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“You—you should’ve told us, Lorenzo,” James mutters. I’m certain he’s shocked as shit.
“Oh, really. Told you what? How I was feeding Amara to the monster? Or if she dies, it will be her blood on my hands. Fuck no. I didn’t need any more judgment for having to do it than I already have.” I’m fueling my own rage by speaking the words I’ve kept hidden all day.
Amara knew something was wrong. She knew I wasn’t being me.
“We’re not judging you, Lorenzo. Nothing of what we have said is judgment.” James is trying to cool me down, but it’s not working, nothing will work. Not until Amara is back in my arms.
“I allowed my mother to die, and I will not be the reason Amara dies,” I growl, my teeth clenching so hard my jaw might snap in two.
“Amara is strong. She can handle this,” Jared adds, but concern is etched into his features.
“She shouldn’t have to, Jared. That’s the fucking point. It’s why when all this is over, we’re going to go away, so she never has to face any of this again.”
The shock on his face equals my own when I made the decision.
“You’re going to leave the mafia behind?” Jared asks.
“Yes. I’m leaving. I don’t want it anymore.” I throw the words out there.
“You know you’ll spend the rest of your life on the run?” Jared comments, like I don’t already know that.
“Running will still be safer than staying. This life… death is always knocking on the door. I’ve lost everyone I ever loved, but I won’t lose her. I don’t care who chases me or if I have to run to the end of the world. I’m Lorenzo fucking King. I make my own choices. I don’t need anyone telling me what I’m going to do. Stand in my way, and you’ll die.” My voice is deadly, leaving no room for doubt.
“What now? Where do we go from here?” James asks.
I turn to look at him. There’s no way I’m bringing him into all of this. Amara has already lost one father… She won’t lose this one.
“You aren’t going unless it’s to drive the vehicle...”
My phone chimes, and I reach into my pocket, retrieving it. Sliding my finger over the screen, I read the message.
Eli: She’s asleep. A bump on her head, but other than that, unharmed. Mack’s getting antsy.
“We go now,” I command. I have a gun strapped to my side, one to my leg, and one at my back. Two knives are hidden where I can easily grab them. I’m ready to take his heart and rip it the fuck out.
“Then let’s go. I’m ready.”
I want to tell Jared he can’t come either, but I need someone else. I need backup, and someone to take her and get the fuck out if shit goes bad.
James slips into his coat and out the door. For a second, I want to breathe in the air inside the house. Her scent surrounds me and invades every part of my body. She isn’t just mine; she’s a part of me, and I won’t survive without her.
This has to end with Amara alive. No matter if I make it, she has to.Pulling up to the abandoned factory, I sigh. There is not a single car in sight. We’re miles off a beaten path. Good, I think to myself. When Mack is screaming for me to stop breaking his bones over and over again, no one will hear him.
“Ready for this?” Jared asks, but I don’t feel the need to answer. Of course, I am.
Gripping my gun tightly in my hand, I open the car door and step out.
“Drive around, James, but stay close,” I order before shutting the door.
I creep to the nearest door and bust into the place like I own it. My heart is racing, and my palms are sweaty. I’m not sure what I’m about to discover—in what state I’m going to find Amara.
As I push through the door, my eyes take in all the metal beams surrounding us. Machinery is pushed out of the way and littered throughout the building. In the center of the room is a small body lying on the floor. Even from this distance, I can see its Amara.
Every fiber in my body urges me to run to her, pick her up and wrap her in my arms, telling her I’ll never let her go again.
“Nice of you to join us.” Mack’s sickening voice fills the large room as he steps out of the shadows. I stand perfectly still, forcing my limbs to stay frozen as I watch him walk over to her.
Leaning down, he grabs her by the back of the neck and pulls her up. She cries out in pain and tries to fight him off, but he just shakes her like a rag doll.
