Chapter 28

Ricky chuckles softly. “Someone’s missed me.” He pulls me back, kissing my lips like this is some kind of normal thing we should do, but it’s not and he knows it. There is nothing normal about any of this. I shouldn’t have given two shits if he survived today or not, but I did.

His finger gently grazes the bite mark on my lip. “I see Maddox has taken good care of you in my absence.” His lips twitch into a smirk, I’m sure imagining just how my lip was damaged, but he has no idea just how well his brother took care of me.

I shrug, not sure how much I want to give away about what happened between us. It might have been rough, but there was an intimacy between us as well, and until I wrap my head around what it was, I’m keeping the details to myself.

“Are you okay?” I carefully examine him for any signs of injury.

“Nothing some strong whiskey can’t fix.” I dislike the fatigue evident in his tone; it’s clear he’s been injured. Fuck. I wonder what happened .

“Alex?” I ask, wondering where he is.

“Come see for yourself, princess,” his deep voice emerges from behind us.

I twist in Ricky’s embrace to get a better view of him. His hair is tussled, as if he has constantly been running his fingers through it. His shirt shows visible bloodstains, but he appears to be unhurt. I’d say it’s someone else’s blood. “You look fine,” I mutter, not ready to throw my arms around his neck and forgive him so easily. He might have saved my life today, but he’s still a controlling motherfucker who’s forcing me to marry him so he can get control of the whole fucked-up family.

He moves toward me in a predatory manner so I’m sandwiched between him in the front and Ricky in the back. He lowers his head, bringing his lips just inches away from mine. “You need to remember who you belong to.”

His mouth forcefully presses against mine in a burning kiss. I melt into him, my body betraying me. Ricky’s hands run over my arms, and he breathes me in. His hard cock digs into my ass, and I know watching his brother and me make out has him majorly turned on.

I decide I’ve given Alessandro enough, and just like Maddox did to me earlier, I dig my teeth into his lip, biting him. He pulls back from me, wiping over his lip, smearing the blood with a deathly grin. “Keep pushing me, princess, see what happens to you,” he warns, stalking away.

I suppress the sarcastic remark I really want to make. It’s clear that he’s a man who is already on the verge of losing his shit. Despite my enjoyment in irritating him, I am conscious of his ruthlessness, and I would rather not be the target of his rage after the shitstorm we woke up to today.

Ricky’s lips gently brush against my ear as he plants a soft kiss, an easy chuckle coming from him. “No one else would get away with the shit you do.” He comes around my side, taking my hand. “Come on, we all need to talk.”

He leads me into the main living space where we find Alessandro and Maddox talking to someone in the kitchen. I quickly release Ricky’s hand once I realize who they’re with. “Marco,” I almost squeal with excitement.

Three sets of eyes come to me, and my brother makes no attempt to hide his worry in what happened this morning. He rushes toward me, pulling me into his solid frame. “Lana, you okay?”

“I’m fine. What are you doing here?”

Ricky joins the other two, filling his tumbler with some sort of amber liquid and wincing as he takes a seat on the leather sofa.

“Alex thought it might be a good idea for all of us to talk without others around to overhear.”

I glance at Alex, feeling his eyes on us. He’s always watching, fucking creeper.

Marco drops his head closer. “And I wanted to see you properly. Last night didn’t go quite the way I wanted.” His gaze drops to my neck, and I know he’s just spotted the mark Maddox left. Fuck, this is all kinds of awkward after what I just did with his friend. “We have a lot to catch up on,” he mutters, and I can’t help but feel like he’s not so happy about my current living situation. Wasn’t it him who told these guys to look after me? Guess I can’t blame him for not being impressed that there is more going on here.

“We do,” I agree with a soft smile that gives nothing away. At least I hope not.

He wraps his arm around me, and together we join the others. Ricky gestures toward the empty seat next to him, and I take a seat, wincing a little with how used my ass is. Ricky wraps an arm around me and pulls me closer to him. He’s clearly not bothered that my brother is here.

Marco sits on the opposite side of me, his expression unreadable under his thick beard. Alessandro occupies the armchair across. I half expect him to say something about Ricky’s hold on me, but he doesn’t.

Maddox sets down a few plates of delicious-looking sandwiches on the coffee table, and my stomach growls, reminding me I missed breakfast because of the morning chaos. Unlike everyone else in the room, he’s avoiding eye contact, and I have to wonder if he feels guilty about what we just did. Or is there something else he’s trying to hide from me?

I grab a sandwich and sink my teeth into it, relishing the succulent roast lamb and marinated vegetables. I’m not sure who made this, if Maddox just whipped it up or if they had a fully stocked fridge here waiting for our arrival, but it’s to die for.

“This morning the D’Amicos proved they still have way too much sway within our organization. Until further notice, we can’t trust anyone outside of this room.” Alessandro’s words cover the room with darkness like a heavy blanket.

My eyes meet his, and I swallow the mouthful that’s now stuck in my throat.

“Harley won’t leave this place unless she’s with one of us. No one is to know this is where we are currently living, not even Enzo. Do you all understand?”

They all agree, not a question asked. But there’s an unsettling sensation crawling up my spine. They don’t trust their father? What the actual fuck ?

“Marco will monitor things on his end and keep us posted.” Alessandro glares at me as he says the last part. “What?” he snaps in my direction.

Shaking my head, I tell him I have nothing to say. I’m surprised he’s including me in this business chat since I feel like an outsider. Was he expecting me to fight this? Fuck no. This morning scared the shit out of me as well. If they say they’re going to keep me safe, I believe them, and I’m happy to stay right here.

His face hardens, and I feel his anger directed toward me. “You even so much as step your big toe out the front door, we will know about it immediately. You understand?”

My eyes narrow. What the fuck is that supposed to mean? This place is easier for me to escape… so if I do, they will know immediately? The only way that’s possible is if they’re tracking me. I glance at Ricky, a sick feeling coming over me. He looks guilty as fuck. Then I look at Marco. He’s wearing the same expression. I can feel my heart racing at an alarming rate. They are unable to track my phone because I don’t possess one. The only way they can track me is if… oh fuck no.

“What the fuck did you do?” I spit angrily.

“Made sure you couldn’t run,” Alessandro says smugly, like the cocky asshole he is, and I want to hurl something at him. Fucking hurt him the way he is constantly hurting me.

Pulling out of Ricky’s hold, I stand abruptly, needing to get the hell away from all of them. “Ricky, tell me you didn’t put some kind of tracking device on me when you operated on me,” my words tremble out, filled with fear and hurt.

He captures my hands before I can slap him or take off running. “It’s for your own good, baby doll.” His sad eyes plead with me to understand, but I never will .

Tears prickle in my eyes. This is the most horrendous thing they have done to me. I have some device implanted in my body somewhere. They know where I am at all times, and I will never be able to escape them. A strange sensation runs through my body, causing my skin to crawl. I break free from his grasp and take a step back from them. Maddox still won’t make eye contact with me, and the others all just look at me with pity. Except for Alessandro, who apparently thinks this shit is an acceptable treatment for his wife-to-be.

I hate them. All of them.

Taking off down the hall, I quickly realize I don’t have a room to escape to that isn’t shared with the worst one of all. In a rush, I enter the main bathroom, close the door with force, and flick the lock. My breathing is short and sharp, catching in my chest in a way that makes me feel dizzy.

I take hold of the vanity as my head spins. How the hell did they get so much power? How is it possible for someone to have such a level of control that they can dictate and manipulate another person’s entire life? It’s utterly revolting. And even my brother is just another of Alessandro’s puppets, following orders.

My furious reflection stares back at me in the mirror. I’ve never seen such a fiery green glow in my eyes before. I won’t let them win. They can’t just steal my life away from me like this. No fucking way. I don’t know how, but as soon as I can, I’m going to get as far away from these motherfuckers as I can. I’m going to make them regret the day they ever messed with me.