Page 32 of Savage Redemption

“Everyone’s been very kind.”

“I should hope so. Even so, never underestimate yourself, Rosie. You’re a fighter, never stop being that.” He gets to his feet. “She’s quiet now.”

“Yes. Thank you.” I reach to take her back.

He hands her to me. “If you want to thank me properly, how would you and Eva feel about performing for us? The great hall has good acoustics, I’m told.”

“You want to hear us play?”

“I do. And I daresay most of the others will, too. How about this evening?”

“Okay. Yes, yes, we’d love to.”

“Brilliant. Shall we say about eight? Once everyone has eaten?”

“Eight o’clock. Right. Great hall.”

“See you later. Oh, and be sure to bring Erin, since she’s so fond of music.” He treats me to his dazzling smile once more, then strolls from the kitchen.

I gaze after him, baffled by my sudden attraction to this fearsome man. He’s handsome, but it’s not really that. And he’s married, very happily as far as I can tell. There was nothing even remotely seductive or flirtatious in our conversation, but somehow, he stirred something in me.

It hits me as I make my way back up to our apartment. Ethan Savage reminds me of Adan. Something in the easy confidence, the relaxed cloak of power, worn so effortlessly. I gaze down intomy daughter’s angelic features. She looks so much like her father it actually hurts.

Whatever my dad might say about the Stockholm Syndrome, I miss him. I miss Adan San Antonio.

Our impromptu concertgoes down well. Ethan offered to have the grand piano moved into the great hall, but Eva preferred to rely on her violin. We delivered a duet of pieces, including a generous helping of Philip Glass, playing to an audience of about thirty.

Ethan had chairs brought from all over the castle and arranged in the hall, and the audience all filed in before eight. There were family members, including the children perched on various laps, as well as most of the guards based on the island. We start with a lively rendition of Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’, followed by a medley of Philip Glass. We conclude with a seriously tricky piece, ‘Nocturne’ by Kaija Saariaho. I was nervous about attempting something so ambitious, but Eva encouraged me, and I remembered Ethan’s odd words to me about being a fighter and not underestimating myself. I decided to give it a go, and the applause when we finished made it all worthwhile.

We brought that bunch of gangsters to their feet. They were cheering, whooping, clapping. It felt amazing, and we bowed again and again to cries for more.

We played a couple more pieces, then the evening descended into a sort of barn dance. The chairs were hastily cleared, and we knocked out several more banging tunes while the Caraksay community showed their appreciation by prancing wildly around the hall. The children joined in, naturally. It was more fun than I’ve had in a long time, certainly since before I was abducted.

I felt valued. I felt that I belonged.

Against all expectations, I’m actually happy here. Who would have thought it?

CHAPTER 10

Adan

“What do you have for me?”

De Podesta shifts from one foot to the other. I make him nervous, a fact that may serve to keep him alive. He’s been on this job for a year now, and after the first gush of useful intelligence, things have pretty much dried up. His role is to keep Savage’s island under surveillance but given the tight security he’s had to do that from a distance. He succeeded in getting the local boatman who operates their ferry onto his payroll. Correction,mypayroll. The expenses have been horrendous, but it has given some insight into the comings and goings. Helicopter flights to and from the island are frequent, several a day to various locations on the mainland. I’ve discovered that Savage operates a second site on the outskirts of Glasgow where most of his men are based with just a select handful of his inner circle resident on Caraksay with him.

There have been no sightings of Rosie, but Nathan Darke and his other daughter, Rosie’s younger sister, have made the crossing a couple of times, on one occasion bringing a large crate with them. There’s a clear connection there, and the presenceof the younger girl convinces me it isn’t just business. I strongly suspect that Rosie, Erin, and probably Darke’s wife are holed up on Caraksay, safely out of my reach. Or so they think.

I’m not relying solely on de Podesta for intelligence. I suspect he’s spinning the job out to milk more cash out of me, so I’ll be terminating his contract pretty soon. In the meantime, I’ve not been idle.

My first priority has been to pay Kaminski what he thinks he’s owed. A few hundred thousand euros every month, and now, a year later, he’s had the five million we agreed. Well, I agreed. It’s yet to be seen if he’ll back off now.

I’m not entirely convinced that he would make a move against my family even if I defaulted, but I’m taking no risks. I won’t be antagonising him or his underboss, at least not before I’m certain I’m in a position to protect Rosie and Erin.

Bartosz was the one issuing the threats, but I know he’s not a violent man by nature. If he was, my captivity would have been even more unpleasant than it was. My accommodations were frugal, but I was well-fed, given medical care, and generally not ill-treated. I find it hard to visualise him harming an innocent woman or a small child, but you never know. If business requires it…

The threat was his way of ensuring I complied with the terms of our deal. I have. They had their money. It was crude, something of a blunt instrument, but it served its purpose. Now, the debt paid, I need to establish my freedom once and for all.

I eye de Podesta with dwindling patience. “Well?”

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