Page 69 of Pretty Poison

“Sorry, I went ahead and ordered a bunch of foods Annie said you liked. I hope you don’t mind.” His posture stiffens. “They also didn’t have any regular Coke, I hope diet is okay.”

“That’s fine,” I reply, sliding back into my previous place in the booth and taking a sip. “Do you know when she’ll be here?”

He shakes his head, pushing forward a slice of pepperoni pizza. “No, but I’m sure she’ll be here soon.”

The feeling of despair grows in my gut, but a single bite of the greasy pizza pushes it away for a moment.

My phone dings and the screen illuminates, a message from Dario lighting up my screen. I tap on it and hold it to my face to unlock it, pulling up the conversation thread.

Dario: I’m heading out for an hour. I won’t be there when you get back.

Taking another bite of pizza, I wipe my fingers with the napkin and reply:

Me: I’ll be leaving in twenty anyway. I’ll see you when I get home.

My fingers hover over the keyboard, urging me to continue. I type out ‘I love you’, but it’s gone before I can even think of sending it. It’s been two months, and neither of us have said the dreaded three-word phrase. It’s too early to be saying that,right?I mean, it’s not like there’s ever been a situation where either of us has had the urge to announce it to the other, orat least I don’t think so. He doesn’t give me the ‘I love you’ impression.

“Sorry, did you say something?” I ask, lifting my eyes to Vittorio again.

His eyes dart to find mine as he shakes his head. “No.” His answer is quick and makes my eyes squint.

Something about him is off, more so than I thought it was before. He’s on edge; he keeps looking over his shoulder. I thought it was cute at first, as if he was anticipating Anabel’s arrival, but now it’s more frequent. It’s almost like he’s growing agitated with every passing second that she isn’t here.

Suddenly, my entire body starts to slow down, like it’s ready to sleep. It’s mid-day; why am I so fucking tired?

I rise to stand, my mouth open but words don’t come and Vitorrio rushes to me, his hands gripping my arms. It’s not the kind of hold that brings any sort of pain; it’s more like he’s trying to ensure I don’t fall.

“It’s okay,” he whispers. “The discomfort will pass; I promise.”

“Wh-what did you do?” I ask, my eyes drifting over to my half-empty glass.

It all makes sense now: the weird tang it had when I first sipped it, the bitterness as it slid down my throat… It didn’t taste different because he ordered a diet. “Did you d-drug me?” I ask, lowering myself back onto the seat with his help.

“I’m sorry, Liana. I had no choice—” His voice distorts, his words becoming slow until I watch his mouth move through my drowsy eyes, but nothing escapes them. The look in his eyes is sympathetic, but my mind keeps repeating the word ‘bastard’.

I try to blink away the fear that consumes me, but the longer my eyes are closed, the quicker my will to stay awake fades. I’ve never liked the feeling of being helpless, but here I am, completely powerless and vulnerable, and losing consciousness.

I will my hands to move, to grab my phone and call Dario, but they don’t. Nothing works. My limbs are paralysed as fear consumes my mind.

I’m going to die in this fucking place.

Thirty One

DARIO

“What the fuck do you mean she’s not home yet? She told me she’d be home an hour ago.” I can see the panicked expressions from my brothers, and my heart beats erratically in my chest. “Where’s the car?”

Every one of them shares glances of fear, not over the situation, but over my tone of voice and how riled up I am; even Silas looks somewhat on edge.

“I thought you fuckers were smart,” I bark, pushing through the crowd to find my desk. “I made her take the SUV for a fucking reason.”

“GPS,” Ciro blurts out. “Of-fucking-course. I–I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before.”

“Yeah, I don’t know why either,” I bite back, my fingers furiously typing at my keyboard.

Ciro places his hand on my arm and I freeze, glaring at him with warning. “Don’t you dare try to fucking stop me, Ciro. I need to find this damn car.”

He tugs at my wrists to pull me away. “Let me do it, Rio; I’m quicker and more experienced with this kind of shit.”

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