Treasured Dreams (19 page)

He needed to move on from her. Once he had his treasure, he could fix his yellowed teeth and become handsome. With good looks and bucket loads of money, he'd be able to choose a lover. But even as he thought it, he knew in his heart that Ophelia was the only woman he wanted.

Nox mixed his cooked pasta with tinned tomato, salami and cheese and gulped it down, eating until he was beyond full. He felt sick when he finally stood up from the table.

It was time to check on his prisoner. With Rosalina's brother tied up at the moment, it was not necessary to view him from the balcony. Nox strode to the dormitory door, put his ear to the wood and heard nothing, and so he entered.

The door creaked loud enough that his entrance couldn't go unnoticed. Filippo turned his head in Nox's direction.

‘Good. You're awake.'

‘Let me go!' Filippo pulled against the restraints that held his arms above his head.

‘You've been a very bad boy, Filippo. Do you know what they did to naughty boys here?'

‘You're a sick bastard.'

Nox huffed. ‘They tied them to the beds. Just like you are now. For days and days.'

‘Let me go, or else.'

‘We had to lie in our own piss and shit until the entire room reeked.'

‘Jesus. What the fuck did I ever do to you?'

The question caught Nox off guard. Filippo was an innocent bystander. Much like Nox had been for the early part of his life. He was eleven when he stopped being a bystander. And innocent, for that matter. ‘It's not what you've done. It's what you're going to do.'

‘I'm not doing a damn thing.'

Nox let out a long, slow sigh. ‘Then I guess you'll starve to death.'

‘Arghh.' Filippo rattled the bedframe and screamed until spittle frothed at his mouth. ‘Where's Rosalina?'

‘She's dead.' Nox shrugged nonchalantly. ‘From that window.' He pointed at the window Rosalina had jumped out. ‘There's nothing but sheer rock wall all the way down. Every bone in her body would have shattered when she hit the bottom.'

Filippo's jaw dropped and he squinted at Nox. ‘You don't know that. It's dark outside. She could've escaped.'

‘Not likely. I've seen four boys jump off that cliff. Three of them were never found again. The fourth, well … let's just say they let nature take care of what was left of him, too.' Nox let that comment sink in. ‘I'm afraid your stupid sister jumped to her death.'

Filippo squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. ‘I don't believe it.'

‘That's up to you.' Nox shrugged. ‘In the meantime, we need to talk.'

Filippo snapped his eyes to Nox. ‘I'm not talking until you untie me and give me food.'

‘Fine then.' Nox moseyed towards the door.

‘You need me, Nox.' The way Filippo said it, bristling with authority, had Nox turn to the prisoner. ‘That's right.' Filippo squared out his chin. ‘Without Rosalina, you need someone to trade.' Despite being tied to the bed, Filippo looked cocky.

‘Does this mean you're willing to talk?'

‘I'll do better than that.' Filippo paused and Nox watched his Adam's apple bob up and down. The man seemed uncomfortable with what he was about to say. Then his already dark eyes darkened further. ‘Between what you know and what I know, we can work together.'

Nox laughed, a hearty belly laugh. ‘That smack to your head has rattled your brain.'

Filippo met his eyes. ‘I know a hell of a lot about Archer and the treasure. I assume you know things about the treasure that they don't. Working together makes sense.'

Nox began to prowl the room. He didn't
work
with people. He used people. Or, to be more precise, blackmailed people into helping him. What Filippo was proposing was ludicrous and yet, he found himself curious. ‘Why would I trust you?'

‘Because Rosalina has always been a bitch to me. As have the rest of my family. I owe them nothing. Working with you to get the treasure and watching that cocky bastard Archer suffer would be the best start to my revenge.'

Filippo hit the golden words with the idea of making Archer suffer. That bastard had been a thorn in Nox's plans for way too long. The proposition became interesting. ‘You need to prove it.'

‘How?'

‘Convince Archer to get the treasure.'

‘Untie me. Get me food. And I'll do exactly that.'

Chapter Twenty-Two

Archer couldn't stand sitting around doing nothing. For hours now they'd been in Nonna's kitchen, listening to Nonna rehash the argument she'd had with Filippo. He'd thought she was going to have a heart attack when they'd told him that Nox had kidnapped them.

She'd heard about Nox before, but only after Rosalina had supposedly killed him. Now that he was back from the dead, he was not only real, he was terrifying. Archer knew what he was capable of—he'd seen it in the Greek Islands, and he'd seen it today in Florence. Nox must've been crazed when he'd smashed that woman's head in. Archer was destined to see that image for the rest of his life. He dug his thumbs into his temples as he pictured Rosalina trapped again with that madman.

He paced the room, striding the five paces back and forward.

Alessandro stood up from the table and drove his fingers through his hair. ‘I'm calling the polizi.'

Archer didn't stop him. He watched on helpless at Alessandro's foreign exchange on the phone. He had no hope of following the conversation, but he heard the names Rosalina, Filippo and Nox, and he watched Alessandro's expression plummet into deep distress.

Archer turned his attention to Nonna. She'd stopped crying for the moment, but her eyes looked to be bleeding. The puffiness below them were now dark pillows threatening to render her blind at any moment. Archer placed his hand over Nonna's trembling fingers.

‘Did Nox kill those people in Florence?' she said.

Archer nodded. ‘We think so.' The news footage said the people in the church had been murdered days ago, but hadn't been discovered until today. Archer couldn't shake an eerie feeling Nox had been watching them for days, waiting for the perfect moment to attack.

‘All this stupid treasure hunting. It brings the bad men.' Her eyes glossed over again, and Archer turned away. Her statement cut very deep.

Alessandro put his phone down and drove his finger through his hair. ‘They have no evidence that Nox killed those people in Florence. They still have him listed as dead. We have to wait at least twenty-four hours before they will commence searching for Rosa and Filippo.' He drove his hand across the back of his neck then slammed his fist on the table. ‘
Stupido
.'

Archer's phone rang. He snatched it from his pocket and jabbed the answer button. ‘Archer.'

‘Archer, it's me, Filippo.'

‘Filippo! Where's Rosa?'

‘I … I don't know.'

‘What do you mean you don't know?' Archer tried to ignore the fear in Filippo's voice and Nonna's eyes.

‘She tried to escape. I don't know where she is. He shot me, Archer.'

‘Shot you? Are you okay?'

‘I think so. You need to help us.'

‘Where are you?'

‘We're in a building—' There was a loud thump and then a scream. ‘Don't hurt me!' Filippo wasn't talking into the phone now. Archer's heart exploded as he heard the beating and Filippo's cries in pain.

‘Stop it!' he yelled into the phone.

Soon there was silence. ‘Filippo!'

‘Filippo's asleep now.' Nox had a confident purr to his voice.

‘You bastard. Where's Rosa?'

‘She's sleeping, too.'

‘I'll kill you.' Archer spoke the words with measured control.

‘You already said that.'

‘What do you want?'

‘I want the
Awa Maru
treasure.'

‘We don't have the fucking treasure.'

‘Find it. I'm a patient man. Take as long as you like. But …' Nox paused. ‘Rosa and Filippo may not have so long.'

Archer strangled the phone. ‘I swear if you hurt her—'

‘The sooner you get the treasure, the healthier they will be.'

‘Let me talk to her.'

‘No. Oh, and one more thing. Remember, do not tell the police or I will kill one of them.' The phone clicked dead.

‘Fuck!' It took all Archer's restraint not to hurl the phone across the room.

‘What did he say?' Nonna clutched his wrist. ‘Are they okay?'

‘Filippo is alive, but …'

Nonna's chin quivered. ‘But what?'

‘Nox shot him, and I just heard him beating him, too.'

Nonna covered her mouth, tears spilling over her cheeks. ‘And Rosa?'

‘I didn't speak to her.' It wasn't possible she was gone. He'd feel it. He'd know deep down if she died. Of that he was certain. Right now, he had to believe that his fiancée was okay. ‘I know she's alive.'

‘How do you know?' Alessandro placed both hands on the table and leant forward.

‘Because he said he'd kill
one
of them if we contacted the police.' He hung onto Nox's words like they were his last breath before he sunk into an ocean of dread.

Nonna covered her eyes. Her shoulders heaved and it was a long moment before a tortured sob released from her throat.

Alessandro balled his fists on the table. ‘What does Nox want?'

‘He said he'd exchange Rosa and Filippo for the
Awa Maru
treasure.'

‘But that could take forever. What do we do?' Alessandro said.

Nonna reached for Archer's hand and clutched it in hers. ‘Go get that
stupido
treasure and bring me back my granddaughter.' She clenched her teeth so hard her chin quivered. ‘Then you kill that
bastardo
.'

Archer's blood was ready to boil as he stood up to kiss Nonna's furrowed forehead. ‘I will, Nonna. I promise.'

He strode to the car with Alessandro hot on his heels. ‘What do you want me to do?'

‘Help me figure out the clues to that treasure.'

‘That could take weeks.'

Archer jumped into Filippo's car; his keys were still in the ignition. ‘We don't have weeks.'

Alessandro climbed into the passenger seat, and Archer punched the car into drive and careened over the gravel. He launched out of the driveway and onto the main street of Signa.

It was Alessandro's turn to grip the door handle. ‘If you don't slow down you'll either kill us or have us arrested, and neither will help Rosalina.'

Archer hated how practical Alessandro was, but he slowed down all the same. He fished his phone from his pocket and dialled Jimmy. After a heated summary of what was going on, and Jimmy's just as heated response, they got down to business.

‘We're flying to the Solomon Islands.'

‘Flying? What about
Evangeline
?' Jimmy asked.

‘It'll take too long. I'll look after the flights. We need all Dad's books and things packed up and ready to go. We're on our way; see you in an hour or so.' He clicked off the call.

‘I'll text Ginger to start packing her stuff.'

‘No. Ginger can stay here.'

‘Like hell she is. We're a team, and she's coming with us.'

‘But I need someone here looking for Rosalina.'

Archer felt Alessandro staring at him as he accelerated onto the freeway.

‘Well, I'm not leaving without Ginger.'

‘You can both stay then.'

‘That's ridiculous—you need both of us to find the treasure. Besides, I have all the connections at the Accademia di Belle Arti museum, and Ginger is the only one who speaks Japanese.'

Damn, Archer hadn't thought of that. ‘But I need someone here for Rosalina.'

‘Nonna will be here,' Alessandro said.

Archer's mind spun like a bloody tornado. Maybe Alessandro was right. Damn it. He slammed his fist into the steering wheel.

‘Calm down, Arch.' Alessandro placed his hand on Archer's shoulder. ‘That isn't helping.'

‘Okay.' Archer strangled the steering wheel. ‘Okay. Sorry. This is fucked up.'

‘I know. We just have to be smart about things. The four of us working together will be better than just you and Jimmy.'

‘Alright. Find out when the first flights to the Solomon Islands are.'

Alessandro grabbed his iPhone and started searching Safari.

Archer glanced at the clock and clenched his jaw. It was already nine p.m. There was little chance they'd get a flight tonight.

‘This isn't looking good,' Alessandro said, after much huffing.

‘What?'

The quickest airline takes forty-one hours.'

‘What? That can't be right.'

‘From what I can tell we have to go from Rome to Singapore to Brisbane, and then finally to Honiara.'

‘Shit.'

‘Then from Honiara we'll need another flight to Munda.'

‘How far is it in nautical miles?'

Alessandro was quiet as he did the search. ‘8224 nautical miles.'

Archer did the math in his head. ‘
Evangeline
will take twenty-two days, and that's without stopping.'

‘That's too long.'

Archer agreed. Everything was taking too long. He pressed his foot on the accelerator. Then an idea hit him. ‘I'll charter a plane.'

‘Really?'

‘I've never done it before, but it can't be too hard.'

Alessandro rubbed his hands together. ‘Alright. That's a great idea.'

‘Then we can take as much luggage as we want. Including the scuba gear. We may need it.' He turned off the highway and aimed for the bright lights of Livorno.

Alessandro flicked away on his phone then sucked in through his teeth. ‘Jesus, the private jets in Florence charge four thousand euro per hour.'

‘And?'