Page 90 of Twisted Obsession

‘Yep, come in.’ I looked up as I wrapped my wristwatch around my wrist, as he entered. ‘I want you to take this to Ariti’s boat.’ I held up the ring I had held tightly in my palm with two fingers as I’d fastened the wristwatch.

‘Okay, Boss.’ He held out his hand. I dropped the ring and watched his fingers close over the shiny gold.

‘You need to hurry, and you’re to say you found it close to their boat and assume that someone on there must have dropped it—understood?’

‘Yes.’ He nodded.

‘Take it and go.’

As the door closed behind him, I released the towel from my waist and started to dress. Light grey suit, white shirt and a tie I knew brought out the blue of my eyes. As I fastened the buttons on the shirt, I suddenly understood I was dressing for the occasion of going home, and momentarily my fingers stopped in their task. Turning my head, I looked at myself in the large mirror and took note of exactly what I was witnessing.

I had made my choice, like I always knew I was destined to do. I’d always known that one day I would choose between England and Italy, and this was that moment. By going back to Calabria after all this time, I comprehended that I was choosingwhich of my blood ties meant the most to me. My heart began to pound with the knowledge that I might talk like an Englishman, but my heart resided in the rugged area of my Calabrian birth. The Italian country held my heart, and the woman that owned me body and soul would soon be on her way back there too.

I finished dressing and picked up my bag, before slinging it over my shoulder and creating a text to Marco letting him know where to meet me.

“Meet me for a Moretti.” I sent my text and awaited his response.

It was a message that if intercepted would mean nothing to anyone else. But just as soon as we’d set foot on the island of Malta, Marco and I had come up with an escape route, using a very small, private airport. It would take me twenty minutes to reach the place by car and from there about forty-five minutes until I would once again touch down on the soil of my birth. It didn’t escape my notice that in the time it would take me to get home, my brother would be fighting for his life on an operating table and might well be leaving our home and going back to the arms of his maker.

Fight, Fratello, fight hard.

My phone vibrated in my hand.

“Sure thing,” Marco replied.

Running up the steps to the deck, I looked to the left to find the car that I’d ordered to be brought over, and finding it I moved onto the gangplank, before momentarily stopping. My eyes searched the pier, to find the boat that carried her was now on the move. Looking closer, I ascertained that Elio was jogging his way back. I looked intently at him and just as soon as he was near enough to see, I raised my eyebrows in silent question. As he nodded his head just the once, I knew he’d been able to do my bidding.

So, there I stood, impotent to do anymore at that given time, as Giovanna left Malta. I allowed myself a few minutes more; to stare at the gleaming white boat, knowing I would have to break Maltese speed limits to catch up to where I needed to be, but it was worth it. I watched for a little longer as it moved out of the harbour and headed towards the horizon, safely taking her out of harm’s way.

Chapter Eighteen

Giovanna

Before the sun had even risen, while the moon was still high in the sky, I had walked off Dante’s boat with my head held high, refusing to lose myself to my heartbreak until I was once again alone. I’d walked barefoot along the pier, feeling the cold on my bare feet. Gingerly, I had climbed aboard, and after walking out of my way to the bow, with relief I saw that the guard was still where I’d left him, asleep on the floor. I was sure once the sun had risen and warmed him up, he would wake up and make no mention of the fact he’d fallen asleep on the job. So, I was convinced my secret would remain just that, a secret.

After checking for any movement from the staff, who I knew would soon be starting their day, I made my way to the saloon and after grabbing pen and paper I wrote out a note to my stepfather Peter. With Dante’s threat still ringing in my ears, I wanted to go home and back to Calabria as soon as possible. So, I feigned homesickness, and told him I was missing my fiancé and asked if it wouldn’t be too much trouble for me to be dropped off before he and my mama carried on with their holiday.

Then I managed to get to my stateroom, without any questioning looks or questions being asked of me. Once there,I slipped inside the door, closed it quietly and turned the lock against the world.

With my back against the door, I allowed my emotionally overwrought body to slide down the wood before collapsing in a heap at the bottom. There with no witnesses, and no answers to the loneliness I felt, I allowed myself to succumb to the pain crashing through me.

How did something so beautiful end so distressingly?

Do I really mean so little to him?

Questions went over and over around my head, as my body convulsed, and tears fell from my eyes as I tried hard to purge my body of the anguish I felt in losing him all over again. Curling up into a foetal position, I thought back to when he’d entered me for the first time, and when he’d craved the connection so much between us, he’d entered me again to fall asleep. The completeness I felt at our primeval coupling, I was sure was replicated in him. His face had shown no disgust at not finding me intact, so why had it become a problem afterwards?

It didn’t make sense.

Nor did the way his blue eyes bored into me as I prepared to walk away. Or was I, with my total lack of life experience, reading things completely wrong?

With my breathing becoming more and more jerky, as I asked question after question of myself that I couldn’t answer, I inhaled a breath and held it as I tried hard to calm down. Eventually, I succumbed to my emotions and cried out state, and exactly where I’d collapsed into a heap, I fell asleep.

A phone ringing brought me to, and I peeled open my reluctant, dry eyes and sat up, feeling the discomfort in every bone in my body after falling asleep on the floor. Looking around, I could see the sun had risen and was strong enough to be spreading her long fingers inside my stateroom. It had to be mid-morning at least. Concentrating, I understood by the soundof the engines, we were back out at sea, and it appeared we had left Malta early.

Please let me be going home.

Another sob threatened to leave me as I understood that even though I’d asked for it to happen, Dante and I were once again to be separated by distance as well as this time by anger. Determinedly, I swallowed it down, knowing I couldn’t succumb again to letting the pain take hold. The phone which had rung off a few seconds before began to ring again.

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