It’s just me and the garden on this moonless night. I’m quick to move away from the doors to avoid being discovered.
Taking a deep breath the the cool air enters my lungs. I take the first available pathway to who knows where. It’s not easy to see in the dark. However, there is a glow in the sky from the city lights reflecting off the clouds that affords me some visibility.
Damn these stilettos. They are great for sex appeal but useless when walking on uneven pavers and pebbled stones. I must look like a newborn giraffe trying to stand for the first time. This is silly. I stop, gingerly slip one shoe off, then the other. Holding them tenuously by my fingers, they dangle by my side as I continue walking.
Shit. I left my purse and phone with Laura. No matter, I won’t need it. I’ll be back, it’s not like I can run away. What I can do is revel in the fresh air and the fact that my father’s guards didn’t notice I slipped out. I chuckle to myself, knowing others, including me, will catch shit later. Until then, I savor this rare moment.
I breathe in again with purpose before letting out a sigh. For once I’m not thinking about my life. I have no idea where I’m going or how far I’ve walked and it’s sublime.
Shivers run up my spine when I shadows appears out of no where, like someone is following me, and I turn to look, but nothing. I must be imagining it. Maybe being totally alone has made me paranoid.
I can tell I’m near the end of the gated garden when the sound of traffic breaks the serenity I’m experiencing. A car with a noisy muffler speeds by, causing annoyed drivers to blare their horns in return.
I can no longer ignore my gut instinct about being watched and turn to walk back to the museum. No one knows where I went, and the commotion inside must be over by now. I check my peripheral to make sure no one is following me.
Someone will look for me if I’m not back in five minutes. Won’t they?
Laura only has eyes for Marco, and she’s probably done flirting with her good-looking stranger. If she was brought on this trip to distract me, she’s doing a poor job of it.
Something big is going on because Giovi looked more upset than usual today. He hates leaving Sicily for any reason, let alone a social gathering. God forbid he be social with anyone, especially strangers. He seriously needs a girlfriend if he’s to ever procreate.
A twig snaps behind me. I whip around to find myself face-to-face with a masked man dressed in a black tuxedo. I quickly look down to check his hands for weapons, and when I notice they are coved by black gloves, I scream.
Gloves, when it’s not that cold out, can mean only one thing. He wants to kill me and leave no fingerprints or DNA. Panic sets in as a light rain begins to fall.
Instinctively, I move backwards. I can’t breathe. I’m defenseless against him. He’s tall, twice my size if he’s a foot. I’m fucked.
“What do you want?” I bark, trying intimidation.
“You.”
“Why?”
“No questions, come quietly and you won’t get hurt.” He’s gaining on me as his long legs cover more distance than my backwards retreat in this dress.
I don’t trust him and take off running down a path that I hope circles back to the museum. I’m winded from sprinting as fast as I can. I haven’t moved this fast since high school. My mind contemplates how far I can get before he nabs me.
Am I running fast enough? Looking back to find out will slow me down.
Fuck the path, it’s long and winding. I make a quick pause to weigh both options in front of me before taking to the tree line. I find some bushes to hide behind. I squat as low as I can. If I close my eyes, maybe he won’t see me. It worked when I was a child, and it was a masked killer in an American movie, but it gave me the illusion of being safe until I fell asleep.
Is it ridiculous in a real-life situation? Decidedly, my only chance to escape is to not be seen.
Someone grabs me from behind, and before I can scream again, a hand covers my mouth. It’s large, warm, and strong. It’s a bare hand, not gloved.
“I’m here to help. Yell when I take my hand off your mouth to lure him here. Nod if you understand.”
I nod. I have no alternative but to follow the stranger’s demands. I’m at his mercy and hope he’s here to help me. He’s not one of Papa’s men.
“After you scream, lay flat on your stomach behind these bushes and don’t look up.”
His large hand falls away from my mouth and I let out a blood curdling scream before falling into the grass. I welcome the feel of earth under me as I try to cradle its flatness in an attempt to become invisible. Instinctively, I put my arms over my head to protect myself from whatever is about to happen.
As soon as I’m on the ground, his long coat brushes across my back as he lunges towards the bad guy. The smell of damp earth infiltrates my nose but a whiff of pineapple and musk is all my rescuer left behind. The notes of his cologne I’ll never forget.
I don’t look up, too afraid to witness my fate. Instead, I pray to God as all good Catholics do in their hour of need. I close my eyes and hope for the best as grunts and groans ensue for the longest minute of my life. Then a gurgling noise followed by silence.
I raise my head and peer up into the darkness and witness my rescuer stowing a blade in the handle of his umbrella. Ingenious.