Chapter 2 - The Man Everyone Feared Wasn’t Taking Her Hostage—He Was Saving Her
Evelyn had never been kidnapped before.
There were no elegant words for what was happening.
No comforting explanation.
No rational way to convince herself that a man dragging her through a secret corridor beneath a Vermont mansion was doing her a favor.
She screamed.
She kicked.
She tried to pull away.
He never raised his voice.
"Stop fighting me."
"I don’t even know you!"
"You’re safer with me."
"You keep saying that!"
"Because it’s true."
"You kidnapped me!"
He stopped so abruptly that Evelyn almost crashed into him.
The underground corridor was dim, lit by recessed lights that flickered over stone walls.
He turned.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then he slowly released her wrists.
"There."
His voice was calm.
"I’m not restraining you."
Evelyn backed away.
He did not move.
"My name is Alessandro Romano."
She stared.
The name meant nothing to her.
Then she remembered.
Damen’s brother had mentioned it once during a conversation Camille had interrupted.
Romano.
That family.
One of the largest organized crime families on the East Coast.
People whispered about Alessandro Romano.
She had seen the name in articles.
Banking scandals.
Disappeared witnesses.
A shooting outside a nightclub in Manhattan.
A mysterious billionaire who almost never appeared in public.
A man who supposedly controlled half the illegal operations stretching from New York to Boston.
Her stomach dropped.
"You’re him."
Alessandro’s expression did not change.
"Yes."
"You’re the mafia boss."
He almost smiled.
"People call me worse things."
Evelyn’s eyes widened.
"This has to be a joke."
"I wish it were."
Behind him, men hurried through the corridor.
"Luca!"
Alessandro turned.
"Report."
"Two men inside. Three outside. They weren’t targeting Damen."
Alessandro’s expression hardened.
"Who were they targeting?"
Luca looked at Evelyn.
Her blood turned cold.
"You."
Silence.
Evelyn shook her head.
"Why?"
"We don’t know."
"Then take me back."
"No."
"Please."
Alessandro stepped closer.
"Listen carefully."
His tone changed.
"Someone inside that mansion knew you were coming."
Evelyn frowned.
"So?"
"They knew your name."
Her heartbeat accelerated.
"Lots of people know my name."
"They knew your schedule."
She froze.
"They knew what car you took."
Her mouth went dry.
"They knew which room you were given."
Alessandro continued.
"And they knew you would be standing beside the bride."
Evelyn whispered:
"How?"
"We're trying to find out."
She stared at him.
"Camille."
"Camille is alive."
Relief hit her.
"Where?"
"Safe."
"Take me to her."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because the people hunting you are still inside."
Evelyn's eyes filled with tears.
"Why would anyone hunt me? I'm nobody."
Alessandro looked at her for a long moment.
"You’re wrong."
"What?"
"You’re not nobody."
She shook her head.
"I’m an illustrator."
"I know."
"I live in Brooklyn."
"I know."
"I have student loans, a broken washing machine, and exactly eleven dollars in cash."
That almost made him smile.
"Still wrong."
He turned and began walking.
She followed reluctantly.
"Where are we going?"
"My home."
"No."
"Yes."
"Absolutely not."
He stopped.
"You can stay here."
Evelyn looked around.
The underground bunker was filled with armed men.
"Or?"
"Or you can come somewhere no one can touch you."
She swallowed.
"Why do you care?"
Alessandro stared at her.
"I don’t know yet."
The words unsettled her more than anything else.
He had a private helicopter waiting in a hidden hangar behind the estate.
Evelyn stared at it in disbelief.
"This is insane."
"Probably."
"You’re seriously taking me to New York?"
"Not yet."
"Then where?"
"One of my properties."
"Where?"
He did not answer.
On the flight, Evelyn sat opposite him.
She watched the landscape vanish beneath clouds.
He barely spoke.
Luca sat nearby, answering phone calls in Italian.
Evelyn finally asked:
"Did you know Camille before the wedding?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Our families have history."
"Good history?"
"No."
She waited.
He did not elaborate.
"Then why were you there?"
"I came to stop the wedding."
Evelyn stared.
"What?"
"I suspected Damen was planning something."
"With Camille?"
"No."
He looked directly at her.
"With you."
The helicopter landed on a private property in the mountains.
A stone lodge appeared among the trees.
Inside, it was warm and luxurious.
Fireplace.
Bookshelves.
Large windows.
Security systems everywhere.
Alessandro guided Evelyn inside.
A woman named Rosa immediately approached with blankets, food, and tea.
"She needs rest."
Alessandro nodded.
Evelyn stared at him.
"You’re acting like I live here."
"You’ll stay tonight."
"And tomorrow?"
"We'll see."
She looked around.
"I don't want to owe you."
"You don't."
"Everyone wants something."
Alessandro was silent.
Finally he said:
"I want you alive."
That night, Evelyn could not sleep.
She walked downstairs.
Alessandro was standing by the window.
"Still awake?"
"Yes."
"Afraid?"
"Of you."
He nodded.
"Fair."
She stood beside him.
"Tell me the truth."
"What truth?"
"Why me?"
Alessandro stared into the darkness.
"My father had a ledger."
"What kind of ledger?"
"Names. Payments. Deals. People who thought they were untouchable."
"What does that have to do with me?"
He turned toward her.
"Your father was in it."
Evelyn stopped breathing.
"My father died when I was ten."
"I know."
"He was an accountant."
"He was more than that."
"What are you saying?"
Alessandro reached into his pocket and placed a photograph on the table.
Evelyn picked it up.
Her father.
Standing beside a man she recognized.
Damen Moretti's father.
She stared at the picture.
Then she saw another face.
Her mother.
Alive.
But Evelyn's mother had supposedly died twelve years earlier.
"Where did you get this?"
Alessandro's voice softened.
"From the ledger."
Evelyn's hands began to shake.
"That's impossible."
"No."
He placed another photograph beside it.
Her mother.
Older.
Standing outside a hotel.
Very much alive.
Evelyn looked up.
"Where is she?"
Alessandro said nothing.
"Where is my mother?"
"I don't know."
"You’re lying."
"I'm not."
Tears filled her eyes.
"Then why show me?"
"Because I believe someone has spent fifteen years making sure you never learned the truth."
She stared at him.
"Who?"
Alessandro's answer was quiet.
"Damen Moretti."
Evelyn felt the room tilt.
"No."
"He didn’t marry Camille for love."
"Then why?"
"Because Camille was the last person who knew what happened to your mother."
Evelyn covered her mouth.
"And you?"
Alessandro moved closer.
"I have spent two years trying to find the people responsible."
"Why?"
He looked into her eyes.
"Because your father once saved my life."
She blinked.
"And now someone wants to use you to erase what he left behind."
Evelyn wiped her tears.
"What happens now?"
Alessandro's gaze held hers.
"Now we find the truth."
She took a shaky breath.
"And what if the truth is ugly?"
"Then we face it."
He reached toward her hand but stopped before touching it.
May you like
For the first time, Evelyn realized something strange.
The most feared man in the room was the only person who seemed afraid of frightening her.
Related Stories
