SeraThe roar of an approaching engine had me hunkering down even further into the bushes. I knew it had to be Tommaso, but the fear of being discovered and captured made me cower instead of shouting my location. I’d be no good to anyone if I managed to get caught.When I realized the vehicle wasn’t slowing down, I covered my face with my hand, peeking out through my fingers, watching as it plowed right into the front of the warehouse. “Holy fuck,” I whispered, my breath freezing right in front of my face. “Killian’s in there, you dumbass.”I had to figure Tommaso knew what he was doing. The tank-like vehicle stopped a few feet into the warehouse, and that was when the shooting began.It wasn’t just coming from inside the building, though. More bullets flew behind the warehouse where I was almost certain Killian was being held, the same one with the truck protruding out the front. The attack came from between the warehouse and the landing strip. Through the trees, I saw what looked li
KillianGunfire broke out all around me as Niccolò’s men attempted to fend off the invasion, but it didn’t matter what they did. My guys were already inside, and they were coming full force.Tommaso popped out of the armored vehicle first, a semi-automatic rifle in his hands as he leaped down from the opening in the top. “Told you these were a good investment!” He laughed as he shot the men who were foolish enough to come at the vehicle, their blood spraying all over the floor and the walls.Several more of my men climbed out, though not as fluidly as my second. A few of them looked like they’d hit their heads in the collision, but they were up and shooting back within a few seconds, and I had the idea we probably weren’t going to suffer many casualties.None of Niccolò’s men were smart enough to consider using me as a shield. They scattered, heading for the back exits. I watched their boss slide out through what looked like a panel in the wall, and I had to wonder if there wasn’t som
SeraFrancesco’s grip around my middle threatened to cut off my oxygen, his forearm biting into my ribs. “No. I’m not going anywhere with you!” I did my best to whirl around, but his hold on me was too strong, too rough, too demanding. There wasn’t a shred of kindness in his touch. “Mikey just got shot!” I tossed my head back against the brute’s shoulder, trying to see what happened with my friend, but we were too far away from the ridge now. I couldn’t even hear the commotion from the warehouse.“He’s fine.” Francesco didn’t so much as glance behind him as he continued to carry me through the woods.At first, I’d dug in my heels as he began to drag me away, but the snow and ice that covered the forest floor did nothing to halt his progress. Then, he’d hoisted me up, pressing me against his chest. I’d started to kick and writhe, doing everything I could to get out of his grasp. None of it did any good. All I’d done was wear myself out.Eventually, I relaxed my shoulders and started to
KillianStanding in the woods, watching Sera struggle to get free of Francesco, it was difficult to comprehend the scene unfolding in front of me. My vision blurred with red, and not just from the blood streaming into my eyes. What the fuck was he doing dragging Sera through the woods toward a waiting car?Her teeth gritted together, determination in her eyes, she kneed him in the groin and managed to break free of him. Francesco was clearly caught off-guard as he fumbled to grab her, but she slid out of his reach, and I moved my weapon to keep him from coming after her.She threw her arms around my waist. I gathered her to me, inhaling her scent, thankful that she was safe, and backed us up a step, my eyes on Francesco while he tried to gather himself. He spit and grunted with pain before his eyes finally met mine.A thousand questions formed in my mind, all of them mingling together to create a perplexity I couldn’t quite grasp, let alone enunciate.Fuck, my head hurts.When I final
Sera“Killian, please stop for a minute,” I rushed out, trying to grab his hand to bring him to a stop. He kept moving forward, making me rush to keep up with him. “Killian, please.”He didn’t so much as look at me. There was no hint of that warmth in his eyes when he’d looked at me moments ago. That mask of ice slid back over his face before I’d had a chance to catch my breath, and speaking to him was like bargaining with a brick wall.“Francesco isn’t loyal to you. I don’t think he was trying to bring me to safety. I think he’s a rat, Killian. I think he’s working for someone else. I had a feeling, okay? He looked like he knew something was going to happen when we left the house tonight. I think he was behind all of this.”Killian continued walking, leaving droplets of blood on the snow in his wake.“Killian, don’t let him go back to the house, please? The maids could be in danger. Killian? Please stop. Please listen to me for a moment!” I rushed up and grabbed his arm. He turned ri
KillianI followed Tommaso through the warehouse and into what was once an office area. In the chaos, the filing cabinets had been toppled over, some of them now open and spilling paperwork over the debris covered floor. Other cabinets had been pried open after the fact.“What am I looking at?” I asked as I looked down at a stack of paperwork Tommaso just handed to me. “What is this?”The pages were littered with what I believed to be names, but several sections were blacked-out or encrypted with symbols and numbers instead of letters. Tommaso picked up a paper off the floor and looked at it before saying, “Names, I think. And how much these people were bought or traded for. I think the encrypted sections are prices, and the blacked-out sections are deals. I’m not totally sure.”“Niccolò was running an entire enterprise right under not only my nose, but Riccardo’s? That doesn’t sound right.” I grazed over another sheet of paper, looking for one name in particular.I hadn’t forgotten a
SeraKillian’s arms held me tight as he clutched me to his chest. I felt irrevocably broken, but his touch slowly began to pull the pieces of my heart back together. I kept my eyes squeezed shut. I couldn’t look at Mikey. I’d just see Penelope’s face the moment she was told her husband wasn’t ever coming home again.It wasn’t fair. Penelope was a good person. She loved him fiercely. His love for her had been the kind one only sees in the movies or in a romance novel. But that hadn’t been enough to keep him alive.“I could have stopped this.” My voice trembled. “If I hadn’t screamed, he wouldn’t have lost his focus. He’d still be alive.”“Sera, it’s not your fault.” Killian’s grip shifted as the doctor kneeled beside us, stitching up his forehead. I kept my head in his shoulder, still inconsolable.“I could have done something. I could have shot someone. I don’t know how to use a gun, Killian. I’m useless. I’ve never felt more useless.” My sorrow had me babbling now. He didn’t acknowle
Killian“We’re about an hour away, Boss,” Adrian said from the front seat.The SUV was a basic model, something I equipped most of my lower soldiers with when they joined my ranks. There was no partition to award Sera and me any privacy, but that didn’t particularly matter right now. My mission was to keep Sera from falling to pieces.To my surprise, Adrian’s presence seemed to have already been doing the trick. Adrian had the same likeable, innocent qualities about him Mikey had, which made someone like Sera instantly like him. She’d had questions dancing behind her eyes when she’d met him, but now it seemed they were getting along just fine. Maybe he had even distracted her from the night’s events.I’d rather her mind be off Mikey’s death and Francesco’s betrayal. The thought that she would likely be gone right now if she’d gotten into that car with my alleged associate sent a chill down my spine. Once again, she would’ve found herself in a fucked up situation, kidnapped and sold, a