Page 14 of Locked Out

His shoulders tensed as he gripped her arms. He wanted to put his fist through the wall. Better yet, he wanted to take Riss to bed and not let her out again. Ever. Because those words made her an enemy. It was his job to find that bible and kill anyone who got in his way. He was damn good at his job and this could be no different.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Her chest heaved with every breath. Being crushed between the wall and Cash was as terrifying as it was exhilarating until about two seconds ago. Now it was just terrifying. Something in his gaze changed. Before he’d been annoying as hell, but he’d been playful. She’d trusted him to take care of her. The objections about the note had been more perfunctory than anything else. She wanted him to look at it because the thought of looking herself had made her feel slightly ill. Now…in the blink of an eye, he’d changed, his expression seemed carved from ice.

“What?” she finally said. “What is it?”

“Riss,” Cash said, and she could feel the vibration of his voice on her chest, “you need to get on the next plane back to New York. There is nothing for you in Venice. Go home.”

“But Alicia was here. She was looking for my family’s bible?—”

“And she wound up dead.” He gripped her chin with his fingers and made her meet his gaze. “You will end up the same way if you pursue it.”

She licked her lips. “How do you know? What aren’t you telling me? What’s in the bible that makes it so dangerous?”

He glared at her as the pulse along his jaw jumped. “I can’t answer your questions. You just need to leave town.”

Her heart hammered as if she’d just run a race. This whole thing was weird and stupid. One minute he seemed chill and ready to defend her. The next he seemed ready to kill her himself. The switch was giving her whiplash. “Look, I don’t know anything about my family, my birth family. Nothing. All I want to do is find out something anything about them. I’ve always felt like I’m on the outside looking in… like I’m locked out of the chance to know who I am. This is my chance to be on the inside. A chance to know exactly where I came from. It’s more important to me than anything else in the world. I need this, Cash. I need it.”

His fingers tightened on her chin.

She tried again. “You knew Alicia. Tell me about her. Show me her stuff. I just need…something, anything.” She had wrapped her hands in the front of his sweater. She hated that she was begging. Hated it. But what choice did she have?

“You need?—”

“Come with me. Come with me to Umberti’s. You can protect me. You can keep me safe. I can find out about Alicia and you can keep me safe. Then I will leave town.” Eventually, she added silently. Now that she knew there was a family bible, she wanted it. Wanted it like nothing she’s ever wanted before.

“Fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “I’ll show you Alicia’s stuff and go with you to Umberti’s shop, but Riss, you’re leaving town after that, one way or another.”

A shiver swept across her skin, but she ignored the threat and gave him a simple nod.

He stepped back and she let go. “Get dressed,” he demanded.

She quickly grabbed her clothing off the bed and went into the bathroom, closed the door behind her and promptly leaned on it, trying to catch her breath. This was a bad idea. Cash was right. What would seeing any of Alicia’s things do for her? And talking to Allesio Umberti? That man scared her on a fundamental level. Still, if she didn’t do it now, she may never have the opportunity again and she really wanted to know about her family.

She quickly pulled on her jeans and donned a deep purple sweater. Friends had told her it was her color, that it really made her eyes pop, so it always ended up in her suitcase for trips. She brushed out her hair and put it up in a bun. Then she added a touch of makeup, hoping it would mask the fear she was feeling. Also, it couldn’t hurt to look her best. Maybe Cash would go back to laughing at her rather than looking at her like he wanted to take her off the face of the earth.

Fifteen minutes after she went into the bathroom, she walked out again to find Cash sitting in a chair by the table in the corner, staring at his cell phone.

“You ready?” he asked without even looking up from his screen.

“Almost,” she said as she pulled on her sneakers and swung her bag over her head, so it hung across her body. Then she pulled on the puffy jacket that hadn’t been slashed. “Ready.” He stood and walked towards the door. She was sure he hadn’t even glanced at her. So much for looking her best.

They left the hotel and spent the next half hour walking in circles, at least that’s what it felt like to Riss. She had no clue where they were or how to get back to her hotel. GPS was spotty in Venice she’d already discovered, so it wasn’t like she could find her way. Maybe that was the point. Now she was totally at Cash’s mercy. Perhaps that was what he wanted.

He took them down a narrow alley. He stopped in front of a black door that stood out from the brick. Digging a key out of his pocket, he unlocked the door and ushered her inside. She stopped dead just inside the door causing Cash to walk into her. She stumbled but he wrapped his arms around her and caught her to him, her back pressed firmly to his chest.

“I…sorry…just…wow.” She stopped speaking as she took in her surroundings. The alley had been dim because the buildings prevented the sun from reaching it but here, this courtyard was bathed in sunlight. It was one of the most beautiful gardens she’d ever seen. It was early spring, so not much was in bloom, but everything was green. In a few months, she was certain the flower beds would be overflowing with a riot of color. It was surrounded by high brick walls on all sides which made it all the cozier.

“It…It was just so unexpected. I didn’t think there would be a garden like this.” The sound of trickling water drew her attention and she discovered a fountain in the far corner of the garden. Flower beds ran along the high brick walls as well as in the middle between the stone paths. There were marble benches scattered around the space and a small koi pond in the middle was surrounded by stone and a bit of grass. On the far wall was what looked like a dog door. That touch made the garden homier.

“If you’re done gawking, we can get on with this.” Cash let her go so abruptly, she stumbled. He stalked off down the path to the right and she had to hustle to keep up. He stopped in front of another door, this one was more like someone’s front door. Except for the high-tech looking control panel to the right of the portal. Cash put his hand on a screen and his eye up to a discreet cone-like device on the wall. A sharp clicking sounded and he stepped through then held the door for her, not taking any more chances that she would trip him up again, she assumed.

The room they’d entered was like a mud room and then they went into a hallway but made an immediate right into an office. “Sit,” he ordered brusquely, pointing to a leather chair on the visitor’s side of the desk. “I’ll be back in a minute. Do not leave this room.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “As a matter of fact, don’t move from that chair.” With that, he turned and disappeared out the door.

She was tempted to get up just to spite him but instead, she stayed seated. The room was average-sized with an ornate wooden desk with three leather chairs. One for the office owner and two for visitors. A painting of Venice hung on the cream-colored wall behind the desk but something about the swirling colors made it seem like it had been painted long ago.

Bookshelves on the far wall behind her were filled to the brim. She tried to discern titles, but the vast majority seemed to be in Italian and they were all leather and cloth-bound. Again, they seemed antique.

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