Chapter 28
TWENTY-EIGHT
Lissia
Danny’s presence in Miami was what the culmination. The fucking climax. My father’s last attempt to wreak havoc on my relationship with Marchello.
“Lissia.” Marchello shook me. “Did he contact you?”
A chill coursed through me, bringing that unfavorable sensation to the forefront. The feeling that I couldn’t shake finally made sense.
“How the hell did you know?” Marchello’s voice raised an octave.
“Because I could feel something was wrong, but I couldn’t identify it.”
“I’m going to stop him once and for all.”
Not if he stops you first. No! Get that thought out of your head.
“What is it?” Marchello asked. “You look as if you’re going to be sick.”
“Why would he come here and provoke you if he knows he can’t win? He’s desperate, and that’s dangerous.”
“It’s dangerous for him.” He put his arm around me. “You’re right, he is desperate. He should have stayed hidden. That arrogant piece of shit shouldn’t have followed us to Miami.”
“But he did.”
“Now we can end this.”
“Whatever you think you know isn’t right.” I balled my fists to keep my hands from shaking. “There’s something we’re missing.”
Marchello’s phone rang, and he reached into his pants pocket. He glanced at the screen. “It’s Milo.”
As he answered the call, I thought for a moment. Danny was provoking Marchello, and the only way he could achieve that was to come for me.
“Do you have a location?” Marchello asked. “I’ll meet you out front in a few minutes.”
“You’re going after him now?” I asked.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He stood and extended his hand for me. “I’m going to lock the door behind me. Don’t go outside. Don’t leave the villa. It’s the middle of the night. Just stay put.”
“I won’t go anywhere.” My voice cracked. “Be careful.”
“You don’t have anything to worry about.” He traced his finger across my lips. “I’ll have you back home by tomorrow. You’ll be able to see your mom and Ricardo.”
“Okay.” I trembled as I held onto him. “Be safe.”
“I’m coming back to you.” The determination in his expression should have been believable but I couldn’t trust it. “I’d be a fool not to.”
“You’re not going to cut me loose?”
“I shouldn’t have said that. I was angry.” He kissed me long and slow, igniting both lust and uncertainty in my mind and heart, then tightened his hold on me. “We’re going to find common ground. I promise.”
I held his hand as we walked to the front door. The blood pumped through my veins faster than usual, creating a strange burst of anxiety. I feared if he left me, something horrifying would happen. Something we wouldn’t be able to recover from.
“I love you.” He winked and opened the door. “See you soon.”
Before I knew it, I stared at the closed door. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t act on impulse—I had to stay here and do nothing. If I ran after him, I’d lose him forever.
Why am I so afraid? Get it together!
I trudged down the hall and to the kitchen, emotionally drained. The quietness only added to my anxious demeanor. How long would it take for Marchello to rid us of Danny? Would the threat be over when I opened my eyes in the morning? How many more problems would pop up after this one was resolved?
Only time would tell but how much of that did we have?
I swung open the refrigerator and grabbed the pitcher of water. A beeping from a swiped keycard alerted me that someone was entering the villa.
“Dom?” I shut the door and set the pitcher on the counter. “Did you come in to keep me company? Do you want to play cards?”
“I don’t think we’re going to have time for that.” His rough, hoarse voice set a warning shot off in my head. “We have a plane to catch.”
I spun on my heel. Danny couldn’t be standing five feet from me.
Every muscle in my body stiffened, making my limbs heavy and my insides coil with alarm.
“No.”
“What?” He flashed his crooked smile, revealing his yellow teeth. “Not happy to see me?”
I inched back toward the patio doors, weighing my options. Could I get to Dom faster than Danny could get to me?
“Whatever you’re considering.” He held up his gun. “I wouldn’t.”
“How did you get in here?” I didn’t take my gaze away from his gun.
“Turns out, all you have to do is find the right person and bribe them.” He stalked toward me. “I found a friend who programmed a key for me.”
When he approached the island in the center of the kitchen, I darted around it. He just kept grinning like a cat cornering its prey. A dingy alley cat coming after a helpless mouse.
“Of course, occupying the security team was a little more difficult.”
“Where is Dom?”
“He’s out there.” He motioned toward the patio. “With a few of my men that he thinks are part of Lorenzo’s extra security team. I can’t say for certain what happened to Lorenzo’s team, but I don’t think they’re with us anymore.”
“You bastard.”
“If you try to run, my men will kill Dom. You’re not going to get away this time.”
He turned the corner of the island, forcing me to go around and stand where he had just come from. He was taunting me, because if he wanted to grab me, he could.
“Marchello will be back soon.” I gripped the counter, trying to find an escape plan, but my options weren’t looking too promising. “You should go while you have the chance.”
“Why would Marchello be back soon?”
We did another circle around the island, never taking our gazes away from one another.
“He’s on his way to kill me, isn’t he?” His unsettling laugh filled the room. “Or at least, that’s where he thinks he’s headed.”
“What are you going to do to him?” So many thoughts cluttered my mind, and they all led to Marchello’s demise. He was walking into a trap, and I couldn’t warn him.
“I’m not going to do anything to him,” he said. “I’m here for you.”
“If it’s about the money you wanted, I’ll give it to you. Whatever you want, you can have it.”
“What are you promising, sexy girl?”
“Not that, you pig.”
“Maybe that’s the only thing I want from you before I hand you over to the man I already promised you to.” He pointed his gun at me as he smoothed his other hand over the granite countertop. “Stop moving.”
“You’re working with Diego.”
“Oh, look, she’s more than just a pretty face.” He trailed his fingers along the edge of the counter as he stalked toward me. “You see, I don’t need your money, because if I bring you back to Diego, I’ll get paid.”
“Do you hear how disgusting that sounds? I’m not his property just because he paid for me. I’m a human being.”
“Here’s the thing.” Danny grabbed my arm and yanked me to him. “Diego gave you and Marchello a chance to fix this, but your arrogant husband was too stubborn to do the right thing. Instead, he acted like the thug he is and used his fists to get his point across.”
“My husband was protecting me.” I pushed against Danny’s solid form. “Let go of me!”
He tightened his hold, cutting off the circulation in my upper arm.
“Diego was willing to take back the money interest-free and leave the two of you alone, but I told him Marchello wouldn’t accept that deal, and now Diego has a new enemy.”
“Marchello will kill him, and you won’t get your money,” I said. “Let me wire you money in exchange for you setting me free. I’ll tell Marchello our business is finished.”
“Do you really think your husband is going to let me go after everything?” He slid his hand down my arm and grabbed my wrist. “That’s not how this business works.”
“If you think I’m going to let you take me out of here without a fight, you’re a fucking idiot.” I shoved him into the counter, causing him to release me.
When I turned to run, he grabbed me by the waist and hoisted me in the air.
“Let me go!” I kicked my legs in the air. “Help!”
He dropped me and pushed me into the sofa, causing me to fall on my backside.
“Shut up.” He pointed his gun at my head. “If your guard comes in here, I’ll shoot him, and that will be on you.”
“You’re going to have to deliver me dead because that’s the only way you’re getting me out of here.” I grasped the back of the sofa and pulled myself into a standing position. “But we both know you can’t kill me. If you do, you’ll never get paid.”
“Don’t be so sure.” He reached for the collar of my shirt, and then threw me hard enough that I smacked the back of my head against the wall and my legs gave way.
Before I could hit the floor, he pinned me to the wall with his chest and legs. “I could kill you and leave you for Marchello to find. That might be better than any payday.”
“You won’t do that.” I gritted my teeth and glared into his eyes. I had nothing to lose. He was either going to kill me or take me away from Marchello and deliver me to a fate far worse than I could ever imagine.
“How can you be so sure?” He swiped the tip of his gun down my neck and to my breasts.
“Because you’re not going to give up the cash for revenge.”
“Lissia, you’ve always been such a wild thing.” He circled the barrel of the gun around my nipple. “I’m still going to get revenge on Marchello.”
His mouth got too close to mine, and I turned my head. The scent of stale tobacco churned my stomach.
“You’re a fucking piece of shit.” Damn my father for putting this vile man in my path.
“You see…” He nudged his knees between my legs and spread them apart. “I’m going to take what was offered to me a few months ago. It’s what I’m owed. It’s what your father promised. Fucking you right here is the best revenge I can get on Marchello.”
“You sick piece of shit.” I shoved him, but he didn’t budge. “You’re going to have to kill me, because I’m never going to let you touch me.”
“What makes you think you’re going to have a say?” Danny clutched my throat, restricting my airway. “I’m going to fuck you into submission, and when you’re lying on the floor like the fucking whore that you are, I’m going to take pictures of your bruised and naked body and send them to your husband.”
I pushed back the vomit that threatened to spill from my mouth. Fight-or-flight mode was my only option if I ever wanted to see Marchello again.
“It’s happening either way, brat, so you decide how you want it to go.” He pressed his gun into my side as he brushed his lips along my face and to my mouth. “Are you going to let me take you to the bed where you fuck your husband, or are we going to do it right here?”
“No!”
“I don’t care either way. What’s it going to be?”
The warmth of his tongue inside my ear made me gag, and my heart raced as he licked his way to my lips.
His gun was firmly planted against my ribcage, limiting my options.
When his lips connected with mine, I clamped my teeth on his bottom lip, biting him hard enough to draw blood.
Fight!
“Fuck!” He released me and dropped the gun at his feet.
I kneed him in the crotch and took off down the hallway, running as fast as I could. Images of him chasing me through the woods flashed through my head.
Flight!
“Really?” he shouted before grabbing my hair and dragging me back into the kitchen. “I let you escape once. That won’t happen this time.”
He turned me to face him, raising his hand and slapping me across the face with enough force to knock me into the counter.
I gasped, trying to catch my breath, but anxiety soared through me fast enough to drown me in my own fear.
Danny was inches from my face. He wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand before wedging me between him and the island.
“Please don’t do this,” I said.
“The bitch can say please.” He lifted me onto the cool counter, gripped my throat, and shoved me onto my back. “The time to play nice was months ago.”
With me still in his firm hold, he unbuckled his belt with his free hand.
“Instead, you fled with the enemy, and now your father is dead.”
“Stop it.” I kicked at him. “Get away from me.”
I thrashed and threw my hands back, knocking over the decorative plates on display behind me as I reached for something—anything—to stun him enough to get away. I booted him hard in the ribs, and he released my throat, but he recovered too fast.
“All this fire makes me so hard.” He flipped me onto my stomach, giving me a better vantage point of what I had to work with.
The butcher block filled with knives was almost in my grasp. I only needed one.
“I’m going to take my time though,” he said. “Fuck you slow and make you feel every inch of me. You’re going to like it.”
I clawed at the counter, stretching out my body as he clasped the sides of my panties. I lengthened my arms, dragging myself closer to the target while he busied himself with undressing me.
My fingers skimmed the edge of the counter but I managed to snatch a plate, then flailing my hand back, I hit him in the side of the face.
“Fuck!” He loosened his hold on me just enough to give me an advantage.
I jerked a knife from the butcher block, but fumbled with it in my haste.
No. If I dropped it, my fight would be over.
I wrapped my hand around the handle.
“We’re done playing games.” He turned me over and stepped between my legs, clearly unaware that I was now armed.
I had stopped trembling the moment I gained the upper hand. No more fear, no more being this pig’s victim. Adrenaline coursed through my system, lighting me up and giving me the courage to save myself.
You might only get one shot to protect yourself, so use it wisely. Marchello’s words propelled me to continue.
“I’m taking what belonged to me first, then I’m dropping you off to your new captor, where life as you knew it will be over.” He laughed as he slid my panties down to my ankles and grabbed my thigh. “Brace yourself, baby, this is going to hurt.”
“Not as much as this will.”
The knife was cold in my hand, its weight foreign but grounding. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t running or begging for someone else to save me. This time, I was the one who would end it. Not for my father, and not even for Marchello. This was for me.
I drew back my hand, and Danny’s eyes widened before I pierced his neck with one quick blow.
He pulled at my hand, but I would not relent as the warm blood gushed down my hand and dripped across my face and chest.
He coughed, splattering more blood onto my face.
I turned my head as he collapsed on top of me.
Dry heaving, I pushed him off me, and his heavy, lifeless body hit the pristine white tiles with a thud. As the blood pooled around him, I pulled up my panties, still clutching the knife, waiting for him to come at me again.
He didn’t.
Blood was everywhere—on my hands, on my face, and seeping into the cracks of the tiles.
I fell in my haste to get away, hitting the floor next to him. My chest heaved as I crawled away from him, and my knees slithered in the sticky puddle beneath me. I wanted to scream, to cry, but all that came out was a ragged gasp.
I’d won. So why did it feel like I’d lost?
As the knife slipped from my fingers, I gazed into Danny’s soulless eyes.
What have I done?