Pregnancy Of Passion

Had she?

Second-guessing a past she knew was blameless even if others did not was a useless exercise she refused to get into.

Then there was the fact she had got pregnant too fast for Salvatore to believe the baby was his… because of

what he had gone through with Sofia.

She flicked him a glance that encompassed his whole person, but denied eye contact. She could not handle that right now.

‘Thank you for telling me.” Having had all she could take of emotional drama for the time being, she was ready to focus on the more prosaic.

‘We’re going to be in here all night’ we might as well get settled.”

Turning away from his silent watchful figure, she walked back to the corner with the lavatory and the emergency stash of food stored in the small cabinet on the other side of the bathroom’s back wall.

Like many jewelers di Adamo had equipped the vault in case there ever was a robbery and he or another employee was forced to take refuge in it. The timed locking mechanism meant that huge metal door would not open before nine the following morning. Her boss did not have an override code and the vault was so old she doubted the security company that had installed it still had the code on record.

Even if they had, it would take a burning building for them to agree to use it.

It was a security precaution meant to protect the owner from being forced from his bed by would-be thieves and intimidated into opening the vault. Only this time it was useless. Because of her argument with Salvatore, she hadn’t gotten the stock moved into the vault.

‘poor di Adamo. Those men probably stole all the jewelry before leaving the store. He is insured, but this might be enough to make him give the store up.” And that would be sad after all she and the old man had sacrificed to keep the business going.

”They were after the crown jewels not the modest collection in the storefront. Once they realized the jewels were locked safely in the vault, I doubt they took the time to clear the cases before running.”

‘At least the crown jewels are safe. We can still have the auction. There is a chance di Adamo can save the store.”

They had not been taken out of their storage drawer in the vault since their arrival.

‘For now ” She looked up from rummaging in the cupboard for foodstuffs that might make an adequate dinner for the two of them.

‘Why do you say that? Surely they won’t risk coming back now that the police will know to be looking for them?” He reached out and brushed her cheek a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. ‘you are innocent in many ways.”

She jerked back from the touch. It was an involuntary movement but it made him frown. Tough.

‘Just not the ones that count.” The words tumbled out before she thought and she regretted them.

Not because she didn’t think he deserved the dig, but because she did not want to re-open that conversation.

‘Forget I said that.”

‘lt is forgotten.” The grim set of his mouth said differently, but she wasn’t about to take issue with him over it.

‘Elisa. Are you in there?” The sound of Signor di Adamo’s voice echoing in the small enclosure shocked her and for a minute she could not quite figure out what was going on.

Not so Salvatore. He was on the other side of the vault in a flash and speaking into the small black box recessed in the thick metal wall near the door.

‘This is Salvatore. Elisa is with me.”

‘Are either of you hurt?” di Adamo’s voice sounded strained, older than his sixty-two years.

‘No. Can you open the vault?” ‘The security company that installed it went out of business two years ago.”

That was news to her. Had she known she would have tried to get her boss to do something about transferring the override information to another company.

Salvatore swore. ‘This means you have no way of overriding the timed lock no?” ‘This is the truth. Praise the good God that you are b0th all right.”

Salvatore said something succinct but did not press the communication button so di Adamo did not hear.