ERICA The loud sobs wrecked my body and even as I tried to speak, it came out unintelligible. “You c-came. I knew you will.” I nearly succumbed to darkness with the relief that followed. “Bambina...” His deep voice vibrated through me, giving me a frisson of warmth spread in my chilled heart. “Antonio...” I looked behind him, expecting to find men coming to stop him from rescuing me as I could still hear the blasts in near vicinity but no one came and then my gaze dropped to the men behind him with a pool of blood around them. He killed them and as he came closer with a knife in one hand and a gun in another, I realised it wasn’t just these two men he kîlled as I noticed the stains of blood covering his clothes and the red that was on the side of his face, the blood he spilled for me. I met his eyes, they burned bright as they took me in. I followed his gaze to the timer of the bomb and saw it was only twelve minutes left for the bomb to go off. He crouched down before me and cup
ANTONIOI unlocked her handcuffs and then cut through the zip ties around her ankles before cutting the thick straps that held the fake bomb to her torso, fûcking Nikolai played with me and he succeeded as I was terrified and ready to die with her when I couldn’t diffuse the bomb. I didn't even think that it could be a fake when I didn't found what I was looking for, I was that panicked.As soon as she was free, she cried out and literally fell into my arms like she couldn’t hold herself anymore. I tightened my hold around her as she sobbed into my chest. I caressed her head and rubbed her back, trying to control my own emotions but it was impossible when after thinking that it was the end, here she was now in my arms, alive. I inhaled her scent, mixed with sweat, dirt and our filthy surroundings which was so fucking wrong but the hint of daffodils beneath it all calmed a small part of me. I tried to soothe her but it was a losing battle and I really didn’t want to when my own emotio
EPHRAIM I have no idea how I find myself in such a situation where I have to stay behind and watch him put his life in danger. I looked down at the unconscious woman in my arms and shook my head, because I could totally understand Antonio’s emotions, which was the reason why I wanted to go after him. Turning around, I opened the back door of the car and settled Erica inside. I fucking need a vacation or maybe I should just resign and be done with it. The sound of a car approaching alerted me of company, I slipped my hand to my gun as I turned around, only relaxing when I saw Raphael with Mac and other two bodyguards that were with Jonathan. “Took you long enough,” I gritted out in irritation. “Are they okay? Where is she?” Raphael questioned ignoring my comment. I gestured at the car as I stepped back, letting him see Erica. “Look for yourself. I’m leaving.” “Where are you going? And where is Gabriel?” I barely controlled myself from punching him in his aristocratic face as I bi
ERICAI didn’t remember when darkness claimed me and thrust me back from one heart wrecking scenario to another, and in each of them I was calling out for Antonio, only to find him lying in a pool of blood, unresponsive. It was during such a nightmare that I jerked up with my lips parted in a soundless cry and looked around myself, my eyes searching for him, praying that he was alright.But as the white walls and clinical equipment around me registered with the antiseptic smell of my surroundings, I realised I was in a hospital room and once again Antonio wasn’t here. My head pounded with pain just as my heart beat in fear, I started to push the blanket off me when I heard a familiar deep voice. “You are awake.”I turned around to face the speaker and for a moment, I just stared. My mind replayed all that had happened, and I knew Gabriel was shot. Gabriel was shot. Antonio had come save us just like I knew he would. But now he wasn’t here, close to me, he won’t ever leave me alone wh
ERICA“You have ten minutes. And after that you need to leave.”I jerked back, my fingers tightening on around the soft fabric I still held in my tight fist as if it was a talisman which will make everything alright and looked at him with wide eyes, not believing what I was hearing but still I tried to misunderstood him. I shook my head as I said, “I can’t leave him and go back to the castle. What if he needs me? And he will, he wouldn’t like—”“Erica,” He stopped me and even as I shook my head in silent denial, he said the words I didn’t want to hear, “You need to go back to where you belong, on the other side of the ocean with your sister, and your family.”“I belong to him.” The words were out before I could stop them. Quiet and sure. “He told me that I belonged to him.” He’s my family. “If you want to see him, this is the condition. You’ll leave after those ten minutes. I can’t let this happen again and again, Erica.
ANTONIOOne Week Later...It was colder than usual and I didn’t think it was because of the snow falling around me. And I doubted it was because I had been weaker than I had ever felt in my life, there was something else: the reason for the cold that had made its home inside me, but I wasn’t too keen to look into that reason. It was better to leave that wound untouched but I couldn’t say that it didn’t hurt far worse than a damaged lever and an arm that hurt every time I moved it. It had been a week since I woke up in the hospital room which was two days after the day I went to save her and rescued Gabriel. I didn’t want to think about her because it makes breathing difficult like I was shot in my lungs too but the fact remains, I woke up to find her gone. She left. I had come to terms with it, or maybe not, because just the thought made anger burn through me replacing the cold. And it had been like that, I was teetering on a very fine line. One moment I was calm and in another I was
ERICAIs this what hell feel like?I turned to the other side, trying to find a comfortable position in this foreign bed. I missed him with every breath that I took. I missed his solid presence beside me and the strong heartbeat to which I slept. None of that was here which had made it impossible for me to sleep peacefully since I was brought here three days ago against my will. These three days had felt like a prison sentence and I was sick of it, literally and figuratively.When I had woken up the first day to Summer’s teary eyes and sobs as she had hugged me, everything had came back to me in a series of disasters that had happened. And what broke me was that it was Gabriel who drûgged me and kidnapped me, took me away from Antonio. Antonio, who was in the hospital because of me, because of him. The moment my surroundings had registered, everything inside me had rebelled and I had ended up hugging the toilet. Now, I realised what addiction was because it felt like someone took awa
ERICA“So you are saying that I can’t talk to him?” I asked, my fingers knotted together as helpless anger burned through me. We were in Gabe’s home office, Summer was standing beside him while I sat in front of them like a child put to task. Lily, Gabe’s housekeeper and a maternal figure to him and my sister, had prepared us lunch which I had barely swallowed a few bites of as I was too anxious to have this conversation but now whatever I had eaten it all threatened to come back up at what Gabriel just said to me.“I think it would be for the best.” Gabriel said now.“You think....” I couldn’t even form the words, I was so fûcking furious. “You think that you drugging me, kidnapping me and bringing me here against my will is for the best. You think that not letting me talk to him is for the best.”With every word I spoke, my anger became obvious and I started to lose whatever calm I had. “Rica, please, calm down.”I stared at my sister and asked of Gabriel, “Was that really your dec