Chapter 33
33
CELIA
T he motel we’d stopped at was run down. My plan was to get Luca into a room and then ditch the stolen car, hike a mile up the road, and grab a new one. But as Luca collapsed into the bed, I had to admit that he didn’t look like he was doing very well.
“I think we need to get you to a hospital,” I said.
He shook his head. His normally tanned face looked pale, his eyes shadowed.
“Luca, there’s no point to any of this if you die,” I told him sternly.
“Of course, there is. If you live…if you’re free. If you’re happy.”
His words lit a warmth in my chest that I was automatically guarded against. “Free? You don’t want me to be free.”
“I want you to be free from everything but me,” he told me.
I let out a sigh. “Well, I don’t want you to die.”
He leaned up on his elbows, managing not to wince, even though I could tell from the strain in his face that it hurt. Still, he managed a sexy little smile and cocked a finger at me. “All I need is for someone to kiss me better.”
“You think I’m going to kiss you? After everything you’ve done to me?”
“Yes,” he said confidently. “Look at your face. You’re worried that I’m dying right now. It’s going to be worth trying something, isn’t it?”
“A kiss isn’t going to heal anyone,” I said with exasperation.
“Maybe not. You don’t really want me to die without having ever kissed me, do you? Really kissed me—not kissed me so you could get your hands on my gun.”
“I don’t want to kiss you. You’ve been terrible to me.”
“Those two sentences are not mutually exclusive.” The flash of his smile was more charming than it should have been, given the subjects we were reminiscing over.
“You’re a monster, Luca.”
He didn’t deny it. He didn’t even look offended by the accusation. “That’s why I can protect you from all the other monsters. I would be your monster.”
“Why would I ever believe that?”
“If you come over here and kiss me, you’ll see. You’ll know for sure that I am your monster.”
“You’re so full of shit.” And yet, I couldn’t deny I felt a bond with him after all these hours of trying to keep him alive and through much of the night trying to keep him awake.
He was still giving me that same look, and after a second, I sat down at the edge of the bed. Gingerly, I leaned over and braced one hand on the other side of his body.
This big dangerous man’s breath caught when I was so close. That was what gave me a sudden flush of power and desire. I didn’t trust Luca, but I didn’t think he was acting when he looked at me this way, when his breath hitched because our lips were so close. My power over him felt so unexpected and my stomach flip-flopped as if I were on a roller coaster.
I leaned down and brushed my lips over his.
Despite his wounds, he seemed to come to life. He kissed me back, passion flaring in his eyes. His good hand rose to brush my hair back, his palm flattening my hair back from my face, and then tangling in it. He moved down to cup my jaw, angling my face so he could deepen the kiss.
I’d kissed him first, but he took over. Even beneath me, it felt as if he were dominating completely.
When I pulled away, I could barely breathe. His chest fluttered as if he were trying to get his breathing back under control, but then he gave me another cocky smile.
“Do you feel better?” I asked him mockingly.
“Now I can die happy,” he told me.
“Luca.” I couldn’t hide how distressed his words made me.
“Relax, starlight. I have no intention of leaving a world where I can actually get you to kiss me. It’s just far too interesting.”
“We need to get you to a hospital.”
He shook his head. “Gabriel will be able to find us when we get to a hospital. He’ll have a watch on every hospital in the tri-state area.”
“All right, but if you die in this shady motel, then we lose anyway.” I threw up my hands in exasperation.
“You wanted to get away from me anyway, starlight.” His voice was cool and confident. “You can leave me behind in this shady motel to die, you can go get another car like you planned and keep on driving. You can get out of here.”
Now that my plans with the girls seem to have gone completely to shit, I couldn’t deny the idea was an appealing one. It wasn’t hard to imagine myself driving and driving and driving. Images rose in my mind like an adventure. Being alone, out on the open road. Watching the sun rise and set.
Except in my fantasy, I was in one of those old school convertibles, dressed beautifully, maybe wearing driving gloves on the pink steering wheel.
The reality was, I could hotwire another Honda. I’d have to take a chance on going to the safe house, even knowing that Moriah might have been compromised, I might be walking into another trap. But that was the only way I could get the money and the ID to start a new life. So many things could go wrong.
And I would never get the chance to fulfill our original plans.
“What’s your plan with my father?” I asked.
A slow grin spread over Luca’s face. “I’m so happy right now. You don’t want me dead, and you want to work together.”
“I still haven’t forgiven you for hurting me.”
“Fine, but I forgive you for beating me with a shovel and pulling a gun on me.” He gave me an unrepentant grin. “After all, I can hardly hold a grudge after I punished you. Doesn’t that make you feel better?”
“I didn’t feel badly about it in the first place.”
“My plan is to shove your father off the throne and put someone else in his place,” Luca said.
I raised my brows. “I have so many questions. Such as…how? And also, why? Why do you want to put someone else in his place and not yourself?”
He scoffed. “I have no interest in being head of a mafia organization. That sounds like an enormous pain in the ass.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it; he’d surprised me. He watched me with an indulgent smile across his face and his eyelids half lowered, as if he might succumb to unconsciousness again at any moment, but he just liked studying my face.
“I thought all men wanted as much power as they could possibly get,” I said.
“Nah,” he disagreed. “Except in the bedroom, I would like to share power.” His grin widened. “Even then, things might be open for negotiations.”
His words from earlier came back to me. “You just like keeping me off balance.”
“I have to. Until you realize we should be partners and you turn your formidable powers against the rest of the world instead of against me.”
His words sent that warm glow through my chest again, the one that I couldn’t trust and tried to push away. No one ever saw me as formidable. “Tell me what you want me to do. What part do I play in this plan you have for my father?”
The door exploded inward with enough force to crack the frame. Gabriel filled the doorway like an avenging angel, gun already drawn, his men flooding in behind him with military precision. The room that had felt like a sanctuary moments ago became a battlefield in the space of a heartbeat.
Gabriel didn’t spare me even a glance. His focus was locked onto Luca with predatory intensity, and something in his expression made my blood run cold. Luca launched himself up from the bed, his movements fluid and deadly, ready for the fight we all knew was coming.
“No!” The scream tore from my throat as I hurled myself off the mattress. Time seemed to slow as I lunged for Gabriel’s gun, desperate to stop him from shooting Luca. The distance between us felt infinite, though it was only a few feet.
My body slammed into Gabriel’s with enough force to knock the breath from my lungs. But he moved like water, adapting instantly. A steel bar of an arm clamped across my lower back, and in one terrifyingly smooth motion, he tossed his gun through the air to one of his men. The weapon arced over my head as Gabriel’s other arm snaked around me, trapping my own arms against my sides.
My feet left the ground as he lifted me effortlessly. The room spun in a kaleidoscope of violence—Luca’s gun in his hand, Gabriel’s men taking position, the bed we’d been peaceful in moments ago now an obstacle between opposing forces.
“Don’t bother, Luca.” Gabriel’s voice was ice. “If you feel compelled to try to fight your way out of this, I’ll feel compelled to hurt her.”
I twisted violently in his grasp, but it was like fighting a statue. His arms constricted further, pressing the air from my lungs. My feet kicked uselessly at air as he held me suspended, my heart hammering against his forearm where it crossed my chest.
The door crashed open again, and Royal burst in like a shark scenting blood. His eyes swept the scene—Luca with his gun drawn, Gabriel using me as a human shield, the armed men creating a killing field of the bedroom. A smile spread across his face that made me struggle harder, remembering all the times that smile had preceded pain.
“You were supposed to be finding Celia, and you knew where she was all this time!” Royal accused.
Gabriel gave him the briefest look, with his eyebrows raised, that suggested Royal was the stupidest motherfucker he’d ever seen. Then he turned his gaze back to Luca, who received much the same expression. “Put the gun down on the floor, Luca. Don’t make this more difficult.”
After a few seconds, Luca leaned down and put the gun on the floor. He looked as if he might pass out as he tried to straighten up.
Agony tightened my chest. “Can you get him medical care?”
Gabriel’s lips dipped near my ear. The man was a nightmare, but his every movement was sexy as hell. “I’ve come to bring my bride to her wedding.”
I froze, realizing fighting him physically was pointless—for now—and saving all my snarky responses until I knew how he would react. I wasn’t one to backtalk a man who had every resource on his side.
Gabriel set me down on the ground, though his grip was still tight around my body. The scent of his aftershave, spicy and dark, clung to him. He seemed larger than life, dressed in his elegant suit and immaculate, as if he didn’t really belong in this shady motel.
“Can you behave yourself?” he asked. “Or are you going to try to rip Royal’s face off if I let go of you?”
Royal let out a small disbelieving laugh.
There were six different men in this room with guns. I wasn’t sure which ones were Royal’s and which ones were Gabriel’s, but I wasn’t sure it mattered. Any of them would hurt Luca to get me under control.
“I’ll keep my hands to myself,” I muttered.
“Okay.” Gabriel released me, but he rested his hands lightly on my shoulders, so our bodies were still disconcertingly close. Into my ear, he murmured, “Be good.”
“Mr. Caruso.” One of the men stood respectfully in the door. From the way everyone addressed Gabriel, I had the feeling these were Gabriel’s men, but I wasn’t sure. “Mr. Carmichael is on the line for you.”
“Royal, come with me. I’m sure your father will want your insight.” There was a distinct tinge of icy sarcasm in his voice that went unnoticed by my idiot brother.
“I’m going to stay here.” Royal’s gaze raked across me, a cruel smile crossing his face.
“Suit yourself.” Gabriel sounded bored. He gave one of his men a quick flicker of a meaningful look, some unspoken communication passing between them as he left the room.
I drew in a ragged breath, feeling as if I could finally breathe without his body against mine and his presence overwhelming the room.
“Father and I can’t wait to talk to you at home.” Royal’s eyes glittered ominously.
“Right before my wedding?” I raised my brows. “When is my wedding, anyway?”
“Do you really think Gabriel is going to want to marry you after we’ve found you in a hotel room with some low-level enforcer?” Royal stepped close to me, and the world narrowed for me to the man who felt like a threat even though he should have been my own brother. “You stupid slut.”
Luca went after him. Some of the men leapt to grab him, and I jumped forward, ready to try to help Luca. Royal seized my wrist and yanked me to a halt, his grip bruisingly hard. I dared to look away from the suddenly distant commotion to the immediate threat posed by my kin.
Royal watched me with disgust, like I was a cockroach scurrying the floor in front of him, trying to escape. I raised my chin; in my peripheral vision, I caught a glimpse of Luca being thrown to the ground by Gabriel’s men.
Royal grinned. “You could’ve had a good thing, marrying Gabriel. You’ve always liked him?—”
I shook my head. Royal’s words felt like a bizarre bit of sibling teasing, given the circumstances.
“You have, and you don’t deserve him. He only wants to marry you because of the dowry Father offered?—”
“Do you have a fucking crush on him yourself, Royal?” I interrupted.
I wouldn’t push Gabriel, but if Royal was the one who took me out of here, I was fucked anyway. I couldn’t make things much worse.
“Well, look at you.” Royal’s voice had gone soft and dangerous. He didn’t relinquish the painful grip he had on my wrist. “You’ve started to think you can run your mouth, hm? You feel protected?”
I dropped my gaze, down to his expensive t-shirt that clung to his muscular arms and his ten-thousand-dollar watch. I couldn’t stand to look at his smug face.
He couldn’t even read that damn watch. It was an analog clock face, and he’d never gotten the hang of big hands and little hands.
“Oh no, don’t turn all meek and mild on me now. Apparently, you’re all mouthy now after spending some time with Luca?”
One of the men came in with a medkit slung over his shoulder.
“What’s that for?” Royal demanded.
“Keeping him not dead.” The man with the medkit dropped it next to Luca and knelt. “No bullshit,” he warned Luca. “Let me get this IV in; you’ve lost a lot of blood.”
“So we can interrogate him?” Royal asked, but no one answered him. Still, he seemed delighted by the idea. He turned back to me. “We’re going to hurt him. And when Gabriel decides he doesn’t want you…ooh.” He grinned at me. “You’ll be worth nothing to Father if he can’t marry you off. But I’ve got a use for you. I always like giving gifts to my most loyal men and letting them use you?—”
“Royal!” I gasped, shocked. My gaze met his, and he let out a cruel little chuckle, a sound that seemed both nasty and forced.
One of the men holding guns on Luca turned his head and gave Royal a look that I couldn’t read. But none of them were going to intervene.
“Do you know what they’d do to you?” he asked, seemingly lost in a fantasy.
“Royal, don’t. I’m your sister.” You weird fucking dickhead .
But terror writhed in my gut.
“You’re not good for anything else. At least maybe you can provide some amusement for my men?—”
Luca was trying to scramble up, wild-eyed, despite the guns. I had to get Royal to shut up before Luca was hurt.
I slapped Royal with my free hand. He grabbed my other wrist, his grip lightning fast and bruisingly cruel. His lips parted in a smile, about to spew more nastiness that wormed its way into my fears.
So, I headbutted him.
His nose seemed to give under my forehead. Pain exploded across my head, accompanied with a burst of wetness. His blood, mine from split skin; it hurt like hell, and I staggered.
But he was stumbling back, cursing. Blood flowed from his nose all over his shirt.
“You stupid whore,” he shouted. “Someone grab the bitch!”
No one moved in the room—to stop him or to grab me. Maybe these were Gabriel’s men, because they didn’t seem inclined to do more than watch us with mild curiosity.
Royal raised his hand to slap me. There was nowhere for me to run. I winced involuntarily, but the blow never landed.
Gabriel grabbed Royal’s wrist. “That’s my fiancée.” His tone was cold and bored, as usual.
“She attacked me!” Royal’s voice was whiney, and he tilted his head back, trying to stop the flow of blood.
“Is that so?” Gabriel still sounded disinterested. “I need her unbruised and beautiful on our wedding day.”
“You’re still going to marry her?” Royal demanded.
“I’ll do as I wish.” Gabriel looked past him to Luca on the floor. “Get him stable and bring him to the house. Have the surgeon meet you at the house to make sure the bullet is out.”
“It is,” I said softly, then regretted the words as Gabriel’s piercing gaze swept back to me. He seemed as if he looked right through me.
“No, no.” Royal shook his head. “Luca’s ours. He’s one of my father’s men, and he has to pay for betraying us?—”
“You’re the one who claims Luca defiled my bride. It would seem revenge should be mine.” Gabriel gave him a tight smile. “Consider giving Dante and Luca to me as a wedding present.”
Royal shook his head, but seemed unable to resist asking, “What are you going to do to them?”
Gabriel gave him a cool smile. “Whatever I wish.”
The way he looked at me included myself in that sentiment.
Gabriel put his hand on my lower back. “Get my fiancée an ice pack. I’ll take her home in my car.”
“She’s not going to be a perfect wife!” Royal called after us.
“I don’t need her to be.” Gabriel didn’t bother to look back at him. “I’ll make her into whatever I need.”
A shiver ran through me at that promise.
And yet, even though Gabriel was a monster…
I still felt a surge of relief to walk out of that motel room with him instead of with my brother.
To read the rest of Celia’s story, get Captive Hearts!
We’re all waiting to see her end Royal…