Chapter 11
“Miss Nadine Smith?” The voice on the line sounded clipped, businesslike so at odds with the hammering of my heart.
“This is Attorney Hensley. I’m sorry to bother you, but I thought you should know, Scott Jones has declared you missing and is offering a reward to anyone who finds you.”
I froze. The words blurred together in my ears like a bad echo.
Missing? Reward?
Scott?
I felt my mouth go dry. My eyes darted around Niccolo’s living room, searching for something, anything, to ground me. “I… I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”
The lawyer sighed on the other end, as if he didn’t quite believe it himself. “Scott Jones put out an official notice this morning. He’s telling people you disappeared. He wants you brought back. Alive. He’s offering money for tips.”
I almost laughed. Almost. “Money,” I whispered.
Of course. Scott never did anything without a price tag attached.
When I hung up, my hands wouldn’t stop trembling. I pressed my palms to my cheeks, trying to rub the chill from my skin, but it clung to me like frost.
I didn’t hear Niccolo come in until his warm hands covered mine.
“What’s wrong?” His eyes darted over my face, searching, protective. Always protective. “Nadine, what is it?”
I swallowed back the bile at the back of my throat. “He… he declared me missing, Niccolo. He’s offering money – for anyone who finds me.”
Niccolo’s face hardened instantly, his jaw ticking. “That bastard.”
“He has Jasmine. He has everything he wanted. Why does he need me back?” My voice cracked, helpless. “What if he finds me, Niccolo? What if-”
“He won’t,” Niccolo cut in, voice low but steady. “Listen to me. He’s doing this to control you, to scare you, because that’s all he knows how to do. But you’re safe now. I won’t let him – I promise you. I’ll deal with this.”
Something hot pricked at the corner of my eyes. I wanted to believe him so badly. I wanted to believe that a promise like his could wash away years of fear. But it wasn’t that easy. “He wants to punish me,” I whispered. “That’s all it is. He doesn’t love me. He never did. He just wants me to pay for walking away.”
Niccolo’s grip on my hands tightened. “Let him try,” he said, his eyes dark and unflinching. “He’ll never find you, I’d burn the world down before I let him touch you again.”
I wanted to say more, to cry, to scream but instead, I leaned into him, letting my cheek rest against his chest. The steady beat of his heart was all I needed right then.
A reminder that someone would fight for me, no matter what.
Chapter 10
42 Wed, 23
