Chapter 25

Shock and panic flood through me as Maddox races past us, closely pursued by Ricky, both brandishing weapons. Alessandro quickly helps me up, but my head throbs with excruciating pain as he forcefully pulls me into the house. Confusion swirls through my foggy head, so I let him lead the way to safety.

There is no trace of his heartless mask. Instead, worry fills his dark eyes. “Are you alright?” His hands move over my body, searching for any signs of injury.

I step out of his grip trying to focus as I run a hand through my hair massaging the place that’s throbbing. “A little sore from being squished by you, but I’ll live,” I mumble, still in a state of disorientation. With Alessandro by my side, I stare out the window as the other two inspect the wall that was clearly blown up by some pretty fucking good explosives. All ten feet of concrete that used to shelter the patio, has been reduced to a pile of rubble.

“What was that?” I whisper almost to myself, glancing back at Alessandro, before working out he’s on his phone .

“Check all perimeters and update me immediately,” he barks orders down the line. His anxious gaze shifts back to me while he listens to the person on the other end of the line. I’ve never seen him so shaken up. He usually excels at concealing his feelings. His being worried kind of terrifies me. Is this the threat they have been warning me about all along? Maybe it is real after all.

The deafening thud of my heart pounds in my ears. “Shouldn’t you go out there and help them?”

His expression becomes stern, his mask firmly back in place as he moves in front of me. “Not a fucking chance I’m leaving you alone right now.”

From the safety of the living room I watch as Maddox scans the perimeter of the yard. Ricky has jumped over the rubble to inspect the other side of the wall. “It looks like someone just blew up the wall, but why would anyone do that?”

Alessandro moves to stand by my side watching the boys, his body stiff with tension. “Because you’re important. What did I just tell you.”

Out of nowhere, a hand clutches my waist, followed by another covering my mouth, and I’m forcefully pulled back into the solid mass of a person. A terrorized scream rips from the back of my throat, coming out muffled through his hand. With adrenaline surging through me, I fight against his oversized, sweaty body, trying to wiggle free. I throw my head back to headbutt him, before digging my elbow into his side. The man grunts out a protest, but it doesn't stop him from dragging me back into the kitchen.

Alessandro’s body blurs as he slides across the kitchen counter, opening the top draw and swiftly grabbing his gun from behind him. Without any sort of hesitation, he points it toward us, shooting the intruder directly in the forehead. Blood spatters over me, warm wet droplets coating my shirt and face, as the man who grabbed me wobbles, before collapsing to the ground, bringing me with him.

I shove out of his range, scurrying across the tile floor like a fucking crab. Pulling my legs up into my chest, my stomach rolls, threatening to vomit up the coffee I just drank. When I glance at the man, his eerie, lifeless eyes are gazing in my direction from under his ski mask. A second chilling scream escapes my mouth before I can stop it. Fucking hell.

In a rush, Ricky and Maddox come running back inside. “What the fuck?” Ricky yells seeing the scene in front of me.

My fingers clutch the kitchen counter for support as my wobbly legs threaten to give out on me. Ricky approaches, wrapping his arms around me tightly, helping me to standing and holding me close while I cry into his bare chest. My body trembling uncontrollably.

From the corner of my eye I watch as Alessandro walks over to the body with its brains lying in chunks on the marble floor. He kicks him with his boot, and the man’s body moves, making me want to hurl all over again. He bends down to remove his mask. “D’Amico,” he growls out.

A small burst of panic erupts inside of me. Geovani’s dead? I glance up at Ricky, looking for answers. “One of his soldiers,” he whispers, and I know he can see the panic written all over my face. He might have lied to me, but I don’t want him dead. Even if these guys might.

I release the tension in my shoulders and allow Ricky to hold me tighter. His hug is comforting and stops me from completely freaking the fuck out like I want to. I feel safe in his arms. He strokes my hair and wipes a stray tear from my cheek.

Alessandro’s phone rings, breaking the tension in the air. “Got it,” is all he says to whoever is on the other end of the line before disconnecting the call and returning his attention to us. “Security has been breached. It appears one of our own turned on all the guards down the west wing of the house. Killed four men before our head of security got to him.” His eyes come to me. “We need to get Harley out of here.”

“Moretti estate?” Ricky asks, and I hear the panic in his voice. This has him rattled as well.

“I’m not going back there.” I shake my head into his chest. I don’t want to face Enzo again, especially after everything that has happened.

Alessandro moves towards us resuming his usual haughty demeanor, glaring down at me. “You will do as you’re told if you want to stay alive,” he snaps angrily.

“Safe house,” Maddox mutters, and I feel Ricky stiffen under me. I’m not sure what safe house means, but whatever it is, I can feel how badly Ricky doesn’t like the idea of taking me there.

“It’s the only option,” Alessandro agrees with him.

Gunshots fire toward the glass door from outside. Shattered glass flies, and we quickly scramble to the other side of the kitchen island. My eyes meet Alessandro’s with fresh fear. Someone is still out there. He tilts his head toward Ricky.

Ricky’s arm comes around my shoulders and he backs me toward the elevator, keeping me out of sight, with his gun drawn. My body trembles, fear raking over me. “It’s okay, baby doll. You’re safe with us,” he murmurs softly in my ear, trying to calm me, just as he did all those months ago in my papa’s house, but this time I want to believe him. I have to be safe with him.

“Maddox, get her out of here. Rick and I will clean up this mess,” Alessandro growls out, while shooting a few rounds toward the rear patio.

Ricky pushes the button and forcefully guides me into the elevator, while Maddox quickly joins us, banging the close-door button. I stare back at Ricky as he runs in the same direction Alessandro did. A new fear is taking over me. I can’t bear the idea of something happening to him. To either of them.

“We can’t just leave them here,” I utter, panicked. I don’t know why, I’m supposed to hate them, but the mere possibility of something happening to them terrifies me because I know deep down, I don’t hate them at all.

“They will be fine. For once in your life, just do as we say, will you?”

I give a small nod, not wanting to cause any more trouble for him. I know now’s not the time to argue, but I’m frightened. My body is a trembling mess, covered in the blood of some thug who just tried to grab me. My stomach rolls at the thought.

Like Maddox knows exactly what I’m thinking, he pulls me into his side. “You’re safe with me,” he assures me.

“But are you safe with me?” I mutter into his solid chest, letting his scent calm me. “If it’s me they’re after, I don’t want to think about what they might do to you to get to me.”

Despite his tough demeanor on the outside, Maddox’s genuine concern for me is obvious in his hazel eyes. He actually cares about me. “They won’t find us where we’re going,” he assures me as the elevator comes to a stop. When the door pings open he takes my hand in his, pulling me with him through the door.

I freeze when I realize where we are. The underground cave where I got shot. Suddenly, it feels like all the breath is being strangled from my lungs, and my throbbing head spins, making me feel dizzy, the grimy cave walls blurring. He tugs on my hand, but I can’t force my feet to move. This creepy place was right under us all along.

“It’s okay, temptress,” he assures me, but I’m frozen with fear. Not even the use of his nickname for me can pull me out of this trance .

With the haunting memory of what happened to me last time I was here, mixed with the past trauma from the guns going off upstairs and the explosion, I’m not feeling so good. “I feel weird,” I mutter before my legs go from under me.

Maddox doesn’t skip a beat, scooping me up in his arms and pulling me close into his body before taking off through the cave. The darkness of the tunnels rushes past me in a blur, the scent of damp and decay filling my nostrils as he moves quickly. I cling to him desperately, my fingers digging into his bare back, like he’s some sort of superhero here to save my life. Because right now it feels like he is, and I want him to be.

An Army-style Jeep with dark tinted windows appears out of nowhere, parked in the underground and ready for us to escape in. He opens the passenger side door and sits me inside on the cold leather. I tremble all over, my teeth clattering together as they chatter.

The back of his hand lightly presses to my forehead. “Fuck,” he curses under his breath then rushes to the trunk, retrieving an item. Opening the driver’s side door, he hands me a fluffy blanket. “You’re going into shock. You need to get warm.”

He leans over me and buckles my seatbelt, then tucks the blanket under my legs. His hand comes to my face, and he cups my chin, bringing his lips to mine in a hurried kiss. “You’re going to be okay, temptress,” he tells me as he tears out of the cave entrance. “You’re safe with me.”