Chapter 48
Vienna
I lowered Gabriella’s legs to the floor, her body still jerking from the aftershocks of her last orgasm. Her feet dangled from the hood of the car, and a small laugh escaped her before she covered her face in embarrassment.
A buzzing overhead, circling the roof, almost got my attention, but then Gabriella shifted, stretching on the hood of the car, and my attention was captured.
“You alright there, princess?” I asked her, grinning down at her.
“Better than alright,” she breathed. She arched her back in a stretch and then moaned as her thighs rubbed together, sending pressure through her still-sensitive pussy.
“Make that noise again and we’re going for another round,” I warned her. But I didn’t act on it. Instead, I reached for her arms and lifted her until she was sitting.
And then I heard it again.
The same low buzzing overhead.
I looked up, seeing that the skylight windows were open.
“Are you okay?” Gabriella asked, frowning at me.
“Better than okay,” I lied, looking back at her and forcing a smile to my lips. “But if Tools sees the state of his domain, he’ll have us both strung up.”
Gabriella looked around at the mess—knocked over tools, a spilled paint tin, wires everywhere—and laughed. “Come on, let’s get cleaned up,” she said, patting my chest to indicate she wanted me to step away.
I stopped her, sliding my hand up her jaw, along her cheek and into her hair. “No. I’ll do it,” I said, kissing her lips, long and slow. “You go get cleaned up.”
“But—”
“No buts,” I interrupted with another kiss, hearing the buzzing getting louder. “I’ve got this. Go and run yourself a bath. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Are you sure?”
I picked her up under her armpits and placed her on her feet. Bending down low, I retrieved her underwear and helped her step back into them, and then passed over her jeans.
“More than sure. I’ll meet you there in five.”
“You spoil me,” she said, giving me another kiss. I playfully slapped her ass as she stepped into her jeans, loving her excited screech, and then watched unashamedly as she pulled her shirt over her head.
“See you in five?”
“In five,” I promised, my eyes remaining on her as she nodded and walked away.
The second she closed the customer’s door to the garage, my eyes shot to the roof, and I walked out of the large mechanical door that was the car entrance.
The drone was closer, the buzzing relentless now. Far too deliberate to be some kid messing around. I looked to the left, seeing Gabriella practically skipping down the cobbled path to the clubhouse, blissfully unaware that we had been spied on.
As I walked further out of the garage, the drone followed me, hovering overhead.
“You sick bastard,” I hissed at the drone, already knowing who was behind it.
Almost as if it could hear me, the drone ascended higher, staying out of my reach.
And then the metal claws opened, and a box fell to the floor.
The box landed with a heavy splat instead of a thud, liquid immediately seeping from one corner. I went over to it, bending low, resting on one knee, before opening the box.
I swallowed down a gag.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” I hissed, shoving away the bloodied heart. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Nico?”
That didn’t even need answering. There was too much wrong with that man to list.
The drone slowly disappeared over the treeline without a hint of panic, like it had delivered exactly what it came to deliver.
Looking at the heart again, I saw a small piece of paper tucked underneath it. With a grimace, I dug my fingers under the organ and plucked out the sodden note, shaking some of the blood off it and laying it flat on the floor.
You’re breaking my heart, princess.
But I’m looking forward to punishing you for it.
See you soon.
N.
Stuffing the note back into the box, I took one last glance towards the clubhouse, knowing Gabriella was probably climbing into the bath she’d been looking forward to five minutes ago, without a care in the world.
She was smiling.
She was safe.
She was going to stay that way.
I picked the box up and stormed back into the garage, snatching up my phone.
“Another message,” I hissed as soon as Dante answered. “Make sure Rachel keeps Gabriella busy and get over to the garage. You’re not going to fucking believe this.”