“You need to get away. That bastard’s relentless. If he sent me, he means business. You’re lucky I hate him. Go on.” He gave her a little push toward the car.
Aja stumbled as her legs nearly gave way. The relief of not being killed was almost harder to handle than the fear. She fell sideways into the seat and had to grab her legs and pull them into the car.
He waited for her to put her seat belt on and started to shut the door, but she stopped him. “Do you need a ride?”
He bellowed out a laugh. “Are you for real? I scared the shit out of you, threatened to kill you, and now you’re offering me a ride? You’re a real class act, lady.”
Aja blushed then stammered, “But you’re not going to kill me, right? I can’t leave you out here in the middle of nowhere. How will you get home?”
“What the hell,” he said as he walked around the car and got in the passenger seat.
It was the strangest trip Aja had ever been on. The stranger kept up small talk as they drove, occasionally giving her directions. She didn’t say much, just listened as he talked about his life and how he’d met Stephen. He had been working for him for a while, taking care of his dirty work, stuff that Stephen didn’t want to touch himself.
“But, how can you do what you do? Do you actually murder people?”
He shrugged as though it were an obvious answer. “Maybe you shouldn’t be asking me that? I don’t think you want to know.” Which was an answer.
“You can drop me off here,” he said and pointed at a Shell gas station.
Aja turned in to the station and stopped the car.
“Thanks for the ride, babe. You’re all right. I suggest you hide out for a bit, though. Lay low for a while.” He brushed the back of his hand across her cheek and got out of the car.
Aja watched him walk away with a jaunty stride. She felt dizzy. That man had given her back her life and only because he hated Stephen. In that moment she never hated anyone more. She was tempted to call Stephen’s hit man back and hire him to take out his boss. It was hard to resist, but she put the car into gear and headed home, her thoughts in turmoil. There was no longer any doubt in her mind that she needed to leave Canada for a while. If Stephen was vicious enough to send a hit man after her, he might not stop with her. Her family was at risk as well. It was better that she draw Stephen away from them. If he spent all his time searching for her, he wouldn’t have time for The Brothers or her parents.
When she got home, Aja turned off her lights and coasted into the driveway so she wouldn’t wake anyone. She was happy to see the media hadn’t decided to camp out overnight. It was one thirty in the morning. She was determined to get her things and leave before anyone knew what she was up to. She packed a suitcase quietly and left the house. She would go to Italy. It was perfect.
Chapter 10
Aja gripped the door handle as the taxi raced down the crowded street. She prayed she’d make it to the hotel alive. The streets were full of people. The tourists stood out in clear relief against the locals who moved quickly, their mission clear. Slack-jawed tourists stood, their necks craned, staring at the spectacular architecture. Aja couldn’t wait to get out of the death-trap she was in so she could join them.
Aja hoped her family wasn’t in a state of complete uproar, although it was a foolish wish. They were probably combing the countryside for her body or camped out at the hospital harassing Stephen. She figured the only thing that might save Stephen from The Brothers was the fact that he couldn’t walk.
Mia had promised not to tell anyone, as long as Aja promised to call her family once she’d gotten settled. Now that she was actually in Italy, she didn’t have a clue what to do next. There was plenty of money from the trust fund, as long as Mother didn’t convince Daddy to cut her off until she came home. The thought of not having money made her feel isolated, alone.
Maybe I should find a job
, she thought.
Just in case.
The taxi driver pulled up in front of the hotel and rattled something off in Italian.
Maybe a job isn’t a good idea since I can’t speak a word of Italian.
What kind of a stupid idiot took off without a thought of what she was going to do when she arrived in a foreign country, without a guide or even a phrasebook? This was going to be one more thing her family would never let her live down; more proof that she needed their care.
Aja stuck out her chin. She was determined to prove she could take care of herself. She glanced up and saw her face in the rearview mirror, set in stubborn lines.
I may be small, but I’m big inside.
She took a deep breath and got out of the cab.
The driver pulled the large suitcase out of the trunk and set it down with a thump in front of Aja. He looked her up and down and offered a grin. She was sure he figured there was no way a little girl like her could handle such a big suitcase. She frowned at him and held out a handful of euros. She’d blindly exchanged her money at the airport on arrival, and didn’t know how much she should be paying. The driver took a few bills, his grin widening. She had a feeling she’d just paid for the world’s most expensive taxi ride.
Once she’d settled everything at the hotel, Aja took a breath of relief and made her way outside, hoping she wouldn’t get lost. She took time to memorize the name of the hotel and took a mental picture of the surrounding buildings. She had a pretty good sense of direction, so she set off with a light heart. Then she remembered her family and came to a stop. She had to call them soon. She didn’t want to give Daddy a heart attack.
Heading back into the hotel lobby, she spied a bank of phones near the front desk. Aja looked the phone over in vain, trying to figure out the system. The concierge saw her distress and came over. He said something in Italian, which Aja took to mean, “Can I help you?” She gestured at the phones and said in a loud voice, “I don’t know how to make a call.”
He took a step back in surprise. “I’m not deaf, Miss.” He took the receiver from her.
Aja mumbled an apology and tried to pay attention to his explanation. It turned out to be very simple and all she needed was her credit card.
As she waited for someone to pick up on the other end, she scanned the lobby. It was a middle-of-the-road hotel, but still looked exotic. Her stomach churned as she thought about how far she was from home and anyone who cared about her.
“Hello.” It was Betty.
“Hi Betty, it’s Aja.”
A stream of Spanish came from the other end. Aja held the phone out from her ear, but heard everything loud and clear. She winced at a few words like,
estúpida
,
loca
, and
tu padre te va a matar
!
Growing up with Betty had given Aja plenty of opportunity to learn Spanish, especially as Betty had arrived in the US knowing hardly a word of English. Betty’s quick temper had given Aja an excellent education in less academic Spanish.
Aja tried several times to interrupt Betty’s verbal tirade. Finally, she yelled into the phone. “Betty!”
She asked for her father while Betty paused to gasp a breath. The phone slammed down, causing Aja to jerk the phone back from her ear. Betty had only ever spoken to Aja like this one other time. It was one evening when she’d arrived home drunk from a party. It wasn’t her being drunk that set Betty off that time; It was that she’d allowed a boy, more drunk than she was, to drive her home. Betty tore a strip off Aja that night. It was an evening she would never forget. It showed Aja just how much Betty loved her. She’d hoped never to frighten Betty like that again.
“Aja?” Her father’s voice shook a little and Aja felt ashamed all over again.
“Yes, Daddy, it’s me. I’m safe. I’m in Rome.”
Aja held the phone away from her ear while she endured another tongue lashing, this time in English. She hoped her mother wouldn’t join the party; her ear would never be the same.
“Daddy, I’m sorry. I know you’re upset with me, but I had to get away. It wasn’t entirely selfish.”
“Oh, wasn’t it?”
“No!” She considered the wisdom of telling him about the hit man. In the bright light of mid-afternoon, it seemed a ridiculous story. But, it was the truth after all. “Stephen sent a hit man after me.”
“He
what?
”
Aja was surprised the phone receiver didn’t explode in her hand with the violence of his anger.
Then he got quiet. “Did he hurt you?”
“No, Daddy. Actually he was nice.”
His response was more silence. Aja began to wonder if they’d been cut off when he spoke. “He was ‘nice’?” Her father’s voice was either incredulous, or he was stalling while he motioned for her mother to call the funny farm. “How could you call a hit man, one who had been sent to kill you, ‘nice’?”
“Daddy. He didn’t kill me.”
“Obviously,” he said, his voice dry.
“What I mean is, he told me Stephen had sent him. He hates Stephen, so he let me go.” Aja wondered why she always fumbled her words and acted like a little kid around her father. Would he ever stop affecting her that way? She didn’t dare tell him how she gave the man a ride. Her father would lock her up for the rest of her life.
“So, how did that make it imperative that you leave your family and take off to the other side of the fucking world?”
Her stomach dropped into her little toes. When Daddy started swearing, everyone scattered. He was pissed. He’d never been this mad at her before and she didn’t like it a bit.
“Daddy,” she said, trying to inject a reasonable tone into the conversation. “He told me Stephen would never stop. That he’d hurt my family.” While this wasn’t exactly true, Aja had inferred it from their conversation. It didn’t hurt that it helped her side of the argument. Or at least she felt it did. Her father seemed to take quite a different viewpoint.
“Since when did my little girl become the assigned protector of the Rain family, Aja?”
“Daddy, I’m not a little girl.” Aja stood to her full height and tried to ignore the smirk of the concierge.
“I’m a grown woman now. I’m sorry for scaring you, but I needed to get away. I wanted to leave the media and everything behind. I also hoped if I left, Stephen would back off, and forget about me.”
Her father laughed, but it didn’t sound humorous. “He’s never going to forget, Aja. You nearly cut off his most prized possession. A man like that will never forget.”
Aja’s shoulders slumped. “What do we do?”
“Nothing. He’ll just have to live with it. He’s tried to bring a lawsuit against you, but that won’t work. It’s already over.”
“What? How?”
“His lawyer must hate him too.” This time her father laughed with real mirth.
“Why?”
“Because he did a shit job of drawing up the lawsuit. My lawyer took a look at it and it’s clear it’ll never hold up in court. My lawyer has at least ten things he can use to get it thrown out. It’s so clearly a hack job, I’d wonder if he found his lawyer in a Cracker Jack box, except I know the man. He’s a class act. So, it tells me he’s done it on purpose. He must have made enough money to retire already, because when Stephen finds out, he’ll probably send that hit man after
him
.”
“Wow.” Aja couldn’t think of anything else to say. Things were looking up for her and her family. No wonder Daddy was mad. But, now that she was in Rome, she was glad she’d come. The freedom she felt out from under her family’s protection was liberating, although scary. That must be what it felt like to grow up. Too bad she’d had to wait until she was twenty-five.
“Aja? You there?”
“Yes, I’m here Daddy. I’m glad things are settling down. I think I’m going to stay here for a while, though. It would be a waste to just turn around and go home. I think I’m long due for a holiday. I’m so sorry I scared you. I promise I’ll never do anything like that again.”
Her father took a deep breath. Aja was afraid he would blow again, but he just let the air out slowly. “Okay, Aja, if that’s what you want. I’ll hold you to your promise, though. Don’t ever do this to us again. I might not survive it.”
The guilt struck deep and quick, just as her father intended it to.
“I promise.”
“Okay. Do you need anything? Any money?”
Aja swallowed her impatience. “No, I’m OK. I have money. I really want to make it on my own for a while, okay?”
“Okay, baby.” His tone was mildly patronizing. Aja pushed back her irritation.
“Say hi to Mother for me. I’ll call again when I get settled.”
“Be careful.”
“I will. I love you.”
Aja set the phone down and averted her face from the curious eyes of the concierge. She went back up to her room and flopped on the bed, exhaustion overtaking her. She no longer had the energy for touring. Sometimes talking to her family wrung her out. Love could be the most tiring thing in the world.