“Undress,” she orders, reaching for her zipper. “We’re switching clothes so the staff thinks you’re leaving with Kayden.”
I don’t argue, wasting no time complying, and in about sixty seconds, I’m stepping into her silver gown while she does the same with mine. “Gorgeous,” she says, running her hands over the velvet. “I might forget to return this.” She eyes my feet. “What size?”
“Seven.”
“Perfect,” she approves, and we quickly make the exchange, trading purses as we head to the door, where she pauses and grabs my arms. “Ella. I hate this, but I have to have that bracelet. People have noticed, and they’ll know it’s not you—”
“Right,” I say, feeling sick to the stomach. “Of course.” But I can’t seem to make myself reach for it, and I’m not sure why.
Understanding fills her face, and she takes my arm and turns my wrist over, unlatching it. “I promise you,” she says, as it slides off my arm, “I’ll get it right back to you, by way of your man.” She closes her hand around it. “The stairs are directly in front of this door. Go down them and exit the palace. Adriel will be waiting at the curb.”
“How are you going to get down the stairs without Niccolo seeing you?”
“Kayden has a plan, but timing is everything, which means I need to move, and move now.” She opens the door and we exit to the hallway, where she shocks me by giving me a quick hug. “We’ll make him pay,” she vows, releasing me. “Go now.”
I grab the doorknob and open the door, entering the stairwell, and by the time the door has closed, I’ve lifted the silver satin skirt of Sasha’s dress and started down the steps. Niccolo’s face, his voice, try to claim my thoughts, but I shove them aside. Right now, I want to be out of this palace, and to know that Kayden and Sasha are as well. Three flights of stairs, and a blister on my right toe later, I exit the palace and step onto a sidewalk, and into the chilly night without a coat, the cold quickening my already fast steps. But there is no Adriel. I’m about to call Kayden when a black Rolls-Royce pulls to the curb, but I don’t breathe easier until a man in all black steps out.
“Adriel,” I whisper, hurrying forward as he rounds the hood of the car and meets me at the passenger side.
“You okay?” he asks, opening the door.
“Great. Peachy.” I start to get in, but he grabs me.
“Sorry,” he says, “but Sasha and I are fuck buddies. We need to make this look good.” He molds me to him, pressing his forehead to mine, while I fight shock and the urge to shove him away. He notices, warning me, “Don’t react. And please keep all weapons away from Kayden when he sees this film.”
“Don’t even think about kissing me,” I warn, “or I will bite you.”
He laughs and lets go of me, turning me toward the car. I step toward its sanctuary, but he grabs me, holding a hand on my belly, his mouth by my ear. “Count to five and it’s over.”
“Four, five,” I say. “Enough.”
He releases me and I disappear inside the car, thankful when he shuts the door. Mechanically, I pull on a seat belt and sink into the seat, while Adriel joins me and puts us in drive. “I’m sorry, Ella. I had to do that.”
“It’s fine,” I say. “I just need to think.” I shut my eyes, and I’m back in my memory of minutes ago. I peek through the door and the two men, him and the other, stop on the stairs, and they are speaking in Italian, fighting. Niccolo’s voice echoes through the room, angry.
My eyes pop open and I know then that “him” is not Niccolo.
fourteen
I’ve barely come to the conclusion that he is not Niccolo when Adriel’s cell phone rings, and he surprises me by speaking in En
glish to his caller, “Yes. I have her here. She’s safe.” He listens a moment. “She wants you to call us once you’re out of the palace.” He listens again and then ends the call.
I turn to face him. “Thank you, Adriel. I know you could have spoken in Italian, but you knew.”
“That you need some kind of control,” he supplies. “Yes. From one control freak to another, I get it.”
He glances at me and then back at the road. “I watched you on film tonight. You handled yourself well in there. I was wrong about you. Kayden chose well.”
“How can you know if you’re right or wrong, when none of us know my past?”
“I thought you were starting to recover some of your memories.”
“Randomly, and too few and far between for any of you to know who you’re dealing with.”
He glances at me briefly once again. “Where is this coming from?”
“I don’t know how to answer that—because I don’t know what you know, or what Kayden wants you to know.”