"Romy," he called, pulling me out of my swirling thoughts. "Make this easy. Talk."
"And what do I get out of that? What happens if you don't like what I have to say?"
"No offense, sweetheart, but you don't exactly seem like a hardened criminal to me. Which makes me think someone is making you do this. Which means I am after them, not you."
"And what if who I am involved with and what I am looking for is something that is related to you, that you have been a part of? What then? Do you really want me to think that you will just let me walk away?"
"I guess I can't answer that until you start talking."
"And I'm afraid I can't start talking until you answer that."
"Christ," he grumbled, raking a hand down his face. "Fine. You can sit here and think it over for a couple hours. See what you come up with," he said, getting up, and making his way up the stairs.
The door closed.
And locked.
I didn't know anything about picking locks, but I might have given it a try after a while.
But then I heard footsteps and voices, making
it clear it wasn't just a lock.
I had an armed guard as well.
On a sigh, I looked around my makeshift prison.
Barred windows.
No door.
Nothing that could be used as a weapon unless I decided to wield a chair or a paint can.
Maybe Luca Grassi was right.
I needed to use this time to think, to decide who to trust, what my best move might be.
Because I had to get out of this basement.
I had to get back to work.
So I had to hedge my bets, figure out which story was the most likely to grant me my freedom, then toss that story at Luca Grassi.
If he found me sometime down the line, after all this was over, after I got what I came to New Jersey to get, well, that was okay.
I would deal with those consequences when they came.
And there was not—absolutely not—a small thrill of excitement at the idea of him tracking me down some day.
Nope.
Because that would have been absolutely insane.
Chapter Five
Luca
"What are you smirking at?" I grumbled at Lucky as I paced the small kitchen with its tan linoleum floor, white tile countertops, and pine cabinets. There was a small, forgotten Easter egg window cling stuck to the side of the window over the sink overlooking the mostly wooded backyard.