Arianna’s POv
I paced around my room as I tried to understand what was going on in my head. What have I just done?
Yet again my body has betrayed me and it has allowed Gabriele to have a go at me.
Worst of it all, was that I enjoyed every single moment of that kiss.
I even craved it!
“I must be going crazy!” I breathed out as I slapped a hand to my head.
“I should be thinking of ways to get the hell out of here! I should try and contact my parents…” I paused as a thought flashed into my head.
“I should be searching for the person who sold me,” I whispered.
I shouldn’t be kissing that devilish criminal!
With renewed determination, I headed out of my room. I need to find a way to get into Gabriele’s office when he isn’t there. That was the only way I could get the information I needed.
I didn’t have to wait for Sofia. In fact, I wouldn’t involve her in this. I needed to do this by myself. The worst Gabriele could do to me was throw me in the dungeon-
I was walking so fast and I wasn’t looking at where I was going. I walked right into a very thick mass of flesh.
“Ouch!” I cried out as I held my head.
I expected whoever it was to at least apologize but no sound followed -well, except my voice.
I raised my head and met amused eyes staring back at me.
“Don’t they teach you to apologize in Mafia school?” I hissed through my teeth.
Basilio let out a light chuckle as he folded his hands across his chest and leaned on the wall.
“I see my Fratello has told you what we do…” he said and I rolled my eyes.
I almost made a face mimicking the words he had just spat. What nonsense!
“So what because I know you are the mafia people, I can’t get an apology?” I retorted with so much fire my fist shook.
He laughed animatedly and I had the urge to run a hand across my face to see if I had something on it. But I couldn’t break character.
“I keep thanking God that I got you for him that day, Arianna you are so interesting to converse with…” He exclaimed, still laughing. “You just made me forget about my current problems.”
My anger twisted as the words he had spoken sank into my brain.
Did he get me for Gabriele?
“You bought me?” I asked in a low voice.
If Basilio was the one who bought me, he would know who sold me. Bingo!
“Yes, Gabriele doesn’t buy humans. Much fewer women…” He trailed and the amusement in his eyes suddenly faded as if he got reminded of something terrible.
The air felt thick all of a sudden as he got lost in his thoughts and I wondered what could be bothering him.
“I am sorry for standing in your way Arianna. See you around,” he said suddenly and started walking away.
It took me five seconds to snap out of my daze. I needed to get the information I had set out for from Basilio.
“Basilio!” I called as I ran after him.
“Yes?” He asked with raised brows as he turned to face me again.
“I am sorry. There is something I need to know…” I started and he waited for me to speak.
“I have never been to Italy before. This was my first time here and I technically know no one, yet I got kidnapped. Do you know who sold me?” I said and asked in one breath.
Basilio’s brows met as he looked down at me.
“I paid Stephano to have you sent over to Gabriele… The information about your previous owner or where you came from and who sold you to Stephano must be in your manual.”
I had a fucking manual?
Did they make a fucking manual for me? What was I?
A piece of equipment?
A fucking machine?!
I blinked multiple times as I struggled to keep my harsh questions to myself.
“Where is this… manual?” I asked instead. Shouting at Basilio wasn’t going to get me what I wanted. I had to be gentle and sweet.
“It should be with Gabriele. You should ask him,” he replied.
Once again I was back to square one -Gabriele.
“Is there a problem?” Basilio asked.
“Oh no! Everything is just fine… I was just curious, you see. Not that I can do anything about it anyway…” I said with an awkward smile.
“Right…” Basilio trailed.
He was still staring at me like I was hiding something but I flashed him my full set of teeth and he backed away.
“I will see you around… Please stay out of trouble,” he said before he turned and continued on his way.
“Yeah right,” I scoffed.
There was nothing that would stop me from getting my hands on that manual now. They made a manual about me?!
I still couldn’t believe it. Those men should be arrested and thrown far away from humanity.
How absurd!
I got to Gabriele’s office and looked to my left and right to make sure no one was watching. When I was certain, I tried the knob and to my surprise, it came right open.
“Bull’s eye!” I whispered in victory as I slipped into the office.
It was completely dark in the office and if I hadn’t been here before I would have thought I was in the wrong room.
I felt around the wall by the door for the light switch and my fingers brushed it.
Today was indeed my lucky day!
The light flashed on and my mouth dropped.
Now I had no doubt left in me that Gabriele Andino was into the mafia. One man couldn’t just have all of these!
There was a pyramid stack of gold sitting pretty on a side table by the end of the office. It wasn’t here the last time he called for me in his office.
“He must have recently got it,” I thought aloud. But why display it in this manner?
Stay focused Arianna!
I snapped myself out of the daze and tried to focus on the mission I had originally gone there for.
I moved swiftly to the drawers, surely if I was going to find this so-called manual, it had to be in the drawers.
I checked the top drawer and my hands froze as I was met with two guns glaring back at me.
“I am not here for you,” I whispered feverishly and moved on to the next drawer.
“What?” I hissed as I found a set of sharp knives just sitting there and waiting for someone to kill with it.
The rest of the drawers were as useless to me as the first two.
“It has to be here somewhere,” I thought aloud as I moved to the shelves by the wall.
The shelves ran from the ceiling to the floor and I braced myself for what I would find inside.
I tried the first door and it refused to bulge.
Dammit!
I would need a key for this.
I abandoned the first door and moved to the second shelf. It went right off and I peered inside.
It was empty.
The space in it was enough to keep a human and no one would even know there was someone in there.
I could only imagine what he kept on the locked shelves.
I placed my hands on my waist and took a minute to stare around the room. Surely there had to be some files somewhere.
Where could he be keeping them?
Then my eyes fell on a safe -a pretty large safe.
I rushed to it and pulled it open -bingo!
There were stacks of files neatly arranged in the space and I took my time to start scanning through them.
I pulled my hair back so it would stop falling on my face.
The first was on some shipment and I quickly passed that on. The next was gun acquisition. It was a pity I wasn’t with my phone, I could take a picture of these as proof and send them to the FBI if I ever got out of there.
I thought with an evil grin.
Gabriele would be the one at my mercy by then.
I kept going through the files for almost thirty minutes. I only unraveled more incriminating folders. From drugs to guns and even wine.
Gabriele could easily make as much money as a legit businessman, yet he still dealt with illegal work that endangered his life.
This baffled me.
I was about to start going through the next file when I heard footsteps at the door and I froze.
My heart flew to my throat and I started sweating. I quickly returned the files and closed the safe door.
The doorknob rattled but whoever was on the other side delayed and it was that hesitation that saved me.
I ran into the shelves and locked myself in.