Being born and raised in the West, with all the modern conveniences of the United States, it’s hard to believe that this situation is even possible. But at the same time, sequestered behind Chessarae’s stone walls, it’s just as easy to pretend that I live in that ancient time, back when knights still protected Malta and there was no polizia to turn to.
“Eva.”
Luca’s voice brings me back to the present and I turn, facing him and his brother. They stare at me with identical dark eyes.
“You can’t leave the house alone,” Luca continues. “You’ll have to walk with a guard, or with Damien or me. Until Adrian is dealt with, none of us can ever be alone.”
I nod.
Luca watches me. “If you choose to stay with me, I’m afraid you’ll have to put your plans to open a practice in town on hold for now,” he says hesitantly. “I don’t like it, but it won’t be safe for you to travel to and fro right now.”
I nod instantly. “There is no if I stay with you,” I tell him firmly. “I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”
I see the brief flash of satisfaction on his face before he hides it.
“Very well,” he says finally. “We’ve got a plan.”
We do. We have a plan to stay and hold our ground, to try and draw Adrian out, to take back our lives. A plan that will hopefully save us all.
But as I’m escorted to our bedroom so that I can take a shower, the reality of it hits me…the reality that I’m now confined to these grounds and can never have a moment alone.
Chessarae might be our home, but it’s also our prison.
********
Chessarae might be a prison, but it’s a beautiful one. I have to give it that.
I stare out from my tiny table on the balcony of my bedroom, out at the tossing sea to where the horizon just grazes the water. From further in the house, the haunting melody of the piano drifts down the halls and envelops me, calming me.
I close my eyes, letting the music surround me. With my eyes closed, I can pretend that everything is well, that my life is normal.
Just for a moment.
“You look beautiful.”
Luca’s voice surprises me and I snap my eyes open to find him entering our rooms.
“I thought it was you playing the piano,” I say uncertainly because the piano is still playing while Luca is standing here, running his hands over my arms and up to my shoulders, rubbing my tense muscles.
“It’s Damien,” he answers. “All three of us play. Mother insisted on it.”
I nod. Of course. Why hadn’t I thought of that?
“I just spoke with Christoph,” he continues. “He’s joining us here as well. I wish that neither of them would come, but they’re both stubborn.”
“It must run in your family,” I point out with a small smile. Luca glances at me, then grins.
“Perhaps,” he acknowledges. “But you’d know something about being stubborn, wouldn’t you?”
I shrug. Perhaps I do, but I’m not committing to it.
“Do you really think that we can beat him at his own game?” I ask quietly. “Without involving the polizia?”
Luca stares out at the water, away from me.
“I would rather just call the polizia,” he admits. “I don’t care if I’m punished for my part in Adrian’s crimes. I just want to make sure you’re safe. But Damien is adamant that we keep our name clean, that there’s a way to bring Adrian down without implicating me. The selfish man in me wants that…. I want to believe that I can have you all to myself forever. That there’s still a way.”
I reach up and grasp his neck, pulling him down to me, breathing in the spicy scent of his aftershave.
“There is a way,” I tell him firmly. “And we’ll find it. Adrian is just a man, Luca. There will be three of you here, as well as me. He can’t outsmart us all.”
Luca doesn’t speak, he simply pulls me to my feet and lowers his lips to mine. His are soft, yet firm, crushing mine, taking my breath, causing my heart to race.
My hands flutter up to grip him, to pull him to me.
Everything about him causes my head to spin…his scent, his strength, his piercing dark eyes, his touch.
He picks me up and carries me to the bed, laying me down gently and covering my body with his own.
“Do you love me?” he asks huskily against my neck. He pulls away and looks into my eyes. His own are such deep and bottomless wells of darkness. I feel I might tumble into them and drown.
“Yes,” I tell him simply. “With everything that I am. You know that.”
“Then all of this is worth it,” he decides simply, pulling my back into an arch and kissing the curve of my neck, worshipping my skin with his mouth. “All of it.”
He makes love to me several times, one after the other, time after time, as though he can’t get enough. As though he can’t breathe enough of me in, or taste enough of my mouth.
“You’re everything, Eva,” he murmurs to me before he finally sleeps, his body tangled with mine. “You’re worth anything.”
I sleep with a calm sense of well-being, filled with the love I have for this tortured and beautiful man.
I have to believe that everything really will work out for us. It’s the only acceptable scenario. Luca doesn’t deserve anything less, and neither do I.
Chapter Six
The small schooner bounces atop the waves, and with each harsh landing, my teeth jar. I look to Luca, who is seated with Oliver and Damien, examining the shore. He’s unfazed by the rough sea, the waves don’t bother him. He was born here and practically lived on the water. The roughness causes my stomach to roll, however, and I swallow hard to suppress it.
“Look there,” Oliver points, his thick finger gesturing towards an inlet, his face shiny from the sun. We’re a mile or so away from Chessarae now, examining ways that Adrian could penetrate Chessarae’s borders. “There’s a possible weakness. He could shore a boat there, and that inlet is hidden from our perimeter above. Guards wouldn’t see him until he climbed over the cliffs. We can’t monitor this area with cameras here.”
Damien nods. “We’ll need a guard patrolling this shore by boat, then. If we did it that way, the entire shore would be secure.”
Luca agrees. “I think that’s best,” he tells Oliver. “Hire one more man.”
Oliver shakes his head as he takes notes in a small tablet. He’s old school and hard-headed, firm in his convictions and steadfast in his own abilities. I can see on his face that he believes we’re over reacting.
“With all due respect, this is one man we’re talking about,” Oliver tells Luca. “One. I’ve already got a staff of ten. They patrol the estate like a grid, making sure that no area is left unturned.”
“Yet this area is vulnerable,” Luca points out. “You said so yourself.”
“I only meant that we could move one of my existing men to this area. We don’t really need to hire more. You want to keep your situation quiet, but the more men we hire, the more vulnerable you are to an information leak. You know how the people in town love to hear about the Minaldis.”
“That’s a good point,” I agree. “He’s right.”
Damien shrugs. “Maybe so. But we don’t particularly care what the townspeople gossip about. We want another man, Oliver. Just explain to them that we’ve recently increased security. We don’t have to explain why.”
Oliver doesn’t agree, but he nods anyway, making a note on his pad.
“Very well,” he mutters.
I tune out their conversation and turn my attention to the cliffs in front of me. Rugged and beautiful, they rise out of the sea, jagged stone that stretches toward the clouds.
The water pummels the rocks at the base, then slides back out over the sandy beach. Ebb and flow, to and fro. There isn’t a trail leading up to the estate for a mile, and I don’t see how anyone could climb the cliffs. I mention as much to Luca.
He glances down the beach, then pats my leg.
/> “Don’t fret about it, Eva. While Adrian could climb the rocks if he wished, we’ll get this area guarded.”
“I’m not worried about it,” I grumble. “And I’m not a child, Luca. You don’t need to protect me from reality. I was just curious about how someone could climb these rocks.”
Damien chuckles, looking at Luca, then back to me. “This one gives you a run for your money, brother. I like it.”
Luca rolls his eyes. “This one would give anyone a run for their money.”
They chuckle together, then Damien turns to me. “It would be easy for anyone skilled in rock-climbing to climb these cliffs. All they would need is the proper equipment and they could scale the rocks, then emerge onto our property. As you know, there is no fence on this side of the estate.”
“Let me guess. Adrian is skilled at rock-climbing,” I venture. Luca and Damien nod in unison.
“Adrian always liked extreme sports,” Luca tells me. “Rock-climbing, sky-diving, hiking mountain trails, river rafting. He did all of it when we were younger.”
“Of course he did,” I answer wryly.
It takes me a minute, but I think of something else.
“If he can easily scale this cliff, then he could easily climb over the fence at any point around the estate. It is only ten feet tall.”
Luca and Damien glance at each other. Oliver is the one who answers me.
“That is true, miss. But I have ten guards patrolling the property, and keeping a constant eye on the fence-line. No one will get over that fence.”
“But someone did already,” I remind him. “And left a nice bloody gift in the mausoleum for us.”
Oliver looks away. “That won’t happen again. I’ve increased my staff from five to ten. And I’ll add another guard on the shore. You’ll be safe, m’am. I promise.”
“All of these promises are making me hungry,” I announce to the men. “Can we call it a day and get some lunch?”
My announcement seems to lighten the mood, and Damien turns the boat back toward land, toward Chessarae’s dock.
We have a light lunch on the veranda, with only Alessa serving us.
“Will that be all, miss?” she asks me as I finally push away my salad plate. I nod.
“Yes, that will be fine. I’m exhausted today. I think I’ll take a nap.”
Luca presses a kiss to my cheek. “I’ll walk you to our rooms,” he tells me. “I’m going for a jog, so I need to change.”
Damien bids us a good afternoon, then turns to Alessa. “Sit,” he tells her, pushing out the seat next to him. “I’m in the mood for conversation, and my brother doesn’t seem to be in the mood to humor me.”
Alessa flushes, but sits and as Luca and I walk away, I have to laugh.
“Even now, in the midst of all this turmoil, Damien is flirting with the maid,” I tell him. Luca shakes his head.
“Damien has a woman in every country, I think,” he replies. “He travels a lot, by choice. He could conduct a great deal of our business from headquarters, but he likes new places. And new women.”
I glance over my shoulder, and see that Alessa appears relaxed now, as she twirls a piece of her hair and laughs at something Damien said. He’s engaged, relaxed, and appears at ease for the first time since he’s been here.
I’m glad. Chessarae shouldn’t be filled with only anxiety and fear. It’s refreshing to see laughter and flirtation within these walls.
Luca changes into jogging clothes, and after getting me settled into our large bed, he ducks back out of the room. From our bed, I can see him through the open balcony doors as he strides away from the house, then starts to jog toward the beach. Several paces behind him, two security guards follow, guarding his every move.
I find their presence both reassuring and intrusive. I hate that they’re necessary, but I’m glad that someone is watching Luca’s back when I cannot. With a sigh, I close my eyes and take a much needed nap.
When I sleep, and only when I sleep, the anxiety fades away.
Chapter Seven
Luca
Days seem long now.
This is something I ponder over dinner, as I look down the length of the table at Eva and Damien, as we all push our food around on our plates.
Eventually, I shove away from the table. “I’m restless,” I tell them. “I’m going to the atrium.”
“I’ll come too,” Eva tells me, immediately rising to follow. Damien glances in the direction that Alessa had just disappeared into, toward the kitchens.
“I think I’ll stay a while,” he replies with a small smile. I roll my eyes.
“Men,” Eva mutters beneath her breath. Damien hears her and grins.
I take Eva’s arm and together, we stroll the halls. I watch Eva gazing about, watching the dark corners, skirting the edges of the hall, and finally, when we reach the atrium, I set her down on a lounge and face her.
“Eva, I know this is stressful, but everything will be fine. Please don’t worry. We’re doing everything we can to protect you. I know you’re not sleeping. I know you worry. You’re not eating. You’re going to make yourself sick.”
She nods. “I know. It’s just hard not to think about…everything.”
“I know,” I tell her softly. “But we’ll be fine. I feel as though perhaps I’ve added to your burden by trying to keep things from you. I’ve felt all along that if I don’t discuss it with you, it will shield you from the stress, but maybe it’s had the exact opposite effect.”
Eva looks up at me, her eyes wide. “What have you hidden from me?” she asks curiously. “I thought you’d told me everything.”
“I’ve told you almost everything,” I reassure her. “But there are a few things I left out. One thing in particular is the reason we are so diligent about the guards that patrol the grounds. We need increased security because there’s more to Chessarae than meets the eye.”
Eva pulls away from me now, her eyes still wide.
“Meaning?”
“Come with me and I’ll show you,” I answer. “You’ll just have to see it to understand.”
I lead her to a panel in the atrium wall and pull a small lever that is hidden by books. As the panel pops away from the wall and slides heavily to the side, Eva breathes in sharply.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she exclaims as she pokes her head into the tunnel and looks around. “Seriously?”
I flip a switch just inside the doorway and the long stone hall lights up with the electric torches hanging along the way. The lights are dim, but adequate. Taking Eva’s hand, I lead her along. Grendel follows behind, his toenails clicking on the stones.
“As you know, the Knights of Malta built Chessarae,” I tell her. “The torches used to be real torches, but years ago, one of my ancestors ran electricity through all the tunnels. The Knights built the tunnels as escape routes and a secret means of travel beneath the entire estate. There are more tunnels here than you could ever memorize.”
Eva stares at me in shock. “It’s like something from a movie,” she murmurs, running her hand along the rough stone wall as we walk. “I can hardly wrap my mind around it. Where do all the tunnels come out?”
“Well, that’s what I wanted to show you,” I tell her. “Today, when you asked why we were more concerned about the cliffs rather than the fence… these tunnels are why. The tunnels themselves are a labyrinth. But one of them opens in the little inlet on the coast. It was an escape route that the Knights devised.”
“So Adrian could, in theory, figure out how to open the tunnel door from the outside and make his way in from the base of the cliffs?” Eva’s face is appalled and I can’t blame her.
“In theory,” I stress the word. “But in reality, it would be quite difficult. The entrance doors are very heavy, made from solid stone and concealed in the cliffs. I don’t even know if he realizes it is there. But just in case, we need that area patrolled.”
“Of course we do,” Eva agrees. “Your insistence makes sens
e now. Does Oliver know?”
I nod. “We had to explain to Oliver, but not the rest of the security team. Very few people know of these tunnels.”
“But Adrian knows,” Eva points out as we pause in a central hub, in a place where the tunnels break apart into six separate routes. I nod again.
“Yes, he does. But he doesn’t have them memorized and he hasn’t been down here much. There was never a need. The only one he’s quite familiar with is the one leading from my safe room in the center of the maze to my study.”
Eva gasps. “We need to close that off.”
“Already done,” I tell her. “The entrance in my study has been barricaded with steel beams.”
She nods slowly, satisfied by that. “And the rest?”
“We can’t barricade them all,” I tell her with a sigh. “But you’ll be safe. In fact, I want to show you a place… a very safe place.”
We continue walking down one of the tunnels, a narrower tunnel than the rest, and one that splits apart four times before it comes to a dead end. In the end, a small circular room waits for us.
“Did you notice how every time the tunnel split, we took the left side?” I ask. Eva nods.
“Yes. Do I need to remember that?”
“Yes,” I tell her. “I don’t think anyone else has found this little spot. I used to come here to be alone.”
I flip a switch inside the room, revealing that it completely encircled by shelves of books. “I used to read down here, away from the rest of the world, when I needed a few minutes of solitude…when I didn’t even want to be bothered by Adrian. He always knew where to find me otherwise.”
Eva sits on a nearby chair and fingers the cover of an old book.
“Why did you bring me here?” she asks quietly.
I sit next to her, picking up her hand.
“In case you ever need to run, I want you to come here. I’ll show you the entrances throughout the house. Each one is hidden and each tunnel leads to a center hub, which then branch out to other destinations on the property. I’ll show you which tunnel to take once you reach the hub. No one can find you here but me. So if you need to run, run here. I’ll always know where to find you.”