Page 93 of The Don's Secret Heir

“You must be exhausted,” Beth says, brushing my hair back from my face. “Why don’t you lie down for a while? I’ll stay up, keep an eye out.”

“You will?”

“Of course I will. I’ll keep you both safe.”

Her voice is a bit flat, unaffected, but I don’t pay much attention. Iamexhausted, after all.

It’s been a long night. I hug her once more and curl up in bed, settling under the covers.

I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

But I’m up again in my dreams just as quickly as I fall asleep.

I stand, but it’s not the hotel room. It’s not even Dario’s house. It’s the penthouse, where he first took me. I walk down the hall, realizing slowly that I’m naked.

It doesn’t embarrass me, though. It’s just the way dreams work sometimes. I keep walking but the door at the end of the hall gets further and further away.

“Dario?” I call out, hesitantly, and then the door opens. A figure, lanky like Dario, comes out but is covered in shadow.

I run toward the shadowy figure nonetheless, but it’s a losing battle. The figure gets further and further away.

And then, I can’t run at all. My chest hurts. I can’t breathe.

I wake up, gasping for air and sitting bolt upright.

Beth startles from her seat, having clearly dozed off.

“Fuck, are you okay?” she asks, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

I breathe in deeply, feeling like I can’t get enough oxygen.

“I’m okay. Just... had a bad dream.”

“About your father?”

Beth knows I have bad dreams about my father sometimes, about finding him dead.

I shake my head. “No. About... Dario.”

She scoffs. “Forget him.”

I bite my lip but try to do as she says.

Beth gets a phone call and she sits straight up before standing and walking out the hotel balcony doors. She snaps something that gets swallowed by the wind outside, and then walks back in.

“We gotta go now, Liana,” she says quickly, gathering up the small bag she brought in with her. I’d thought it was just a purse, but it’s slightly bigger, maybe a laptop bag?

I blink at her, feeling half asleep. “Go? Go where?”

“Just listen to me and no one will get hurt.”

I blink again, wondering if I’m still asleep.

“What do you mean, get hurt? Beth, you’re scaring me.”

“Scaring you?” She laughs, it’s high pitched and a little eerie. “You’re the one making these crazy decisions, Beth. Moving in with Dario.Marrying him?”

“Maybe I haven’t made the best decisions lately but?—”