AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We should go back,” I say.
“What for?”
“Roman is hurt. He’s going to need medical attention.”
“The Montesano don can look after himself.” He pulls us toward a van.
Guilt yanks at my heart and squeezes my lungs until I can’t breathe. I grab the waiter’s collar with so much force that his shirt rips open, revealing his shoulder. “Wait.”
“What?”
“Let go of me. I need to know that he’s okay.”
“Are you insane? Do you want to get killed, too?” He opens the back of his van with one hand.
My gaze drops to a tattoo poking out beneath his shirt. I yank down the fabric, revealing a familiar-looking design. It’s a grinning skull atop a symmetrical cross outlined in black. Beneath it in gothic script are the letters NAD.
A breath catches in the back of my throat. It’s identical to the tattoo I saw on my psychopathic ex. This waiter is working with Jim. I study his features, trying to work out how someone so young could be an undercover cop. He can’t be more than eighteen or nineteen.
“You’re one of them?” I yank my arm out of his grip.
He frowns. “One of what?”
I back toward the door. “The police.”
His confused expression morphs into something sinister and dark. He advances on me, his teeth bared, his arm outstretched. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
My breath quickens and I sidestep out of his reach. With as much stealth as I can manage, I slip off my heels and ready myself for an attack. I’m not mistaken. This isn’t my usual paranoia. This guy is connected to my ex.
I grope around behind my back for a handle, but the door feels like one of those exits that only opens from the inside.
“Come with me,” he says, sounding desperate.
“No,” I reply, trying to keep my voice from trembling. “Leave without me.”
His features twist with anger, and he lunges, but I’m already turning on my heel and sprinting.
“Bitch!”
Heart pounding hard enough to burst, I race around the mansion toward the front steps. My bare feet slap against the cold stone tiles as I pick up speed, desperate to lose him in the crowd. I need to get help from one of Roman’s men.
The man’s heavy footsteps draw closer and closer with each frantic beat of my pulse. I need to run harder, faster, but my dress gets in the way.
As I round the corner, a large hand grabs me by the arm and yanks me into his chest. I scream.
“You’re not getting away,” he growls. “Now, stop trying to run and come with me.”
“Let go.” I elbow him hard in the ribs, making him grunt. “Help!”
He claps a hand over my mouth and drags me back around the corner. “Dumb cunt. Jim said he wanted you alive, but he didn’t say not to knock out your teeth.”
Adrenaline floods my system, filling my veins with liquid terror. Fight-or-flight kicks me in the gut and takes over my limbs.
I throw my weight backward, making us both fall to the ground. The cop lands first, cushioning the impact, and the base of my skull lands smack into his face. I’m dazed for a heartbeat before my mind snaps back to the present danger.
“Fuck,” he roars into my ringing ears.
I scramble off him and onto my knees, but he grabs my hair and pulls tight. Pain explodes through my skull, filling my eyes with tears.
