AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The silence that follows chills my blood.
Something is wrong.
And I have no way of defending myself.
Maybe I was hearing things. We’re completely safe here. Nobody even knows we came up for the week. No way would Luca have let me wander around freely today, even with a bodyguard, had he suspected trouble on the horizon.
But I heard those footsteps, and now I feel something. A tingle along the back of my neck, goose bumps covering my arms and legs as I take one slow step after another into the hall until I’m standing at the top of the stairs. From what I can see, the living room is empty, as we left it.
A floorboard creaks downstairs.
Shit!
All of my training comes rushing back. There is an intruder. I need to get help. The closest thing to a weapon I have on me is the heels of my shoes. I slip them off, one eye always on the expanse of the living room visible from where I’m standing.
What can I do? A few possibilities race through my mind all at once. My phone is in the bedroom. I could go back and get it, call Luca, and beg him to come home. How long would that take? I don’t have Pete’s or Bruno’s numbers. Dammit.
Where are they? How could somebody break in without them knowing?
I could run down the stairs and out the front door. It wouldn’t take long if I ran without stopping. I might be able to beat whoever is here, run outside, and scream my head off. But what if somebody’s waiting out there?
I could run for the kitchen and grab a knife, but that would take too long. I could hide and wait for Luca to get back. Ten minutes or so, right? It would feel like ten hours. A lot can happen in that amount of time.
I place one bare foot on the first step, holding my breath. Silence. Another step. Another. I can see the front door now. It’s probably my best bet. I hold the shoes in front of me, prepared to jam the heels through somebody’s neck.
Halfway down the stairs, there’s another creak. This time, louder. Closer.
A burst of adrenaline propels me the rest of the way, my feet flying over the stairs. By the time I reach the first floor, a dark shape looms in the corner of my eye, but that only gets me moving faster.
Until a second dark shape throws itself in front of the door, blocking the way. I barely have time to halt my forward motion before a steel band loops around my waist from behind, and the stench of cheap cologne threatens to choke me.
I don’t take time to get a look at my attacker. Reflex takes over, and I slam my elbow into his ribs, then take advantage of him doubling over and drive the same elbow into his eye as hard as I can.
“Bitch!” he shouts but lets me go. Only for his partner to lunge at me. I swing with the heel of my shoe and make contact with his cheek, tearing his flesh, but his pained cry only seems to give him added strength and determination. He hits me low, driving his head into my midsection and knocking the wind from my lungs. I stagger back and fall against the stairs, kicking when he descends on me.
“Fucking cunt!” He snarls, ignoring my kicks and screams as he takes me by the shoulders and slams my head against the step beneath it.
16
LUCA
“Can you go back and confirm for me? I’m trying to keep a schedule here, and I need to know that everything is in place before I head home.” This is the kindest I’ve been in a long time, but there’s too much riding on tonight to blow it all up by losing my shit on a restaurant hostess. It isn’t easy to keep from asking the girl exactly how the hell she manages to do her job when she can’t understand simple instructions. This has long been my family’s favorite restaurant in the Hamptons. It seemed like a surefire thing, but I’m starting to wonder as I watch the girl hustle through the dining room on her way to the kitchen.
“Good luck,” a man mutters nearby. “All I did was ask for a quart of lobster bisque to go, and I got some bullshit line about the kitchen being short-staffed and how I’d have to wait.”
Strange, but the voice sounds vaguely familiar. I turn to find someone I didn’t notice when I came in, most likely because I’m completely focused on everything being perfect tonight. “Barrett Black!” I realize, laughing when I recognize a friend of mine. “No shit. How are you? You’re looking good.” We exchange a firm handshake, stepping aside so we’re not in the way of anybody coming in.
I first got to know Barrett through his construction business when I was pricing contractors during the club’s expansion and renovation, and while we don’t run in the same circles, we make it a point to keep in touch. He’s also visited the club with his wealthy friends a few times, though his recent marriage has changed his social habits.
“I can’t complain,” he tells me, wearing an easy grin. “Though I am a little disappointed at the moment. Is the kitchen too short-staffed to ladle out some soup? When does that happen?”
“Since I hired them to cook and serve at my house tonight.” I wouldn’t normally brag. It’s not in my nature, and I’ve always found braggarts to be the people with the least to brag about. Every once in a while, though, it’s worth it.
For instance, when Barrett’s mouth falls open before he can help it, “Nice move. I’ll tell my wife she has you to thank if I’m not able to satisfy her pregnancy craving.”
“Tough luck,” I offer, wincing. I’ve dealt with some fairly intimidating characters in my time, but I’m not sure I would get in the way of a pregnant woman.
“So long as I know who to point her toward if she’s pissed,” he says with a shrug.
