Streets of Valencia (#2 in The Billionaire Series)

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE

Federica frowned. It had just been there. She was sure her grandmother's bracelet had just been there. She lowered herself to search for it, even going as far as ducking to seek it. But this only got her rammed into by unsuspecting passersby, so she stood up again for fear of breaking her neck. A clouding feeling of worry was beginning to hover over her.

Her abuela had trusted her with that gift before she'd gone to Caxton. She'd kept it safe against teachers, students and the lost and found for ten years. Why, now, did she lose it? She frowned, looking around her in hopes of an answer, a passersby who suddenly ducked, or a miracle from God.

Suddenly, a blinking caught her attention. Heart leaping in her chest, she quickly turned to the sight, craning her neck in hopeful plea. She saw someone running through the crowds, dressed in a pair of jeans and a green small tank top. It was a child, she realized. In her hands, as she swung about in haste, was a twinkling ornament. It was her bracelet.

Eyes wide with shock, Federica's heart clenched in her chest with brewing hope. But that hope crushed down as suddenly. Her bracelet had been stolen. Federica would have let the notion go had the child not stopped at the edge of the street and turned back to peer in Federica's direction.

Whatever doubts she might have had dispersed, simply from that action. "Hey!" she called sternly. "Return that!"

The child, realizing she'd been caught, turned around and ran, quickly disappearing from view. Federica wasted no time following. She ran through the throng of people, pushing anyone in her way, jabbing the more stubbornly rooted, apologizing for stumbling, but determined to have the bracelet returned to her.

She entered the branching street just as the little girl disappeared into another pathway, casting a fearful glance behind her. Federica ran after her, feeling the years of exercise proving their worth to her at that moment as she pushed forward with gusto.

"Stop!" she called, spotting the child ahead of her. She was gaining on her. Her feet slapped against the cobbled path, and she distantly recognized the thinning population. Still, Federica chased the girl, following down one path with apartments on either side, and into an alleyway that, eerie as it was, they both passed through with no hesitation or hindrance. It was only as she chased the girl down a longer path that Federica managed to gain on her.

"You!" she shouted, panting at the exercise. The girl continued to glance back at her, each time her eyes growing wider with panic. Federica was sure she would catch up to her on the next turn. The girl disappeared into another alley way ahead of her. As Federica went through it, she saw the girl slip out on the other end. When she ran out, the girl was nowhere. Federica ran into a halt.

"What?" she gasped, heart still erratic, lungs beginning to feel dry, throat parched. Federica stared around her with disappointed and growing panic. She braced her hand to her knee as she panted. She counted five doors around her, all painted a startling red, balconies cast overhead, one upper door with a netted curtain flayed by the soft winds, but none to give her a clue as to where the girl had gone. A potted plant dotted the sides of each door, with the occasional door mat placed on the step. Some actually had gardens, she noticed with an inkling of curiosity.

What she also noticed with an annoyed groan, was the two other paths leading out of the cobbled veranda. One was a narrow slip, an alley way, while the other was slightly larger, though still small and.

"You are kidding me," she cried, standing up straighter. Where had she gone to? Federica wondered sadly. Could she have gone to the left? Well, the left did seem like the less attractive side. It was wide, and if Federica got out, she could have easily spotted the girl going through. On the other hand, she could have gone right. She'd already tried loosing Federica through two tight alleyways. Who was to say she hadn't attempted the same trick?