Page 54 of Toxic Things I Love About You

EIGHTEEN

emilee

I blinked awake.There was a whirring sound in my ears and several blinks later, I realized it was a plane. I wasn’t sleeping now. I yawned and my ears popped.

“I don’t really need a vacation right now. You know that, right?”

The airplane shuddered at some turbulence. This was not how I saw the meeting going.

“Why are we on an airplane?”

Vinny leered from across the aisle.

“Oh, my sweet innocent little girl, this is no vacation. I’m not stupid. Parks would have been on me within minutes. I planned on it. And I assume whomever that ring is from,” he paused and pulled up an article.

“I believe this is the owner of that ring. Roman Demarco? Really, is that who you planned to marry? He wasn’t just a little lap dog then?”

My mouth tasted like dirty socks and my eyes were trying to focus on anything.

“What was in that drink?”

He pulled his phone back, and I tried to recall what had happened. I got in the limo where some thug took my phone. I’d been an idiot to accept the water. I’d actually checked and thought it was sealed. But waking up here? No one had used a syringe or anything else that I could remember. It had to be the water.

Vinny’s voice was grating as he started to read.

“Mr. Roman Demarco, of Demarco Enterprises, proudly announces his upcoming nuptials to Ms. Emilee Rossi of the North Riverton Rossi’s.”

He stopped and sipped at a tumbler of something. I went to rub my face and found that my hands were handcuffed together.

“This seems a little inappropriate, Uncle. Don’t you think? Kinky, but inappropriate.”

“You are not the well behaved little princess your father always said you were. Need I remind you that I am not blood related, so stop calling me Uncle.” He paused. “I am not an upstanding guy.”

I wiggled in my seat.

“Well, we agree on something at least. And thank you for putting on my seatbelt. Where are we flying to?”

He read a bit more on his phone.

“Well, this is just awkward, isn’t it? Here I was, planning to offer you a better deal, but he just went and announced your engagement. My, my. What will so many of the uppity assholes in your social circle think?”

I squirmed again. My wrists hurt as I rubbed them against the metal.

“Could you please just shut up or at least say something helpful? What is awkward? What are you talking about?”

A flight attendant came out of what must have been a small kitchen area.

“Prepare for landing Mr. Falco. Miss. Rossi.”

I glared.

“I don’t want to prepare for landing. Don’t you think it’s a little odd that I’m handcuffed over here?”

She smiled and walked away. So much for female kinship.

“Wonderful. We’ll be back home in no time. I just needed to do a pickup of some product. I figured this was the best way to get you alone for this conversation. You see, Emilee, your father owed me a company. He stole it from me.”

I yawned again, and my ears popped.

---