“Put the bags in the car, Elena. We’re leaving.”
Marcus Thorne was moving with frantic urgency. The “Protector” had seen the toll the proximity to William was taking on Victoria–the nightmares, the panic attacks. He had booked a private charter to Milan under a false name.
They stepped out onto the gravel driveway, the morning mist clinging to the air. Victoria clutched her violin case, looking back at the Main House with a mixture of fear and longing.
“Going somewhere?”
The voice cut through the mist like a razor. Malcolm Fotheringham stood at the gate, flanked by two security guards. He held a blue legal folder.
“Get out of the way, Malcolm,” Marcus growled, stepping in front of Victoria.
“I can’t do that,” Malcolm said smoothly. “As of ten minutes ago, Judge Halloway signed an emergency injunction. ‘Elena’ is a material witness in the ongoing asset recovery suit filed by Dante Ricci. If she leaves the jurisdiction, she will be arrested for contempt.”
“You can’t keep her here!” Marcus shouted.
“Actually, we can,” William’s voice joined the fray. He stepped out from behind Malcolm, looking exhausted and desperate. “It’s for her safety, Marcus. Ricci has men at the airports.”
William convinced himself it was protection, but as he watched the guards close the gate, he knew the truth. He was using Malcolm’s ruthlessness to build a wall around the woman he couldn’t let go of.