Chapter 23
G enevieve
“Burgers. Yum,” Bella said.
At least I was awarded with a smile that didn’t appear as if her face was going to crack. “I’ll get changed.”
My sweet sister rubbed her stomach and nodded enthusiastically.
“Wait. I have one question. Am I going to be your maid of honor?”
Frowning, I wasn’t certain how to answer her question. If I told her I wanted no such thing because it would make the marriage seem real, that wouldn’t be fair to her. Besides, she needed something to look forward to. “Absolutely, baby girl.”
“Then I’ll need a dress.”
I laughed. “More clothes. I’m certain we can make that happen.” I walked away, hating myself for grieving about my own upcoming wedding. There were more horrible men I could be getting married to.
Just before I closed the curtain into the dressing room, I had a strange feeling of being watched.
I stood in the doorway, just able to make out the front window from where I was standing.
I don’t know what I’d expected to see since the three huge black hearse-like SUVs were in the way.
But I craned my neck anyway, unable to see anything.
But I felt something. Not like I did when Jago was around, but a dread pooling in the pit of my stomach that I couldn’t ignore. I scanned the store, barely noticing Bella had grabbed a handful of cookies.
I had to stop feeling like I was being stalked or worse. Living life that way wasn’t good for anyone.
After sliding into my jeans and sweater, I grimaced at the woman staring back at me. She had dark circles under her eyes. Time had no meaning any longer, days turning into nights and I wasn’t positive how long it had been since my father’s murder.
The men had been actively searching for scraps of information, scouring the streets for rats as they called them. Other than when Antonio and Emiliano had provided me with any updates, I’d heard nothing from Jago’s men.
At least I had Emiliano in the security detail for the day. That made me feel more comfortable. I wasn’t certain I liked the men Jago had protecting me. Shaking away the strange feeling, I fluffed my hair and headed out to pay for the dress.
“Do you mind if I go ahead and leave the store?” Bella asked. She was trying to be nonchalant while staring out the window at one of the soldiers. Then I noticed her pocket was bulging.
I bit back a laugh and tried to appear serious. “Of course. But you might want to check and see if the cookies are a crumbled mess being inside that tight pocket. I’ll take my time.”
Bella frowned before blowing me a kiss. “You’re the best.” She scampered toward the entrance and I wondered what it would be like to feel the similar glow of attraction.
Ugh. Yes, I was attracted to Jago, but that shouldn’t influence any decision I made.
“How was everything today?” the clerk asked.
“Perfect. Thank you for your time.”
“That will be fifteen thousand six hundred ninety-two.”
“Dollars?” I snapped. Holy fuck. I hadn’t looked at the price tag. While the dress was beautiful, it wasn’t that beautiful.
“Euro.” Her face pinched.
I reminded myself what I’d told Jago about him paying for an expensive wedding and that I had his credit card upon his assistance. That had come with the two minutes of conversation where he’d told me point blank how today was going to go.
Yep. That long discussion with the man was definitely needed.
“Fine. That’s just fine.” I reached for my purse and almost panicked. Where the hell was it? The dressing room.
Shit. I’ll be right back. I bounded back toward the dressing rooms, surprised I’d pulled the curtain leading into the main room when I’d walked out.
I threw it aside and headed to the one where the dresses I’d tried on were still hanging.
Reaching down, I was about to grab my purse from where I’d left it when something caught my attention. A slight sound?
Then the creepy-crawlies returned. I stood and slowly turned my head, catching both my reflection and that of a man standing less than two feet away from me. In his hand was a weapon and he wore a smile on his face.
I debated my options as the man grinned at me. I was keenly observant and noticed his fingers were covered in ink, the symbols nothing I recognized, but they appeared to be Arabic. Moroccan. Oh, shit. What should I do? With the traffic noise, I seriously doubted the soldiers would hear my cries.
Think. Think.
“Excuse me. This is the ladies’ dressing room,” I said, hoping to buy some time.
His eyes twinkled.
“I’m afraid there’s been a change in your plans. However, you do look astonishing in white. Perhaps that’s the color you’ll be in when we sell you to the highest bidder. You’re coming with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
He made the mistake of reaching for me and I knew this was my only chance of getting away.
I grabbed the arm holding the weapon as I kicked him right in the groin.
When he doubled over in pain, I shoved him with everything I had, managing to knock him into a rack of clothes awaiting to be put in their right place.
He went tumbling to the floor, his massive body tangled in dresses.
I bolted from the room, but before I made it two feet, he grabbed my arm, whirling me around and striking me in the face.
A shriek left my mouth as anguish slammed into my head, my eyes instantly fuzzy, but I refused to be captured. With another hard kick, I managed to yank my arm away, taking off running toward the front of the store. I jerked at the temporary hangers, knocking one then another down in front of him.
The clerk screamed, but I didn’t take time to see if she was okay, making it to the door and rushing outside.
Emiliano reacted first, lunging toward me. “Take her. Get her to safety.”
“Bella!” I yelled in return as I looked over my shoulder. “There’s a man with a gun inside. Moroccan, I think. He wanted…” I couldn’t finish my sentence.
“Stay here,” he told me, knowing that if I’d had my weapon with me, I’d want to storm back into the store.
Two of the soldiers almost body slammed me as they rushed to get me into the back of one SUV. As soon as I was safely inside, I slammed my hands on the passenger glass, peering at the window. I expected to hear gunfire, but Emiliano appeared less than two minutes later, shaking his head.
He jumped inside. “Get us out of here. Now. Now.”
Bella was still gasping for air, but from what I could tell, she seemed fine. I turned toward her. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine. What happened? What’s going on?”
Emiliano turned enough so he could see my face. “Do you have any idea who it was?’
“I’ve never seen him before, but he was Arabic. His skin was bronzed, but his English was fluent.”
“Are you certain he was Arabic?”
“Yes. Symbols on his fingers. Where did he go and how did he get inside?”
“Through the back door.”
“It was locked. You had it checked,” I reminded him as the driver glanced into the rearview mirror.
“Yes, I did.” His emphasis on the ‘I’ meant he was taking blame for the incident happening and for not keeping a watch on the rear door. That wouldn’t go over well with Jago. “You’re hurt.”
I touched my face and moved my jaw. I had no doubt I’d eventually have an ugly bruise. “Nothing I can’t handle. Let’s get back to the great castle in the sky.”
I was furious. I was shaking. I was concerned about Bella.
But I wasn’t in the mood to hear any shit from Jago.