12. Dante
Dante
God fucking damnit.
This wasn’t the plan.
This isn’t the plan.
But I can’t just leave this woman.
It’s not who I am.
I can’t.
I won’t.
“Got it,” Enzo answers, hanging up the phone and putting it back in his cargo pocket as I speed toward shore.
“Good?” I ask.
“He said do it,” Enzo confirms. “Just make sure we’re not followed and that she doesn’t have any trackers.”
“I’m going to pull up to shore as close as I can get,” I say to Enzo as I point in the direction the red-headed woman is running. “I’ll get off and grab her. You stay on the boat and cover me. Be ready to drive as soon as we get back on.”
“Got it.” Enzo quickly checks his weapon before winking at me. “Speedy driving is my specialty.”
Don’t I know it. I swear to god, I don’t know how he ever got his license in the first place.
My eyes remain glued on the woman as she trips in the sand.
And even though I don’t know her, my heart stills in my chest in the split second it takes her to get back up again.
I pride myself on being the type of person who will always defend and protect those who can’t protect themselves.
And it’s crystal clear based on everything we’ve seen about this woman, and how the Novikov family has treated her, and the fact that she’s running for her life from men three times her size, that she needs help.
We’re only a hundred yards away when she finally notices the boat. And even in the middle of the night, the silent pleading in her eyes reflects off the moonlight.
“Enzo, get ready.” A moment later, I slow the boat down as fast as possible, throw open the door, and jump over the side of the boat.
The water isn’t too deep, only up to my knees, so I’m able to sprint to shore in a matter of seconds.
She doesn’t stop running in my direction, despite having no idea who I am, as the three men draw their weapons behind her.
Before any one of them has a chance to get even a single shot off, three muffled pops sound from the boat, and they drop like rocks.
Noticing the flashes from Enzo’s gun, the woman turns to look behind her.
Thankfully, I’m able to reach her and cover her mouth just as she lets out a scream.
“Shhhhh. It’s okay. You’re safe.” She turns around to look up at me, eyes wide.
But I don’t dare move my hand and risk her screaming loud enough for the entire block to hear.
It’s only a matter of time before the rest of Maxim and Andrei’s lackeys realize these three have been gone too long and come looking for them, but for now, we at least have time to make a clean getaway.
“Is there anything on you that they can use to track you?”
She shakes her head as she breathes heavily from her nose, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Do you want to come with me? I can help you. We can keep you safe.”
The woman pauses for a moment, quickly deciding if risking her safety with men she doesn’t know is better than fending for herself. But a moment is all it takes. Slowly, her head moves up and down.
“Okay. I’m going to move my hand. When I do, you are going to run back to that boat and get out of here. Okay? I’ll be right behind you.”
Her head nods faster this time.
I drop my hand from her mouth. “Go.” She only looks at me for another second before she takes off in a sprint through the water and toward the boat.
Quickly, I run toward the three bodies lying in the sand. I rifle through each of their pockets and am able to find all three of their wallets. Pocketing them, I turn around and head toward Enzo. By the time I make it to him, he’s hauling the woman into the boat. “I got her. Let’s go.”
I grab her by the waist and, as gently as the moment allows, throw her into the boat and climb in behind her. The second I’m all the way in, Enzo speeds away.
“She clear?” he yells through the open door of the cabin.
“Clear.” Standing, I reach down to help her up. “Come on. Let’s get you inside and warmed up.”
Her shaking hand grabs mine, and we make our way inside. I grab a fleece blanket out of the storage compartment underneath one of the bench seats and wrap it around her. “Thank you,” she says quietly.
I notice Enzo looking in our direction out of the corner of my eye. Tears are still streaming down the poor woman’s face as I sit her down on the bench. “I’m Enzo. This is Dante,” Enzo says over the roar of the boat engine.
“I’m—I’m Anya.”
“Are you hurt anywhere, Anya?” I ask.
Clearly, that’s a loaded question. I don’t have to know much to know that this woman has endured more than anyone should have to.
“No. I—” She closes her eyes and inhales a shaky breath. “I’m not hurt.”
“Okay. We’re going to get you somewhere safe.” A broken sob leaves her lips as she shakes her head in acknowledgment. “Enz, I’m going to call Luca. Give him a heads-up and make sure Joe’s there.”
I want to ensure that Joe will be ready to help her with whatever we need and make sure Luca and Sebastian keep a respectable distance. I’m sure the last thing she wants is to be bombarded by four men she doesn’t know.
“Alright.” Enzo’s eyes linger on me for a moment longer than normal. And suddenly my mind returns to the moment before Anya’s scream shot through the dark. A moment I’ve never had with Enzo before.
A moment I’ve never had with another man.
A moment that, despite who I thought I was until that very second, felt like exactly what I needed.
“Hey,” Joe sighs with relief as she makes her way toward me.
Scooping her up in my arms, I bury my face in her neck as she wraps her legs around me. “Hey, Mama.”
She lets me hold her for a moment before leaning back and taking my face in her hands. “You’re okay?”
“I’m okay. They didn’t stand a chance.” I wink at her and smile softly. I kiss her deeply until I feel Enzo come up to my side.
“Hey, Sweetheart,” he says to her as I put her back on the floor.
“Why is it you are always getting into trouble?” she asks him with a smile.
Enzo shrugs nonchalantly. “Habit, I suppose.” He wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her into him. “How do you know it’s not Big Daddy over here getting me into trouble?”
Joe playfully rolls her eyes at Enzo’s antics. “For the same reason you constantly call him Big Daddy even though he hates it. You’re a shit-distruber, Lorenzo Santoro.” She quickly kisses his lips. “And you know it.”
“If that ain’t the fuckin’ truth,” I mumble.
Enzo looks over at me, and me at him. The two of us stare at one another, likely revisiting everything that happened in the boat. “Ummmm…” Joe’s voice breaks my concentration. She points her finger between me and Enzo, and her eyes light up with mischief. “What’s happening here?”
“Nothing,” he and I answer all two quickly.
Her eyes narrow, but her smile remains. “Mhmmm. Riiiiight. We will circle back to this later.” Should have known she’d recognize something was up. Joe’s bullshit meter is spot on. Always is. Suddenly her brows pinch and she looks around Enzo. “Where is she?”
Enzo nods over his shoulder. “She’s in the elevator. Doesn’t want to come out. Figured it was best to wait for you. She’s terrified Joe. I don’t know for sure what was happening to her in that house, but it’s pretty obvious it wasn’t good.”
“I wrapped a blanket around her, but I’m pretty sure all she’s wearing is that T-shirt.”
Joe’s eyes fill with sadness. “Okay. I’ll go talk to her.”
“Where are Luca and Seb?” I ask.
“They’re on the couch. They didn’t want to hide only to show up later and scare her, but they’re keeping their distance. Why don’t you two go sit with them.” She kisses Enzo on the cheek before standing on her toes to do the same to me.
Joe steps around Enzo and makes her way toward the elevator. “God, I fucking love her,” Enzo says yet again.
“Yeah,” I answer.
“We really should tell her one of these days.”
I look over at him to find his eyes already back on me. “Yeah, we really should.”