“So, how did you meet him?”
“At his father’s Midsummer Night’s Dream party.”
I laughed at the irony. “That’s how I met Luca.”
“My dad had begged my uncle for years to get him a meeting with Arlo.”
“Sonny’s dad?”
She nodded. “Of course, Arlo considered my dad beneath him and wasn’t interested in doing business with him. He made it clear his sons were not to associate with me.”
“I understand why Arlo wouldn’t want you with Luca. Our families arranged our marriage before I was born. But I thought he only cared about the bloodline of his heir.”
“Arlo expects all of his sons to marry into elite families.”
“I’m the only female from a Founding family of marrying age. Marcello, Damian, and Bastian can marry whoever they want.”
She shook her head. “Not according to Marcello. He’s told no one about us.”
“I’m surprised he would hide this from Sonny. He tells him everything.”
“Usually, yeah. But not about me.” Eyes downcast, she played with the frayed seam of her shirt. “I think Marcello was holding out for you. Just in case you ended it with Luca.”
“How do you know about that?”
“Marcello told me about what happened with you and Luca last year. I’m sorry about your brother, by the way. I heard he was missing.”
“I found him right before I got kidnapped. Talk about the worst timing ever, huh?”
She frowned. “I hope you find your way back to him.”
“You must hate me,” I muttered.
“Not at all. I care about Marcello, but it’s not meant to be. We have too many obstacles to overcome.”
“If we ever get out of here, I could talk to him for you. We’re pretty close.”
“Yeah, I know. Marcello ditched me when he thought he had a shot with you.”
My mouth dropped. “I think it had more to do with his father pushing him. I wouldn’t take it personally.”
“I have plenty of baggage,” she said with sadness in her tone. “I don’t blame him. It was never that serious with us, anyway.”
Her words said one thing, but I got a different impression from Rhiannon. She seemed upset about Arlo not accepting her family and Marcello keeping her a secret because of it. I was dying to hear this story from Marcello’s mouth. He didn’t keep things from me, not even when Luca forced him to stay quiet. So why did he omit Rhiannon from his life, as if she wasn’t significant enough to tell me about her?
“You said Marcello would kill you for telling me. Why?”
“Because the night we met, he killed someone to save me.”
My eyes widened at her confession. “Who?”
“A guy who tried to rape me in the bathroom at the party. He was from a Founding family. His parents are still looking for his body. If anyone ever found out, the Salvatores would lose everything.”
“Who did Marcello kill?”
She chewed the inside of her cheek. “I can’t tell you. I already said too much.”
“So that’s how your dad got into business with Arlo? You used the information to help your father.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers and stretched out her long, thin legs. “I know it was a shitty thing to do after Marcello saved me from getting raped. I still regret the decision I made. But he was such a jerk afterward. Marcello would come around all the time, threatening me not to tell anyone. He scared the shit out of me. I never thought I would grow to like him. Besides, my dad needed something from Arlo. I told my dad about what happened. He used the information to his advantage.”
“Marcello is protective of his family. You are a threat to their legacy.”
“Pretty much,” she groaned.
I glanced around the room in search of water. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. My lips were chapped and cracked from dehydration.
Footsteps pounded the deck above us. I wished someone would bring us water or something to eat. It had been too long since my last meal. How could they sell me if I was dead?
I heard a disturbance outside the room. Several men argued so loud their deep voices sent a chill down my spine. My anxiety intensified with each second that passed. Fear shook through me, the adrenaline commanding control of my body.
The door swung open, and two men stepped inside. One man carried a tray of food, the other dressed in all black with his hands shoved into his pockets. I flattened my back against the wall as they entered the room. The man with the food handed Rhiannon a sandwich wrapped in plastic and a bottle of water.
He held out his hand to me. Confused by his gesture, I narrowed my eyes at him and sat still.
“Get up before I throw you over my shoulder.”
He helped me up from the mattress and hooked his arm around my back. I glanced at Rhiannon. She peeled back the plastic wrap and bit into the sandwich, her eyes filled with concern. One man stayed behind, while the other forced me to climb a ladder.