2. Nico

Chapter 2

Nico

Her face is filled with fear. I don’t blame her for that. I know exactly what Marcus is capable of. I’ve heard the rumors. I’ve seen what he’s done to his enemies.

And Lina told me what he’s been doing to her friend, Isabella.

What really angers me is that Isabella is the same age as Lina. My little sister. It could just as easily be Lina trapped with a man like that.

I don’t really know Bella all that well. But Lina is very fond of her. And I know I would want someone to help Lina if she was stuck with a monster like Marcus. So, how could I say no?

My sister never asks me for anything, and she begged me to help her with this — so it must mean a lot to her. Bella obviously means a lot to her.

Lina is a good girl. In fact, most of the time I hardly even remember I have a sister apart from the college tuition I pay for her. She stays under the radar, out of trouble, and never asks for anything.

I heard the fear in her voice on the call earlier. She thinks Bella’s life is in danger. I don’t blame her. Bella’s life is in danger. In fact, Marcus’ last wife disappeared under suspicious circumstances a few years ago. I knew he was seeing someone new - I didn’t know it was this Bella. Lina’s friend.

I said no, though. When she asked. I said no a few times. It’s a dangerous thing she’s wanting.

I should not be kidnapping the wife of such a powerful enemy. I should be trying to make allies, not starting a war. Doing this will put my business at risk. Fuck - it will put my sister at risk because if Marcus knows it was me, he will come after my family when he seeks revenge.

But when I heard the tears in Lina’s voice, and she asked me ‘what if it was me being forced to marry this monster?’ I caved in. Because that was my thought. What if it was her?

She’s right. Bella doesn’t deserve this. No one does.

So, I made a very dangerous choice — and here I am — kidnapping Marcus Frank’s fiancé.

Lina might not ask for much, but when she asks, she doesn’t mess around.

I can’t say no to her. She’s my sister. She’s my family.

We lost my parents right after she was born. I was so young, but I became the leader of the family on that day, guided by my older cousins and uncles until I was old enough to take over fully.

Lina has been and always will be my foundation.

She is also the only person on the planet. I can’t say no to.

I chuckle and shake my head. We better get moving. The sooner this is over, the better.

“Let’s go.” I say in whispered tones and my men fall into line behind me. “We want to make a scene, but only enough to get the message across.” I remind them as we run towards the elevator. “We want them to assume she was kidnapped, but we don’t want a shoot-out.”

I steal a glance at Bella.

She is as white as a ghost, her eyes glisten with fear, but despite that, she still looks absolutely gorgeous. That wedding dress makes me wonder what it would be like to be marrying someone as beautiful as her. The way the dress hugs her curves and accentuates every beautiful thing about her.

I’ve never been one to focus on that bullshit, though. I have a family to run. Business to take care of. I don’t have time for a wife or a relationship of any kind.

I force myself to avert my eyes from her because she is distracting me. We pile into the elevator, my men standing in front of Bella and me, their guns lifted and ready. It’s strangely quiet between us, like we are frozen in time as we ride towards the ground floor.

The elevator music is too calm and starts annoying me with its stupid merry jingle.

Bella is shaking, leaning against me in the cramped space. All I can feel is the heat of our bodies where they touch. I fight the urge to reach out and run my hand down her spine. The low cut dress is revealing and taunting me.

Fucking focus , Nico. What the fuck? I say to myself, wondering what has gotten into me?

Dragging my eyes off Bella, I stare at the digital numbers flashing above the door, counting the floors down to the ground - to the foyer. Focus on that. Be ready. Stop looking at the girl.

On the second floor, the elevator comes to a stop and lights inside it turn red as an alarm blares. Someone pulled the emergency stop lever and now we are stuck in between floors.

“Someone saw us on the security cameras. The hotel staff alerted law enforcement.” I sigh in agitation.

“Get those doors open. We are trapped in here.” Jonty, my head of security, snaps angrily.

My men wedge things into the elevator doors, and when they are just a fraction open, two of them grab the edges of the doors and pull them open. They make quick work of it and when we peek out we see we are stopped half way between two floors, but if we duck low we can climb out through the gap.

In no time at all, one man is out, then a second. I climb out and turn back to help Bella.

Her dress gets snagged as I lift her down. She is still shaking as I wrap my hands around her waist and lower her to the floor.

For a moment she is pressed against my chest, looking up at me with wide, bright green eyes.

“We have to keep moving.” I say, unable to look away as those green pools mesmerize me.

She clears her throat and steps away from me.

Her torn dress is dragging behind her, creating a risk we don’t need.

I lean down and grab the edge of the fabric and rip it away.

The dress tears a little higher than I intended, and her long, slender legs are now on display for everyone. White stilettos, white lingerie, and killer heels. I have no idea how she has been walking so easily in. My eyes trace up her legs.

Dammit.

Stop.

Focus.

I stand up, grab her arm and start moving towards the stairs.

She kicks the torn bits of her ruined wedding dress away and starts following, staying close to my side.

We take the stairs, hurrying down each flight, staying in a tight group.

The police will be here soon. But they aren’t the ones I’m worried about. It’s Marcus who I don’t need to face today.

He’s the one we are racing to avoid.

Bursting through the door into the foyer, the entire area erupts in panic and screams as hotel staff run in all directions, terrified of our guns.

Relief floods me because I don’t see the police yet - or Marcus.

But I hear the sirens.

“Move. Go. Go. Go.” I yell at my men.

We run towards the massive front doors. No one bothers trying to stop us. They are all hiding, but outside is a different story.

My driver, alerted to our arrival, comes skidding to a stop right in front of the doors. I yank the car door open and throw Bella into the back seat and my men and I pull into it, as I see Marcus running around the side of the hotel, straight towards us.

He looks enraged.

He fires a few shots, not caring who else is standing nearby. People scatter, more screams, chaos.

Two of the bullets smack into the back of my car, but it’s bullet proof.

The last guy in slams the door shut as another bullet hits the window.

“Drive.” I yell forward and tires screech against tar as we pull away.

I turn to watch out the rear window and see Marcus cursing and screaming, firing more shots even though at this point he must know it’s pointless.

We drive two streets over and stop.

“What? No, we can’t stop here.” Bella says in panic.

“I told you to trust me.” I snap, agitated, my adrenaline running high.

I push the door open and drag Bella out of the car. Leaning in, I talk to my men. “Keep driving, they will carry on chasing you.”

“Yes, sir.”

They speed off, back towards the main road, where they are more likely to be seen.

I press the button on the remote in my hand and the black Audi parked across the street purrs to life. Yanking the passenger door open, I push Bella inside.

She doesn’t say a word.

Sitting next to me as we drive through the city, I can see she is tense. Fidgeting constantly with her jaw clamped and her eyes darting everywhere. I feel bad for her.

None of this can be easy and I imagine she is wondering if she made the right choice trusting me.

I reach over and brush my hand over her leg.

“It’s ok. You can take a breather.”

For a moment, all she does is stare at my hand.

The air between us is ready to explode. Tension rises. My body is responding to her. I pull my hand away, realizing I should not be doing that at all.

She blinks a few times and looks over at me. She looks dazed, as though she is running on autopilot. Trying to survive.

“Where are we going?” She asks, her voice small and tight.

“To the airport. We are leaving the city. I’ll be staying with your tonight, to finish arranging a few things - but after that you are on your own, Bella. Do you understand that? You’ll have to take care of yourself.”

She nods, swallowing hard. “I understand.”

I watch her blink away tears, trying to hold herself together.

She is strong. Surviving a man like Marcus is not easy.

He will keep coming after her, so I’ve gone over and above to get her as far away from this city as possible. I will do what I can to help her escape for my sister, and then she really is on her own. I can’t be involved past a certain point because I have to think of my family and myself.

We arrive at the airport and climb into my private jet.

It’s not a long flight, but at least I know we will be somewhere safe tonight. She sits close to me, desperate for the comfort of another human being near her. Her body against mine is distracting, like a constant taunt of something I should not have but want badly.

It wouldn’t be fair of me to do anything with her now. She is not in a position to be making decisions.

She is going through a lot and she needs to stay focused on the future. Tomorrow the entire world is going to change for Bella.

Her new life will start, and she can never safely return to her old one.