Paula assured me that unless they have any reason to be suspicious, the guards never check staff vehicles on the way out, only on the way in. They’ll definitely contact Cristiano or Lucas, or maybe even Antonio himself, if they find me hiding in the back of a truck. I shudder at the prospect before shoving it away. I can’t let my fears get the best of me now.
I lie on my side and rest my head on the backpack, with my back flush against the cab, trying to make myself as small as possible. I try not to think about all the things that could still go wrong before I’m off the property.
And I pray.
43
Antonio
I’m in my office at Huntsman Lodge with my assistant, Cecelia, reviewing next week’s schedule when Lucas’s name pops up on my phone. We just spoke fifteen minutes ago. Lucas isn’t a big talker, by any measure.There’s some goddamn problem.
“Give me a second,” I tell Cecelia, picking up the call. “Yeah.”
“Daniela was seen getting into the back of a truck in the break area on the side of the house.”
What the hell?I lean back in the chair, pressing my tight shoulders into the firm leather. “Whose truck?”
“Amos Correia’s kid, John. He does landscaping, and a few odds and ends around the property.”
“Hold on.”
I turn to Cecelia. “I need to take this call. Then we’ll get through everything you have for me, if it takes all night.” Cecelia nods and gets up.
I was gone for a week, and she’s been trying to pin me down all day about my damn schedule. I’m sure she’s annoyed at the interruption. I don’t pay her to be annoyed, but I keep the thought to myself, because she’s highly skilled, and more important, she’s trustworthy.
“Any idea where she might be going?” I ask when the office door clicks shut.
“John stays with his parents during the week, but he has an apartment in the city that he goes to on the weekend. Porto would be my best guess.”
That’s where I’d go first if I was on the run.“How long has she been in the truck?”
“Less than fifteen minutes.”
“Did she have help?”
“Cristiano’s on it.”
“Is Correia’s kid involved?” John better make his peace with God if he’s helping her escape—from me.
“Also unclear. We’re sending a guard to pick him up.”
The more people who know, the bigger the problem becomes. Not to mention it’s a direct assault on my authority.
“Don’t pick him up. And tell Cristiano not to bother interrogating anyone.”
“What do you want us to do?” he asks, as though he’s confused by my instructions.
“I’ll be down in ten minutes. Hold tight until then. But let her go.”
“That’s it? Just let her go?”
“That’s it. Not one fucking thing more.”
I end the call and toss my phone on the blotter, rubbing my temples to ward off the throbbing in my head. I have a business to run and more responsibilities than I care to have. I don’t have time for this kind of distraction. That’s what she’s been, a huge distraction. I’m sick and tired of her bullshit.
I’ve had more than enough.
I get that she’s still adjusting to a new life with limited freedom, but I wasn’t the one who went to her father. He came to me.