'Got youngblood running through our veins, we're king and queen of the streets again'
As the speedboat docked, Lilianna could barely stay in her seat. Her leg shook as her anxiety spiked but the smile that had graced her face half an hour before had yet to falter. Before she could jump from the boat, Terrence grabbed her hips and lifted her into the air, stepping onto the dock. Setting her back on her feet, she immediately started to run towards the beach town. Terrence lurched forward and snagged her wrist tightly. He yanked her backwards and steadied her stumbling form as she bumped into him.
"What was that for?" She whined, pushing the sunglasses up her nose and frowning at him.
"You have to stay by my side, no running off." He reminded her, his hand linking with hers and keeping her close.
"Why?" She questioned as they strolled across the sand to a set of stairs that led to the start of the city streets.
"People are looking for me to both arrest me and kill me. Can't have you getting hurt now, can we?" He said quietly, observing the people around him. She looked at her feet as they walked, her mood instantly soured by his words. His fingers gripped her chin and pulled her head up to look at him.
"Smile on, kitten. There's no need to frown. You're in Sorrento now." He purred, kissing her deeply in the middle of the stone street.
Further, into the coastal town, Terrence led Lilianna into a restaurant named Maria's. The manager noticed the couple from across the dining space and quickly bustled up to them.
"Mr. Vendetta, how can I help you today?" He asked, his thick Italian accent making Lilianna smile.
"A rooftop table would be appreciated, Mr. Lippa," Terrence answered in fluent Italian. Lilianna's eyes cut to the man holding her hand, her mind forgetting that he was bilingual.
"Of course, right this way!" The man nodded happily, hobbling up red-carpeted stairs. At the top, he held open a door that revealed a beautiful rooftop patio and bar. The umbrella-covered tables had a perfect view of the city that stretched to the water. Lilianna gasped at the sight, her eyes locked on the water and mountains in the distance, their peaceful and natural beauty capturing her full attention. Terrence pulled her to the table next to the metal railing, his grin wide as she remained stunned by the view.
"Will this table due, Mr. Vendetta?" The owner asked, gesturing to the table pressed against the railing and facing towards the shoreline.
"This will be perfect, thank you, Mr. Lippa." Terrence shook his hand as he pulled out the chair for Lilianna to sit in. She smiled and thanked him softly as she tucked her skirt under her legs. He took the seat opposite her and watched her admire the view. Her eyes were hidden by the expensive shades but he could tell they were closed as she basked in the sun and the smell of the sea mixed with fresh Italian cuisine.
"Happy?" He asked her casually. She nodded quickly, her smile growing as she turned to face him.
"I needed this. I've been stir crazy for far too long." She laughed. he couldn't help but smile back. Her happiness and willingness to hold a conversation with him made his cold heart feel a little bit warmer.
A waiter quickly approached them, handing them both menus and conversing with Terrence in fluid Italian. Lilianna sat awkwardly as she flipped through the Italian dishes that she struggled to decipher.
"How about some simple Spaghetti Arabietta?" Terrence asked her as he noticed her struggle.
"Yes please." She nodded quickly, handing the menu to the smiling young man taking their orders.
"And your finest champagne to top it off," Terrence added as he nodded to the waiter in approval. The boy nodded and disappeared from the rooftop with the slip of paper containing their orders. Terrence remained focused on Lilianna as she watched the city below and beyond where she was seated. He chuckled at her awe and almost childlike behaviour. It started to sink in for him that he really had deprived her of living for far too long.
"Enjoying your time out and about?" He asked, settling back into the wicker chair. Lilianna gave him the most genuine smile he had yet to see her wear and nodded frantically.
"It's beautiful." She sighed, her chin resting on her hands. "I've never been outside of America until I took your case. Even then, Gander wasn't very exciting to visit. While my love for theatre was satisfied, it was not much different than Bakersfield."
"You like Broadway?" Terrence mused, catching her reference to Come From Away.
"Musical theatre is a very interesting branch of music and acting and performance. It's so different yet so refined and the story you can tell through song and dance and the acting you can portray in both forms is astounding. As a child, I would jump around my room and scream Phantom of the Opera lyrics at the top of my little lungs just like I was on a New York stage. If I had learned to dance and act, maybe I would've pursued theatre instead of psychology." She explained, her eyes sparkling at the thought of her life before adulthood.
"You should do more music around the house. Maybe teach Hannah, I'm sure she would love to hear you sing." Terrence suggested, his tone hopeful. Her voice was beautiful and the thought of her seated in the lounge at a piano was heartwarming, a quality he was not used to admitting.
"Teaching Hannah how to sing at this age is a little chaotic. We'd never get her to shut up and until her brain can process music theory she will be pitchy beyond what is natural. The last thing we need is her skipping around the villa at eight in the morning trying to sing the lyrics to some Disney movie in the wrong major key."
Terrence started to think about Hannah singing any Frozen song at full volume and in the wrong pitch, his hands itching to cover his ears just at the concept. "Understood and very valid point, Ms. Price."
Lilianna couldn't help but giggle at his response, her eyes lighting up and in turn making Terrence genuinely smile. She couldn't help but notice the flash of his perfect teeth as a small dimple appeared on his left cheek, the number of times she had seen him laugh and smile in such a pure form could be counted on one hand. Just as they settled into calm silence, the waiter returned with the bottle of champagne and two flutes, pouring them each a half glass before returning into the building. Terrence lifted his glass and tapped it against the rim of Lilianna's.
"Cheers, to leaving the island and actually living life like normal people." He joked, making her shake her head and raise her glass towards him.
"Cheers!" She smiled, sipping the bubbly drink and returning her gaze to the water.
"How did I get so lucky?" Terrence wondered aloud. His eyes were fixated on her side profile. Her hair sweeping over her shoulders with the light breeze, her skin silky and golden from all the time she spent on the beach with Hannah. The true peace and happiness that came with this new level of freedom left a ghost of a smile on her pink lips and the way her nails tapped against the glass made his mind wander to dangerous territories she had yet to discover amidst her innocence.
As Lilianna sipped on the champagne, her eyes scanned the people sitting on the rooftop enjoying their afternoon in the sun. Many young couples were drinking and eating classic Italian pasta dishes. There was an old man seated a few tables over, a glass coffee mug clenched between his two hands. He stared at her and Terrence, his gaze covered by a pair of black sunglasses. Her brows furrowed as she observed the older gentleman, she knew him and clearly he knew her.
He grinned before standing up and grabbing a cane from the side of the table before hobbling towards the staircase and disappearing through the roof door.
"Terrence?" She said quickly, his eyes darting up from his phone and looking at her over the edge of his shades. "Can I use the restroom?"
"It's inside, beside the stairs on the main floor. Don't be too long." He instructed. As she stood up he lifted his phone to his ear and started speaking in quick Italian to someone. She tried to remain calm as she descended the stairs. She pushed open the restroom door slowly and sure enough, there he waited.
"Hardy?" She gasped. She threw her arms around his shoulders and held back tears as he hugged her back.
"I'm so glad you're alive." He breathed, his hands shaking as he held her.
"What are you doing here? How did you know we would be here?" She asked quickly, pulling away from him and staring at him in shock.
"Doleman and I have been working non-stop to find you. I started to look deeper into the theory you mentioned in your first session about Terrence possibly being Terrenco Venetta and found out that his mother and father were both heavily tied to Italy. I figured if your theory was correct then he would be tied to this country too and I knew the only way to find out was come and see for myself. I've been hearing stories of a man who comes into the city and deals with the mafia and the corrupt families of Italy. Most of his meetings happen here so I've been waiting for him to make an appearance and sure enough, he did. I recognized the tattoos and I knew he would lead me to you because I knew you weren't dead." He explained.
"How did you know I wasn't dead?" She asked in confusion.
"Doleman and I set it up to keep Boseman occupied. He was getting himself into dangerous territory that would end up with him killed by one of Vendetta's assassins. We had to keep the kid safe." He brushed it off.
"Is he okay?" She wondered.
"He misses you. He hasn't been the same since your 'death'. He's dedicated to finding Terrence and having him put on death row." He sighed. "Lilianna, I need you to tell me where he's hiding. I can end this and get you home I need you to help me."
"I want to go home as much as the next kidnapped therapist but I'm not doing anything until I know that you and dad are safe. He will do anything to keep me locked up with him and I can't risk him using dad against me." She stopped him.
"Your dad is fine, he was in on the death plot and helped us disguise the body and provided the DNA from your belongings for the forensic team. He'll be fine." Hardy scoffed.
"No, I want you to think about it. They will come after you and Marilou and they will do the same to my dad. No one else is getting hurt because of me and we all need to go into WP if we want this to really end. Terrence is obsessed and you know how that mixes with psychopaths." She shook her head. He sighed and ran his hand over his balding head.
"Fine, I'll get your dad into WP. Then I'm going to get you out of this." He promised.
"Transfer all of my money to him. He needs the funds to stay hidden and I have enough. My bank details are in the locked drawer in my desk, blue folder. The encryption codes are easy to decipher just go to page 297 of Games People Play, that's where I hid the decoder. Tell my dad I love him and thank you for risking it all for me. I love you and Marilou like grandparents." Lilianna sniffled, wiping a tear from her eye as she hugged him one last time. He couldn't help but smile at her decoding trick; only she would hide it in a psychology book about mind games the average person plays to cope with stress and trauma.
"Be safe, Lilianna." He nodded. She smiled one last time before running up the stairs and back to the roof. She smiled as she sat back at the table. Terrence was still on his phone call and failed to notice how long she had really been gone. Her smile grew mischievously, lifting her champagne to her lips and drinking to her miniature success. Freedom had never tasted so close.
edited Jan 1. 2021
Chapter song: Afterglow by All Time Low