Worst Impressions

Chapter Fifty Six

Some larger groups had gone further afield while we explored the piazzas popular with tourists. They were glamourous, popular, and everyone wanted to be seen there. I had an inkling that Lisa would, too. She was a socialite, always wanting to be the centre of attention. We wouldn't find her hiding around in alleys or lurking in dark bars, no matter what anyone said. If Gideon was still trying to keep her happy, then there was a solid chance that she was dragging him around for photo opportunities or shopping trips.

If Gideon had taken control of the situation, well... there was no telling where he might drag Lisa off to.

At the Trevi fountain, I stopped Will and Amanda. They wouldn't like what I had to say, but that wasn't about to keep me from saying it. I told them resolutely, 'I want to look by myself.'

'What?' Amanda asked. 'No way! You don't know your way around, and it's dark!'

'She's right, it's too dangerous,' Will agreed. 'I'm not letting you wander off. Not with him out there somewhere.'

'I'm not asking for permission,' I retorted. 'I only didn't say this in the hotel because I didn't want Jenny to lecture me. Besides, this way we'll cover more ground.'

'We can cover that same ground together,' Will argued.

'Every hour, we'll meet back at the fountain, okay?' I compromised.

'No, that's not - Beth!'

I knew they wouldn't agree, so I ran.

They'd both made complete sense, of course. I had only glimpsed the map and everyone else had been sent off in groups for their safety, but I'd always been reckless. Not only that, but I fully blamed myself for everything. I'd known what Gideon was capable of, and I hadn't told all my friends before the trip. I could have put the idea of running away with him out of Lisa's head the moment she'd admitted her crush on the teacher, but I'd thought she didn't deserve to know. It was my fault she was lost somewhere in Rome with a man who'd drain her bank account and leave her with nothing but a broken heart.

If anyone was going to be put at risk for the sake of rectifying all those mistakes, then it was going to be me alone. I'd made the errors of judgement, and I needed to take responsibility, not them. Besides, I would be much faster alone, and I liked to think I knew the measure of a man like Gideon well enough that I could guess the sort of places he might frequent. He wasn't from a rich family; he wouldn't be comfortable concealing himself in fancy restaurants and bars. Gideon would stick to the dirty back alley bars and seedy clubs, which suited his character most.

The kind of places that poor people liked to skulk around.

The kind of establishments that I wouldn't be out-of-place in, either.

Like any city popular with tourists, the main streets were bustling with crowds and I easily escaped Will and Amanda. Upon realising that I was entirely alone, I felt both fear and relief. My plan had worked, but I wasn't ignorant of all the ways it might go wrong, and that it might be the last time I ever saw either of them. I would keep my word and return to the fountain in an hour if my search proved fruitless. Until then, I had to hope that nothing untoward happened before I found Lisa.

Many of the alleys were too narrow to accommodate many people. The only light came from the side windows of the buildings bordering either side of the street, faint glows which didn't quite chase the shadows from the gutters, where rodents and spiders scuttered past in the gloom. Many were empty from end to end, serving merely as shortcuts between streets, and were seldom used by anyone. None of the doors on either side were open, and I was happy that I wasn't about to find myself trapped in the cramped space with some mugger or, worse, Gideon.