Page 48 of Alessia
“Not tonight,’ she whispers, her voice barely audible over the clatter of Carmen clearing the dishes in the kitchen. “I just… I can’t.”
She turns before I can argue, disappearing down the dimly lit hallway. I hear the soft click of a door shutting, and it feels like a wall slamming down between us.
I glance at my phone. Still nothing from Luca.
Carmen moves around the kitchen, her movements quiet, but I know she’s watching me. I know she wants to say something.
“You should sleep too,” she says eventually, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Waiting won’t bring answers any faster.”
I shake my head. “I can’t. Not yet.”
She hesitates, then nods, and finish up her work before leaving my apartment.
Now, it’s just me and the suffocating silence of my thoughts.
I push away from the table, pacing toward the window. The ocean outside feels too still, too quiet, as if it knows something is coming. As if he is coming.
Gianni always did love theatrics.
I take out my phone and text Elio.
Any updates?
Not yet, Luca is cross checking all the
places Harper has been with CCTV and
facial recognition software. But no luck yet.
And do we have a lead
on the delivery guy?
Yes, he was easy to find. Alex
is going over there to pick him
up and bring him to one of the
safe houses.
Good. I trust that you’ve
got this handled.
Yes boss, I’ll let you know if
we get any updates. Stay with
Harper, she needs you now
more than ever.
I pocket my phone and walk into the hallway to check up on Harper. When I open my bedroom door, I see she’s already sound asleep in my bed.
Our gowns are hanging on the wall next to the bathroom archway. Suddenly it doesn’t feel right at all to get coronated tomorrow. I take my clothes off and lie down next to Harper, I put my arm around her and pull her in close to me. Although she’s sound asleep she snuggles into me, seeking warmth and comfort.
As if my way of life could ever give her that. My world is cold, and yes, she bring warmth to it but at what cost? I fall into a restless sleep where Harper’s light is nowhere to be found.
