Livy shrieked.
“What the hell are you doing?” She pounded her fists against his back.
Antonio merely adjusted his grip and started toward the door.
“I’ll walk, just put me down!
She kicked furiously, her hair falling across her face.
Antonio didn’t slow his stride.
By the time they reached the grand staircase, Livy had gone still, finally accepting that fighting him was entirely useless.
Rosa stood there quietly with another maid.
Two armed men followed them, doing their best to pretend they weren’t witnessing their terrifying, ruthless boss, carrying a woman over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Antonio carried her straight into the dining room and finally set her down.
She stumbled forward and quickly straightened her dress.
Antonio walked to the table as though nothing unusual had happened.
Livy remained where she was, nervously twisting the fabric of her skirt.
“You planning to stand there all night?” he asked.
“Sit down.” She hesitated, her wide anxious eyes darting around the dinning room.
“Where?” she asked.
”Pick any chair.” ”Am I…
Am I allowed to eat at the table?” Antonio turned to her, his dark gaze locking onto hers.
“You’re starting to annoy me Livy Reed.
Sit down.” She hesitated, then slowly pulled out a heavy wooden chair and sat on the edge of it.
A servant entered and placed a tray in front of her.
On it was pasta, filled with meat and vegetables, and a bowl of soup.
Her stomach growled loudly.
“I’m not hungry,” she said regardless.
Antonio’s eyebrow lifted.
“Fine.
Don’t eat.” He returned his attention to his own plate.
Livy glanced at the food.
Her stomach growled again.
Now she was just being foolish.
With a reluctant sigh, she picked up her fork.
She took a small bite.
Then another.
The food was surprisingly good.
Before long, her careful little bites became proper mouthfuls.
She ate the pasta quickly, barely noticing Antonio watching her from across the table.
Then she picked up the soup and drank too fast.
She suddenly coughed.
Antonio frowned and immediately pushed a glass of water toward her.
“Slow down.” Livy grabbed it and drank eagerly.
When she finally lowered the glass, she found him still watching her.
“Sorry?” she muttered.
She finished the rest of the meal quietly.
“May I go back to my room?” Antonio said nothing.
Instead, he motioned to one of his men.
The large, muscular guard immediately stepped forward.
“Escort my wife back to her room.” Livy stood up and walked out of the dining room with the guard following closely behind.
That night, Livy woke up with a gasp, her heart hammering against her ribs from a nightmare she couldn’t quite catch.
She sat up in the dark, her eyes adjusting to the unfamiliar shadows.
She was still here.
Still his captive.
Still his prisoner.
Throwing off the covers, she got up and walked to the window, looking out over the dark grounds of the estate.
She thought of her mother.
She wanted so badly to talk to her.
At least to let her know she was alright.
The state had agreed to fund her medical expenses in exchange for her testimony.
Now, trapped here and unable to take the stand, she had no idea what fate awaited her mother’s treatment.
She had to find a way to contact her, or at least get word to Agent Cross.
Her thoughts drifted to the night all of this started.
She had stayed late at the club where she worked, trying to get enough money for her mother’s treatment.
If only she hadn’t seen what she saw that night.
She turned to walk back to the bed and froze.
A shadow slid across the floor underneath her bedroom door.
Her heart began to pound faster.
She stared at the door, holding her breath, waiting to see if someone was coming in.
Nothing.
No one came in.
She slowly walked towards the door, and stood there for several seconds, listening carefully before finally reaching for the handle.
Turning it, the door opened with a soft click.
Slowly, she peeked out into the hallway.
It was empty.
She stepped outside.
Her bare feet made no sound on the cold marble floor.
The house was very quiet.
This was a good time to find a phone.
She hesitated.
What if she got caught sneaking around the house.
She wasn’t exactly here under good conditions.
She thought of her mother again and walked out into the hallway.
She looked back over her shoulder and kept walking.
A little further ahead, she saw a door which had been left slightly open.
She stopped and hesitated.
What if it was someone’s room.
In the end, her desperation took over.
She pushed the door open a bit more and peeked inside.
A big desk sat near the window, surrounded by tall shelves full of books and files.
It was a study.
Great.
She saw something lying on the floor.
It was a book.
She quietly stepped inside and crouched down to pick it up, her eyes quickly scanning the rest of the room.
In most study, there was usually a phone.
And right now, that was all she needed in the world.
Something else caught her eye, and she slowly looked up.