Page 20 of Dark Masquerade
Elli gave a half-smile. “I’m a big girl now, Aldo. I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Sorry,” he smiled ruefully, “I’m overprotective, I know.Scuzi.”
“You’re forgiven.”
They chatted for a little longer, until Elli felt herself wilting and said goodbye. Aldo blew her a kiss, clearly seeing that their evening rendezvous was a no-go tonight.
“I love you, Elli. Sleep tight.”
“Goodnight, Aldo. I miss you.”
After she’d shut her laptop, she lay back. She felt guilty about not telling Aldo she loved him when it had been her mind lately that shemightbe falling for him. Certainly she was very, very fond of the man, and she loved the sex—exciting and a little dangerous. Aldo being a billionaire didn’t faze her—she had never been the gold-digging type. It was his money, not hers.
Elli closed her eyes and was asleep in minutes. She wasn’t sure how long she slept before he nightmares came back, bloody and violent, and she woke, crying. Tandy inevitably was woken by Elli’s panic attack and sat beside her friend as she gradually calmed down.
“It’s still Indio, isn’t it?” Tandy eventually said.
Elli sighed. “Less so. I think …I think I just need closure, you know? I have no idea where he is—even Googling him brings up his company, but nothing, and I meannothing, about him personally. It’s as if he’s wiped himself off the face of the earth. Even gossip sites have nothing on him, and seeing he was married to that model, I’m surprised.”
Tandy sighed. “Look, I wasn’t going to tell you this …but I saw him. Now, because I never met him, I could have been wrong, but I don’t think so. You can’t replicate his kind of beauty. In Seattle. He was having dinner with a couple. This was about six months ago. He looked tired, worn down, and they were having a pretty intense conversation by the looks of things, as if he were upset and they were trying to help him.”
Elli’s heart was thumping with a sad heaviness. “He looked tired?”
Tandy nodded. “I didn’t feel as if I could go over, so I thought it would be best if I didn’t tell you. But he is out in the world, safe, if not happy. Does that help?”
Elli considered. “I don’t know.” She hesitated. “I keep thinking I see him, just a brief glimpse and then he’s gone. Sometimes I think I’m going crazy. If it hadn’t been for Aldo, I might have.”
Tandy smiled. “You like Aldo, don’t you?”
Elli smiled. “He says he loves me, but I haven’t been able to say it back yet.”
“Where is he at the moment?”
“Four Seasons in New York. He’ll be back on Friday.”
“Huh.” Tandy was frowning.
“What?”
Tandy shook her head. “No, just something struck me. He’s a solid-gold billionaire, right?”
Elli half smiled, half frowned at her friend. “So?”
“Well, it’s just, if I had his money, I would be staying in the penthouse suite. From what I saw, that wasn’t the penthouse of The Four Seasons.”
Elli shrugged. “Maybe it was already booked. It was a last-minute trip.”
“Yeah, maybe. Anyway, I’m getting off the topic. You’ve probably heard this a million times from Viv, Elli, but …”
“Indio is history. Concentrate on the sexy man in your life now.Yeah, and I know you’re both right. Iamtrying.”
Tandy scooched down in the bed and tucked her arm around Elli. “Good. Now let’s get some sleep, or you’ll look like shit in the morning.”
“So will you, bitch,” Elli laughed.
“Not possible. Go to sleep.”
When her friend left for India on Thursday morning, Elli hugged her tightly. “Please come back soon. I miss you too much.”
