Chapter 13
Thirteen
ROME
“What kind of situation?” I ask Bruno as I step off the airplane.
“Some goon broke into her room,” he says, and I fill with anger. “She managed to run to the bathroom, but she’s scared out of her mind and won’t come out. She keeps saying she won’t go back.”
“Did you kill him?”
Won’t go back where? What secrets are you keeping, firefly?
“No, he’s just unconscious.”
“Good. I’ll be there in less than ten minutes.”
“We’re all going with you,” Carson says after I hang up.
“I’ve got this.”
“If it has to do with your little bartender, we’re all going.”
“What bartender?” Mateo demands.
“He’s got a girl,” Carson replies, but I let them talk their shit as I run for my car. Luke has it started, and we’re on our way within seconds, with the others on our tail.
“Who the fuck would want to hurt her?” I ask no one specifically.
“Maybe she has a past, boss.” Luke shrugs. “I mean, we all do.”
I narrow my eyes, and as soon as he pulls up to the motel room, I jump out and rush inside.
“I won’t come out!” she screams, and I can hear the panic, the terror, in her voice. “Please just leave.”
After a moment, I hear her cry more softly, “I’d rather kill myself than let him marry me off.”
What the fuck?
Bruno shrugs. “She’s been like this since we hung up.”
I look down at the man on the floor. “He’s the one who broke in?”
“Yep.”
“Get him into the cell. We’ll deal with him later.”
Bruno nods, and with Spider’s help, they lift the man and get him out of the room.
Julian, Carson, and Mateo file in, looking around in disdain.
“You let your girl live like this?” Julian asks, and I roll my eyes.
“Lulu,” I say calmly. “Open the door.”
“No way.”
“Listen to me. You’re safe. This is Rome.”
She’s quiet for a second, then she unlocks and cracks the door. I don’t push inside. She’s fucking terrified.
“Are you one of my father’s men, too?” She has tears rolling down her sweet cheeks. “Oh God. My man radar is so fucked up.”
“No.” I shake my head and step closer, but she moves to close the door, and now I press my hand against it, keeping it open. “Listen to me, firefly, I don’t know who your father is. I’m not here because of him.”
“You’re lying.”
I narrow my eyes. “I’m a lot of things, but I’m not a fucking liar.”
Her eyes flick over my shoulder and fill with more fear. “Carson.”
Before I can ask how the fuck she knows my brother, Carson replies, “At your service.”
“Oh God. He hired all of you, didn’t he? That’s why you’ve been hanging out at the club.”
She retreats into the bathroom, huddles against the wall, and I walk in after her.
“It was all a setup. I’m so fucking stupid. So fucking stupid.”
I raise my hand to brush her hair off her face, but she flinches as if I’m going to hit her, and I pause.
A woman only reacts like that when she’s been hit before.
“I won’t hurt you.”
She’s sobbing now, and she shakes her head.
“She’s panicked,” Julian says from behind me. “You won’t be able to calm her down like this. She doesn’t know any of us. She’s terrified.”
“Lulu.”
She sniffs and swallows, but she won’t look at me.
“Just do it,” she whispers. “If you’re going to hurt me, just do it. You have blood on you. Obviously, you’re going to hurt me.”
Shit. Of course, the blood scares her.
“Baby, I’m not going to hurt you.” Christ, she’s breaking the dead black heart in my chest.
“Someone did,” Mateo says behind me and passes me a water bottle. “Here. Get her to drink this.”
“Have some water and take a breath.” I glance back at the others to find them all crowding into the tiny bathroom. “Jesus, get out of here. No wonder she’s terrified.”
The three of them back out, and it’s just the two of us now. I want to scoop her to me and kiss her head. I want to soothe her and reassure her that absolutely nothing can hurt her.
But there’s no way she’ll let me right now.
“Hey, this will feel good on your throat. Take a drink.”
She’s shaking, and her eyes are on mine as she takes a sip, then another, and wipes a drop off her mouth with the back of her hand before passing it back to me.
“That’s my girl. I promise you, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She frowns and presses her lips together. Christ, she’s so full of life, so full of fire and flirtation at the club, and now she’s been reduced to this?
When I find out who’s responsible for this, they’re going to lose their head—right after I’m finished removing their limbs and internal organs.
“I don’t believe you,” she whispers.
“That’s okay. It doesn’t make it less true.”
After a few minutes, her eyes get heavy, and she scowls at me. “Did you drug me?”
I glance over my shoulder and see Matteo looking in on us. He just nods.
The fucker.
“Yeah, baby, we drugged you. I need to get you home.”
She whimpers. “I don’t want to go back. Please. Please don’t take me back home. He’ll hurt me. He sold me.”
She’s swaying, and I catch her in my arms as she finally passes out.
Who the fuck sold her? Her father?
“Who the hell are you, firefly?” I whisper, holding her close to me. She feels so right in my arms, which is only just keeping my fury at bay.
“You’re going to pay for drugging my girl,” I inform Mateo, who just smirks.
“It’s easier than pulling her out of there kicking and screaming,” he replies.
I carry her out of the bathroom and turn to Luke. “Pack up whatever she has here and meet me back at the penthouse.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
“What’s next?” Julian asks.
“I’m going to get her settled in my bed, and then I have some questions for the asshole in the cell.”
“Oh, good. I’m coming along.” Carson grins. “I have some new toys to play with.”
“You’re a sadistic son of a bitch.”
“I know.”