Chapter 20
Emma
“W e need to hurry,” Nina whispered as we slowly crept toward the door.
Holding her up like this got my long hair trapped under my armpit. The end of my ponytail was wedged between her shoulder and my arm, and the twinge of pain on my scalp served as a starker urge to move it than her words did. I recalled what it felt like when my father yanked on my hair. And being here, where Krista was held nearby, I thought back to the image of Antonio pulling on her hair.
“We do,” I agreed. But what about Krista?
At the sound of more people in the hallway, we stopped and waited until it seemed that the footsteps had moved on. I didn’t run into anyone on my way in here, but now something must have alerted more guards to be on the lookout and moving around. Whatever it was couldn’t bode well for us. If more trouble was coming, it’d make it even harder to get out of here alive. My luck would run out someday, but I willed it not to happen today.
When the coast seemed clear, I opened the door and peeked for anyone watching. This hallway seemed barren and utilitarian, without anyone lurking, but I hurried Nina as fast as I could regardless. Time wasn’t on our side. At any moment, a guard could spot us. Or Antonio could walk by. Vincent, too. I remained tense, urging Nina to reach an alcove at the end of the hallway where she could catch her breath.
Once we got there, I tucked us back against the wall, wishing we could blend into the stone surface and hide completely. On the floor below us, walking up the stairs to a mid-level that led to an addition that seemed like another corridor elsewhere, a pair of guards laughed and talked as they seemed to patrol.
“I can’t believe Justin would risk it all for that Giordino slut.”
The other man chuckled. “He said she’s got one of the tightest pussies ever.”
“So what?” the first man said. “Falling for her and running away with her is just stupid. Antonio will find them eventually.”
“Hmm, I don’t know. Justin’s pretty smart. He’s always the best at hiding. One of the best spies. He’ll be missed.”
The other man scoffed. “I can’t believe it though. I know they’ve been fucking for years, but to give up his job and pay here? All to keep her safe?”
“Antonio’s going to be pissed all night now. He was counting on the princess to fall for his bait and come here for her.”
“Hey, at least we still got that bastard’s mother. One hostage is better than none.”
Nina glowered at the wall, listening in as I did.
“And it’ll work. That fucking fighter will come and then it’s just a matter of getting the icy bitch to cave too.”
Nope. Not happening. I was glad to hear that Justin got Krista away. I only hoped that they hid well, and far from here. Nina wouldn’t be here as a hostage to lure Luke in. I was getting her away, and I had to make sure it happened before Antonio had his guards more on edge.
I urged Nina to walk with me down the stairs after the men passed by. With Justin turning traitor to get Krista out of here, there would be an increased effort in patrols.
Still, we didn’t see anyone on the way toward the door Justin had told me to go toward.
At last, it was within sight. We reached the first floor. Nina breathed heavily, straining with this little bit of a walk, and I worried about her health. I knew she struggled from several issues, and they were compounded with her captivity.
Quietly but as carefully as possible, we crossed the last room to get to the door.
We were almost there.
So close.
But a guard showed up. Of course, it couldn’t be that simple.
“What do we have here?” he taunted, rushing up to grab us before we got to the door.
I pushed Nina back, to keep her safe from his reach, but he didn’t even seem to notice her.
“Thinking about sneaking in, princess?” He chuckled, a filthy, rotten sound of pure maniacal glee.
His fingers locked around my wrists so suddenly that I didn’t have the time to catch my gun. It fell, clattering to the floor, and I worried the noise would catch other guards’ attention. It was just the three of us in this room. He’d happened to pass through from the door that just closed. Someone else could come by too, and then I’d be outnumbered. I couldn’t count on Nina to help, but if I could just get my gun...
He shoved me against the wall, clawing at my shorts.
“We’ve been waiting a long fucking time for you to come here.” He resisted my shoves and ignored my protests. I couldn’t scream or yell. Bringing more alarm would make it worse. Others would come, but I feared that I couldn’t escape this man.
“He’ll pass you around, bitch. I can’t wait to break in this pussy.” He cupped me roughly, his fingers hard and gross over my shorts. I squeezed my legs together to thwart him, but he was stronger. He’d win. Panic kicked in.
“You hear me? I’ll fuck this up.” He grabbed again, squeezing between my legs to the point of causing pain.
“No.” I growled, using both hands to push him back. “No, you won’t.” Red rage filled me at the threat he suggested, and before I could consider how futile it was, I punched at him and fought the best I could. Someday, I’d ask Luke to teach me better moves of self-defense. If I were ever caught in this position again, I could have the means to protect myself.
The idea of Luke comforted me, and keeping the image of his face in my mind, thinking of how good it felt to be held by him, fueled me to hit this Marchese soldier with all my might. A fortunate strike against his neck helped. He backed up a bit, coughing at the impact near his throat.
“I’m going to break you in, bitch.”
I sneered, blocking his reach. “My fiancé as already broken me in.” It filled me with pride that I could say Luke was my first. He had that honor. He alone claimed my virginity.
“Antonio hasn’t—”
“My real fiancé. The man I slept with. The man I will marry.” Spewing these truths at him, I enraged him further, but I didn’t care. It was the truth and deserved to be used as a weapon against him.
His face got redder as his fury scaled higher. Once he gripped my neck, trying to choke me, I worried that I’d pushed him too far.
“Here,” Nina said.
My vision grew darker. My lungs burned, desperate for air. A squeezing confinement crushed me inside out as he tried to strangle me, still forcing his hand at my shorts to get beneath them or rip them off.
I’d forgotten about Nina. I was so focused on getting this man away from me that I’d fallen into tunnel vision resisting him.
She staggered toward me, slumping against the wall. Her arm brushed against mine, and I grabbed the gun in her hand before it fell. Her muscle strength was weak, but this guard had ignored her when she dropped to a chair and caught her breath. He’d dismissed her as a non-threat. In that time, she must have crawled on the floor to get the gun and bring it to me.
I didn’t wait. I lifted it, pointing it at the man and firing it between his legs.
He ceased squeezing my neck. His eyes opened wide with alarm then slid shut in a grimace of pain.
“Fuck off,” I muttered around gasps.
One push had him parting from me. I sidestepped, loathing him even more for the pain where he’d cupped me so roughly. My skin stung, but I knew he’d never have the chance to touch me again. Just to make sure, I shot him in the chest.
I didn’t wait for him to die. Those gunshots made me flinch, so loud and near, and others would come to investigate.
“Let’s—” I wheezed in another deep breath, struggling to inhale well with how forcefully he’d held my neck. “Let’s go,” I told Nina.
Once more helping her to walk, we hurried outside.
All the commotion was focused on another end of the property, and I was able to slip away. The spot Justin had been covering in his patrol must not have been filled yet, because no other Marchese soldier stopped me on my way out.
It seemed too easy. The entire route back to the car I’d driven here, I held my breath and remained on high alert, tense and waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Too easy.
I could hardly believe we had gotten away. That Justin had gotten Krista away too.
As soon as I helped Nina into the car and then got in myself, I started the engine and gulped in a lungful of air. Relief should’ve hit me, but I couldn’t control the racing of my heart.
I was stressed, anxious, and a general ball of emotions.
I’d killed a man. It was in self-defense, but I’d still taken his life. Me—I was now a killer , and that was a lot to accept.
Hurrying us away, I checked the mirrors and tried to give my brain a chance to settle from the action. We’d gotten away. Yet as I sped down the road leading away from the Marchese compound, I couldn’t escape this nauseating sensation. I was lightheaded, like I’d overexerted myself.
I wanted to think it was nothing more than belated remorse for taking a life, but when I considered that, I recognized that I wasn’t guilty. I didn’t feel bad about that. That man had to die, and his death was nothing more than a consequence of him being a bad man, a wicked, sinister soul who tried to violate me and control me.
Perhaps I felt dizzy and lightheaded because I nearly suffocated.
But as I waited for my stomach to settle and my breaths to even out, I realized this wasn’t the first instance of telling myself that I’d feel better in another moment. I’d been giving myself mini versions of that pep talk lately. If I stood too fast. After I toughed out a dirty spot of cleaning at the Rossini residence and used too much of the disinfectant spray. When I sat up from bed in the morning...
This was far from the first time that I felt like I had to puke.
It might have been a reaction to killing someone. Or almost dying.
But maybe... I cringed. Maybe it’s because I’ve missed my period. I was past due for my shot, but I didn’t realize I could be this fertile with a delay in my shot.
“Honey?” Nina frowned at me. “Are you okay?”
I shook my head.
“Don’t feel guilty about killing that man.” She sighed. “I’m not one to talk, but there was no other option.”
I nodded, staring absently at the road. Now that the idea had gotten into my head, I couldn’t shake it off.
I wasn’t okay because I worried I might be pregnant.
That now—of all times—I could be carrying her son’s baby.
“That man was evil. They all are. Kidnapping me. Threatening you...” She huffed out an angry breath. “This was why I wanted to hide Luke. You know who he is, don’t you? You must. He found out that he’s Rossini’s son. He asked me why I lied about who his father was.”
I narrowed my eyes, distracted a bit. “Did you ever tell him that someone else was his dad?”
“No. I mean lying by omission. He’s told you, right?”
“Yes. I’m aware that Luke is Marlo Rossini’s son.”
“And to find out you’re a Giordino girl!” She slapped her hand to her thigh. It was just a tap, but to her, it must have felt like a hard slap done out of frustration. “You have to know so much more about that world than he does. How these twisted mafia families reign.”
Oh, I knew. I was living the life in the thick of all the possible drama that could fall on my shoulders.
Before, I would have to face it all alone. No more. I could count on Luke to help me navigate it. Or I could help him figure it out with his pending new role.
I swallowed hard, determined to reunite with Luke right this minute and let myself relax with his comforting presence.