When Prey Becomes Predator

It was time for my medication again. Dr. Lorenzo Grini, one of Leo's underlings, had come in to check on me.

"The dosage can be reduced by a quarter," he said, not daring to meet my eyes. His pen scratched so hard it tore the paper.

Leonardo's hand tightened slightly on my shoulder. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Dr. Grini's voice was dry. "Her recovery is… better than expected."

I gently nudged his food under the table. When he stiffened, I silently mouthed, "The basement."

That was where Dr. Grini's clinic stored its illegal pharmaceuticals. Back when I was still Vittoria, I had every doctor's weaknesses investigated.

His face went pale.

…

Leonardo was unusually quiet on the drive back. When we stopped at a red light, he suddenly asked, "Did Lorenzo say anything strange?"

"He said I might start remembering details of the wedding soon." I leaned against the window, my tone dreamy as I said, "I really wanted to see what I looked like in a wedding dress."

Leonardo smiled. "You were beautiful that day."

The car had barely pulled into the garage when his phone rang. The moment he saw the number, he frowned. "There's an emergency at the hospital. I need to go."

"Now?" I caught Leonardo's sleeve.

"I'll be back soon." He kissed my forehead. "You can get the paperwork ready for signing. The lawyer moved the appointment to the afternoon."

After he hurried out, I walked into the study.

The safe's password was my birthday. How typical of him.

I took out a thick stack of documents. Every page needed my signature. When I flipped to the last page, I paused.

Then, I pulled out a heavy medical dictionary from the third shelf of the bookcase. The spine showed faint signs of wear. I flipped to page 427.

Tucked between the pages was a silver USB drive.

I plugged it into the computer. It only took two minutes for me to crack the password.

All of Leonardo's backup files, encrypted email, and transfer records lay bare across the screen.

Raising my brows, I sent the three most critical files to an encrypted address. Then, I deleted the logs, removed the USB drive, and placed it back exactly where it had been.

The entire process took eight minutes.

I sat back down on the couch and picked up the unfinished knitting. It was Anna's favorite pastime.

I was counting stitches when the sound of a key turning in the front door echoed through the hallway.

"So soon?" I looked up, surprise brightening my face.

"The patient was transferred out." Leonardo slipped off his coat, his gaze flickering toward the open study door. "Have you looked at the documents?"

"Just for a bit. There are too many words." I rubbed my eyes and continued, "My head feels a bit dizzy."

He walked over and pressed the back of his hand against my forehead. "The medication's wearing off. I'll get you some water so you can take your pills."

From the kitchen came the sound of water being poured.

I quickly pulled a slip of paper from inside the yarn ball. I'd found it tucked into the lining of the USB casing earlier.

There was only a single line written on it. "Waiting for your return."

I swallowed the paper just as Leonardo came back, and I smiled at him.

"The lawyer will be here at 3:00 pm." Leonardo handed me a glass of water and the pill and said, "We'll be free once we're done signing the papers."

I swallowed the pill obediently, pressing it to the side of my tongue.

…

The doorbell rang at 2:50 pm, but it wasn't the lawyer.

Two uniformed men stood at the door. "We received a report. This villa is suspected of illegal renovations. We need to inspect the basement."

Leonardo's expression darkened instantly. "This isn't a good time."

"You're required to cooperate by law." The man in front held up his badge, his gaze sharp.

I recognized that look. It belonged to Carlo Montez, my best enforcer.

Leonardo's hand moved toward his waist.

I caught his arm just in time. "Let them check. It's not like we did anything wrong."

The moment the basement door opened, his expression changed.

In the corner, a storage cabinet that should've been empty stood slightly ajar. Something glinted under the light from inside.

It was Dr. Grini's surgical knife set. His name was engraved on the handles, and the metal was stained with dried blood.

"What's this?" Carlo's voice turned cold.

Leonardo was about to speak up, but I intercepted first.

My voice trembled as I said, "That… That belongs to Dr. Grini… He came last week and said he needed to store it here for a while. I-I didn't know what was inside—"

Leonardo's head snapped toward me. For the first time, his composure slipped.

"Leo?" I grabbed his arm, my nails digging into his skin. "You didn't… do something bad, did you?"

Carlo was already lifting his radio. "Requesting backup. Suspicious items found."

The other officer pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

Leonardo stepped back, his hand reaching toward his waist again. But Carlo was faster in raising the muzzle of his gun. "Don't move, sir."

The doorbell rang again amid the suffocating silence.

The real lawyer stood outside, briefcase in hand. "Sorry I'm late. The traffic was horrible. Oh, my goodness, what's going on here?"

I released Leonardo's arm and slowly backed to a corner, wrapping my arms around myself as I began to tremble.

"Help me—" I looked at the lawyer and begged, "Please, help me… My husband, he—"

Leonardo stared right at me.

The game had leveled up, tesoro.

Now, I'd like to see how he would explain to the lawyer that the grave meant for me already held another body.