Blake Pierce - Almost Dead

She’d fled to England, desperate to lie low in case his legal team decided to subpoena her to testify—or, worse, managed to manufacture enough evidence to prove she was the guilty one.

In England, she had run straight into the arms of a charming and attractive man who’d presented himself as a divorced father, urgently needing help with his kids. Cassie had fallen hard for Ryan Ellis and believed every word he’d told her. Then her idyllic world had crumbled around her as lie after lie was exposed, and the situation had unraveled into horror.

Cassie still couldn’t think of that experience without feeling panic boil up inside her. Turning away, she almost bumped into Gretchen, who was busy updating the notice board and removing some of the older jobs.

“Sorry,” Cassie said.

“Have you seen anything to suit you?” Gretchen asked.

“I’m not sure. The au pairing job sounds interesting,” Cassie said, just to be polite.

“That’s on the outskirts of Milan. It’s a wealthy area. And live-in, I see, so your accommodations would be included.”

“Thank you,” Cassie said. She photographed the ad, even though she knew that she was going through the motions, without any intention of taking the job.

She glanced at the books for sale. They were an eclectic mix of fiction and nonfiction, and there were two on the shelf which she saw would be helpful to her. One was an Italian phrase book, and the other was a beginner’s guide to the language. The books were tattered and well-used, but they were also cheap. Glad that she could make a start at mastering Italian, Cassie headed to the office to pay for them.

After she’d bought the books and a mug of coffee, she set off to find her car. Although the city looked very different in daylight, she managed to find the way back to her car with only a couple of wrong turns along the route.

Along the way she couldn’t stop thinking about the au pairing job.

Beggars couldn’t be choosers, and she desperately needed to stay in the city for a while. After all, Tim the barman might remember the name of the town where Jacqui worked, at any time.

A live-in job meant she wouldn’t disturb her fellow travelers, and she wouldn’t risk having another frightening experience in the city, similar to what she’d had the previous night with Vadim.

Plus, she’d be working for a woman. A divorced woman. Cassie could make sure to confirm this was true before she made the final decision. She didn’t want to work for a man again. It didn’t sound like there was a man in the house at all, only a woman and her two girls.

She could ask. There was no harm in finding out more, was there?

Even so, remembering her previous experiences, Cassie felt sick as she dialed.

The call connected, and then it rang and rang, with Cassie’s nervousness growing as the seconds ticked by.

Finally, it was answered.

“ Buongiorno ,” a woman said, sounding breathless.

Wishing she’d had the chance to study her phrase book, Cassie replied nervously.

“Good morning.”

“This is Signora Rossi’s phone, and it’s Abigail speaking. How can I help?” the woman continued in English. In fact, Cassie thought she sounded English.

She tried to swallow down her nerves and speak confidently.

“I’m phoning about the job. Is Ottavia Rossi there?”

“The job? Please hold on. Ms. Rossi is in a meeting.”

Cassie heard the woman conferring with somebody else. A moment later, she was back.

“I am so sorry but that job has been taken.”

“Oh.” Cassie felt surprised and deflated. She was unsure what to say next but the woman made the decision for her.

“Goodbye,” she said, and cut off the call.

Cassie couldn’t understand why the au pair job was no longer available if it had been advertised so recently. She felt disappointed that this opportunity had come and gone before she’d even been able to attend an interview.

Now she had no idea what she should do. She was tempted to get in her car and drive in a random direction for an hour or two, in the hope that she would end up closer to her sister, or even, miraculously, in the same town.

Cassie knew in this densely populated country, which was studded with towns and villages of all sizes, that was not just unlikely, but impossible.

She opened her trunk, rummaged in her suitcase, and took out the tablets she’d missed last night, plus her morning dose.

Then, seated in the car, she drank them down and called her friend Jess.

Cassie had spent a week’s holiday with Jess over Christmas and New Year. Jess’s employer had given her time off, with money to travel, and Jess had invited Cassie to come along to Edinburgh.

Jess had paid for the accommodations, and Cassie had done all the driving. They had rented an apartment on the outskirts of the city, and spent the days sightseeing and the nights partying. During that time, they’d had the chance to chat, so Jess knew exactly what Cassie had gone through, and the soul-shattering truth about her last two assignments.

“Hey, stranger!” Jess answered almost immediately. “Have you found your sister yet?”

“Not yet. I found someone who spoke to her recently. He said she was staying in a town an hour or two away from Milan, but he couldn’t remember the town’s name.”

“Oh, no.” Jess sounded horrified. “That’s like—so close but so far. What are you going to do now?”

“I’m going to try and stay here for a few weeks because he said he’ll message me if he remembers. I phoned about an au pair job, but it had already been taken. Do you know of anyone in Milan, or in Italy, who might need a helper?”

Cassie had serious respect for Jess’s networking capabilities. The tall, friendly blonde seemed to have a natural talent for picking up strategically placed connections. That was how Cassie had gotten her last job, even though it hadn’t turned out well; and it was also how they’d been able to secure their holiday apartment at an affordable rate.

“In Milan?” Jess sounded thoughtful.

“Or anywhere nearby,” Cassie reminded her, hoping to widen the net.

Jess sighed.

“Not offhand. Milan’s in the north of Italy, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”

“So even something in Switzerland, or southern Germany, would actually be doable too, wouldn’t it? I guess you don’t want to go back to France right now.”

Or ever, Cassie thought.

“I’d rather steer clear of France.”

“Let me ask. Everyone’s jetting off skiing at the moment and my employers know some people who own ski chalets. You could work as a chalet maid. The money’s not great, but you get to ski for free.”

“Please ask them,” Cassie said.

“Meanwhile, pester that guy who spoke to your sister,” Jess advised. “Don’t be shy. Tell him to sit with a map in front of him and look at all the towns until the right name jogs his memory.”

She laughed, and Cassie found herself laughing along with her.

“I’ve got to run,” Jess said. “Dental appointment. For the children, not me. Chat later, Cassie, good luck!”

As Cassie disconnected, her phone rang again. She found herself speaking to Abigail, the woman who had answered when she called about the au pairing job.

“Hello, I am speaking on behalf of Ms. Rossi. You called about a job earlier, is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Which job was it, please? Was it the junior fashion designer, or was it the au pair position?”

“It was the au pair position.”

“Please hold for a moment.”

The woman sounded anxious and Cassie could hear a whispered conversation in the background.