“You goddamn coward,” Matteo sneered, not reacting to his statement. “Killing innocents and thinking you’re better than them. Than me.”
“Oh, I don’t think it. I know it. I hate weakness. It deserves to be exploited.”
“It deserves to be protected from scum like you.”
“Oh, Matteo,” Raoul sneered. “Are you trying to hurt my feelings?” He leaned closer to the screen. “News flash, you stupid idiot. I have none.”
He leaned back, almost relaxed. “At least, that was what a psychiatrist told me once. I corrected him after I slit his throat. I assured him I thoroughly enjoyed watching him die.”
He grabbed the arm of the chair, pushing me into the desk. “Say goodbye to your husband, little Evie.”
My knee hit the hidden gun holder, my hand fumbling as I realized it was empty. Raoul shook his head, his voice filled with false pity.
“Nice try. I found the gun.” He held it up. “It will amuse me knowing I used the gun he kept to protect you to kill you once I’m ready.” His face turned dark. “It might take me a while to be satisfied, though.”
I leaned close to the screen, fumbling as quietly as I could to try to find the second gun. I had no idea how good a shot I was, but I would try. Matteo continued to curse and yell orders.
“Matteo, I love you!” I cried, needing those to be the last words he heard from me.
My voice stopped his tirade. “Evie,” he rasped. “Fight him. Give me a chance to get to you.”
“How touching,” Raoul mocked. “But Matteo is right. You deserve a chance.” He sat down, crossing his legs. “I fancy a bit of a game. Hide-and-seek. I’m going to give you ten seconds to hide, then I’m going to find you, and my enjoyment will begin. Won’t that be fun?”
“What?” I asked, dumbfounded.
He leaned forward. “You must be a good fuck because you are pitifully stupid. I said run. Hide. You have ten seconds.” He sat back. “In fact, I’ll give you twenty, given your delicate condition. Only in the house, I’m afraid.” He patted his pocket. “I have control of the codes now. The outside doors won’t work, so no one can join us.”
I heard Marcus’s voice behind Matteo.
“Evie! Think about the Post-its!”
Something twigged in my fear-induced mind, and I grappled with figuring it out. A word repeated in my head.
Codes.
Codes.
It clicked.
Codes.
Raoul said three months. Any code used in the past three months was locked out. There was one code that hadn’t been used for a longer period than that.
And I knew exactly where to find it.
I drew in a deep breath.
He lifted one eyebrow, ignoring Matteo’s cursing and threats. Raoul held the knife up to the light.
“One,” he said.
I slid the gun into the pocket of my voluminous skirt.
And I ran.
Chapter Twenty
Evie
I raced through the kitchen, one arm wrapped around my stomach protectively. The door into the garage was the only one that didn’t require a code. It opened with a key from the outside and inside, and I always had one in my pocket. It was another one of Matteo’s rules in case of fire. I lost a few precious beats trying to get the key into the lock, but I was able to pull the door open and I ran like hell. I could already hear Raoul bearing down on me. In the garage, I ducked between the cars, with one target in mind. At the far end sat Mrs. Armstrong’s car—unused since Marcus had backed it in.
He never canceled her code. The keys were left in the car the same way she always did. Matteo laughed at that, saying no one would ever steal the little Toyota over the rest of his luxury cars, and it saved everyone time when she misplaced them once again.
If I could get to the car and start it, I could get out. At least as far as the gate, where I could cause a scene and buy myself some time.
I heard Raoul enter the garage. “Nice try, Evie. You can’t get out. But there are certainly a lot of items in here I can use to punish you.”
I risked peeking over the edge of a car. Raoul was holding up his phone, now streaming his hunt of me to torture Matteo.
I refused to allow that to happen. Ignoring the pain it caused me, I crawled on the floor, scraping my knees, carefully edging my way toward the far side. I knew Raoul was strolling through the garage, not concerned, giving Matteo a running commentary on all the things he was going to do to me when he caught me. I tried to shut out his vile, terrifying words, allowing my tears to fall soundlessly as I attempted to escape. I had almost gotten to the car when he appeared behind me, yanking me up by my hair, causing me to cry out at the pain in my scalp. He began to drag me toward the large worktable at the back, and I remembered some self-defensive things Marcus had taught me.