Uncertain Trust
"Poppy!"
Daniella saw the dog the moment the door opened, and she felt instantly and infinitely better. He bounded into the room, jumping up on the bed and licking her face. It was kind of disgusting... but she didn't mind at all. She held him close to her, running her hands through his thick fur. She was so happy that he was okay... if she'd hurt him, she didn't think that she'd ever be able to forgive herself. She sighed, relieved immensely, and looked over into the doorway, where Leonardo was once again standing, watching the scene with a sort of strained smile.
"Thank you so much, sir... I was so worried about him. He saved me so many times, and..."
"Please, call me Leo," the man replied, stepping into the room. "I'm glad I was able to bring you two back together. I suppose you are hungry?" He held up the plate and the glass of water.
"Yes, I'm very hungry." Daniella outstretched her arms, the scent of the eggs filling the room. "Thank you."
He handed them to her, then pulled a chair from a desk opposite her over near the bed and sat down. Daniella ate the food ravenously, not knowing just how long it had been since she last ate. She finished off the plate, Poppy watching her dolefully, and downed the glass of water within a few seconds. Feeling a lot better, she set the dishes down beside the bed. She was still quite hungry, but she wasn't going to tell Leo that... he'd done enough for her already. She put her right arm around Poppy as Leonardo started speaking.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Leana," he said, his eyes staring into her own. He had such dramatic features, and he was very muscular and well-built, and such a gentleman... Daniella realized she was admiring him, and broke their gaze, her face flushing the slightest bit.
"Uh... please, call me Daniella. That's what I've been calling myself..."
He stared at her for a moment. "After Lorenzo's maid, I assume? Yes, you're both practically the same person, but with one major difference..."
"Azoth..." Daniella whispered, recalling the conversation she'd had with Riccardo last night.
"Very good, very good," Leo complimented her, lowering his eyebrows, obviously surprised. "I see you already know quite a bit. Where did you get such information?"
Daniella opened her mouth, about to tell him, but hesitated. He had this strange quality about him, something that just made you want to pour out your soul to him, tell him everything... it was his eyes, she decided. But she caught herself at the last moment, remembering Riccardo's last words to her.
"And don't tell anybody Fiona and I are down here, all right?"
She thought quickly, trying to think of something else to tell him, but her mind drew a blank. She had a feeling that Leonardo was the one Riccardo was afraid of. He was hiding in the man's house, after all... but why he was, she had no idea. All this time, she'd remained silent, Leo watching her like a hawk, trying to pull the truth from inside of her...
"I... I don't know," Daniella replied lamely, unable to think of any other excuse. Poppy stood up and jumped down off the bed, sniffing at the plate on the floor, hoping to find remains of the food.
Leo stared at her a moment longer, and Daniella sensed that he knew she wasn't telling him the truth. But after a few seconds, he leaned back, speaking to her again.
"I see. Well, that's all right. I mainly want to know what happened last night. How did you get shot?"
The memories came back to her again, and Daniella shivered involuntarily. The whole night had just been a nightmare.
"... It was an agent, somebody sent by the police. He was after me... he followed me here."
"What? Is he still here?" Leo replied immediately, concern entering his voice.
Daniella shook her head sadly. "No. He went down to that torture chamber and there was this horrific nail trap... He walked right into it. But he kept coming after me, trying to kill me. It's my fault those nails hit him, Leo. It's my fault things turned out like this..."
Her body began trembling. She didn't want to think about what had happened, she didn't want to tell him... but she knew she had to. Leo put a hand on her shoulder.
"It's all right, it's fine now... What happened? Why isn't he still here?"
"I set all the crests in the atrium, and I saw that room with the bodies..." Her eyes were growing wider, her breathing shallower. "And then he... he took me out of the elevator and tried to kill me... and I knew I was going to die... but then... I dropped it on him. I... I killed, him, Leo. I'm so sorry."
Tears were rolling down her cheeks now, and she hung her head in despair. She heard Poppy whimper, and felt his tongue on her knee, and then she felt Leonardo sit down next to her and embrace her. She threw her arms around him. It felt so good to finally have a person who cared about her... and at that moment, it felt natural. She felt as if she could really be happily married to this man. Maybe then she could finally live in peace...
"It's all right, dear... Don't cry, it wasn't your fault." Leo's voice was soothing, comforting... she drew back, wiping her eyes. She didn't want to get too close to him just yet. She still hardly knew him.
He let go of her. "Where was Fendari during all of this? I told him to keep an eye on you."
Daniella shook her head. "He came to me, and he helped me when I needed it... but I didn't like him. He began to do some things that really scared me. It was like he was egging me on, like he wanted me to get the crests and do those strange puzzles. The way he looked at me... I didn't want him anywhere near me. Why does he wear that mask?"
"I see," Leo repeated, deep in thought, either not hearing her question or ignoring it. "Well, I'll have to talk to him about that. I'm sorry you got mixed up in all this. I didn't mean for you to do any of those things. Rest assured, though, that you won't have to worry about it any longer. Daniella... my wife." he said this more quietly, "Rest until you feel good enough to get up. I'll make sure you feel right at home."
With this, he stood up and walked out the door, closing it behind him. Poppy walked up next to the bed and nuzzled Daniella's hand, and she stroked his head softly. She knew that, just like everybody else she'd met, there was more to that man than met the eye. If he owned a house with these sadistic puzzles, a torture chamber, and a closet literally full of skeletons, she knew that despite what he appeared to be, he probably wasn't all good. But her self-proclaimed husband really seemed to care about her and to be concerned for her safety in this place, so she supposed he was her best friend here right now, other than Poppy... and...
She had almost told him about Riccardo. Daniella still didn't know why the man was here, or how long he was planning on hiding, but she knew it was dangerous. And as much as he seemed to hate her, he had helped her, too. She still wasn't quite sure what to think of him, though. After all, he had kidnapped Fiona and was keeping her here. She wasn't quite sure who to trust... all she knew was that she could trust the one lying beside her right now. She fondled Poppy's ears, hearing the dog yawn. She was so afraid she'd lost him... and she would make sure she never did again. She laid back, closing her eyes. Leonardo was right... she was still very tired...
