Page 18 of Dare To Free Us

I shook the thought form my head because Luca and I still had a job to do. Thoughts of teaching Arianna what I liked in the bedroom and how I was going to give her pleasure would have to wait.

Luca and I made it to the last door at the end of the hall and stopped. The sound of male grunting and a woman’s whimpering moans could be heard loud and clear.Perfect.

I turned to Luca and nodded. He nodded back and gripped the door handle, turning it quickly before we both hurried through the door and shut it behind us.

By the time Luca and I slipped from the room our hands and clothes were bloody. We left the guy alive which took all my restraint and Luca constantly in my ear reminding me how much of a bad idea it would be to kill him. People watched with wide eyes as we passed back through the club to the exit doors, our mission for the night complete.

That had been the easy part of the plan, but not without risk. It could totally blow everything up in my face. But after gathering the information the man had I was more determined than ever.

Arianna would be mine. No one, not even my father, would stand in my way.

3

ARIANNA

Five long agonizing weeks passed and I laughed at the idea I thought I was miserable before.

Knowing I couldn’t have Matteo was a darkness in it’s own right, but waiting? Everyday I clung to my phone like it was my life line.

On any given day I jumped between sad, angry and confused a hundred times over. What the hell could be taking so long? Matteo had said his plan could take time, but five freaking weeks?

Even though he said no contact, after so long I would have thought he’d throw me a bone, but there was nothing. So many times I picked up the phone and started to type a message to his number that I memorized, but wimped out.

I wanted to text him that this was ridiculous. That I needed some kind of assurance he hadn’t changed his mind. I went on total faith and was now wondering if I’d been worked over.

I wanted him to break down my door and make love to me again. To do things to me that would make me scream his name. I wanted him so bad my lady bits whined on a daily basis. I gave him my virginity and now I felt ghosted. Used.

No.I couldn’t think that with much conviction. The look in his eyes, the feel of mutual desperation between us that day was real. He would come for me. I had to believe he would come for me.

I just wished he’d hurry the fuck up because I was on the verge of needing therapy. My boss at the gallery had sent me home several times because I couldn’t stay focused or interact with customers properly. What friends I had connected with when I moved back kept texting to inquire if I was still alive because I’d fallen off the line of communication. I felt like I was going crazy, holed up in my grand apartment pretending like I still had a grip on myself.

Then I got a text one afternoon saying to be at my parent’s house at 4:00 pm sharp, and nothing else.

I almost tossed my phone across the room. Would it have killed him to give me a bit of info about what I’d be walking into?

* * *

The front gate to my parents'estate opened and it was the first time I’d driven through them feeling nervous.

My hands turned clammy on the steering wheel of my Cadillac and my throat felt tight. I parked in front of the large stone entrance to what I always thought of as a castle. It didn’t have so much the medieval look but was no less a statement of wealth.

My mom and dad were not very modest when it came to money. I appreciated the freedom it afforded me growing up, but found that I was just as happy living in a small house with Becka back in California.

It’s the people that make the home, not the size.

There were two other SUVs sitting in the drive with drivers standing guard. Matteo was already there. Adrenaline shot across my chest, making my hands shake as I entered my childhood home, walking up the steps while Ned, the butler, held the door open for me. My parents had their own security team who greeted me on the way in.

Making my way through the foyer I took a left down the long hall decorated with my art. I didn’t see Mother and assumed she was in the kitchen baking. We hired chefs for events but otherwise my mom enjoyed cooking.

Muffled voices came from my father’s office. I smoothed down my T-shirt and wiped at my skinny jeans, took a look at the wedges I’d put on in a hurry and fluffed my hair.Why is it so hot in the house?

Slowly I raised my hand and knocked.

“Come in,” my father called.

I opened the door to my father’s sanctuary from my mother when she was in a mood and business headquarters. Like the rest of the house there was no expense spared on the decor. All the gleaming wood and masculine furniture faded into the background as I took in the scene.

My father who’d been sitting behind his desk rose as I entered. Dressed in slacks and a button up he fit the businessman look perfectly. Most of my features came from my mother but Father was no slouch in the looks department either. He had a strong face that had the ability to be cutthroat business or soft and comforting. He also managed to keep himself in decent shape.