The cop continued to drive for two hours. I stared outside of the window, watching the hills overlap, watching the trees fade, watching the cars whizz past.
"When are we going to arrive?" I asked.
"We're nearly there," he explained. "I was off-duty when I was at the service station, so the station is quite a while away. Sit tight. It'll only be another fifteen minutes."
I nodded gratefully, my heart pounding against my chest. Doing my best to push the memories of my father to the back of my mind.
My father didn't die in vain.
He died trying to persuade Marcello not to go ahead with the marriage…
So the last thing I was going to do was allow Marcello to go ahead with it.
***
After half an hour, the cop screeched the car to a halt, pulling up in a car park. We'd been driving for such a long time, it was night-time now. And I could hardly even make out the surroundings, with no lights to keep the streets alight.
He made his way out of the car, and I took off my seatbelt, following suite. He took out his phone, tapping into it for a few moments, before turning it off, and shoving it back into his pocket.
"Follow me," he stated. "The station is just this way."
I nodded obediently. He walked down an alleyway, and I walked behind him.
Just wishing that time would speed up.
"Just in here," he beckoned.
He opened the door to a building, and I followed him inside.
There was a desk there, as well as paperwork, and some cop equipment. I blew a sigh of relief, knowing that he was going to be conducting the interview now.
He locked the door to give us the privacy that we needed, and I took a seat at the table, ready to give him as much information as I could.
"Make yourself comfortable," he smiled. "I'm just going to call my colleague to help me with the interview."
I nodded gratefully.
He took his phone out, dialing into the keypad, raising the phone to his ear, furrowing his eyebrows.
"She's here," he stated down the line.
And then he hung up the phone, shoving it back into his pocket.
I could hear the other door on the opposite side of the room creak.
And the words I heard from the person who walked in…
Made my blood run cold.
Made me shrivel inside, wishing that I was dead.
"Hello, la mia principessa araba," came a deep, low, vicious voice, that caused every hair of my body to stand on edge, as I screamed internally.
My Arabian princess.
His voice was so soft.
So alarmingly soft…
That it was terrifying.
I slowly turned my body anti-clockwise, my heart filled with dread.
Feeling like I was going to explode.
Not able to believe my ears.
Knowing that I was going to come face-to-face with none other than…
Marcello.