Violet As it turns out, his idea of making it up to me is to transport me back to his island. He’d first driven me to a house in Palermo where a doctor—one he trusts, apparently—had checked me out. He’d checked out the wound at the back of my head, treated it, then given me a shot to help ease the pain. Guess Alessio didn’t want to risk taking me to a hospital, though the doctor had been competent and very professional. Then he had driven straight to the pier and whisked me up in his arms, despite my protesting that I’m not some stupid, helpless female. To which he’d retorted that he had rescued me, so perhaps I am more helpless than I thought. Which had promptly upset me more, but he’d ignored my reaction. He’d marched to his yacht… Yeah, there was a freakin’ yacht that he’d had anchored at the pier. He’d carried me aboard, parked me in a chair in the captain’s cabin, then had shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it about me. I had shoved one arm, then the other, into the sleeves, p

AlessioI left her room a few hours ago, and haven’t seen her since. Isabelle had informed me that she had taken lunch up to Beauty’s room and that she had eaten it all, as evidenced by the empty tray that had been deposited outside the door. Which is progress. At least, she is eating and happily ensconced in her studio. Which is more than I can say for myself. I glare at the fast-sinking sun on the horizon. Damn it, why is it that my thoughts are still on her?A knock on the door interrupts my thoughts, and I confess, it is with relief that I turn to find Christian walking in. I nod to my brother, then turn to the woman at his heels."Doc," I jerk my chin, "he’s briefed you on what I need?"She draws herself up to her full height, "I have been told what you’d like me to do, but I must record my complete disagreement with what you have proposed.""I wasn’t asking for your opinion.""I am giving it to you anyway," she firms her lips. "As a health care provider, as a professional, and as

Alessio "It’s only me." I hold up my hands.She draws in a breath, "Alessio?" Her hushed voice shudders across my skin, and a shiver runs down my spine. My nerve endings pop. The blood drains to my groin as I lean forward in my seat."How are you feeling?""A little dazed," she yawns, then looks around the room, "Where am I? What happened?" She runs her fingers through her hair. "One moment you were kissing me, the next moment, I think I blacked out…""You were out for a little while," I concede."Why are you sitting in darkness?" I sense rather than see her scowl. She reaches over, flicks on the light next to the bed, then winces. She blinks her eyes as her eyesight adjusts, then glances over at me. "You going to tell me what happened?" She folds her arms about her waist.I rise up to my feet and walk over to her. Sink down next to her on the bed. Reach for her, but she pulls away."Oh, no," she shakes her head, "no, no, no." She throws up her hands. "Keep your distance, buster…""O

Violet "What?" I scowl, "Say it.""That he’s afraid for your safety. That he’d do anything to protect you. That he doesn’t want you out of his sight. That he wants to make sure that if, for whatever reason, you are separated from him, he’ll know where to find you.""Ha," I scoff. "All this is just a power play. It probably turns him on to know that he can do anything with me. That he could even…even…put a bloody tracker on me so he’ll know exactly where I am every minute of every day.""And you like that?""What?""That he’s so…focused on you. That all of his attention is targeted on you."I flush. Honestly, there’s a part of me that revels in it…but damn, if I am going to admit that aloud. "Frankly, I don’t care for it. Especially not, if it means that he virtually has me on a leash here… Besides, it’s wrong. Can’t you see that? You don’t go around tagging another human being just because of your own insecurities.""You’re right," her shoulders slump. "It’s not the ‘done’ thing. But

Violet I’d asked the doctor if she had changed her mind about helping me and she had said, of course, not. That she’d do everything in her power to help me. And somehow, it had been the way that she’d said it, how she had avoided looking at my eyes when she said it, that had caused me to mistrust her. Something was up with her. Maybe she was getting cold feet, or an attack of conscience. Or perhaps, she had realized she could not go up against the Capo. Either way, I wasn’t waiting around to find out. She had told me that she needed to access a few more things to run some more tests on me, and that’s when I had decided, no way, was I going to stick around to find out what those tests involved. Likely, she was going to tell the Capo that I was planning on escaping. I had been sure of that. So, when she’d left the room, I had promptly pulled my clothes and shoes back on and rushed to the window.The ground hadn’t seemed too far, until I had jumped, that is. I had landed with a thump t