Chapter 27
CHIARA
I practically run up the stairs, unable to wait for his hands all over my body, forgetting about my plan to run. I doubt I could, anyway. He has more security than he normally does tonight, and I’m sure he made it clear to all of them that I’m not to leave.
I’ll basically make any excuse to be with him right now. This is starting to feel like more than just sex. There’s something there. Something beginning to sprout from the ashes.
But even if we could have something more, does he want that? Can I accept him as he is? Whoever he is?
There are too many things unknown for me to make such a decision. For now, I’ll enjoy the time we have. The rest will come into focus when I have more answers.
The music is only a soft whisper now as I land in the dark hallway upstairs, my heels clacking against the wood floors. I’m only a few steps away from Brian’s door when I almost trip, but strong hands catch me.
“How did you get here before me?” I ask Brian with a small, nervous laugh.
Someone snickers and a chill skitters from my face down to my legs when I realize that the man in the shadows isn’t Brian at all.
I try to run, but it’s too late. A hand twists my hair, yanking me backwards, pulling me as I stumble onto the floor, my heel caught in the hem of my dress.
“Help!” I scream with all my might until a fist lands across my jaw, silencing me.
My head whips back roughly, and flickering dots of light flash before my eyes. I taste the copper in my mouth and I hear my whimpers lodged in my ears.
“Shut your mouth, you whore, or I’ll slice your throat.”
I grumble from the pain, shivering from the harsh words.
I know that voice, I realize.
It belongs to the man from the party, the one who touched me after I rejected his advances.
“He seemed so possessive over you.” The man’s voice cuts into my chest. “Must be something special about that cunt for him to care whether I play with it or not. I’m going to find out what makes you so important.”
No.
No, no, no. I can’t let this happen.
Oh, God, what do I do? How do I get the hell out of here?
I swallow against the thick wave of nausea swirling up my throat.
My heart is racing, my pulse beating loudly in my ears.
I won’t let him touch me. I’ll go down fighting until the very end.
He drags me further down the hall, then swings to the right.
My knees hit the corner of a wall.
I yelp from the sharp pain, but he doesn’t care. He just chuckles at my suffering.
We stop, and I hear a door open, then another.
I lose count as to how many he opens before we stop. He drags me inside a room and flips on a light.
My eyes sting as they adjust to the brightness, and I find myself inside a bathroom I’ve never been in. The click of the lock sends an ice-cold shudder down my body, submerging me in dread.
“Brian,” I call with a voice so small I don’t recognize it, knowing he can’t hear me at all.
DOMINIC
I’ve shaken enough hands and smiled in enough pictures to be done with this party. I let Miles know I’ll be heading upstairs now. I have more important things to do.
I take out my cell from my pocket, checking the feed upstairs, wanting to see her waiting for me on my bed. But when I open the app, I don’t see her there. I check the cameras in the hall, but they’re all off. Like they’ve been disconnected.
What the fuck?
I check the camera in Chiara’s bedroom and don’t find her there either.
Something’s wrong.
“Miles!” I shout over to him. “Kill the party quietly. Say I’ve had a family emergency.”
“Done.”
He gets on the walkie-talkie, informing all the men.
“What’s wrong, boss?” he asks with obvious concern.
“Someone may be upstairs with Chiara. I’m going up.”
“Shit.”
He radios the rest of the team, giving them the additional information, but I don’t wait for him as I run up.
If Faro’s men are here—if any of them so much as lays a finger on her—I’ll kill them all with my bare hands in front of every one of my guests, my reputation be damned.
The music stops when I reach upstairs, finding the hallway quiet. The silence swallows me as I open my bedroom, finding it empty. I don’t want to call her name and let whoever has her know I’m on to them.
Heading for her door, I gently push it open, finding no one inside. I go from room to room, finding nothing.
The panic sets in when I reach the end of the hall, and when I hear a muffled cry from one of the guest bathrooms, the panic turns into full-blown terror.
Removing the gun from my ankle, I tiptoe toward her strained voice, knowing whoever has hurt her is already dead. Once beside the door, I kick it open, almost taking it off the hinges.
My men are suddenly behind me, guns pointed at…
I see Cain’s face as he spins around, hands raised in the air, the knife in his hand falling to the ground.
My chest heaves, my face vibrating with rage as I see what he’s done to her.
Chiara’s on the floor, her dress ripped, tattered at her waist, her palms cupping her breasts as streaks of mascara run down her face whirled with tears. And that blood on her lip and jaw…
Fuck!
I rush for him with a growl. No one could stop me even if they wanted to.
Chiara whimpers as I pick him up off the floor, bashing the back of his head against the hard porcelain wall.
Letting go, I let him crumble to the floor as I land kick after kick across his stomach and then his face before I land two more to his balls.
He moans like a dying animal.
I crouch down.
“You fucking hurt her?!” I say loud enough for all to hear. “You touched her?!”
He mutters something unintelligible in response.
“You’re dead, Cain. This is just a preview of what I’ll do to you.”
I pick up the knife I suspect he used on her dress. I’m too far gone, lost to the raging bloodshed coursing through me, needing the taste of vengeance to satiate the beast. It’s one thing I know how to do well.
Lifting my foot for another kick, I pause when Chiara cries, and suddenly all I care about is taking care of her. I tuck my gun into my waistband, giving one of my men the knife.
Removing my suit jacket, I move slowly toward her, draping it over her shivering body before lifting her into my arms. I will finish with this piece of shit in a minute.
“Shh, baby. I’ve got you.”
She circles her arms around my neck, sniffling on my shoulder.
“I’m so sorry, Chiara. God, I’m sorry.” An ache lodges in my throat, and I grind my teeth, stilling the desire to burn that son of a bitch to the ground.
Miles comes for Cain next, a gun pointing toward his head. “If I didn’t think my boss would kill you himself, I would’ve done it already.”
Cain has only one good eye to see through. The other is completely shut. Blood drips like a fountain from his nose as he holds his hands up, covering his face from the bullet he fears.
The only bullet he’ll be getting is the one coming from me. He’s mine.
“Bring him into the guest bedroom. The one with no rugs.”
Miles drags him across the floor by his feet, purposely bumping him into the door as he moves him out of the bathroom.
I carry Chiara out, heading for my bedroom, wanting to leave her there while I take care of business.
“Where are you taking me?” she asks, her voice pierced with a cry.
“My room, baby. I’ll join you once I’m done with him.”
“No,” she says harshly. “I need to be with you.”
“Chiara, you don’t want to see what I’ll do to him.” I lean in and kiss the tip of her nose. “Believe me.”
“I don’t care.” She shakes her head. “I’m coming with you.”
“Okay, baby.” I won’t fight her, not when she’s in this state.
I fucking pray she doesn’t see me differently after tonight. I don’t want her to think I’m more of a monster than she already does. I already feel like absolute shit for fucking her while she thinks I’m someone else. Once she finds out, she’ll probably never forgive me.
I enter the room where four of my men stand around the floor with Cain in the middle. I place Chiara down on the bed and kiss her forehead, noting that the blood on her mouth has slowed.
“I’ll be done soon. Promise. Then we’ll get cleaned up together.” I kiss her forehead again, closing my eyes.
Before I can walk away, she grabs my forearm. There’s vulnerability in her gaze, but also so much strength. She lifts up on her knees, palming each side of my face.
“Thank you,” she whispers, her eyes streaked with red, tears still shining in her eyes.
My body fills with more rage than I can handle. I don’t want those gorgeous eyes to look as sad as they do right now.
“For what?” I ask.
“For hurting him. No one has ever protected me that way.”
I steel my jaw, remembering what she looked like when I found her. “You never have to thank me for slaying the ones who hurt you. I’ll always do that, no matter what.”
She doesn’t realize how true that is.
I lift each one of her hands and kiss her palms before heading for Cain.
My men part, allowing me to get close to the trash on the floor. One of them hands me the knife back.
Cain tries to pick himself up to a sitting position, but falls before trying again successfully.
“Did I tell you to get the fuck up?” I ask, lowering my shoe over his stomach. “Stay down where you belong.”
He tumbles back down, and I dig my shoe in deeper.
“Co-come…come on, man,” he cries. “I thought we were friends.” He coughs violently. “I…I thought you sha-shared your playthings.”
I circle around him, the knife pointing at his throat.
One eye follows my every move as he continues. “Remember those whores at your club?” He swallows, coughing again, blood dripping from his nose as he wipes it away. “You didn’t care then.”
I stop, rushing up toward his face. Lifting him until he sits, I stick the pointy tip of the knife under his jaw, drawing just enough blood for him to watch his fucking mouth.
“Does she look like a whore? Did I give you any indication that you were welcome to her body?”
I move the knife a centimeter away, nicking him again.
“Did I?!” I shout, the words burning with something sinister like brandy poured into an open wound.
“I…I thought she wanted it. I didn’t even fuck her.”