Chapter 501: Ask Your Questions
She checked her hands next, already knowing, already dreading. Her rings were gone too. If the necklace was gone, then Luca could not find her.
Panic set in then, clawing up her throat before she could fight it down. She twisted in the seat, ignoring the sharp protest in her skull as she searched the space around her. Her bag. Her phone. Anything. Anything at all that could connect her to the outside world, to Luca, to someone who would know she was alive and not already lost.
There was nothing. Whoever had taken her had stripped her clean. Her heart hammered so hard it hurt.
Who took her? Where were they taking her? And how the fuck had they known about the tracker in her necklace?
The necklace had not been obvious. It had looked like jewellery. So how had they known? Then another thought tore through her.
Val.
The text had come from Val’s phone. How had they got Valentina’s phone? Had they hurt her? Was Val safe? Was Matteo safe? God. God, if anyone had touched Matteo—
"Hello!" Veronica yelled. She waited, breathing hard, expecting someone to appear. A guard. A pilot. A bastard with a gun. Anyone.
Nothing.
She looked toward the window, stomach dropping at the sight beyond it. They were already in the air.
A fresh wave of terror washed over her. How long had she been unconscious? How far had they flown? Were they still in New York? Still in America? Or had they already crossed into some nightmare Luca would have to chase across oceans?
"What in the fucking hell is happening?" she whispered. "Hello!"
Then a voice came from behind her.
"You’re awake..."
Slowly, she turned. David stood there.
"David?" Veronica called, surprise cutting through her fear. Her brows pulled together as she stared at him, trying to force the pieces into a shape that made sense. "What are you...? Who are..." She shook her head once, the cuffs around her wrists clinking softly. "I don’t understand."
David smiled. Vee didn’t understand it truly. He had always been dangerously quiet. Calm, helpful. And now, he looked like a man who had never been harmless a day in his life. He moved to the seat opposite her. "Ask your questions, love," he said, settling into the leather seat. "I’ll answer them."
Veronica watched him carefully. Her head still throbbed, her stomach still twisted with nausea and fear, but anger was beginning to rise through it all. She could use anger. Anger kept her from shaking. It reminded her she was Luca Genovese’s wife, not some delicate thing waiting to be broken.
"Why am I here?"
"Because I need you to be."
The answer was so calm, so meaningless, that irritation flashed across her face.
"Where are Val and Matteo?"
"They should be in the mall, I guess," David said. "I don’t know how long it takes you ladies to shop for clothes."
Relief hit her. He had not taken them.
"What do you want from me?"
David leaned back slightly, studying her. "Luca."
Veronica’s chin lifted. "Why?"
David’s smile thinned. "You don’t know?" he asked quietly. "I’m sure you do." His gaze stayed on hers, colder now, stripped of all pretence. "He killed my sister."
"And who would that be?" Vee asked.
David tilted his head. "What? You don’t see the family resemblance?"
Vee’s eyes narrowed. "Quit being an idiot and give a straight answer."
Amusement passed over his face.
"I’ve always admired you," David said. "The things you have seen. The things you have endured." His gaze drifted over her face with unsettling interest. She was a puzzle he had spent months turning over in his hands. "I told her, I said, this isn’t a woman that can be broken. She doesn’t seem like the type."
Vee’s pulse beat hard beneath her skin, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of fear. "Who?"
"I told her I could just kill you. Wouldn’t take me more than a minute. Fifteen, if I wanted to have a little fun."
Vee’s stomach turned. David wanted her to flinch. Wanted her to imagine every version of what he could do before Luca found her—if Luca found her.
So she gave him nothing.
"So why didn’t you?" she asked.
David’s eyes flickered in fascination. He was not looking at her like prey. He was looking at her like something he had expected to destroy and had ended up wanting to understand. "I found you..." He paused, as if choosing the word carefully. "Intriguing. Surprising."
Vee’s jaw tightened. "Lucky me."
"Before we play catch up..." David leaned forward. He reached for her hands. Vee jerked back, but with the cuffs and the seat trapping her movements, there was nowhere far enough to go. David caught the metal, unlocked it with a small key, and let the cuffs fall open. He sat back slowly. "I need you to undress."
Vee stared at him. "You have got to be kidding me."
"It’s nothing I haven’t seen before," David said. "You either do it yourself, or I do it for you."
The threat settled into the cabin with the engine’s low hum. Veronica’s spine straightened but her eyes stayed on him.
"I’d like to see you try," she spat.
He rose from the seat, reaching into his pocket as he did. Metal flashed beneath the cabin lights as he pulled out a pocket knife. He flicked it open with a soft click. "I’m not playing." His voice dropped, losing the lazy amusement. "We could start early, love. I’d like to see what your blood looks like." His gaze moved over her face. "What it tastes like."
A cold rush went through her. David leaned over her, trapping her in the seat with his presence. The blade came to her neck. Veronica’s breath locked in her chest.
The first button snapped free. It hit the floor with a small, obscene sound. Veronica forced herself to think. Her cuffs were gone now, but that did not mean she was free. If she lunged too soon, he would cut her before she even reached him.
(Brought to you by Janelle Fox 1/3)
