Melina screams Franky’s name for the umpteenth time tonight into the walls of Thomas’ mansion and receives no response. Tears stream down her cheeks as she stands in the middle of the foyer, looking left to right for her sister. Melina can’t find Franky anywhere. It’s like she vanished into thin air. She has checked every single room in the mansion, and she still can’t find her. Melina even asked the ladies to help her look around the compound but still no trace of Franky.
Melina rushes to the door as Linda steps inside.
“Did you find her?” Melina asks, and Linda shakes her head.
“Oh my goodness!” Melina exclaims, running her hand through her messy hair. She has run her hands through them a lot tonight. “Where in God’s name could she be right now?” Melina asks no one in particular.
“I don’t know, dear, but we will keep searching. Have you called Thomas?” Linda asks, and Melina mentally face palms.
“Oh my God! I can’t believe I forgot to call him. Please call him and inform him of the situation. Maybe he knows where Franky is.” Melina was so fixated on finding Franky that she forgot to call Thomas and ask for help.
“Sure, why don’t you take a seat while I call him.” Linda leads Melina to the living room.
“Okay.” Melina takes her seat on one of the couches in the living room. Her feet tap impatiently on the floor as she waits for Thomas to pick up the phone.
Unable to keep still on the chair, Melina stands up and paces the room. Linda gets Thomas on the phone and tells him what has happened. He quickly leaves the office and drives home. He was working late tonight.
Melina rushes to the doorway once she hears the front door open.
“I can’t seem to find her, Thomas. I can’t,” Melina says, her voice cracking as tears well up in her eyes. “She vanished, and I can’t find her.” Tears stream down her face.
“Principessa,” Thomas says, placing his hand on Melina’s arms. He rubs his palm against her skin, trying to calm her down. He avoids locking gazes with her, giving Melina the impression that he’s concealing something.
“You know something, tell me,” Melina demands, curious as to what Thomas is keeping from her.
Thomas takes his hands away from Melina’s arm and loosens his tie. He takes a deep breath before speaking.
“I don’t want you to blame yourself or do anything irrational,” Thomas says, and Melina’s brows frown in puzzlement.
“Why would I?”
“I think you should sit down while I explain,” Thomas says, leading Melina to the couch, but she remains motionless.
“Where is she?” Melina demands.
“If you promise me you won’t, I’ll tell you,” Thomas locks his gaze with Melina’s. She sees pity for her swimming in his eyes. What the hell happened to Franky?
“I promise, please tell me where she is,”
“This is what happened.” “I received a call before Linda called me.”
“Does it have anything to do with Franky’s disappearance?” Melina inquires, her heart rate quickening.
“Rafael sent people to kill me, but when they got here and found out, I wasn’t home. They mistakenly took your sister instead of you to make up for not getting the job done.” Melina’s heart sinks as Thomas speaks. Her eyes widen as her mind freezes. A pregnant pause passes before she speaks.
“No!” Melina screams as tears fill her eyes, imagining the horrors Franky would be facing right now. Melina feared this would happen if she returned to the States. She can’t believe her worst nightmare has come true. Rafael must be furious right now for having the wrong sister and will hurt Franky. Oh my God! Franky.
“It’s going to be fine, principessa; I promise you. I’ll find her and bring her home safe to you,” Thomas vows, wrapping his arms around Melina and pulling her into his chest.
“Please, I beg you, you have to; if not, he will kill her. He will kill her, Thomas, and it will all be my fault,” Melina sobs into his shirt, soaking it with her tears. She holds on tightly to Thomas as she begs him to rescue her sister.
“No.” He pulls Melina away from his chest and takes her face into his palms. “You promised me you won’t blame yourself.” He says, moving her hair out of her face that was stuck to it because she’s sweating. She’s been running around the house for almost an hour, so it’s not surprising that she’s sweating.
“I know, but it’s hard, Thomas. I was the one they intended to kidnap, he will definitely be furious that he didn’t get me, and Franky would be on the receiving end of his rage. It’s hard not to blame myself for whatever she faces before we find her.”
“Melina Davis,” hopefully Costanzo soon. Thomas whispers the last part to himself, but Melina hears it. She can’t believe he just said that. “I want you to listen to me, and to listen well.” He wipes away her tears and looks deeply into her eyes.
“It’s not your fault; if anyone is at fault, it’s me. I am the one who has a beef to settle with Rafael. Unfortunately, your sister was kidnapped, but you shouldn’t feel guilty about it. Do you hear me?”
“Yes,” Melina says, looking into his eyes and seeing his undying love for her. She didn’t know she still meant this much to Thomas.
“I promise you, amore, I’ll find her and bring her back safely to you,” Thomas vows as he lays a soft kiss on Melina’s forehead. He pulls her back to his chest and tightens his arms around her.
***
The days that followed were a blur for Melina. She spends most of her time wondering how Franky is doing. She’s trying her best not to feel guilty about it, but with each passing day and no news about Franky, it’s becoming increasingly difficult. Thomas was sent a video, along with the phone call he received from Rafael. It showed Franky lying on the floor of an underground room. She didn’t look harmed, which is helping Melina deal with her guilt. But she knows they would’ve torn her sister to pieces by now, both physically and mentally, as James did the last time. Every day, Melina hopes that Thomas will find her soon. She is aware that it is only a matter of time before James grows tired of torturing Franky for Rafael and kills her. Melina will never be able to forgive herself if Franky dies because of her. She couldn’t let that happen, but she had no idea how to stop it. Melina wishes to swap places with Franky since she is the one they truly want, but Thomas refuses. She fears Franky would die if she doesn’t, leaving Melina at a loss for what to do.
She snaps out of her reverie when she hears the bathroom door close. Turning her head toward it, she sees Thomas stepping out, all freshened up. Her gaze is drawn to his ripped chest, which has water droplets on it, and travels down his stomach, stopping at his waist. Melina admires his v-line, which leads to his member beneath the towel. Heat creeps up to her cheeks, as she hears Thomas chuckle walking to his closet. He caught me gawking again.
Thomas had Melina move into his room after Franky was kidnapped. She didn’t want to share a room with him, but Thomas didn’t care. He’s worried that Melina will try to trade in herself for her sister while he isn’t looking. He takes Melina everywhere with him. She’s only away from him when one of them goes to the bathroom. If Thomas had his way, they would shower together, and he’d stand in the toilet while she peed. They sleep in the same bed, but he hasn’t tried to touch her once, and she’s grateful for that. She understands how difficult it is for him, and it means a lot to Melina that he respects her wishes without her having to express them. Thomas has always been possessive of her, but it’s gotten out of hand now. Franky’s abduction from the mansion has made him more possessive and a little paranoid. Melina would prefer to have her own space away from him, but she understands why he needs to see her at all times.
With Franky kidnapped in her place, Melina fears for her life if she chooses to be with Thomas. Rafael is just one of the many enemies they have. Melina questions whether it’s worth the risk of being with Thomas after everything that has happened between them.
“What were you thinking about?” he asks, sitting beside Melina on the couch after he’s done dressing.
“Nothing.”
“Were you thinking about your sister?” he asks, and her eyes lock with his. It’s amazing how he knows, even though I don’t say it. She nods and shifts her gaze to her fingers.
“Don’t worry, I’ll find her soon,” he says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and kissing her on the forehead.
“I know,” Melina mumbles, tracing the patterns on the couch, feeling down.
“I have been meaning to talk to you about something.”
“What?” She raises her head and looks at him.
“Would you like to learn how to fight?”
“Learn how to fight? I never thought of learning such.”
“Yes, I’ve been thinking that if you knew how to fight, you’d be able to kill the bastards who kidnapped your sister if a similar situation arose involving you.”
“Kill?” The word stands out among everything he just said to her. Does Thomas want to teach me how to kill people? Melina knows it’s essential to have the required skills to protect herself, but killing someone shouldn’t be the only way.
“Killing may be too much for you, but I think it would be beneficial if you knew how to shoot a gun or use a knife.”
“Can’t I protect myself in other ways that won’t involve killing someone?”
“I wish there were, but in this life you either kill or be killed.”
Melina takes a deep breath as Thomas’ words sink in. She knows it’s essential she learns how to defend herself, but in doing so, she would also learn how to kill another individual. That’s a huge burden to live with. Even though Melina wasn’t born into Thomas’ lifestyle, it’s where she has found herself, and she doesn’t know if she’s ready to fully embrace it.
“Get up,” Thomas says, snapping her out of her reverie. She looks at him, wondering why he asked her to stand. “Get dressed; I’m taking you somewhere.”
“Where to at this time of the night?”
“You’ll see.”
Melina gets up from the couch and changes into a pair of jeans and white t-shirt. Thomas walks her downstairs and into the garage. They get into his BMW M8 Coupe & Convertible and drive out of the estate.