INIZIO

Chapter 22.

Rose

You know that feeling of regret you get when you realize that if you had just changed one thing about your routine then everything would have turned out differently? Well, that's the exact emotion I was experiencing when I woke up in a bedroom I didn't recognize. Wishing that I had just called out or better yet never agreed to take the private care patient, to begin with. I had no idea where I was, but I had a gut feeling that it wasn't somewhere I wanted to be.

My throat was dry, probably the driest it's ever been. I had a headache that made me physically bring my hands to my head in agony, no doubt a symptom of being knocked unconscious. I knew better than to call out for help because there was no telling who would come to my "aid."

Suddenly, I heard the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. I did my best to remain quiet as I tried to look for places to hide. After looking around the neat and open-concept bedroom, I decided to hide underneath the bed just before I heard the sound of a key turning the lock.

I pressed a hand over my mouth and watched as light poured in from the hallway. It had to be a woman; I could tell by the sensible ballet flats she wore. I could hear her gasp as she looked around the room for me, not bothering to check under the bed. I watched as her feet frantically pace around the room until she shrieked and dropped a tray with a glass of water on the floor. The glass shattered as the water spilled and ran to where I hid, coming just inches away from my elbow.

The woman ran out the door while leaving the door wide open. I took that open door as an opportunity, crawling from underneath the bed and grabbing the key from the door. Logically, I felt as though I needed her keys, who knows what else I would need to be opened.

Once I got out into the hallway, I realized quickly that I didn't know which way was out. But when I heard hurried footsteps on my right, I decided to run left. My heart was beating hard in my chest, and I was shaking at the thought of being caught.

My fingers were wrapped tightly around the keys in my hand so that they wouldn't jingle as I ran. My fear only grew when I heard people yelling in Italian at the realization that I was no longer in the room. Men began to shout loudly in the house and I had been forced to reroute myself to the kitchen. Another group of men ran into the house, all dressed in black, each armed with a gun tucked in his pants.

They mistakenly left the door open on their way in and I bolted out the door before I could think the decision through. However, I hadn't been placed out the front door as I wanted. No, I was thrown into the night into a large garden that resembled a maze. If I hadn't been running for my life, then perhaps I would think it to be beautiful. Instead, it looked like my worst nightmare come to life.

The problem with Mazes was that they were great hiding spots, but they were also damn near impossible to get out of. My kidnapper probably knew exactly how to get out of it, and that thought scared me even more. Maybe this was a game for him. You know, kidnap unsuspecting women, get them scared enough that they'd risk getting lost in a maze. Only, it's not just a maze, it's a playground where he can chase them like Turkeys for Thanksgiving.

My God, it was so dark out already and I didn't have a single thing on me other than the women's keys. "Baby girl," my breath hitched as I heard the sound of a familiar voice behind me. That voice made me nauseous now, nauseous enough to vomit.

I spun around to look at him and I took two steps back as he leaned up against the wall with a calm demeanor. "Relax Rose, you are safe here," he tried to take two steps toward me and I took several steps back.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME," I shouted as if I was trying to scare a bear. I felt like crying, vomiting, and running all at the same time, but my body couldn't decide the order in which that should go.

"Rose, my patience is wearing thin, come back into the house," he continued to walk towards me and I responded by putting as much distance between us as possible. He groaned in annoyance at my reaction, "ROSE!" he said my name with so much force that I involuntarily flinched.

I took one last attempt at running from him but I was slowed down by the small set of stairs that led to the garden. I felt his large hands take advantage of my pace and he grabbed me in one swift motion. His hand covered my mouth again to keep me from screaming, and I couldn't help the desperate tears that clouded my vision.

He held me up against his chest all the way up to the room that he held me in before. Once we reached the room, he threw me on the bed causing my body to hit the mattress with a bounce. He slammed the door so loud that it made my teeth chatter. He was so angry; I could see it on his face. His eyes were wild as he made his way to the bed and cornered me.

However, once we were face to face his expression softened. My lips were wrapped tightly to keep whatever sound I would make in. He sighed and then removed himself from the bed and put some distance between us. I took that opportunity to scramble even further away from him, with the key to the room still balled up in my fist.

"My name is Massimo Torricelli, please do not be afraid. You will not be hurt in my care," he said the introduction so calmly as if he wasn't the same psycho who kidnapped me.

After hearing his name everything in my body coiled in fear. Nacho's face immediately flashed in my mind, and a sea of regret washed over me. I had fought so hard to work at Mariana's hospital, only for her to trick me. All that talk about helping the hospital and complimenting me was all an act. An act that made me want to get physically violent.

"Why am I here?" Anger seeped through my voice and I knew that Massimo could hear it. The look of surprise on his face wasn't lost on me.

"This is for my wife," he said cooly.

"Your wife is alive. Nacho hasn't come to Sicily, but you came to Spain. So, why am I here?"

Massimo's dark brown eyes scanned me, and I could see that he was curious about me. Curious about what? I don't know, but I did know that I was too angry to care.

He sucked his teeth and then walked around the bed to get close to me. I automatically jerked myself backward but then he pinned me underneath his weight. My body writhed beneath him and then he forcefully grabbed the key from my closed fist. My left hand landed hard on his cheek as I slapped him, and I could see his eyes become dark with anger.

I was expecting him to fight me or injure me in some way. But he simply got up from the bed and walked out of the room without another word. I was stunned as I sat there in the room alone, with nothing but a new glass of water sitting on the table near the bed.

My anger began to simmer until it eventually boiled over and I took my rage out on the room. I knew he could hear me breaking every glass and throwing anything that would move. But I could care less about his perfect house or pristine bedroom because he hadn't answered my question. Why am I here?