Page 4 of Velvet Chains

After he left, I went back to the guest room and unlocked the door, taking a moment to prepare myself for the interrogation ahead.

When I entered the room, she was pacing nervously. She was moving so fast that it was almost dizzying. She also didn’t notice that I had entered the room until I stood in front of her. She stopped immediately, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and determination. I stood on the tips of my toes like a cheetah about to pounce. I didn’t know what to expect from her.

“What is your name?” I asked.

She looked confused and then shocked.

“I said what is your name, do you not speak English?”

“Isabelle,” she said. She looked both confused and shocked that she had spoken..

“Sit, Isabelle,” I commanded, pointing to a chair by the window.

She looked like she had something to say, but she moved quietly to the chair, albeit reluctantly.

“Why are you in Palermo?” I asked, standing directly in front of her. I made sure to sound as serious as possible, so that she knew I wasn’t playing.

Isabelle took a deep breath then started talking. She was talking about a lot of things but at the same time she wasn’t saying much. I realized that she had started rambling out of nervousness. I let her speak, perhaps I could find something useful if I listened well.

"I'm here for my best friend's wedding. I didn't even want to come, but she insisted. My ex-boyfriend is the groom, and it's just… it's a nightmare, honestly. I thought your suitcase was mine. It was an honest mistake!"

I raised an eyebrow, watching her speak. For someone who seemed so quiet, she certainly talked a lot. It was a bit comical, the speed at which she was talking. If not for the seriousness of the situation, I might have laughed.

“You really expect me to believe everything you just said?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest.

“Yes!” She answered immediately. I just continued to stare at her, really studying her. I searched her eyes and saw that there was nothing but earnestness there. In my line of business, you had to be very good at reading people, and I was not sensing a single bit of deceit from her.

“Do you understand what you saw in that suitcase?”

I was leaning down now, making sure that my eyes were on the same level as hers.

She nodded, swallowing hard, so hard that I could see the lump go down her throat.

“Ye-yes, I’m not stupid,” she was stuttering now, just like that, her confidence has evaporated, “I know what it is, I also know that it’s illegal.” She paused, searching my eyes. She was trying to figure out if she had said something wrong.

“Oh really?” I asked, raising a brow, “do you understand what happens to people who get involved in things like this?”

She froze. Leaning back a little, I could tell that I had scared her. Good. I maintained my stance, making sure not to look away from her eyes. I saw see fear in them for a second, then it faded away, she now looked defiant.

“You can’t kill me,” she said, her voice firm at first, then trembling. “I'm supposed to be at the wedding. If I don't show up, people will notice. Authorities will be alerted. I'm the maid of honor. It's the wedding of the year."

I leaned back, looking at her, trying to figure out if she was lying. She never once looked away from my gaze. She was telling the truth.

If she was right, then I really couldn’t get rid of her. I couldn’t afford to draw attention from the American police right now. It could jeopardize my position in the election for the Cupola, I needed to be careful.

“Fine,” I said, with a long sigh. I was going to play along, for now, “if your story checks out, you can go to the wedding.”

I rolled my eyes when she mumbled a weak “Thank you.” She must’ve thought she’d be free to go.

She didn’t know I had a condition.

“But, I’m coming with you. And I won’t let you leave my sight, not even for a second.”

CHAPTER THREE

ISABELLE

Idid not sleep well.

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