Brian looked at her for a moment, then gave a shrug that clearly meant, ‘on your own head be it’, and disappeared.
‘Give me a moment to get changed,’ Alysa said.
She did it in double-quick time, instructed her secretary, then hurried out with Drago. They didn’t speak on the short journey to her home. She was trying to take in the enormity of what she’d done, aware of Drago watching her with a slightly baffled expression, as though he too had been taken by surprise.
They kept the taxi while she packed hurriedly, and then they were on their way to the airport.
‘Suppose I can’t get a ticket for this flight?’ she asked.
‘I took the liberty of buying you one.’
‘Why didn’t I think of that?’ she asked with a little smile.
‘Yes, you might have expected it by now. Will he really make you suffer for this?’
‘I’ll be back by Friday evening, so he’ll have nothing to complain about. Don’t worry.’
She wished she felt as confident as she sounded, but she could see the threat looming before her. Elena’s takeover bid for Tina had assumed manic proportions. She’d thought to control Drago by marrying him off to her friend, but that had failed, and now she was clutching at straws.
The idea that she could steal the little girl from her father might sound paranoid, but that didn’t mean it shouldn’t be taken seriously. Alysa pitied the old woman’s suffering, but she wasn’t going to see Drago devastated. Only she really understood what he’d lost, and while she had breath in her body he wasn’t going to lose any more.
And if that meant that she was the loser, that she’d pay the price by throwing away everything she’d worked for, what then?
She glanced at Drago in the corner of the taxi, his eyes closed, light and darkness chasing each other across his face, and she reached out to touch him. At once he gripped her hand painfully tight. She returned it just as hard, and they sat like that for the rest of the journey.
CHAPTER TWELVE
DRAGO hardly spoke on the plane, and Alysa didn’t offer words of consolation that would have been useless. His face was drawn and haggard. Sometimes he made the effort to smile at her, but she could see the truth beneath it. He was in a hell of fear. She smiled back, telling him she was there for him.
It was snowing at the airport, where his car was waiting to take them to the home of the friends who were caring for Tina. Florence itself was bright and cheerful, the streets full of decorations, the lights gleaming against the darkness of the sky and the white of the snow.
‘We’ll be there in a minute,’ Drago said at last. ‘It’s getting late. She’ll think I’m not coming-’
‘Stop it,’ Alysa said firmly. ‘It’s going to be all right. When you see her you’ll smile, she’ll throw herself into your arms and we’ll take it from there.’
But she spoke with more confidence than she felt. Elena wasn’t going to see her best chance slip away without a fight, and as the house came into view she sensed that her worst fears were being realised. All the lights were on, the front door was open, and a woman was standing outside looking frantically along the road.
‘That’s Signora Lenotti,’ Drago said. ‘I left Tina with her and her husband.’ As the car stopped he leapt out. ‘It’s all right, we’re here.’
But the woman burst into tears at the sight of him.
‘What’s happened?’ Drago demanded.
‘The
‘But you didn’t,’ Drago snapped. ‘Tell me that you didn’t.’
‘What else could I do?’ Maria wailed. ‘She said she was her legal guardian, and she threatened me with the law.’
Drago swore violently.
‘She just marched in and walked through the house,’ Maria said. ‘When she found Tina she-she acted as though we’d kidnapped her, telling her everything would be all right now that she’d been “rescued”.’
‘That poor little mite,’ Alysa said. ‘What must she be imagining now?’
‘How did she even know she was here?’ Drago raged.
‘I think someone in your house told her,’ Maria said.
‘I gave them strict instructions not to.’
‘But are they all loyal to you?’ Alysa put in. ‘I’ll bet she’s got at least one of them on her side.’
‘My God, she’ll stop at nothing,’ Drago muttered. ‘I never knew until this moment what I was dealing with.’
‘Where does Elena live?’ Alysa asked. ‘We’ve got to go on there.’
‘She’s in Bologna,’ Drago said. ‘That’s about sixty kilometres north of here.’
‘Then let’s go.’
It was dark and the road was winding, but Drago’s driver was the best, and he had them there in an hour, finally drawing up outside a splendid villa.
‘There are no lights on,’ Alysa said, fearing the worst. ‘But why? They must be expecting you. Maybe they’ve just gone to bed,’ she said, but she guessed they were both clutching at straws.
She knew the worst a moment later when the housekeeper came to the door and declared that the mistress had been away for two days, and she didn’t know where she was or when she was coming back.
‘My God, she could have taken Tina anywhere,’ Drago groaned.
‘Her other daughter,’ Alysa said. ‘Where does she live?’
‘No, that family is in America at the moment, attending a wedding.’
‘What about Leona? Where does she live?’
‘ Florence,’ he said desperately.
‘Fine. Let’s get going.’
The driver had the engine running as they approached the car, and in a moment they were heading back the way they had come.
All the time Alysa was praying that Leona’s house would be the end of the journey, and that this wouldn’t turn into a hideous search for a child who’d completely disappeared.
When at last they saw the house she was fearful, for again the lights were off. But it was Leona herself who came to the door, and Alysa could see at once that she was uncomfortable.
‘Is my daughter here?’ Drago demanded.
She nodded and stood aside to let him in, looking anxiously at his face.
‘Elena just turned up here without warning,’ she said in a placating voice. ‘She had Tina with her-’
‘And so you couldn’t turn them away,’ Alysa said at once. ‘You had to keep Tina safe until her father came for her. That was very kind.’
Leona smiled at this understanding and hurried away.
‘Why are you sympathising with her?’ Drago demanded, outraged.
‘Because it’s not her fault, and she hates the situation,’ Alysa said hurriedly. ‘Don’t you see? She’s already half on your side. Let’s keep her there and get her the rest of the way. If you come on strong you’ll alienate her and this will be harder.’
When he hesitated, unconvinced, she said, ‘Drago, why did you bring me here? Because you knew I could deal with this better than you can. So let me get on with it and don’t interfere.’
After a moment he nodded, and she saw something she recognised. He had the same weary, defeated look that she’d seen at the airport in February. He was out of his depth, and he knew it.
‘Thank you,’ he whispered.
She touched his face and turned back to the stairs, where Leona had just appeared at the top of it.
‘I’ve knocked on her door but she won’t come out,’ she said frantically. ‘She’s locked it on the inside.’
‘Where’s Tina?’ Alysa asked.
