Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 22760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
“What else would I do?” I really wish I had an answer for that.
“I hate it here,” I half-whisper, not that I need to. My dad might be an older generation, but he knew to check for listening devices and hidden cameras. We can talk freely here.
“Lia.”
“Would I even be allowed to leave? Could we leave if we wanted to?” I ask.
My dad’s fork pauses almost to his mouth. Ah, so that’s the real reason. I had a feeling, but he’s never said that’s why.
“No one gets to leave.” I see the sorrow in his eyes when he says it. “I brought you into this, but I didn’t—” He lets out a sigh, cutting himself off. When people are part of this world, they can’t just walk away. I think he was partially wrapped up in something here before I’d taken my first breath. “This is how things are.”
“It’s okay, Dad.” I reach across the table and place my hand on top of his. “I’ll figure it out.”
When I go to pull my hand back, he snags me by the wrist, stopping me. “Lia, don’t get yourself mixed up in things.”
It’s far too late for that. “You know me, Dad.” I try to say it playfully. He stares at me for a long second, then releases my hand. We finish our breakfast in silence, and after I clean the dishes, I grab my hat and kiss him on the cheek.
“I’m headed out.”
“I’m serious, sweetheart.” My dad’s tone has now turned to pleading. “Keep yourself out of trouble.”
I stare at his lined face, and I swear over the past two years he’s aged so much. There’s barely any black on his head with all the gray that’s taken over. The worry around his eyes deepens.
This place is slowly draining the life out of him, and it will do the same to me.
If I let it.
Chapter Five
LUCA
The sunlight streams across the grounds of the estate, and I have to admit they are magnificent. I’ve missed being outdoors like this, and I didn’t realize it until now. Working for Vitaly is something I’m proud of, and he’s always been good to me. I can’t say the same about other bosses to their employees, but my time with Vitaly has given me a sense of purpose.
But now that I’m away from the city and breathing in the fresh air, it’s like a cloud has been lifted. It’s as if I was in fog before now, and the morning light is allowing me to see clearly.
I’m starting to see why Nolia has stayed here for so long. It’s truly a wonderland if you don’t think about the horrors that go on inside the estate walls. She should be proud of what she and her father have done here.
Images of Nolia working in a garden I’ve built for her flash through my mind. My chest tightens, and I rub at the place over my heart. It’s never done this before. Am I having a heart attack?
I turn the corner up ahead, and there’s a little gazebo surrounded by flowers. There’s someone kneeling in the dirt pulling weeds, and I stop. They have a hat pulled down low, but I would know it was her with my eyes closed.
“Nolia,” I whisper. I’m too far away for her to hear me, and I barely breathe her name, but her head snaps up like I’ve shouted it.
“Luca.” I see her lips move, but I don’t hear her say it.
I clench my fists at my sides because I need to go to her. Maybe I’ve been walking out here in hopes of finding her. My subconscious could have led me around thinking she’d be nearby. But I couldn’t have predicted my body’s reaction to being separated from her. Now that I’m seeing her again, I can’t control the pull to her.
She looks around like she’s making sure no one else is with me before she tosses her gloves in the bucket beside her and gets to her feet. Instead of coming straight to me, she goes to the gazebo and grabs her bottle of water and takes a long drink. She watches me while she does it, and I don’t hide my own perusal.
She’s got on baggy overalls that hide every bit of her curves, but it would be impossible for me to forget her silhouette. Without thinking it through, I walk toward the gazebo, my purpose intent. She doesn’t tell me to stop but instead backs farther into the shelter.
“It’s safe here,” she says when I step inside. “Pru and I would spend our afternoons here talking about ways to escape. If there was some kind of camera or listening device, we would have known by now.”
“Are you okay?” It’s the first thing that comes out of my mouth as I move closer. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”