Page 64 of Stolen By the Enemy

“They have been notified that you might come back. They are not my bosses, so they have no say. But I appreciate your concern.”

His sarcasm is heavy, and he’s clearly annoyed with what I have insinuated.

“Okay, but Carlos I don’t think I’m ready to come back. I feel like it’s my time to go out on my own.”

My feet are itchy to keep running, so I try to hurry him off the phone. I know that having my cousin back on my better side could help me in the long run, but there is no way I will go back to the way things were.

“All right, Marco. Just be careful and don’t let this girl be your downfall.”

I put the phone down and laugh, slipping it back into my pocket before falling into an easy jog again.

The call with Carlos should have pissed me off, but instead, I find it funny today. He wants me to go back to working on his jobs, thinking he knows more about this family than I do, and believing that I am not in control when it comes to Grazia.

It’s all good. The more he underestimates me, the more I can shock the fuck out of him when I meet my goals.

Now my mind is racing even faster. Carlos’ words are fueling my brainstorming. I go over exactly what it would take, and how long the job might take.

I can still get up and running in time to steal away a large portion of Luca’s clientele. And Carlos will lose out as well.

I run a bit further, not wanting to stop while I’m in a productive thought pattern. Grazia is at the back of my mind, but I think that as long as I keep her away from any of the action, she shouldn’t be a danger to herself or to the plan.

She might not like being locked away in the beach house, in fact I know that she hates it, but for now, it’s the safest place for her to be.

Chapter Twenty

Grazia

Marco is gone when I wake up, but there’s a note on the kitchen counter saying he’s gone for a run.

Looking out of the window, I wish I could join him for the run. Not that I’ve ever been very athletic, but I do miss being outside.

I get up and take my coffee into the living room. I notice that Marco has been a lot more open and honest with me.

Before he never would have bothered to leave me a note about where he was. Although, Luca squashing the deal last night probably makes me useless to him now.

Still, I thought he might want to keep an even tighter leash on me to try and find a new angle to use against my brothers.

Being back at the beach house feels pretty normal now. I know that last night it was the last place I wanted to be, but Marco staying with me helped.

Plus, there is still a quiet energy to the place, which seems to be helping me think a lot more clearly than last night.

Drinking my coffee, I take out my sketchbook and pencils and instead of drawing, I start a letter to my brothers.

We’ve always been close, but as an adult, it’s been harder to toe the line between them protecting me and making my own choices.

I know they’re angry, but I need them to know what has been going on while I’ve been in Mexico.

Dear Luca and Enzo,

I’m writing this from Mexico – which you know because you decided that the best thing to do would be to leave me here. I’m stuck here without any way to get home and the possibility of being killed.

As your sister, I understand your anger right now, but I don’t understand you leaving me here without hearing my side of the story. I’m not asking you to accept what I did, but it would be nice for you to hear me out before you make rash decisions and judge me.

I want you to think about how things have been for me since the wedding. I was taken from my home, away from the people I love, and brought to a strange country by a dangerous man.

And yes, Marco has his good side, and there have been softer moments with him, but most of what I did, was done in order to survive.

I won’t deny that things with Marco got a little out of control. I was scared, bored, and confused, and I allowed my feelings to cloud my judgment. I don’t often act on impulse, but this situation was so far from what I am used to.

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