Heartless Queen Book 1 of the Heartless Series

Chapter 13 - Reunion

Romeo's POV

I knew she was still on the property as none of the silent alarms had gone off on my security system that was now on my phone screen, I watched it incessantly. Enzo came to report to me that they couldn't find her, she was a master at hiding, a ghost in the shadows of course they wouldn't find her. Although I was understanding I was still annoyed at myself that I wasn't quick enough to stop her from escaping my office, she was so upset and stunned that I knew her nickname from her childhood that she clearly had to run from it, run to escape the pain. I was left to process the fact that she was alive. Not only alive but always there in my awareness all this time, I just didn't know it was her. I've been trying to find her ever since I took control of this family, I always failed at every turn I took that eventually I had to accept the fact that she was gone and was never coming back to me, so I stopped looking. Now I knew she was alive I wasn't ever going to let her go again.

After a few hours I notice Melanie smuggle a sandwich out of the kitchen from the balcony above her, before I allowed everyone to retire for the night. I knew right then that she knew where Carmela was, but didn't follow her to her room where she was hiding her, instead I went back to my office and waited with a drink in my hand, after all this was her only known escape. So, I opened the window wide and let in the cool breeze of the night and sat back in my chair with my feet up on the desk, waiting.

It took longer than I thought but I slowly heard my office door open just enough to allow her body through and close again softly. I didn't say anything or move from the darkness of my desk while she crossed the room to the open window because I didn't want to startle her. She didn't see me in the shadows, and it confused her that the window was actually open as I locked it when she was last in here, under the moonlight her olive skin glowed beautifully, and her dark hair shone brightly. It looked like she was fighting with her thoughts, I put my glass down on the desk, to catch her attention, she froze, and her breathing quickened. "You don't have to leave Camy, not if you don't want too that is." She paused again before speaking ever so softly that I only just heard her. "I only want to know who killed my family?" there were so much hurt in her voice. I couldn't stand it, I wanted to help her. "Let me help you find them." I offered, but she didn't reply and left me to the darkness all alone. I stayed in my seat and sighed deeply but I didn't hear her walking away on the branch, nor did I hear her climb down its trunk, so I began to wondered if she had actually left me again.

I stood up, walked to the window and looked out at the tree, it took my eyes moments to focus in the moonlight but there she were stood against its trunk. "How could you help me?" she said flatly. "I have my ways to find out information I want, plus I knew you and your family when I was young." My voice wasn't strong or demanding anymore but it was just truthful. "How do I know I can trust you?" her voice was still emotionless. "Because you knew me once and you knew I'd never do anything to hurt you." This caught her interest as she turned around in the tree to face me but looked confused. "How do I know you? What is your name?" she pleaded for answers, which I was only too willing to give to her. "We grew up together, we were best friends. It's me Carmela, Romeo." Desperation was clear in my voice, I really wanted her to remember me, to see a glint of recognition in her eyes but there was nothing. "I don't know any Romeo's. I never have." Her words stung as they reached my ears.

I had one last ditched attempt to convince her that she did in fact know me. "I can prove it." I shouted with so much conviction that she couldn't ignore it. "Then prove it. I want to see something that I can't refute then I'll believe you." I needed to remember where I put that dam box, fuck where did I put it. It was years ago that I stored it away, when I finally conceded that I'd never find her again or any trace of her.

"Well, where is this evidence." I tensed up as she scared me half to death and was standing right next to me. I didn't hear her come back through the window let alone walk towards me. She was extremely good at her job, I'll give her that. She looked me in the eyes searching for any sort of deceit. "I need to remember where I put it." I said frustrated with myself. She looked suspiciously at me and stepped back from me thinking that I was lying to her. "Your mother's name was Christina, your fathers were Tony." I blurted out, needing her to believe me so badly and buy myself some time to remember where the box was. "That proves nothing." She said coldly and took another step back. "Erm, you had a dog named Lola she was a white labradoodle and you loved that she was so fluffy." She didn't move backwards this time contemplating whether that information would be common knowledge. "You loved to put pigtails in her fur when she was shaggy." her eyebrows furrowed, she knew that that wouldn't be common knowledge. "I'm listening." she prompted for more information. "She was a good dog, she was so sad after what happened that I took her to live with me and my mother. My father was killed that same night in your house." she looked confused at that information and she would be, his death was kept out of every police report and the media, my grandfather made sure of that.

"What is it your trying to remember the location of?" I looked in her eyes she was still confused and unconvinced I could prove anything to her, and I couldn't see if she believed my information about her or not. She wanted irrefutable evidence, so I need to find that box. I gulped not wanting to admit what I was looking for and carried on looking around my office, but she has a right to know. "I'm looking for your keepsake box, I took it from your room after what happened, so I had something to remember you by." I admitted. It was wrong of me to steal the box, but I needed a part of her, especially when people were just throwing her families possessions away in a skip like they was nothing. I won't tell her that part though. She took a seat on my desk and waited for me to remember where I put it, I'd already tried the safe and secret hide I had behind some books in my office, to find nothing.

I wondered into my bedroom, would I leave it in here? I asked myself. Then it hit me yes, I did, I started ripping up the rug in the centre of my room to reveal a secret panel in the floor. I slid the panel back and there it was, a small bright blue box with stickers and glitter over it and four black letters written in a child's script on top of it, 'Camy'. It had a thin layer of dust over it as I hadn't removed this box from its hiding place in many, many years. I turned to her as I could sense she was close behind me and her eyes widened at the sight of this box.

She held out her hands to hold the box wondering if it was actually real, if it was truly there in front of her. Her eyes again became watery but she held onto them tears as she took the final steps towards me so she could feel the box for herself. I offered her the box, but she didn't take it from me, she just popped the clasp and opened the lid and closed her eyes in the face of who she called her enemy. The familiar tune played, and I could see that she was transported back to a time she longed to be a part of, a time where her family was still alive, and she was happy. The smile on her face was the purest thing I've seen her do in years and I was glad that I was the one who made that happen.

While she had her eyes closed, I admired her face, she still had the same button nose and high cheekbones. Although they were painted with subtle makeup, I could still imagine her freckles were still scattered there. Her eyebrows were more shaped now and perfectly shaped her eyes. Her lips were still plump and soft, the red lipstick she wore when she first got here had manly rubbed off, probably still stained on my lips when I kissed her. but I preferred the colour of her natural lips, a soft pastel rose colour. I was transfixed on her lips wanting to touch them to mine again, my need for her lips were growing dangerously within me. She was only an arm reach away from me, within my grasp to reach them.

BANG!

Loud footsteps were quickly approaching us. I turned to the noise that brought me out of my trance and she snapped out of her moment of bliss, held a gun to my head, and closed the box shut her eyes were fierce. "Romeo, I think I've worked out where she is." Enzo burst through my door only to be shocked at the scene in front of him. He instantly raised his gun and pointed it at her, she smirked and sent a dagger flying at him. He yelled in pain as it connected with his shoulder and dropped his gun. She wheeled round punching me square in the jaw with knuckle dusters and I staggered back dropping the box, she span in a lowered position and caught the box mid-air before it hit the ground and bolted for the window. Before I could do anything, she was gone.

I rubbed at my now tender jaw and exhaled deeply. I looked over at Enzo pulling the blade out of his shoulder and looked annoyed that he was obviously wrong about her location. I was seething with anger at his interruption of my reunion with Carmela and wanted to kick the fuck out of him, but she got him good, so I'll leave my beating for another day. He looked at me apologetically and left the room to go patch himself up. Again I was left in the darkness all alone with the beast that lived within me.