As Rosa flew back with hurried strides to the safety of the kitchen, her adrenaline was still pounding madly. Those mere seconds in Cristiano's presence had stretched like a gut-wrenching eternity. She kept looking behind her, expecting him to appear. Almost hoping that he might appear. Another minute went by. He didn't come for her. Rosa didn't know how to feel about it.

Was she relieved?

Oui.

But the relief felt suspiciously like disappointment. Putain. On top of everything else, the bastard had turned her into a masochist. A hopeless glutton for punishment. She'd become addicted to heartbreak. Une idiote amoureuse.

A fool in love.

Rosa knew she was certainly acting like a fool. Perhaps, Cristiano hadn't recognized her at all. She might be overreacting for no reason. As she stood in her stupor, dozens of servers dashed around with silver platters of champagne and caviar. Like well-trained soldiers amid battle, they moved in sync to execute their missions. Dirty dishes were brought back. Bruschetta was sent out. Soiled napkins promptly replaced. On and on, the tasks kept multiplying to ensure happy and well-fed guests. The staff supervisor scowled at Rosa's idleness.

"Cosa fai? Andare al lavoro!" barked the older woman.

Rosa couldn't understand the Italian word for word, but she caught the gist of it. Time to get her ass in gear. With an apologetic smile, she grabbed a bag of linens that needed laundering to make herself look useful. "Scusa. I will get these taken care of right now."

Scoffing, the superviser waved her away. "Andare! Prima di licenziarti."

Rosa glanced at the door. She was pretty sure that Mesrine and Cristiano were still mingling with the other guests.

Was it safe to venture outside?

Probably not. A clench locked her jaw. It would be risky to walk by them again. But there was no choice. As far as she was concerned, caution could get fucked by the wind. Every passing second chipped away at her chances of saving Angelina.

How much longer could a child survive under Mesrine's brutality?

A pressing new problem had also arisen, complicating matters more. Harry rarely failed her, but it was possible that he dropped the ball this time. Rosa had expected the girl to show up at Mesrine's side. Moments ago, however, Angelina had been nowhere in sight. Rosa only caught a glimpse of Mesrine and his bodyguards. The child's whereabouts were unknown, which meant that Harry's intel was flawed, outdated, and potentially useless. Best-laid plans were about to go to shit.

Where the hell was Mesrine hiding the girl?

A thorough sweep of the premises felt necessary. Knowing Mesrine, he'd never leave such a valuable hostage unattended, especially when Cristiano was in such close range. There would probably be more than one bodyguard, keeping a tight leash on his prisoner. If Angelina was being held somewhere in the villa, Rosa would have to get through them first.

Violence seemed unavoidable.

She tightened her hold on the hefty bag of laundry. With her arms full, Rosa slipped out the side door and prayed that Mesrine and Cristiano would stay out of her way for the duration of the wedding. She chose to take a scenic route through a side garden. It was positioned directly across the main courtyard. From here, Rosa was able to spy on the guests from a less detectable distance. She scanned the crowd, seeking out a female child with golden eyes, dark wavy hair, and an olive complexion. A girl who looked like Nijah. Her beautiful, little Nijah. Suddenly, a rush of desperation overtook her senses. Maman is coming, baby—

Wait.

Non, non, non! Swallowing a whimper, Rosa caught herself. She wasn't looking for her baby girl. She was looking for Angelina. Sienna's daughter. Not her daughter. Not Nijah. Because Nijah was dead. Her daughter was gone. Rosa's heart rebelled against this painful truth with a few heavy beats.

Once more, grief chose to fuck with her head at the most inopportune time.

Once more, she ignored the ache and focused on the task at hand.

Rosa had failed to save Nijah. But she could still save Angelina. The tragic void within her chest swelled with purpose.

Over and over again, amber eyes flitted across each guest in the courtyard. One by one, she gaged their heights, looking for a child about 90 centimeters tall. Unfortunately, everyone standing in view appeared to be well over 150 centimeters. She spotted Mesrine again with his bodyguards. Merde. Angelina wasn't with them. Feeling dismayed, Rosa sensed it was time to broaden the parameters of her search.

Moving away from the garden, she picked up her pace. Sunshine warmed her skin while a breeze rustled through pink and white oleander blossoms. They were blooming everywhere. Lemon trees lined the walkway, filling the air with the sharp, clean scent of citrus. Spray and water cascaded from a small fountain under the trees. It was a soothing sound. On any other day, a stroll in such a space would've been rather enjoyable.

But not today.

Step after step, Rosa's pulse ticked with paranoia. Amber eyes darted every which way in a state of hypervigilance. God forbid she stumbled into Cristiano's line of sight again. Even with a face mask and blonde wig on, she didn't feel safe. The bastard's attention to detail was positively criminal. It suddenly occurred to Rosa that she hadn't seen Cristiano in the courtyard with the other guests.

Where had he gone?

Rosa glanced all around, searching for him. She couldn't shake the feeling that someone might be tracking her movements. Wielding the large sack of laundry like a shield, Rosa used it to hide her face as she forged onward. She was determined to keep a low profile and even more determined to inspect every corner of every inch of every room on the Vitales' estate. Rosa vowed to leave no stone unturned until Angelina was found.

After passing through the garden, Rosa ducked back into the main house. Occasionally, she ran into other members of the staff. They barely noticed her. Everyone was rushing around to ensure that the wedding was running smoothly. Pulling out her phone, Rosa checked the time. 5:44 pm. Running through the itinerary that Mrs. Vitale had provided her, she estimated that the ceremony was about to begin. The guests would soon be seated before the bride and groom. This seemed to be the perfect opportunity to search the villa.

Rosa kept her phone out to update Mrs. Vitale on the situation. This way, the Vitales' security team would be less likely to get in her way for sneaking around the property. She received a prompt reply.

Unknown Sender: I've ordered my security to start looking for the girl as well. I'll keep you updated on what we find.

Over the next twenty minutes, Rosa slipped in and out of rooms while keeping a sharp eye out for anything or anyone that looked amiss. So far, Angelina remained impossible to find. Rosa didn't lose hope. Meticulously, she kept searching for signs of the child and her handlers throughout the villa. She kept checking her phone as well. No news from Mrs. Vitale or her security team.

After clearing the last room, Rosa was forced to entertain a very unwelcome possibility. Unless Mesrine managed to hide Angelina somewhere on the Vitales' estate that even Mrs. Vitale and her security team couldn't access, it was becoming clear that the girl might not be on site. Mesrine was probably holding her captive at another location. Rosa's instincts sharpened.

Was it possible that Harry's sources had been misled on purpose?

Contrary to what she expected, Harry had assured her that Mesrine wasn't planning to rock the boat at the wedding. Supposedly, Mesrine had bartered his way onto the guest list in order to strike up a few business deals with the Vitales' inner circle.

Admittedly, the fucker had been on good behavior so far, and security already confiscated every guest's weapons upon entry. A full-on war with flying bullets seemed unlikely. But Rosa sensed that Mesrine was definitely setting up some kind of diabolical ruse. A wedding of this magnitude was too perfect of an opportunity to gather his enemies in one place. Rivals like Cristiano. And the Vitales.

What if Mesrine never planned to bring Angelina with him today?

Harry could be wrong.

Dread crept over her. Rosa prayed that she was wrong. Not Harry. But new intel was needed to disprove her fears. The quickest way, Rosa decided, would be to go straight to the source and press her blade against their throats until answers bled out. With little hesitation, her thoughts swerved toward Mesrine's bodyguards. Extracting information by force had always been one of her specialties.

There was only one minor caveat.

Rosa had promised Mrs. Vitale—no dead bodies at her friend's wedding. It was going to be tricky to get Mesrine's men to cooperate without spilling too much blood. She'd have to play this shit by ear. The bottle of chloroform was tucked snugly inside Rosa's pocket, and the switchblade was strapped under her sleeve. Both were about to see some action.

Rosa started back toward Mesrine and his men. Right as Rosa passed by one of the bathrooms, however, something caught her attention. She heard someone speaking rapidly through the closed door. There wasn't a second voice, though. The fucker appeared to be alone.

Was he talking to someone on the phone?

Amber eyes grew wider and wider as she continued to eavesdrop. Conveniently, he was conversing in French. As far as Rosa knew, Mesrine and his men were the only guests who could speak the language so fluently.

The man growled in muffled tones, "Il les veut morts."

He wants them dead.

Was this abruti working for Mesrine?

"Ils doivent donc tous mourir. Aujourd'hui."

So they all must die. Today.

Who were they about to kill?

Rosa furrowed her brow. If she wanted answers, something a bit more drastic needed to be done. She rolled up her sleeve to retrieve her switchblade. The weight of it felt safe and familiar in her hand. Like an extension of her body. Rosa waited outside the door for him to end his call. She heard the sound of piss hitting the toilet bowl. A flush. The sound of running water. Then—nothing. She grew impatient.

He wasn't planning to stay in there forever, ri—

All of a sudden, she caught a blur of movement from the corner of her eye. Rosa whipped her head around but saw nothing. Her heart started pounding much harder.

What the fuck?

Then, she heard a quiet rattle. Her gaze darted away from the corridor and back to the bathroom. The moment Rosa saw the knob turn, her train of thought shut off and her body sprang into action. She rammed her shoulder into the door, rebounding it into the man's face with a satisfying crack. Howling in pain, he released a train of expletives. With the element of surprise still on her side, she barreled inside and shoved him against the wall.

"What do you want with me?" he demanded in heavily accented English.

Rosa kicked the door shut with her foot.

"A bit of cooperation," she replied, purposely masking her French accent from him so as not to blow her cover. "I have some questions, and I believe you might have the answers."

"Who sent you?"

"Your mother."

He scowled at her sass and kept silent.

She started with an easy question, "What is your name?"

"None of your fucking business."

"I am afraid that is the wrong answer. I assure you, if you fail to speak up, things will not go well for you."

"I am no snitch."

Glaring at her, he reached inside his vest, but she was faster, disarming him before he could grab his gun. The Heckler & Koch clattered to the floor just beyond his reach. Without taking her eyes off him, Rosa chided, "How did you manage to sneak that past security? You know weapons are not allowed here."

He spat, "Fuck you."

Her weapon immediately found his neck. The edge of her blade kissed his throat until a thread of crimson appeared, staining his skin like a long, red paper cut.

"Now, be a good boy, and turn around. Drop to your knees. Put your hands on the wall. Do not move a muscle. Or else I will carve out your vocal cords and watch you die."

"My... vocal cords?" he muttered. "That is oddly specific."

She explained wickedly, "We are at a wedding, after all. I cannot have your screams ruining such a special day."

His eyes grew round as though he suddenly realized that she was serious about killing him. "You do not want to mess with me. The man I work for will not hesitate to skin you alive."

Rosa threatened in a soft voice, "Your boss sounds like a big, scary fucker. But he is not about to slit your throat. I am. That makes you my bitch for the time being."

As her warning sank in, the man muttered nastily under his breath—nique ta mère—but he obeyed her command, placing himself at her mercy by turning around, sinking to the ground while pressing both palms against the wall.

Once he was in position, her blade returned to the side of his neck. Just in case he forgot who was in charge. Rosa took this opportunity to profile her opponent. He was relatively thin and not much taller than her. If he tried anything funny, she could probably take him. She continued her assessment. The man wasn't dressed like the other guests. He wore the same white dress shirt, white vest, and black trousers that she had on. Realization unfurled with with sick, sinking sensation. He was hiding in plain sight. Just like her.

Merde.

He probably wasn't the only one who'd infiltrated the catering staff for the wedding.

"How many of you are there?" she demanded.

"Why don't you ask your mother?"

"Do not be a smartass," she prompted, "if you wish to keep your fingers. I will chop one off like a little carrot each time you fail to answer me. You have ten chances to get this right."

"I call bullshit."

With a flick of her hand, she sliced off the tip of his pinky before returning the blade to his neck. The nub of flesh fell into the toilet with a quiet plop as the man shrieked in horror. Blood gushed from his wound. "You crazy bitch!"

"I already told you that I am not fucking around. You chose to test me," Rosa murmured like an angel of death. "Let me rephrase my question. How much blood are you willing to lose to protect your friends?"

***

Thoughts?

Feelings?

Predictions?

Follow me on Wattpad @uxecila or on Instagram @tafanwrites for more updates. Next chapter will be posted in one week on Friday, May 10, 2024. <3