Kidnapped By The Italian Mafia

"Didn't she come up with this Isabella character to be safe?" Henri stirred cream into his coffee mechanically while Claudette badgered him with questions.

"Yes."

"So why isn't it working?"

"It is working, she's still alive."

"But she's been attempted on twice."

"And she would've been dead already if she hadn't disguised herself." Henri looked at me, which I could see clearly in the reflection of the toaster oven. "Madame Katarina knows what she's doing."

"She's only twenty-one." Claudette lowered her voice even more than before. "I know she's smart but she couldn't have thought of everything. Look at how many people have seen the holes in her plan."

"That's because she doesn't have a plan." Henri scoffed. "She's making this up on the fly."

"Excusez moi?" Claudette sounded incredulous, as I knew she would be. It would be stupid of anyone to venture into this without a plan, which is why I had one. It just hadn't worked the way I'd hoped it had.

"I'd say it's worked pretty well, considering." Henri sighed. "What I don't get is what we're still doing in Paris."

"She said she had unfinished business here. Any idea what that's about?"

"None."

"I love that you guys are talking about me. Makes me feel like a celebrity." The sarcasm in my voice must've oozed out in waves because they smirked back at me. "So what's our next course of action?"

"We were kind of hoping you could tell us that." Henri raised an eyebrow at me. I knew he probably wasn't happy that I kept him in the dark so much, but it was for the best. Really. It was.

"Well, first things first, I'd like to meet the man everyone seems to hate so much. How can I get my hands on Alfonso Quidiaro?"

"Why do you want to meet with him?" Claudette looked both disgusted and confused. "The man's a menace to female society."

"Neither Marco or my dad like him so there must be a reason why. And I've been throwing his name around, I should at least know what the man looks like."

In truth, I was extremely unimpressed with my own idea to meet with a man who was enemies with people I was very familiar with. Maybe it was my only choice? Maybe I was being stupid? I didn't know anymore. Instinct was driving me, and my instinct was telling me that I needed to succeed.

"Alright. I can set up a meeting through one of his messenger boys." Claudette released a resigned sigh.

"No, don't involve yourself." It was too risky for that. The more people in my mix, the worse it got. I was more on the ledge of exposure, even though I'd already perched myself on my father's and Marco's radar, I knew there were more dangerous opponents I'd have to face off with on my journey to the top. Those two wouldn't be an issue for me once I was ready.

"Katarina, you need our help. You can't do this alone." Henri, for the first time, addressed me by my name. I didn't like it.

"I've had help, and look where that's gotten me." My eyes closed of their own accord. "Everything's a mess, I've dragged everyone through enough shit. It's time for me to use my brain."

"Wait— you haven't been using your brain?" Claudette raised an eyebrow at me. "Kat Montenegro, eccentric extraordinaire, non user of her brain. How'd you get this far?"

"Honestly?" I looked around. "I've been improvising. None of this was my original plan."

"Then why the f.u.c.k did you do it? You're in so deep right now, Katarina, you can't have a do-over!" Claudette ran frustrated hands through her hair. "Oh my God, you're the most infuriating person I've ever met."

"And I plan to use that to my advantage." I winked at her playfully, but my mind was racing inside its safety deposit box, also known as my skull.

Here sat Katarina Ester Montenegro, aged twenty-one, planning her takeover from inside a non-government HQ with secret agents and stuff. What a story.

"Whatever happens, I stick with you." Henri looked like he already knew I was going to try and shake him off. Honestly, I was.

"How much longer is it going to take to get my phone back in working condition?"

"Well I'd say about two hours or so, but I have to say, you should let us give you one of our devices. More protection."

Also more spying. No thank you.

"I'll consider it." In the meantime, I knew just how to kill time. "Do you have a laptop or something I could borrow?"

"Sure, I'll go get it." She stood up from the table and headed off in a random direction of the building, leaving Henri and I sat at the table, side eyeing the geeks who were doing something to bring my phone back from the dead. Neither of them were speaking, yet they worked in perfect unison.

"How do they do it? Staring at that screen for hours, I'm sure I'd die. Or at least have a stroke." My hands smoothed out my brand new silk skirt over my legs. Having gone shopping the evening prior, Henri and I were quite decked to the nines this morning.

"You almost did have a stroke. Yesterday, remember?" Henri raised an eyebrow at me and sipped at his coffee.

"New day, new me. And this hearing aid is even better than perfect hearing." I tapped my earlobe again and smiled. "Cheer up, Henri. This is a good thing."

"What, that your own father almost killed you?" He asked sardonically. I scowled at him and crossed my arms. "I'm just saying. It happened."

"I don't need a f.u.c.k.i.n.g reminder." What I needed was to stake my claim. "Marco doesn't know."

"How can you be sure?" Henri rained on my parade again. "He might know, he's just not saying anything. How do we know he isn't the one that planted the bomb yesterday?"

"He isn't. He wouldn't do that."

"He kidnapped you."

"He wasn't going to kill me. Even if he knew that I was Katarina, he wouldn't want me dead." I was sure of it. "He has a purpose for holding me."

"He isn't holding you."

"Shut the f.u.c.k up, Henri." I snapped just as Claudette returned with the laptop. She set the device in front of me with a soft thud.

"There you go. It's encrypted."

"But are you geeks tracking my activity, though?" I couldn't care less if the government could see what I was doing. "Because if you are, I'm good."

"No, we are not tracking your activity." Claudette rolled her eyes. "You're so paranoid." I gave her a look, but pulled the laptop closer nonetheless.

Henri leaned over to peer at the screen from his seat while I set to typing. The list of prices that popped up in front of me ranged from comfortable to extremely cheap. Dangerously so.

For the sake of remaining incognito, I went for an economical ticket and browsed departure dates.

"What are you doing?" Henri actually scooted closer this time, blatantly staring at what I was doing.

"I'm stirring the pot, of course."