Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

An hour later, Roselia sat at the kitchen table again. Her leg wouldn't stop bouncing up and down. She was dressed now. Fully dressed like she hadn't been in nine days. Jeans, T-shirt, bra, panties, shoes, socks, and sweatshirt.

She was watching the computer screen while Stefano rushed around packing their things. Her job was to let him know when the messages changed.

Suddenly, it happened. Everything blinked blank, and new messages started appearing. "Stefano," she called out, "it's happening."

She was scared out of her mind, and she still didn't fully understand what was happening, but she understood the important part. If Stefano didn't go to the FBI, Santo would strike again and ruin more lives.

In her rational mind, she couldn't let that happen. As much as she wanted to ignore reality and run off to France with Stefano, she realized that wasn't an option. She also understood why he'd taken her and hidden her for over a week. He'd been hoping to ignore reality, too. She couldn't really blame him.

Guilt had been slowly eating at him all week. He'd found her, and now, he'd expected to be torn away from her. It hurt. Every part of her hurt. She'd been crying for over an hour, fear making her body shake uncontrollably.

Stefano ran into the kitchen, set a hand on her shoulder, and leaned over to read the incoming messages.

Stefano, this is Diane

Please come in

Bring Lily

Do the right thing

You're an amazing agent

Tell your story

Roselia looked at Stefano. "What does it mean?"

He sighed. "It means Diane remembers me. I thought she would. She was in the same unit as me with the FBI. Apparently, she's now the boss."

"You were in the FBI?"

He nodded.

"What happened to you?"

"I was killed."

Roselia stared at him.

For the first time all morning, he gave her a wan smile as he sat in the chair next to her. "Well, maybe not so much, but that's what the FBI and the rest of the world believed."

Her head was spinning. She had so many questions. She couldn't process anymore right now.

Stefano pulled the computer closer, cleared the boxes, and typed into the empty slots.

Coming in

Be there in an hour

I have Lily

She is safe

Her name is

Roselia Moreno

"What will happen to me?" Roselia asked.

"Nothing, sweetheart. You'll be reunited with the other women. They're all together. You will heal. You will be safe. Santo will be arrested."

Her lip trembled. "What will happen to you?"

"I don't know, sweetheart. I'm so sorry."

"Because you faked your death?"

"Among other things, yes."

"Did you kill anyone?"

He smirked. "Not yet."

She drew in a sharp breath. "You want to kill Santo."

"With my bare hands, yes. But I won't get that opportunity. The FBI will take care of him."

She watched as he cleared all the information and returned it so that all six boxes said: Property of Roberto Moretti.

"Why do you do that?"

"Just in case Santo ever figures out how to check the data in those chips. He's not the sharpest tack in the box. I doubt he could. But I never wanted to take any chances."

She nodded. "I don't want to go."

"I know." He rose, pulled her up to stand, and wrapped her in his arms. "I'm so sorry. When I set out to destroy Santo, I never meant to fall in love. I've had only one goal for eighteen years. And then you showed up." He smiled. "Your face lit up a room. You were so smart and sexy and shy, and my dick got hard every time I saw you. I felt like a pervert. A man my age, ogling a woman your age."

"You're not a pervert. Stop it." She swatted at his chest.

He chuckled. "I don't think most people are going to agree with you, including the FBI."

"What will they do with you?"

"First, they will put me in a room and interrogate me for ten hours. I have a lot to explain. After that, I don't know." He cupped her face and leaned in close. "Promise me no matter what happens, you'll be strong for me. Promise me you'll go back to school, get your degree, make friends, and return to your life. Get the counseling you need, talk to the other women. Promise me you won't waste a moment worrying about me."

She shook her head. "No. I won't promise that. I'm not going to lose you. I can't."

"You might, sweetheart. I'm so fucking sorry for keeping you to myself for nine days, ignoring my reality. It wasn't fair of me. It wasn't fair to you, the other women, all the people working so hard to find you. It wasn't fair to anyone who might've been abducted in the last nine days when I could've stopped it."

She shook him. "Stop torturing yourself. You're human. You did what you needed to do to save me. If you had turned me in and left me, I wouldn't be where I am today. I would be sitting in a ball in a corner somewhere, rocking back and forth, nearly catatonic. I needed you, and you were here for me. And dammit, I still need you. I need you to live to be a hundred and twenty. I need you to sleep next to me and hold me every night for the rest of my life. You have to. I won't accept any other possibility."

He set his forehead against hers. "I can't promise any of that, Rose."

"You already did. You can't take it back," she pointed out, arguing a moot point. Neither of them had any control over what the FBI might decide.

"I love you," he said again.

"I love you, too, and I'm not going to bed alone tonight. They might be able to have you all day today, but tonight, you are sleeping next to me."

He took her lips and kissed her as though it would be their last.

She clung to him as tightly as she could, not wanting this moment to end. She refused to accept this could be their last kiss. It couldn't be. It wasn't an option. She would kick and scream at anyone who would listen until they understood Stefano was a good man. He was her man, and she couldn't live without him.