FOUR

in the car while I excused myself from work. Of course, I briefly considered calling the police while I still could, but ultimately I knew that if I tried anything like that, eventually I would regret it. Arturo could storm in here and kidnap me before the police arrived anyway.

What I could do, however, was quickly send a text. I grabbed my phone out of the drawer in my desk and opened up my contacts. I found the name I was looking for in less than a second: Lucas. If Arturo was taking me somewhere alone, there was a chance I might not come back. At the very least, I wanted somebody to know what was going on. I sent a text explaining what was happening, even though I had no idea where we were going.

After that, there was one small issue I had to fix before I could leave: birthday drinks, and the opportunity to question a suspect.

Naturally, Henson took the news well.

"You're missing out on a big opportunity," he sighed, leaning back in his sleek leather chair.

"There will be others."

"Not like this one." He leaned his elbows forwards on the desk and glanced out of the office window.

Arturo's car was idling right outside. He hit the horn when he saw Henson looking and I cringed. "I'm sorry."

Henson smiled but it was clearly forced. "Don't worry," he said. "Go. But birthday drinks are still on the table if you want. You have my number."

**

"What took so long?" Arturo asked, impatiently revving the car as I fastened my seatbelt. He sped off the moment he heard it click into place.

I bit my lip and stared out of the window, considering how much I should reveal. "I had...previous arrangements to cancel."

"With macho-man." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, with Henson."

"What sort of a first name is that?" Arturo tapped his fingers against the leather steering wheel like a cat twitching its tale. Considering we were supposed to be going out for dinner, he didn't seem to be in the best of moods. Had he expected me to fall to my knees the moment he waltzed into my work place?

"Actually it's a second name."

"Right."

Silence filled the inside of the car. The engine was so quiet that there was practically no background noise to hide how awkward and uncomfortable I was feeling. I was hyper-aware of Arturo beside me; of his knee inches from my own; his arm half way between us both on the console. I could reach out and entwine our fingers. Or I could slap his palm away. Both were options I considered equally. Eventually the silence became so overpowering that I leaned over and switched on the radio. Some upbeat pop song began blaring out of Arturo's expensive speakers and his eyes snapped to mine like I'd just insulted his mother.

"What," he hissed, "is this?"

"Music," I said, smirking at Arturo's obvious bewilderment. The song was so antithetical to him with his cool and collected demeanour. I frowned when his scowl didn't break into a smile. "You don't like it?"

"No."

"Oh." I turned the volume dial down a few notches. "What music do you like, then?"

"I don't."

"Of course you don't," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

Arturo smacked the dashboard and the radio shut off abruptly.

"Jesus, if I knew I was going to spend my birthday in a car with angry Arturo I wouldn't have agreed to come. Oh wait, you didn't give me a choice." I folded my arms to emphasise my point and stared out of the window. It was definitely a mistake to be alone with him like this. I had sworn to myself that I wouldn't do this again, yet here I was stuck in his damn car.

I heard a heavy exhalation from Arturo's side of the car. "We both have a lot of explaining to do."

"So you decided to do it on my birthday?"

"You agreed to come," he pointed out.

"Like you really gave me a choice. I thought we were just going out for a nice dinner."

"We're going to have dinner, stop being so dramatic."

Finally I unfolded my arms and swept them out in front of me in a grand gesture. "It's my birthday!"

"So you've said."

"I do not want to do this today." I let out a sigh and shrank back in my seat, defeated. "I could have been having birthday drinks right now."

"You could have been," he nodded, a faint smirk ghosting his lips. "But you wouldn't have been with me."

"Arrogant."

"I prefer the term confident, but call me what you want tesoro."

(Darling)

I would never admit it but I'd be lying if I said his attitude didn't turn me on. I didn't want it to; I hated the fact that I was hot and bothered by him. But the certainty of his words had an unfortunately alluring quality.

"Can we skip to the part where you explain why the hell you thought it would be okay to almost shoot me? And smash my head into the floor? Then take me to my own family to have me executed?" I scoffed. "I mean, I know you're good with words but if you can talk your way out of this one, truly, I will drop my panties in an instant."

Arturo's hands tightened around the wheel. "Don't go making promises you can't keep."

I raised an eyebrow as he turned to look at me. His jaw was clenched making it jut out sharply and I watched his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. "Who says I can't keep it?" I whispered, leaning closer. "You want to know what they look like?"

I didn't know where the confidence to talk like this had come from but it was certainly having an effect. "Florence," Arturo warned.

"They're silky," I continued in my gentle whisper, "and red." His knuckles where now white around the wheel. I placed my hand on his thigh and spread my fingers, pressing more weight down as I leaned even closer. My lips were almost at his neck. Bingo.

"Flo–"

"And soaking wet."

"Dannazione," Arturo cursed, slamming his foot down on the gas so that the car jolted forward.

I removed my hand and smirked, satisfied that I had succeeded in doing to him what he so often did to me. Revenge was a dish best served hot. I allowed him a few seconds to cool down and then continued as if nothing had happened. "So, are you going to explain?"

Arturo was silent for just a beat too long. I could still hear the slight raspiness in his tone. "Slow down just a minute," he held up a finger as if to pause me. "What you did was the catalyst for my actions. So you should start."

"That's an awfully big word for a kidnapper to be using."

"Don't test me, Florence," he deadpanned.

"Okay, fine." I took a moment to collect myself. "You want to know how I ended up stuck playing dress-up for you and your men for months? My father shipped me off to New York, my Uncle sent me undercover, and thus Sage Jones was created. All to make me grow up, apparently."

"Harsh."

"And bullshit," I agreed. "Really they just wanted me to rat on your family. It didn't start out as a direct attack on you. The way....the way my feelings developed for you, that was real. But then they decided to use that - use the fact that I was getting closer to you. I didn't know whose side I should have been on anymore...I was...confused."

When Arturo spoke his voice was too level. "What did you tell them?"

"I told them once that you had a rat in their ranks. That was it."

He nodded sharply. "But you weren't going to tell me."

"I...I don't know," I sighed. The words had been on my lips so many times before - right on the tip of my tongue - yet I'd never found the will to say them. "I was scared," I concluded. "Of how you would react, what you would do."

"So you do have a brain after all." I pursed my lips but otherwise disregarded that comment. I wasn't willing to pick any more fights - not tonight.

Instead I turned my head to glance out of the window. A long wire fence was running parallel to the road and every few meters there were signs directing traffic to different terminals. "Arturo." I turned to look at him with a pit of fear in my stomach. "This is an airport."

He didn't look at me. "I said we were going for dinner. I didn't, however, tell you where."

"Stop the car." It sped up. "Stop the car!"

"That isn't advisable. We're in a sixty zone with a stream of traffic behind."

"I don't care!" I was panicking now; the walls were drawing closer, closing in, and suddenly it became difficult to breathe. "I'm not getting on a plane with you!"

We began to slow as the road narrowed and meandered around, merging into a single carriageway. I tried the door but it was locked. "Specifically with me, or in general? Because we can arrange for you to be on a different flight."

"This is real kidnapping!" I exclaimed, smacking the dashboard indignantly.

Arturo's eyes flickered in my direction. "Don't hurt my car."

"Then don't bloody kidnap me!"

"You agreed to dinner."

"Not in another-" My words fell away as we emerged onto a huge expanse of flat concrete. "This is an airfield! We're on the airfield!"

"My, you're observant today." He rolled his eyes. "Gesù Cristo."

(Jesus Christ)

The car slowed even more as we pulled up beside a small-ish plane. "Look, Florence. I want to fix everything that happened between us. Come for dinner, and if you still don't want to see me anymore, you can fly home straight away."

"And how do I know your word is good?"

Arturo paused. "You don't."