Page 53 of His Beautiful Revenge
“Deep breaths, Zul.” Orlando’s arm was around her shoulders. She leaned into him for comfort. “Try to think it’ll all be okay. Believe it will be.”
“I do believe,” she said quietly.” I believe inher. I believe in Norah.”
Orlando pressed his lips against her temple. “Me too, kiddo. Me too.”
Lucian waited until Norah fell asleep, then picked up his phone. Tara had been calling him all day, but he’d ignored it. He called her back now and as soon as she picked up, she was yelling at him.
“What thefuck,Lucian? Did you kill her or not? Tell me, please, that you dumped her body somewhere and you haven’t been so stupid as to be keepingheralivesomewhere?”
Lucian let her rant for a few minutes, then when she paused for breath, he spoke in a low, angry voice. “Listen to me, you little bitch …who do you think you are? Norah, and what I do with or to her, is none of your concern. I got her away from Conti—isn’t that what you wanted?”
He glanced back at Norah, asleep on the bed. She hadn’t stirred during the call. “I’m going to disappear and take Norah with me.”
“Oh, yes?” Tara laughed nastily, “Really? It’ll be that easy, will it? From what I’ve seen of Norah Reddy, she’s no pushover. Do you think she’ll say,Why, yes, Lucian, seeing as you asked so nicel y…you stupid,stupidman.”
“Fuck you,” Lucian shot back. “You don’t know the history we have between us. We were meant to be together.”
“Oh, please, spare me the Hallmark clichés. She’s in love with Giacomo …do you really want me to list all the ways that you don’t begin to compare to him? Do yourself a favor, Lucian. Put a bullet in your ex-girlfriend and leave the state. You’ll be better off. Where are you, anyway?”
Lucian smiled to himself. “Nowhereyou’llfind us. You think I’m going to tell you, psycho?”
“Fine. I’m sure the police will catch up with you anyway …it’s not like you give Mensa a run for their money, is it?”
Lucian ended the call with a growl.Fucking bitch.He turned and looked around at Norah. There were deep shadows under her eyes, bruises on her cheeks, and cuts and bruises on her lovely mouth. For a second, he felt shame. How could he have done this to her?
He crouched next to her and stroked the hair away from her face. “I’m sorry, beautiful.”
His voice was only a whisper, but she opened her eyes and looked back at him. “Hi,” he said tenderly. “Are you okay?”
Norah said nothing, but gave a small nod of her head before closing her eyes again. Lucian leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.No, Tara, Iwon’tkill her. How can I when everything I have ever wanted is within my grasp?“I love you,” he whispered. He lay down next to her, spooning her body. Slipping his arm around her waist, he stroked her belly through her t-shirt. Norah didn’t react. Lucian closed his eyes and, as he fell asleep, he pretended that they were still like they used to be …in love.
Norah wasn’t okayat all. She wasn’t in the region of being okay. She felt sick and light-headed, and her body ached, not just with fear and sadness, but with something she couldn’t get a grip on. Where Lucian had kicked her, her stomach felt odd, as if something wasn’t right inside of her. She could taste blood constantly and wondered if she was bleeding internally.
All of which meant …she had no time. She had to figure out a way to get away from Lucian, and fast. She had to make him let his guard down. God, the thought at the back of her mind that kept sneaking forward—that she might have to seduce him to make him vulnerable. The thought made her want to vomit, but she told herself,anything to get away, to get back to Giacomo, back to salvation.
She had faked being asleep during the phone call and had listened to everything Lucian had said. She knew the other person had to be Tara. Who else could it be? Tara was the only person in the world she knew had a motive to want her …gone. She still couldn’t believe Tara would go so as to want her dead.Jesus.That had scared her more than Lucian. It was always more of a betrayal when a woman behaved like that, at least for Norah. It upset her to think someone of her own sex could want to kill her.God, how fucked up is that?she asked herself.Like you expect it from a man?
Yes.God, help her, but yes. How many things in life were off-limits to a woman because a man might kill her? Long walks at night. Not taking risks. Dressing how she wanted.
You’re getting off the point, Reddy.But her mind was whirling with all sorts of messed up thoughts. She drew in a long breath and shifted out of Lucian’s grasp. She hated that he had the gall to hold her like a lover, instead of her attacker or her kidnapper. To hold her like Giacomo did—to sully that memory. And, yes, the thought had occurred to her. She would kill Lucian if she could. If it meant being free of him. A plan began to form in her mind and for the rest of the night, she went over and over it …distracting herself from the growing agony in her body and the feeling that her time was running out.
Giacomo was in his office, his security team around him being briefed by the FBI. As much as he wanted to find Norah himself, he had to admit that he didn’t have the expertise needed to comb the city, the state, and the country, if needed.
“There’s no way they’ll get out of the country,” The FBI team leader had told him. “We have notices up at every airport, border, and port. If his passport pings, we’ll have him.”
“What if he has fake documents?”
The FBI agent gave a quick nod. “It’s a possibility, but again, we have feelers out to the known dealers. It would have to be an insanely good forgery and from what we know of Hargity, he doesn’t have the money or the contacts.”
That was a slight comfort. “Someonemusthave seen them. Norah is a tall woman …and Hargity is maybe only one or two inches taller. It wouldn’t be easy for him to move her around if she’s …”
God, he nearly said ‘dead.'Jesus. The FBI agent took pity on him. “Mr. Conti, look. We’re working every angle. We know who took Ms. Reddy—that’s a big thing. We know it’s not a ransom thing.”
“Which is what scares me. If he’s keeping her alive …what’s keeping him from killing her when she doesn’t do what he says?”
The FBI agent couldn’t answer him. “I’ll leave you alone for a moment.”
Giacomo sat and brooded.Whatever you need to do to escape him, Norah, do it. Whatever it takes. I swear, I will never hold it against you.
