She’s a member of the Manzini family. I know we got along and I genuinely like her and Susi, but why would she move against her brother to let me go free? There have to be cameras all over this place so he’ll figure out that it was her eventually. Why risk herself for me?
I don’t fully understand it, and I wish she’d stop to explain. But I get the feeling that there’s no time to waste, and I’m so nervous I feel like I might pass out at any moment. It’s like I’m being given a second chance at life, and I don’t want to waste it this time. I keep thinking of Calvino, his lips, his arms, and the safety I feel when he’s around.
At the top of the steps, Charlie is crouched in the shadows and looking around wildly. She beams at me when we approach and gives me a quick hug as we step into the hallway just above the basement stairs.
“Are you okay?” she whispers. “Did he hurt you?”
I shake my head. “Aside from a bag over my head, I’m fine.”
Her face darkens. “I’ve seen them drag men in here with the bag on. They rarely come back out.”
I feel the blood drain from my face and I only stare at the floor.
“We can scare the shit out of her later,” Rella says softly. “Susi’s keeping an eye on the driveway in case Vince or someone else comes back early, so we’d better hurry. And to answer your question from earlier, you can thank Charlie for this, by the way.”
I blink at her. “Really? You?”
“Really, me.” Charlie grins. “Wasn’t a hard decision really. You’re nice and my husband’s an asshole, so here we are.”
I hug her tight and she hugs me back. I hold on for a moment and I feel a strange warmth in my chest—the warmth of having a real friend.
“What’s the plan from here?” I ask, looking around as I pull away from the embrace. The hallway is plain with few decorations and in a part of the house I don’t recognize. I’m guessing it’s a service area mainly for staff and for Vince’s victims.
“I’ve got a car,” Rella says. “I’m getting you out back, around the pool, and into the garage. From there, I’ll drive us out of here, but you’ll have to hide in the trunk.”
“Oh, great, a comfortable ride.”
Rella grins. “Better you’re alive in a trunk than dead in a trunk. Come on, let’s get moving before brother dearest returns.”
“Wait,” I say, grabbing her arm. “Isn’t he going to blame you?”
“I can handle Vince.”
I glance at Charlie and the fear in her eyes suggests Rella’s wrong, but I don’t have a chance to argue. Rella hurries away and marches down the hall, and I have to walk fast to stay close as Charlie brings up the rear.
If there’s typically anyone in this part of the house, we don’t come across them. I hear the sound of the kitchens nearby and feel the heat of the ovens, but we don’t spot any cooks. Rella pauses a few times and waits, listening for something, before motioning for us to keep going. The walls are beige and bare, and the floor is all green vinyl tiles like in a hospital, and it’s like we’re in an entirely different world—the total opposite of the opulence of the main house.
We reach another door and Rella pauses and looks around before she opens it. Sunshine spills inside and a warm gust of fresh air blows across my skin and I blink away the sudden painful transition from the gloom of inside to the too-bright outdoors, pulling back. There’s too much light after being stuck under that hood for as long as I was.
“This is the hard part,” Rella says, turning back to me. “Stay close and don’t do anything stupid. If I tell you to run, you’d better run, okay?”
I look at Charlie. “What about you? What are you going to do?”
She smiles sadly and shakes her head. “I have to get back up to Emilio. He’s with the nanny, but I don’t want to leave him alone when Vince gets back and finds out you’re missing.”
I stare at her for a long moment before I grab her and pull her into a tight hug. I hold her hard and feel a single sob wrench itself from my stomach, and when I pull back, she’s crying too.
An idea hits me suddenly like a wave. “Come with me.”
“What?” She seems confused, like she can’t imagine a life beyond the one she’s trapped inside of.
“Come with me. Run with me. We’ll go to Calvino, he’ll get you out—”
“I don’t need to get out.” She laughs but there’s no mirth behind it. She glances at Rella. “My son’s here. My husband’s here. My life… I don’t need to run.”