Chapter 15
Genevieve
W hat in the world just happened? One moment he is setting my world on fire and the next he is cutting off my breathing. I love the controlling aspect of him, I just wanted him to ease up the pressure. But he freaked out when he realised what he had been doing and fled.
I had to untie my own ankles.
He told me to fuck off, so I’m fucking off.
I storm off down the hallway. Who does he think he is, doing that to me and then running away?
He is a fucking coward. This isn’t my first rough-in-the-bedroom rodeo. We were going with what felt right and living in the moment; his sudden shift in mood scared me in a way I never thought he would.
His words make me so angry . I need to clear my head, but I can’t just sit in my room. I have to go for a walk to figure out what I’m doing next, but I don’t want anyone to follow me. I have to sneak out. With Mia, of course.
I make my way back to my room, my anger rising with every step. The marbled tile floor of the foyer is cold under my feet, making me walk faster.
Pushing through the door, Mia lifts her head and watches me as I walk to the wardrobe. Pulling out a pair of leggings and a hoodie, I quickly pull them on and slide on my runners. “You want to go for a walk, girl?” I also make sure to grab the knife that is sitting on my bedside table, tucking it into the pocket of my leggings alongside my phone.
Mia jumps up as I open her crate. Clipping her lead to her collar, we make our way out of the room quietly and into the secret hall. The ticking of her nails on the marbled tile is the only sound through the hallway. There is no one around.
Quietly pushing open the staff passageway door, Mia and I make our way towards my garage. “Almost there, girl,” I whisper.
She lets out a little huff as we open the door into the garage, turning left almost instantly and making our way out the back door. It is quiet outside as well, being this late at night, which makes it easier to sneak out to the front gate.
We walk for about ten minutes, down to the end of the street, turning right. It’s a nice, cool night and just what I need to clear my head.
Suddenly, Mia’s hackles start to rise.
A growl emanates from her as I hear footsteps following behind me.
“It’s ok girl, just keep walking,” I whisper, keeping my eyes forward. My body tenses at the new potential threat behind me, trying to stay calm. I know my way around the area and all I have to do is make it to the pathway, about five meters away.
Mia growls louder this time, exposing her teeth. I am caught off guard, frozen in place as a large man jumps out in front of me. My eyes are on him, never letting him out of my sight.
“Darling Genevieve,” the voice says. It is deep and the silhouette is one I have seen before.
“Who are you?” I ask; an idea of who is in front of me, but it is not guaranteed that it is him. I try to keep my voice calm.
The shadow steps forward and the street light shines against the all too familiar lip rings. Shit! I know I am in danger and he will be so much faster than me. There is no way I am going to be getting out of this one without help, if at all.
I feel the lead tighten in my fingers; Mia wants to attack. I wrap it around my hand, pulling her closer as she tries to jump forward with her still-bared teeth, growling.
The mystery man behind me has come to a stop about two meters away and just stands there, waiting. Probably for Rico’s signal. Mia doesn’t know which one to focus on, her head turning backwards and forwards to assess the danger. She quickly settles on targeting Rico with her glare. He is closer and more intimidating.
He is giant up close.
I hold her on a short lead, her body pressed against mine. She growls again and her hackles raise even more. Her lips curl up in warning to Rico not to come any closer.
He doesn’t listen to her warning growls and takes another step towards us. She begins to bark at him, growling every few barks. “Shhh girl, it’s ok,” I whisper to her, trying to calm her, but I know for a fact that it isn’t going to be ok.
She barks again, this time pulling on the lead as she lunges for him. I try to calm her down, but she won’t listen to me, snapping out at his leg, leaving a bloody bite mark just under his knee.
“Will someone shut this fucking dog up!” Rico shouts as the man behind me moves forward and another two start to cross the street. “I don’t care how you do it, just shut it up!”
No, no one is going to hurt my dog. I kneel to the ground just as the man behind me reaches out for her.
There’s a knife in his hand. The other two across the street have pistols aimed at us.
I wrap my arms around her, the man behind me striking out with the knife, but, just as it comes towards us, Mia turns her head in the direction of the other man, snapping her jaws at him. His aim with the knife diverts from her, striking me in the arm instead.
I unclasp her lead. “Run Mia!” I yell. “Run back home!”
I am thankful for her training because the moment she hears those words, she shoots off like a bullet and runs back down the path, the two men on the street ready to make chase.
“No, the dog is gone, leave it!” he orders, and they both make their way back over to the other side of the road.
I am facing the direction Mia ran, making sure she gets around the corner safely. It all happens so quickly: one moment I am watching Mia, the next Rico has his arms wrapped around my chest, pinning my arms to my side.
His breath, hot against my ear. “What are you doing out here all alone?”
I don’t say anything. I just stare after Mia, even though she’s turned the corner. I feel something cool against the base of my throat. “Fucking do it!” I spit.
“Feisty one, aren’t ya?” Rico chuckles. I feel the vibrations of his voice against my back.
“There’s no point in me playing nice, considering you were watching me earlier today and now you’re standing here with a knife to my throat,” I argue. “So just fucking do it! Slit my throat, take away the one person my father has left.”
Rico freezes for a moment before I feel the blade move across my collarbone. Not drawing any blood yet.
“I don’t think I will though,” he ponders, the knife moving slowly.
“Why not?” I am curious now.
“Well, you see,” he begins, his pressure easing up on me slightly, “I thought about just kidnapping you, taking you back to Blackmere, and making you my wife because I know that shiny ring on your finger is a fake. You cannot con a con man, darling. So, I’ve thought about taking you for myself whilst making sure that your father and Viper will never see you again, but…”
“But what?” I squirm against his hold.
He pauses when the guy in front of us glares at him. I guess he is saying too much, but he is the boss, so he can say what he wants.
He runs the knife a little further towards where his friend’s knife had cut into my arm, the blood starting to clot. Thankfully, it isn’t that deep.
“Oh fuck off Jace, you know damn well what this is.” He glares at the other man.
“Boss, you really shouldn’t be telling her this. She will run back to daddy dear and then it will be over for us all,” Jace says “He will level our whole fucking organisation in one swoop.”
What Jace over there fails to realise is that my father is well past the scheming and trying to take out his enemy. “Do you really think so, Jace?” I ask.
“Shut your mouth you stupid bitch!” he yells, taking two large steps towards me, slapping the back of his hand across my face.
The hit is still stinging as he steps back. I want to place pressure against it to relieve the pain but I hold my place. A metallic taste fills my mouth. Motherfucker! I want to scream at him and kick him in the balls. Nothing would make me happier, but I keep my cool.
“What the fuck, Jace?” Rico growls. “If she goes back to that mansion, bruised and bloody, who do you think Sal is going to send after us?”
Jace’s eyes widen as he looks at Rico. “Exactly,” Rico says with more annoyance in his voice now. “It ain’t going to be the fucking tooth fairy!”
I have managed to wiggle my hand into the pocket of my leggings and wrap my hand around the blade. I pull it out slowly to minimise my movements. Rico is too busy arguing with Jace to realise what I am doing.
Doing the best that I can, I manoeuvre myself slightly so that I can thrust the knife into Rico’s side, catching him just above the hip. Hot blood runs down my hand and drips from the knife.
Rico lets out a pained yell before releasing me as he drops to the ground, but not before he manages to cut a line with his knife across my left collarbone and down to my right breast. The blade moves quickly, leaving me standing in shock for a moment. A sharp pain burns across my chest. The warmth of the blood runs through my cleavage.
The cut is not an intention to kill, it is to prove a point.
I feel a sting at my side but adrenaline is keeping me moving. My hand instinctively moves to it.
I run. Jace tries to get hold of me, but, just as he steps in front of me, I pause, tilting my head in his direction. He stops, confusion crossing his features, and, in one quick motion, I kick out in front of me. My foot connects with his balls. He crashes down to the pavement, holding his junk.
“You fucking whore!” he yells in agony as I take off running again. I’ve been called worse in my time. But that motion was oh so satisfying.
I sprint back to the mansion. I hear Mia barking in the distance and the further I run, the louder her barks get. Adrenaline is all that keeps me running.
I am getting closer to the mansion and see lights being turned on in some of the rooms. Well, this is going to be an interesting entrance.
Running up the driveway, I see that Mia is at the front door, still barking. “It’s ok girl, I’m nearly there,” I say, just as the door opens.
Mason is standing there with a look of shock on his face. “Viv?”
“I can explain.” I push past him and into the foyer.
“Where are you hurt?” He walks over to me. “Are you ok?”
I laugh. It may seem crazy but I laugh right in his face. “Like you fucking care,” I spit. “You should see the other guys.”
“Who?” Concern laces his features.
“Rico and some guy named Jace,” I say. I look down, noticing a sticky red patch on my shirt. “Fucking hell, this was my favorite shirt.”
“How did Mia know to come here?” He looks at Mia, standing by my side.
“They were going to kill her.” I give the top of her head a little scratch. “I unclasped her and told her to run. She knows what that means.”
“The blood.” Mason looks at my chest and then at my hands.
“A little of mine and a little of Rico’s,” I grin.
He steps closer, his eyes scanning my body for any more cuts. “Your side, blood.” He touches the area above my hip. I flinch at the sting. “Still fresh. You’ve been stabbed, Viv.”
I glance down at my side. “So I have.”
The knife falls from my hands, clattering against the tiled floor, and my eyes look up at Mason, shock now starting to set in. The room starts to spin, then goes dark, and the last thing I remember is falling to the floor with a heavy thump.