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I touched my head and could feel the stickiness—blood. Then I crawled across the center console to his side and grabbed Matt’s hand, and he pulled me the rest of the way out of the wreckage.
He met my gaze, a wry smile tugging at his lips. “Well, that was exciting.”
I laughed in spite of myself, the sound edged with hysteria. “Remind me never to let you drive again!”
His smile widened, then faded as his eyes flicked to something behind me. I turned around as he pulled me down into a crouch with him.
“Shit, Matt…this is bad,” I whispered, clinging to him as we took cover behind the burning car.
The heat was increasing, but we had nowhere else to go. I looked over the hood. Half a dozen men spilled out of a black van and a SUV, all clad in black and armed with automatic weapons. And in the diffuse light of the blazing flames, one of the men strode forward…and a cold dread settled in my chest.
“Declan,” I breathed.
Matt’s head shot around, and he stared at me for a moment before he focused back on the men gathering. “You know the assholes?”
Declan was one of my father’s most trusted men—more than a foot soldier. He was the one who did all the dirty work for him. Dread curled through me as I realized the truth. These weren’t ordinary thugs—not even Alex’s rivals. They’d been sent by my father.
“What the fuck are you doing, Dec?” I shouted.
“Taking you back to Ireland,” he shouted back and took another step.
I could feel Matt stiffen. “Get back in your vehicle and leave. Now.”
Declan’s gaze flicked to Matteo, gaze hardening. “We’re not here for you, Italian. We’ve come to bring the girl home.”
“Dead or alive?” I said, my voice heavily laced with sarcasm. I couldn’t believe my father was okay with these methods.
“It was a calculated risk. The damn Italian shouldn’t have swerved so much.”
Matt scoffed. “Now it’s my fault you damn-near killed us, stronzo.”
“If you come with us, he lives,” Declan shouted.
And I slowly straightened.
“Fee—no!” Matteo protested, trying to push me behind him and shield me with his body. But I pushed him off, my heart pounding with anger and fear.
We were outnumbered and outmaneuvered, hiding between a wreckage that could explode any minute.
There was no way out.
“It’s okay,” I insisted, swallowing hard. “It’s just my father. I’ll go with them. You take care, and take care of him for me.” I took a step back from him, then another, putting distance between us.
Then I turned and rounded the car.
I could feel Matt’s eyes on my back as I walked towards Declan and his armed men, but I didn’t dare look back.
When I reached Declan, he grabbed my arm roughly, and I winced at the pain.
“Don’t touch her!” Matteo demanded, his voice laced with fury.
Declan nodded at one of his men. There was a sharp crack of gunfire from somewhere up the hill.
Matteo grunted.
I froze and flew around. “No!”
Horror flooded me as I watched Matt crumple to the ground and disappear behind the burning vehicle.
