Free My Masters' Nightmare, Season 1 / Episode 13 by Marita A. Hansen

minutes
later it came through, his raspy voice instantly making me
bristle.
    “ It’s been a long time, schiava ,” he said.
    “ I’ m not your slave,” I snapped, some of the apple spraying
from my mouth.
    “ You have always been my schiava ,” he said, “even in your mother’s womb. You were made for
me.”
    “ You arrogant son of a bitch,
y ou can’t
own someone, let alone someone you didn’t even know at the
time.”
    “ Our paths were always meant to
cross, it was destiny. And I want to bring you back into the fold,
so meet me at your childhood home.”
    I went silent, the idea of going there
frightening. Something at the back of my mind was screaming at me
to stay away from it, I just didn’t know why.
    “ I demand an answer,” he
said.
    “ I don’t remember how to
get there.”
    “ If you’re really my schiava you will find
it.”
    “ I’ve lost some of my
memory.”
    “ Interesting. Do you
remember the cottage you and Frano used to meet in?”
    I stiffened, shocked he knew about
it.
    “ Answer me!”
    “ Yes. How do you know about
it?”
    “ I was following you around. How do you
think I knew about you disobeying my orders?”
    “ I didn’t think.”
    “ Of course you didn’t. You were
a stupid teenager. After the restroom incident, I thought you
would’ve grown some sense, but I obviously miscalculated how
unintelligent you Salvi are.”
    “ How dare you insult my
family! Your family are nothing but disgusting pieces of
shit!”
    “ Looks like
you’ re still
stupid, considering I have your brother right next to me. So,
insult my famiglia some more and then listen to your brother scream as I cut
his throat.”
    I went silent.
    “ Have you got nothing more to
say about my famiglia now?”
    “ No. And if you kill Lucan, I
won’t come.”
    “ You will come if you know
what’s good for your brother. By the way, you should show some
gratitude to your husband.”
    “ Why?”
    “ Matteo looked after Lucan,
making sure my brother didn’t go near him. Lucan appeared to like
him very much. Personally, I was rather surprised at how nice my
nephew was to him. I could say he was even gentle. I’ve never seen
him be so selfless.”
    I remained silent, also
surprised.
    Christo continued, “But since Matteo flew
out today, your brother’s now unprotected.”
    “ I’ll do whatever you say, just as
long as you don’t hurt him.”
    “ Then show up at the house. I’m
sure you’ll find your way there. It’s not far from the cottage.
Meet me in the lounge at six tonight. And don’t be late.” He hung
up.
    Stuffing the phone into my
pocket, I
pushed to my feet, wanting to get to the house before he did—if he
wasn’t already there. I closed my eyes, attempting to bring up the
cottage Frano and I used to meet at. From memory, it wasn’t far
from the lavender forest. Opening my eyes, I started jogging across
the field, relieved that the long line of trees on my left
sheltered me from the road. Although it was the countryside, I
didn’t want to take any chances, especially with the FBI on my
trail.
    Just under an hour later, I spotted a
white cottage in the distance. Hoping that it was the right one, I
picked up my pace. As I neared the fence, a figure rounded the
building. I dropped to the ground fast, praying they hadn’t seen
me. Luckily, they turned away from me as someone else rounded the
building. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of Frano. Even
from a distance, I could see he was upset with the way he was
waving his arms about. The other man looked like he was trying to
calm him down, probably a Landi soldier since Frano had been let
out. Two more men joined them, one of them shaking his head. Frano
started shouting, then stormed off, disappearing around the
cottage. I bit my lip, willing myself not to go to him. I knew he’d
be upset, he probably even thought I’d betrayed him. I just had to
be patient. Once I killed Christo and got my brother back, I would
return