Chapter 3

• They arrived in front of Montana Pacio after two hours. The entire car ride had her heart pounding in her chest. She had no idea how Merline was faring in a mansion full of burly men while Ford was with her. He was incredibly irresponsible, leaving her sister like that all alone. If he had captured her, he should at least keep her company. Then again, who would want to be in the company of Ford? Certainly not her.
• "Where is your house?" Ford asked her.
• "Oh, I don't have a house," she replied, trying to see if there was any way she could escape.
• "Where do you live?" He inquired, sounding frustrated.
• "In my apartment," she answered, staring out the window.
• Ford growled. "I just asked you that," he snapped.
• "No, you asked me where my house was. And I don't live in a house, I live in an apartment, there is a difference you know," she said.
• Ford sighed heavily, as if he was physically restraining himself from doing something rash. She, on the other hand, watched him to make sure he wouldn't explode.
• "Fine, where is your apartment?" He gritted his teeth.
• She smiled cheekily at him. "In Florence."
• "Firefly, don't test my patience. Tell me where your apartment is." It looked like Ford was trying to control himself from strangling her.
• "Okay, let me out of the car and I won't test your patience," she said, trying to open the door but found it locked.
• "You're not getting out of this car until you tell me where your apartment is," Ford stated.
• "But I can't tell you where it is," she whined.
• "And why not?" He inquired, sighing once more.
• "Because you're a stranger," she replied. "Now, let me out." She knocked on the window for emphasis.
• She thought he wouldn't comply, but when the locks clicked and she was able to open the door without any problems, she was surprised.
• "Wow, thanks for the ride...uh...what's your name?" she asked.
• "I thought you already knew, it's Ford," he replied.
• "Oh, so that is really your name, as in your first name? Kinda weird, but I guess you're Italian and I'm not really familiar with Italian names. Oh well, thanks for the ride, Ford dude, I'll see you...never," she uttered. The truth was, she was going to see him again, when she would come and rescue her sister and bring the police with her.
• She didn't wait for him to respond, she quickly got out of the car and shut the door. Just as she turned to walk on the sidewalk, Ford sidled up next to her with a grin on his face. What the hell was he up to?
• "You didn't really think I was going to let you go by yourself, did you?" He asked. Judging by the tone of his voice, she believed he was being rhetorical.
• "Umm, trust me, I am not going to go wandering in the dark like last time. I'm a big girl, I can find my way, but it's sweet of you to worry." Damn it! She didn't want a criminal to know where she lived.
• "Oh trust me, Firefly, I'm not worried about you getting lost." He took out his gun but didn't point it at her. It was clear he was threatening her, letting her know that he was going to shoot her if she did something suspicious.
• "Okay then," she said then headed towards Montana Pacio. Maybe she could outsmart Ford and make a run for her apartment. She just hoped he ran at the speed of a turtle.
• "Where do you think you're going, Firefly?" Ford asked, pressing the barrel of the gun at her back.
• "Okay, big guy." She turned to face him. "First of all, I have a name and it's not Firefly, so stop calling me that. And second, it's none of your business where I go or what I do, so put that gun away before I kick your balls," she snapped, trying her best not to let him see how truly afraid she was.
• "You're not afraid? I have a gun to your back and you have the audacity to talk back to me," Ford said angrily.
• The gun transitioned from pressing against Roselle's back to pressing against her forehead once again. The man was clearly deranged, otherwise he wouldn't be parading around the streets of Italy brandishing a gun. She needed to find the police, and quickly.
• "I'll behave when you will," she retorted. What this fool didn't realize was that she wouldn't be staying with him long enough to learn how to behave around him. She just needed to get inside the boutique and ask Monica for help.
• Either she was ninety thousand percent sure that Ford wouldn't shoot her, or she had completely lost her mind.
• Stepping back so the gun was no longer pressed to her forehead, she turned to walk into the store. She just hoped that Monica was there and would be able to help her get rid of this gun-wielding maniac.
• Just as she was a few feet away from the front door of Montana Pacio, she froze and her heart leapt into her throat at the sound of gunfire. If she wasn't so shocked, she would've screamed.
• Quickly spinning around, she narrowed her eyes as she saw Ford advancing towards her, a wicked gleam in his eyes and a sadistic smile curving his lips. And just like before, Ford stopped right in front of her and pressed the gun to her forehead. Now, she was truly afraid.
• "Kneel," was all he said.
• She didn't obey, instead she stared him right in the eyes, trying her best not to tremble or flinch with the knowledge that a loaded gun was pointed at her head.
• "I said kneel," Ford repeated more firmly.
• "N-No," she stammered. Damn it, why did she have to stammer? Now he was going to know that she was afraid.
• "Do you want your sister to live?" Damn it, he was going to use Merline against her.
• Narrowing her eyes and throwing hate-filled daggers at Ford through her gaze, she hesitantly lowered herself to the ground on her knees.