Under My Skin

Chapter 19

Enzo moved us into the corner of the room where we hid and waited for him to come up with a plan. I tried my best to remain calm. However, I gave in to the urge to scratch my arms. After about thirty seconds, Enzo grabbed my hand. 

He shot me a silent warning and whispered, "Stop. I can't think of a plan when I'm worried about you hurting yourself." A moment passed before he continued, "We are going to head for the woods. To do that we're going to have to climb out the bathroom window. I can hear men below us and out in the hall."

Without letting go of my hand, Enzo and I crept into the bathroom. As he crouched under the windowsill and peeked his head out, he checked to see if anyone was by the pool. Satisfied with what he witnessed, he handed me his gun.

"I don't know how to use this! What if I shoot myself?" I yelled in a hushed tone.

"The safety is on. Just hold onto it and drop it out the window once I land."

I looked at him like he was crazy. The next thing I knew, Enzo climbed out the window. He lowered his body arm's length down towards the patio and dropped. There was a quiet noise when he landed. He checked every direction for Niccolò's men before he gave me a signal with the waving of his hands.

After dropping his gun to him, Enzo tucked it into the back of his sweatpants and waved me on. He was crazy. I knew I wasn't going to die but jumping out a window was still scary. I felt my body tense up. I didn't think I could do it.

Enzo mouthed to me, "I'll catch you."

Half of my body was out the window when I heard the bedroom door open. It stopped my movements as I looked towards the closed bathroom door. When I heard the familiar voice, my breath left my body.

"Lu, I know you're in here."

Niccolò's footsteps crept along the bedroom floor. Their heavy steps reminded me of a time I sat in a dark room. There was screaming outside. I could hear the faint sounds of fighting in my head.

"Come out, and I won't hurt you. I promise."

The closet door flung open with a loud crash. I almost fell out the window. Enzo whispered my name as I heard Niccolò approach the bathroom next. His presence paralyzed me. All the terrible things he did at the Barbieri mansion played on repeat in my mind.

"But if you don't come out," Niccolò warned as he continued to sneak around the room, "I'll kill you just like I killed Jeremy."

His footsteps stopped in front of the bathroom door. Marlena's face flashed before my eyes. My grip on the window frame quivered. Then the bathroom door flung open, but I already jumped.

Enzo caught me, and we ran. Stealthing across the yard was no longer an option. Niccolò spotted us from out the bathroom window and began shouting orders to his men in unfamiliar Italian.

Under the cover of night, we ran down the hill and into the woods. The same woods where I met Niccolò for the first time. The same woods Niccolò kidnapped me.

Brushing those thoughts to the side, I did my best to stay right behind Enzo. He seemed to know where he was going. He checked the trees for markers as we ran.

My legs grew sore, and my throat hurt from breathing in the cold autumn air. At the same time, we heard Niccolò's men chasing after us. They stomped through the forest like a herd of buffalo. The fear of going back with Niccolò propelled me forwards.

A tunnel with a narrow road appeared before us. The paved roadway cut through the harsh incline of this small man-made valley. It looked like the tunnel was crafted as a secret garage. The small structure was large enough to hold two vehicles.