddle, shifting his attention to me, nodding as he addressed my concern.
“Si, signora, this waterway will take us directly into the lagoon that is located close to the Santa Lucia railway station. There is the lowest probability that your guards will be looking for you there.”
A lagoon.
If they happen to be in that area, there is a good chance that they won't be able to quickly identify us at that place because it is sufficiently big. Now, all I can do is cross my fingers and hope that Flavio is correct and that we will avoid being trapped in that situation.
Aya’s attention settled intently on my features, and I turned to meet her anxious gaze. “Why, Lilia? Are you having apprehensions as well?” she asks, her eyes wide, and I could see the slight tremor on the corner of her lips. I totally understand why she’s feeling this way. She had already seen how Kael got mad, and she tasted a bit of it with my futile attempt of escape. Though we are not trying to escape now, I am sure that Kael would react likely the same way.
But, to hell with him. He’s the reason why I am acting this way. If only he hadn't given me such conflicting silent messages about his intentions toward me, I wouldn't have been left feeling both confused and hurt at the same time.
I wanted to be free, even just for a moment. To be away from anything that would remind me of him, even only for an hour.
The Grand Canal of Venice had already taken my breath away,except this sewer cause it literally jabbed my stomach with its stench, but overall, the place was just as romantic as I had read in the magazine.
His securities were not helping and ruined the whole ambiance. So this is better, and I hope things will be smoothed out right after.
For the time being, it is necessary for me to calm Aya's fears in order to allow her to take advantage of her time in Venice with a reduced level of stress.
Even though my nerves were all over the place at the moment, I forced a smile on my face and reached out for her hand. I gave it a light squeeze and smiled.
“No, Aya, I am merely ensuring that we will have some time to ourselves without having to deal with them.” I turned to our incredibly helpful gondolier and added, “Besides, Flavio will be there to take us back when our time for this little spree is done,” as I cocked my head to the side to look at him.
“Right Flavio? You are going to wait for us in your boat and then bring us back immediately. Don’t worry, and we’ll double our tip.”
Flavio, ever the gentleman, bowed his head respectfully to the woman and smiled broadly as he said, “Of course, signora.”
“Thank you very much,” I said to him, feeling a bit relieved by his words.
“Willing to help.”
The travel through the sewer kind of took more time than I had anticipated, and I thought it had only a single passageway, but I was wrong. Right underneath the immense centenary structures that were located above, there existed a complex network of channels that led to various locations along the canal. Flavio was leading us in the direction of the lagoon, and there, he assured us, our guards would no longer be a problem for us. Even though I tried to keep track of how many twists and turns we made beneath the sewers, I eventually lost track of them all before I finally saw the light on the other side.
“Ah, we’ve finally reached the lagoon,” he announced in glee, paddling the boat at a bit faster pace.
As we emerged from the sewers, Aya and I shared a collective moment of held breath.
Unlike the entryway that we came in, the exit way does not have any grills that are obstructing the channel.
Fresh air immediately refilled our nostrils, clearing the pungent smell from the sewers. Our eyes darted nervously over the path we were traveling to make sure there weren't any guards scouring the area in a frantic search for us.
“Everything looks to be in order. There wasn't any ruckus. Perhaps, you are right, Flavio. They’re least likely to scour this area.” I said while heaving a deep sigh, blowing out a long breath, ridding of all the remaining scent that clings to my nose, and turning to Aya.
“We’ll enjoy ourselves in here, okay?”
“Okay,” Aya returned my smile as Flavio veered the boat towards the side bridge that served as a mini-dock. Flavio helped us get off the boat and provided us with some general directions as to where we might go and yet find our way back to him at the location where he was waiting for us.
Aya and I were ecstatic to see that there was no trace of Kael's security men, so we hopped up on the pavement, took in the beautiful view, and immediately started walking without wasting any more time.
We took so many pictures in every nook. Eat on the street vendor stalls. We enjoyed the freedom we had but kept our vigilance at an utmost high in case one of Kael’s guards would come to stray to this place.
“Oh, gosh, Lilia, I am so full. I can not believe we really did this.” Aya remarked as we made our way to the side of the building, where the number of people was significantly lower than on the other sides and where we were also closer to the canal.
Some too many busy passengers were hurrying their way to the rail station while the others were just like us. Time passes so quickly that we almost forget that we only have a limited period to seize the moment.
We laughed and talked about little things we observed around us and some foolishness we did.
“Yeah, but we did enjoy ourselves.” I concurred with her while grinning and chuckling to myself as I turned my head over the edge of the platform in the hopes of spotting Flavio's boat at the dock. However, he was nowhere to be found. The location where he had anchored his boat was deserted, and the chill that had been on my nape suddenly spread throughout the rest of my body. At the same time, my stomach dropped to my feet, and the joy that had been on my face vanished.
“Flavio isn't on the dock,” I gingerly whispered, and Aya followed my gaze.
“Perhaps he went off to do something for a while?” Her tone was marked by a sense of hesitancy.
As we made our way toward the dock, we checked to see if he had, in fact, left us and gone elsewhere, but we realized that we hadn't even paid him for the service he had provided. We were his patrons at the time. He wasn't going to just up and disappear without the money.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up in alarm. Is it even remotely plausible that Kael's guys kidnapped him? Had we been found?
I remembered what happened the last time someone assisted me. The butler at the auction house, Kael, killed him because he was upset since he was performing poorly in his work. Could he be doing the same way with Flavio?
Oh goodness, heavens, I hope not. That person was merely doing his work.
“How are we going to turn back?” Aya’s concern rang in my ears, but I wasn't hearing her clearly as the pounding of my chest became overbearing with anxiety.
We remained there for a long in the vain hope that Flavio would eventually return. That is until we heard footfall heading in our direction. I was hoping that it was Flavio, as I was about to turn around quickly, but before I could pivot to my feet, a piece of cloth suddenly covered my mouth.
I immediately went into a state of panic and began kicking and fighting in a fruitless attempt to push the hand away from my face. However, it was too late when I inhaled something that smelled like disinfectant.
The muffled voice of Aya was the last thing I remember hearing before the darkness enveloped me.
What the hell is going on?