“Move,” he growls.
We run out of the room and I see Mom, Vincent, and Benito all standing in the living room. Smoke piles through the house, quickly filling it with a dark cloud. I cough, and my eyes go to my son. “We need to get him out of this smoke!”
Another explosion booms, and the house actually shakes. Celia screams, and I run to huddle next to Rafael and Ajax. “Now!”
He looks to Vincent and barks, “Get the girls down to the shelter where it’s safe. We’ll deal with this.”
“I’m coming with you,” Vincent growls.
“I’ll take them,” Benito says, trying to take Ajax from Rafael’s arms. Rafael hesitates, but hands our son over.
Then we run after Benito, down some halls, and out into the backyard. He turns, pulling out his gun and glancing around. Another explosion rocks the house; they’re coming from the front. “Run!” Benito orders as smoke fills the backyard. I can’t see. I can’t see anything.
“Benito!” I call, coughing as smoke fills my lungs.
“Keep moving, Julietta,” he calls.
“Celia? Mom?” I cry.
“We’re here. We’re okay,” my mother screeches from behind us.
“Just follow my voice,” Benito calls. “We’re nearly there.” He calls out to us and we keep following the sound of his voice. My eyes burn from the smoke, and my lungs seize. I can’t breathe. I keep hurrying towards the sound of Benito’s voice but a hard hand comes out of nowhere and curls around my mouth. I’m jerked backwards into a hard, tall body.
“Scream and I blow your brains out.”
Riccardo.
No.
I squirm and fight, but I can’t see him, and my body is weak from smoke inhalation. He turns and pulls me in the opposite direction.
“Julietta?” Benito calls.
I try to scream from behind Riccardo’s hand, squirming and kicking, but he hits me with something hard. My body goes limp and pain explodes behind my temple. My feet go out from beneath me, and I’m hauled over Riccardo’s shoulder. I think I’m going to vomit. I can’t breathe. Benito’s voice gets farther and farther away, and with each passing step, my head is spinning.
Finally, darkness takes me.
CHAPTER 20
JULIETTA
Slap.
“Tell me what you told him.”
My head swings to the side, and I blink through puffy eyes at the man who is supposed to be my father, standing in front of me.
Slap.
“Now, you fucking cunt.”
I flinch.
“What did you expect would happen?” I hiss, spitting blood at him. “It’s Rafael Lencioni. You sent me into his house. Did you really think he wouldn’t be smart enough to figure it out? Honestly, you make me wonder about you sometimes.”
Slap.
Pain radiates through my jaw, but I keep it clenched. I owe this man nothing now. Not a single damned thing.
“My plan isn’t over. He’ll come for you. He won’t be able to help himself and when he does, I’ll take him out.”
I look at him through bleary eyes. “And then what, genius? You’ll take over the mafia that now knows you betrayed them?”
His jaw tightens. “I’ll start again. Half of them are loyal to me. I have the power. The blood.”
“You’re delusional.”
Slap.
“You’re going to pay for every slap you’re laying across my face,” I say through clenched teeth. “One way or another, you’ll pay.”
“Like your father paid?”
I flinch and pain explodes in my heart. Guilt, mostly. It’s my fault. If it wasn’t for me involving myself in Rafael’s world, my father wouldn’t be dead. It’s my fault his life was cut short. All the terrible things I did were for nothing. He lost his life in the end anyway. I’ll never be able to forgive myself for that.
I’m so sorry, daddy.
“Hit a nerve did I?” Riccardo hisses, glancing at the window.
We’re in an old, run down shack a little way out of town. He brought me here, why, I don’t know. It hardly seems like it’ll contain anyone, let alone a bunch of angry mafia members.
“He’s probably dead,” Riccardo mumbles to himself. “Nobody could have survived that explosion.”
My body tingles and fear grips my heart. Is Rafael okay? Did he escape? I’ve barely had time to think of it, through all the abuse. My stomach twists. Is my son okay? I trust that Benito would have gotten him to safety, but what if there was another explosion? I feel like I’m going to vomit, and my head is pounding.
“Not even he could escape.”
My eyes flicker to Riccardo. “That man is stronger than anyone I know. If anyone got out, it was him.”
Riccardo is nervous. His plan has gone to shit and he knows it, but he’s still hanging onto some pathetic hope that he can figure out a way to get away with it. He’ll die. Of that I’m sure. I just wonder who else is going to die along with him? God only knows what kind of plan he has in place. He’s probably got backup everywhere in preparation for this exact moment.
Is anyone safe?
I don’t think so.
~*~*~*~
RAFAEL
“She has a tracking bracelet,” I say, pacing the room, rocking Ajax in my arms.
He’s perfect.
So fucking perfect.
“A tracking bracelet?” Vincent asks, eyes flicking to Benito who is sitting on the sofa, looking devastated.
He blames himself for not taking care of Julietta.
It’s not his fault, but I know those words won’t help him right now, so we just let him sit and ponder.
“I put a tracking chip on her bracelet when she was sleeping, after I found out what she’d done. I wanted to make sure I could find her if she did run.”
Vincent nods. “Genius. The problem is, we don’t know what we’re walking into. Riccardo isn’t stupid, he’s one of the smartest men we know, which means he probably has back up protecting him. If we’re seen, we’ll probably be killed on the spot.”
He’s right.
Riccardo isn’t stupid, which means he’ll have something in place to make sure we’re killed on the spot if we get too close. He knows us. He knows how we work. He’ll anticipate every single movement. I have to think outside the box, and time is running out.
Fuck.
Julietta.
Ajax stirs and starts crying in my arms. First and foremost, he needs protection.
“Celia,” I say, glancing at Celia who is sitting on the couch beside Julie’s mother.
She looks up. “What?” she snaps.
She’s angry at me. She has every right to be. This is my fault. I let Julie get in this position, and that’s why it’s up to me to fix it.
“Take Ajax, give him a bottle. Then I’m sending you three to a safe location until I’m sure you’re not going to be hurt.”
She stands and walks over, slipping him from my arms. She says nothing, her face is hard. She blames herself for Julietta’s dads’ death. It isn’t her fault. That one is on me, too.
“Come on baby,” she croons to Ajax. “Let’s get you sorted out.”
She disappears into the kitchen of Vincent’s apartment, and Julie’s mom follows. When they’re gone, I turn to Vincent and Benito. “We don’t have much time to act. God only knows what he’s doing to her right now. He’ll be expecting us. What he won’t be expecting is Maddox.”
Benito’s head whips up. “From the Jokers’ Wrath Motorcycle Club?”
I nod. “Exactly. They’re acquaintances of mine, but friends of Marcus Tandem. They owe him a favor. He owes me a favor. We’re about to cash in on that favor.”
“You don’t think a group of bikers turning up will scare Riccardo off?” Vincent asks.
“Not if we’re smart about it,” I say, pulling out the burner phone I got, just in case my phone is being traced. “They have numbers; the kind of numbers we can’t rally up. No way Riccardo could have an
equal amount of men at his back.”
“It’s a risk,” Vincent says.
“It’s worth it,” I mutter. “We’re running out of time.”
I dial Marcus’ number.
“Rafael, talk to me.”
“We need your help, and the Jokers’. Think you can do that?”
“Of course I can fucking do that. When and where?”
I glance at the only two men I trust.
“Now, Vincent’s house. Bring Maddox.”
Benito’s eyes drop back to the floor.
Vincent rubs his temples.
This is either going to work or blow up in our faces.
Either way, I’m getting Julietta back.
Even if it kills me.
CHAPTER 21
“What the fuck do you mean they’re still at Vincent’s house?” Riccardo roars, pacing the room.
I keep fumbling with the rope binding my hands together behind my back.
“Why the fuck hasn’t he come for her? What sort of game is he playing? Are you still tracking his phone?”
I’m listening as I twist my wrists, burning pain shoots up into my arms as my skin breaks. It’s worth it if it means I can get out of here. It has been eight hours, and Rafael still hasn’t come for me. He’s still at Vincent’s house, where apparently, he hasn’t moved from.
“Has anyone come and gone?” Riccardo demands to whomever is on the other end of the phone. “What do you mean you can’t fucking see?”
I take a deep breath, and twist my wrist again, jerking the restraints. They’re loosening. This is my only chance to get the hell out of here. Riccardo is distracted, which hasn’t happened much in the last few hours. My eyes are burning and puffy from being slapped so much, my cheeks sting, my lip is busted. But I will run.
I will run with everything left inside me.
“What the fuck is he up to?”
Rafael is smart.
He’s up to something.
I don’t know what, but I have to trust that he’s got a plan. I’m just grateful he’s alive. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to him. To any of them. I pull again, hissing through the burn as one of my hands slides free. I keep it behind my back as I shuffle the other one, shaking it and trying to release it, too. It’s stuck. Riccardo’s head swings around and I stop moving, glaring at him.
He studies me for a moment, before turning his back on me to continue his conversation.
“He will fucking come for her. I know he will. I know him too well.”
I’ve never thought Rafael wouldn’t come for me, but doubt fights a war in my chest. What if he’s still so angry that he doesn’t come? What if he takes Ajax and just moves on? Will he let me die here? Does he truly love me? Or does he hate me now?
I wiggle my wrist, feeling a warm trickle of blood run down my hand. I take a shaky breath and jerk, freeing my second wrist. My heart pounds, I can feel it in my head, but I focus on my breathing and try to calm myself down. If Riccardo suspects something is wrong, I’ll never get my chance to get out of here.
I glance at the door, it’s probably a good few lengths away. I’d have to run to get close enough to it, but then there is always the possibility that it’s locked, which wouldn’t bode well for me. I glance at Riccardo again. He’s still hissing at someone on the other end of the phone. What kind of reinforcement does he have out there? Men with guns? Security? He wouldn’t be here alone, and he has been outside a few times.
“I’ve got protection. Nobody can come down this road without me knowing about it. Rafael’s car is bugged. If he moves, I’ll know about it.”
He’s got protection.
What kind?
“Got twenty men outside, all guarding this place. He comes close, he’ll be dead.”
My skin prickles.
Twenty men.
Twenty-fucking-men.
How the hell am I going to get past that many men without being killed?
I glance around the room. There has to be a way.
I spy a lamp on a desk by the chair I’m sitting on. I could hit him with it, knock him out, use his phone to warn Rafael. But even then, it might not work. It would at the very least let me get out of here and out of everything, me escaping without Rafael and his men coming in here, is the safest option.
I glance back at Riccardo.
He turns and is staring at the wall again. I glimpse the gun in his pants. When I knock him out, I’ll take it. It’ll give me a small chance. At the very least it’ll make me feel safer. I carefully pull my hands around to the front of me and stand on shaky legs. If he turns right now, it’s all over. My heart pounds as I move towards the heavy lamp. It’ll take a solid hit to get him down.
Possibly two.
I hope two.
He deserves two.
I reach the lamp and glance back at Riccardo. I have seconds. My hands shake as I take the lamp and thank everything in the universe that it’s not plugged in. I lift it carefully, praying it doesn’t make a sound. It’s heavy. Really heavy. Perfect. I turn and walk towards Riccardo, swallowing the fear in my chest. I get one chance at this. If I don’t do it right, I’m in trouble.
Think of Ajax.
I raise the lamp just as Riccardo turns around. I’ll never forget the moment he notices me - his eyes widen, mouth pops open, and the phone drops from his hand. I don’t hesitate. I bring the lamp down over his head. It happens in slow motion. The base hits him in the temple, a loud crack fills the room, and he stumbles backwards. His body hits the ground so hard he bounces a little, before his head slams back and crashes against the ground.
Then he’s not moving.
I’m panting as the lamp slips from my fingers and falls to the ground with a smash. With a raging heart, I rush over and drop to my knees. There is blood running down his head, but he’s still breathing. For now. I use all my strength to kick him over onto his belly, and then I slide his gun from the back of his pants. I load it, and get back to my feet. I need to breathe. It’s okay. It’ll be okay.
I can do this.
The front door crashes open and a man steps inside, gun raised.
“Riccardo what’s-”
He stops when he sees me and I don’t think. I raise my gun and pull the trigger. I hit him in the leg. His gun flies from his hand and he stumbles backwards with a roar. I don’t have time to worry any longer, I need to get the hell out of here. I run out the door, launching over his body. My heart is racing as I stumble down the front steps. I press my back against the railing, trying to see where all the other men are.
We’re out of town.
The only good thing is that there is a lot of thick trees only about ten yards away.
I just have to make it that far, and then I’ve got protection.
A gunshot rings out and a bullet whizzes past my head. With a scream, I drop to the ground and start crawling towards a massive pile of old cars to my left. More bullets fly my way and I clench my eyes shut for a second, sending off a silent prayer that I get out of this. Someone starts yelling and more bullets fly in my direction. I reach the cars and shuffle right amongst them, using them for protection.
I can’t breathe.
I’m sweating and shaking.
I clutch the gun close and raise up to peer out through one of the old car windows. I can see through the other side, there are five men running towards me. Shit. I look the other way. The trees are my only option. Dammit. I raise up again and lean around the car, aiming the gun and shooting.
I hit one of them.
It isn’t enough, but it’s one less that I have to worry about.
Then I start moving again.
I crawl underneath the cars and burst out the other side in a full sprint. Bullets fly, but I zig zag like crazy, praying none of them will hit me. My prayers are answered as I reach the first line of trees. I shove through them. It slows me down, but at least it provides protection. I move as fast as I can, but as I get deeper, it gets thicker.
/>
Footsteps behind me are close.
Dammit.
I stop and turn, raising my gun. A man appears, lunging at me before I can pull the trigger. We hit the ground with a thump, his massive body crushing mine into the dirt. I scream and squirm, trying to dislodge him. He raises his gun just as I bring my knee up into his balls. I hit him with all my force and he rolls off with a bellow, gun flying from his hand.
I push to my knees to keep running but he rolls and grabs my ankle, face red with pain.
Stubborn jerk.
I use my other foot and drive it into his face. His nose makes a sickening crunching sound and blood spurts forth. I get up as he rolls to the ground, bellowing in pain. More footsteps are coming. I rush over, picking up his gun too, then I keep running.
I don’t know if I’ll get out of here alive.
But if I don’t, I’ll die trying.
~*~*~*~
I can’t run anymore.
I can’t.
The sun has begun to set, and I’m praying with every second that it’ll hurry up.
They’re everywhere. I’m tired. Sore. Afraid.
I’ve been running so much my legs burn. They fucking burn. My wrists ache. My body is sore. My face is even more battered.
I don’t know how much more I can take.
A rustling sound behind me has me spinning around. I thought I was losing them.
Riccardo steps out, gun aimed at me. My entire body goes still. How the hell did he find me? How is he even alive? My knees tremble. My hands shake. I try to raise my gun, but he hisses, “Move, and I’ll blow your fucking brains out.”
No.
No.
No.
I was so close.
He’s got a massive bruise on his head, and dried blood on his face. I did a good job. But it wasn’t enough.
“You thought you could get away? Honestly?”
I shift from foot to foot.
If I move quickly enough, if I just lift the gun and-
“Don’t do it,” he growls, as if reading my mind. “You even think of it, I’ll kill you.”
“You won’t win this,” I say, my voice scratchy.