Page 34 of Under Her Skin
“Shut your filthy mouth, whore!” The sudden change from an almost whisper to a roar of anger silenced Hero. She was trembling. She checked the caller ID. Blocked. Ofcourse.
“Look, I don’t know why you’ve decided to fixate on me. I don’t know many people here, and I don’t think I’ve done anything to you, whoever you are. You should know, I haveprotection.”
“Oh, I know. It won’t be enough to stop me. I’m going to gut you slowly, beautiful one; it’ll be much, much more drawn out than when I killed Flavia. You will beg me to kill you because the pain will be unbearable, but I’m going to watch you bleed out, and I’ll enjoy everymoment.”
Hero gritted her teeth. “Then come at me, bro. Who’s to say I won’t kill youfirst?”
She ended the call and almost threw the phone across the room, but she stopped herself.No. Calm down. It’s what hewants.
Instead, she checked her watch. Arturo would be with her in a few moments. She sucked in a breath and grabbed herthings.
Fliss was waiting in the living room with two glasses of sparkling wine. “Just to celebrate our brief time asroommates.”
Hero hugged her. “You are a true friend, Fliss. I’ll get the movers to pick the rest of my stuff up as soon as I can get itorganized.”
“No problem. Just don’t forgetme.”
“Never gonna’happen.”
He grinnedto himself as he heard the phone line go dead. That should ruin her evening with the bastard. God, he couldn’t wait to carve her up, but this…the anticipation was just as sweet. After all, he couldn’t kill her twice, although because she looked so much like Flavia, it was kind of like reliving that gloriousnight.
It had been a pity Flavia had died so quickly. Because of the party going on just yards away, he’d had to stab her quickly and brutally before she could scream or anyone else came close. Hero Donati would suffer much more. He would slide the knife into her and leave it buried inside her as she bled slowly to death. Then as she was close to death, he would go to town, stab her quickly many, many times over.Butcherher. And then he would allow Arturo to find her body and know that he had lost.Again.
If Flavia’s death had almost made him insane, Hero’s murder would destroy himentirely.
He couldn’twait.
Chapter Eighteen
Hero told Arturo about the call. “I don’t want it to spoil our evening, but we agreed. No moresecrets.”
Arturo was angry. “Figlia di puttana!”He pulled her into his arms. “You’re safe, you know? I won’t let him hurt you again, Hero. I swearit.”
“I do know.” Hero kissed him. “But, Arturo, I think we need to up the ante on finding this asshole. We can’t bepassive.”
“Agreed. Look, let’s go to my place and make a plan. We’ll call in every detective we can, go to the polizia—not that I think they will be muchhelp.”
“Well, we’ll try everything. It’s not like either of us can’t afford good security, but I don’t want to live looking over my shoulder. Fuckthat.”
Arturo smiled at her. “I love your dirtymouth.”
“It’ll be wrapped around your cock soon, if you keep talking likethat.”
“I’ll make you keep that promise,bella.”
She kissed him until they had to break for air. “Let’s go home, baby, and fuck ourselves silly. There’s time enough to be super-copstomorrow.”
Arturo groaned as he slid into the driver’s seat of the car. “What you do to me, HeroDonati…”
She grinned at him. “Drive fast,Bachi.”
“Okay.”Hero set down her laptop on the table in front of Arturo the next morning. “My best chance for help is via the US Consulate. If we can get the Como police to provide us with their reports of my attack and the time I went to them with the notes, then we’re good togo.”
Arturo nodded. “Good. What will the Consulatedo?”
“Well, we’ll still have to investigate for ourselves; they won’t do that. But they have more pull in getting information that we may not have access to. So, here’s what I think. The nearest consulate is in Milan. We go, tell them our story, and ask what resources they have to help us. Then we let the local polizia know that the US State Department knows about the case. That might make them take it a little moreseriously.”
“I agree. For my part, I’ve been thinking we need to go see my uncle. First, because he’s a sick man, and I would like him to meet you before…well, you know. He’s also a little odd… but he’s really good at not letting emotion cloud his judgment. A little too good, maybe. If he can see the details of this in his dispassionate way, he might see something wecan’t.”
