Page 14 of Leave Me (Touch of Death 2)
I watch as she moves onto the balcony once more. The sun shines over her hair, and the golden tone of her skin has deepened. My chest squeezes painfully, and I frown, swallowing down the sensation.
My phone rings, and I drop the binoculars, picking it up. “Yeah?”
“Where are you?” Una asks.
“You know where I am.”
“What’s taking so long?” She waits, but I don’t answer. “Well? Do you have her yet?”
On a sigh, I pinch the bridge of my nose, hating the words that fall from my lips. “She wouldn’t come with me.” There’s a long beat of silence.
“I’m sorry. You tried,” she says dismissively, and I know that really she’ll be thrilled to see the back of Adelina.
A low growl slips from my throat. “It’s not enough. She has to see—”
“No. She doesn’t,” Una cuts me off.
“She thinks she can kill him.”
“Maybe she can,” Una replies.
“He hurt her.” I can feel my pulse rising instantly.
“She knew what she was getting into, Sasha. Just…I think you need to let this play out. If she kills him, everyone wins.”
“And if she doesn’t?” I snap.
“She made her choice.” The casual indifference in her voice grates over me.
“No.” I shake my head. “No.” I hang up, clutching the phone in my hand so hard that the edge of the screen imprints on my skin.
I resume my position. Watching. Waiting. The Sicilian countryside stretches out between Adelina and me, and I wonder if she senses me here. The rhythmic chirping of cicadas mixed with the distant hum of the ocean should be peaceful, but any semblance of calm is very much absent in the face of my own private torment.
I’ve never been in a situation that I couldn’t fight my way out of. And I’ve never cared about anyone else enough to be concerned about their suicidal actions. Until now. I feel wild and confused, grappling with my own fundamental foundations.
I wait for hours, unable to move. Finally, something happens. Adelina goes and opens the bedroom door to a man. They exchange words before she leaves with him. She’s wearing a white dress with little sunflowers on it. She looks pretty. Is that for his benefit?
I furiously scan the windows, trying to catch a glimpse of her. She must be going to him. I instantly focus on the window that I know is his office, and I know he’s in there because I’ve been watching him, too. My main focus is Adelina, but Enrique is in my sights. I’m studying him, his comings and goings, his men, his defenses. When the time comes, I’ll be ready for him. In theory, I could shoot him from here, but given how easy it would be, I have every reason to believe that glass is bulletproof.
A couple of minutes later, Adelina steps into the office. My heart rate ticks up, and by the time Bianchi pushes to his feet, it’s like a drum beat, jolting my chest with every squeeze. He gets closer to her, closer, closer. His lips touch hers and brush her cheek. She looks scared, and my fingers tighten on the binoculars, wishing I could wrap them around his neck before I snap it. His hand lands on her waist, and though she has her front to me, I see his arm drop lower. My chest feels like it’s about to explode. I ball my fists until my knuckles crack. Adelina grabs his wrist and removes the offending hand, allowing me to breathe properly again. The realization of my own irrationality slaps me in the face, and I lower the binoculars. Closing my eyes, I take several deep breaths. I don’t know why I’m doing this any more than I can accept her doing this.
This is a form of torture, and it’s pathetic. She makes me weak. The strong survive, and the weak die, forgotten and inconsequential. Nicholai’s words come back to me, and I can only imagine how disappointed he would be in me. I hadn’t realized how far I had fallen until this exact moment.
I am not weak. I am strong. I am Elite.
Pushing to my feet, I put my binoculars and water bottle in my backpack before taking my phone from my pocket. I dial Una’s number as I descend the hill and start walking back towards the road.
“Hello,” she greets me.
“I need a plane home. As soon as possible.”
“Done,” she says before hanging up.
I need to go back to New York, to the life I had before Adelina Ricci came crashing into it. I’m done here.
4
Adelina
It’s been nearly a week since I tried to appeal to Enrique’s conscience. It seems he doesn’t have one, not that this is news to me.
The lock on the bedroom door clicks open, but I don’t even turn around. I remain where I am on the balcony as my captors bring yet more food that won’t get eaten.
