𝑇𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑃ℎ𝑜𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑥 ✔︎ || 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑑

13

~ phoenix ~

I was still shaken two hours later. The chill hadn't left my bones.

To remove the filthiness from my skin where those disgusting hands had groped, I had to have another scathing shower. Now, I was sitting in the balcony, mind buzzing over the event of the past day.

A knock sounded on the door. I made no move to respond.

A minute later, it opened.

I thought it was Giovanni. It wasn't.

"Excuse me, miss, can I serve you your lunch?" the scrawny maid squeaked in her Italian accent.

I shook my head, numbly but asked "Where is he?"

She stuttered. "Oh, the m-master? I heard him leave with his f-friends, miss."

That caught my attention.

"Do you know when?" I questioned, turning to face her. "And when he might come back?"

The maid blanched, even taking a small step back. "I think he left t-ten minutes ago but I'm afraid I can't answer the second question, m-miss."

I regarded her, anxiously. Why was she so nervous? She could hardly be my age, perhaps a few years younger, with thin brown hair and big, round eyes. I wondered if anything had happened to her. However, prying didn't seem like the wise thing to do.

Eventually, I murmured, "Thank you," and waited for the door to shut.

When she left, I shot to my feet. My eyes found the large clock face, that read it was almost three in the afternoon. If Giovanni left ten minutes ago, he couldn't be back so early...

Mind set, I quietly snuck out of my room and tiptoed across the long corridor to his. Unexpectedly, the door swung open when I pushed it. Huh. I would've imagined it to be locked.

Nonetheless, I slunk in, closing the door behind me with excruciating care. I didn't want to risk the maid hearing me snoop around in her master's room.

Giovanni's room was perhaps the same as mine, but larger. The furniture was almost identical — except there was a larger desk and instead of a balcony, he had a whole ass corridor overlooking the east side of his estates. My gaze focused on the desk.

Cautiously, I opened the drawers, fingers diving through various documents. Everything was in fucking Italian — there was no point me bothering to read it. I found nothing of interest at the desk so I moved towards his bed. Everyone hid something under their mattress. Surely, he did too.

But nope. My fingers found nothing.

Next, I snooped though the bedside tables. Huh. He kept a gun in the drawers just like Ilya.

I grazed the cool metal, wondering... Should I take it? Gingerly, I picked it up. It was lighter than I expected. Opening the chamber, I found no bullets. I mean, what did I expect? I placed it back and made my way to the towering armoire.

The doors creaked when I heaved them open. I cringed, shutting them again. With a sharp intake of breath, I tried again faster. I looked in between folded shirts and in the pockets of hanging jackets. In a particular black blazer, my fingers grazed something cool. Fishing it out, I was surprised to see a necklace.

It was gold and embellished with a stunning ruby. I'd seen this before... but I couldn't quite pinpoint where.

All of a sudden, the clacking of shoes sounded in the hallway. Gasping, I closed the armoire doors and made for the balcony. Once my back was pressed against the white concrete, I exhaled a breath.

Giovanni hummed a tuneless melody as he entered. I heard the ruffling of clothes. Shit, did he spot something in the armoire? Boldly, I peeked over my shoulder into the room. My mouth fell open to see his naked butt.

Swallowing a squeak, I snapped my eyes back to the view of the Italian hills and... were those mountains?

I heard a door open and then shut. I figured, since he'd been naked, that Giovanni had gone into the en-suite for a shower or whatever the hell he does without clothes on.

I glanced back into the room, finding it empty. Then, as quietly as I could, I slid open the balcony doors again and tiptoed in. I sidestepped his discarded boxers and shirt and moments later, I was safely in the hallway.

Heaving a sigh of relief, I half-sprinted to my room and closed the door behind me. Looking down, I realised I still had the ruby pendant in my fist.

Terrified, I shoved it under my mattress. Would he notice its absence?

I needed to put it back before he realised I'd been snooping.

Trembling, I made my way to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. My eyes caught sight of the silver rings on my fingers. Heart aching, I traced the I.

"I miss you, baby," I murmured to nothing in particular.

I wondered what he would be doing now. No doubt he was throwing a mad fit but would he have let me save these women if I asked him? Besides, part of this was for him too. If the Italians stopped their disgusting business, then surely there'd be fewer clashes between the two mafias...

I dried my wet cheeks with the towel and ventured back outside my room. I wondered how I could get to that breathtaking garden. I made my way downstairs. Thankfully, there were no more guests in sight. Spotting a flash of green on my right, I walked towards the glass doors. Turning the brass handles, I followed the flowery scent into the magnificent garden.

All around me were tulips, roses, daisies, orchids. And so many more that I couldn't identify.

Who tended to them, I wondered.

My bare feet against the warm grass was a sensation I thought I'd never feel again. There wasn't much grass in Russia, not that I minded. The feeling brought back memories of the high school field, day trips to the botanical gardens, even playing with Ryder in our back yard. I couldn't help but smile.

Flowers were special.

I spied a small trail down one end of the garden and frowned. Where would that lead? Seeking an exiting adventure to distract my troubled mind, I embarked on the route. Small pebbles stung the soles of my feet but I didn't mind. I continued to follow the path until—

I gasped.

Was that an entire field? Rather than a sea of flowers, I found just long, green grass, stretching further than my eyes could see. It was breathtaking.

I couldn't stop my feet from running through it, hands outstretched to feel the blades sweep by. When I lost my breath, I collapsed onto the sun kissed ground. My hair was splayed and my eyes blinked up at the clouds.

If things got to be too much during this one week, then I guess I found my hideaway. Somewhere where no one could bother—

"So you've found my think spot then?"

NOTE:
I was thinking. This book is going to have many more Ilya POVs because they aren't together. Last book, they were so you guys knew exactly what happened. You guys excited? Honestly, I ain't got a penis so I might be shit at it but just a disclaimer.
AND OMFG THANKS FOR 50K ON RP YOU CRAZY ASS HOES!!! IM BLOODY GOBSMACKED!
xo, Rosavi