“Yes, the west wing room is perfect,” I say, hoping he can’t read into the fact that I don’t even know which way is facing west or east.
“You didn’t say how long you plan on staying.”
I see him looking back at me through the rearview mirror. “I’m not sure. I’m just taking it one day at a time.”
“I remember you always did like adventure as a child,” he says with a warmth in his eyes looking back at me.
The dirt road leads to a dead end and waiting at the end of the road is a house the size of an inn built on the large boulders along the other side of the river. A small bridge connects the dirt parking lot we are stopping in and the entrance to the house. The waterfall the driver mentioned is on full display, and I can see the room he was speaking of that literally hangs over it. It’s hard to believe that something so quaint, and yet so grand can be left vacant most of the year other than the caretakers living in it. If I was a Morelli, I would never leave this place. Well… if I was a true Morelli, that is.
“Are you hungry?” he asks as he leads me up an outdoor staircase toward my room. “We can make something for you—”
“I’ll be fine,” I cut in. “It’s been a long trip, and I really just need to rest and fight off this jet lag.”
He opens the door, places my bag down, and nods. “Violet and I are still in the apartment right beside the kitchen if you need anything at all. The kitchen is fully stocked if you do decide you want a snack or anything. We’ll have breakfast ready for you in the morning unless we hear from you sooner.”
I nod. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
The minute he leaves, I search the room for a phone. I promised Sasha that I would call her the minute I arrived.
As I pick up the phone, I walk over to the veranda and open the doors. The deafening sound of the waterfall, the floral scent mixed with woodsy spice, and the warm air acts like a sedative.
I’m here. I’m finally here.
Sasha answers on the second ring.
“Lyriope?” she says and I can tell by the anxiety in her voice that she’s been waiting for me.
“I got here okay,” I say into the landline.
Sasha had me throw the cell phone Nick gave me into the bushes before getting into her car when she picked me up. She didn’t want him to have any way to track me, and I was grateful for her fast thinking. I don’t think the thought would have occurred to me until it was too late.
“Oh thank God. I’ve been on pins and needles just waiting for your call.” She takes a deep breath. “Harrison was here. He wants to know where you are.”
My heart stops.
“I told him I may or may not know, but he’d have to kill me before I’d say a word,” she adds. “Let’s just say that the man left very frustrated.”
“Sasha!” The thought of her putting herself at risk for my sake makes me feel sick.
“Relax,” she says. “Harrison may come off as a tattooed psychopath, but I know he’d never hurt me. I can feel it. And not just because I’m a Morelli. He just wants to try to scare me, and he was given a job by Nick to find you.”
“They’re dangerous men. Nick and Harrison,” I say.
“Don’t worry about me. I know how to handle men like that. And besides… the Morelli name has power. You’ll start understanding that soon enough.”
“He’s going to watch your every move,” I warn.
“Then I’ll be sure to give him a show.” She laughs, and the warm sound through the phone makes me feel a million miles away rather than cheer me up or make me feel at ease.
I’m alone. I’m in a foreign country. And I have people looking for me.
Intense regret washes over me. I didn’t think this through. I didn’t plan and… I should have never left Nick’s. Of course he’s going to hunt me down and eventually find me. It’s foolish to believe he’ll be fine with me simply leaving his house. Now I have Sasha involved even deeper which is something I never wanted.
“Oh my God. Dylan,” I say on a deep inhale as the realization that I may have put my brother’s life at risk washes over me. “What if Nick hurts Dylan?” Panic sets in. “He has Dylan! Sasha, he can kill Dylan in retaliation for me escaping and breaking the contract!”
What did I do? How did I not think of this? Why would I leave at the risk of Dylan’s life? Oh my God, I am no different than my mother.
My head spins as I try to figure out a way to return to Bishop’s Landing to beg Nick to forgive me.