The gushes of my cum coated him as I rode out every shudder, every break. His groans thundered as his seed mingled with my wetness, shooting warm and thick, filling me whole, too much but not enough. Never enough.
He stared infinitely at me, eyes too probing. I fumbled to untangle myself from him before I showed him I was one of those women who cried after sex. I stood, but he brought me back to his embrace and his lips collided angrily with mine.
I nestled into him, my tears ruining everything. “I begged you before, and I’ll beg again. Don’t go. Let’s run away from here. I can hide you, you know. Just like Nicole’s husband hid you in plain sight, in his own house where he got married, I can hide you in Filicudi. It’ll be the last place they expect to find you.”
“They won’t let us be. I can’t live like that. I can’t be a threat to you like that. They have to die so we can have a chance at living.”
“Your father won’t kill you. So why don’t you tell him about the Lanzas’ betrayal? That’s what I was going to do when I tried to run. He will take care of them for you and Nicole.”
“They’ve already told him I’m coming after him and Lina. He won’t listen. He’s prepared to kill me.”
“But if you go through with the mayhem you’re planning, you won’t stand a chance. How do you even know how to come near your father without getting shot to death, let alone kill him, let alone kill the Lanzas?”
“I have a plan.”
“It won’t work.”
“How do you know that? I haven’t told you what it is.”
“Because I’ve run all the possibilities in my head, and no matter who you successfully murder, you still end up dead. While that’s an acceptable outcome for you, for me…it’s losing everything.”
“Hey,” he brushed a thumb over my cheek, “you don’t know they’re gonna get to me for sure. I’ve survived this long when I should’ve been dead already. Who knows what the future holds? You’ll be surprised at the things I manage to pull off.”
Psychotic delusions. “At least, let me come with you.”
“You know I can’t do that. It’s too risky. But I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you think of a place where we can go to, just the two of us, when all of this is over? A place where we can live far away and never to be found? It’ll be our little piece of paradise.”
“Don’t let me dream the impossible, Leo. It hurts.”
“Humor me, baby. If you were to spend the rest of your life in one place, what would it be?”
I sighed, fighting more tears. “The Canaries. I’ve never been, but I’ve always wanted to go to Tenerife. Papa’s always said La Palma was much more beautiful, though. Greener. Quieter.”
“We’ll go island hopping then. The one you fall in love with will be our new home.”
I buried my tears in his chest, the hope unbearable. “I love you, Leo. I love you so much it hurts.”
His lips touched the top of my head as he breathed me in. “Remember when I told you Lina’s face was what kept me alive in the cage?”
“How can I forget? What are you doing? Trying to hurt me before you leave again?”
“No, idiota. I’m telling you that like she helped me survive the hardest year of my life,youwill help me stay alive while I kill my enemies once and for all.” He embraced me, kissing my forehead, and then my lips. “The hope of seeing you again will keep me going, will make me try my best to stay alive and come back for you. You are worth living for, Ravenna.”
That was the last thing he said before we made love again. We fell asleep into each other’s arms, our hearts hugging. In the morning, I woke up all alone.
CHAPTER 23
Leo
I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to leave her. She made me see things I’d never seen before. A window into my soul I knew it’d be shut sealed once I left her side. But it had to be done. She thought I was throwing myself into another chasm of obsession with Nicky. She might be right, and without her help, I might fall again. But staying with Ravenna was far more dangerous. The way she silenced the screams punched a need for her inside me like no other. One I had to run away from because for the first time of my life, I felt—
“Look at you sitting on the beach without a care in the world like you’re on a Goddamn picnic. Where’s the boat? What’s taking so long?” Nicole interrupted my track of thoughts. She could be really annoying sometimes.
“If you’ve been living in a fucking cage for a year, you’d know how I feel.” I stretched my leg as she sat on the chair next to mine and put Ravenna’s bag of meds and cash on the sand, waiting for our ride of freedom. “He’s getting the boat ready with supplies. Water, food, extra gas, emergency kits, heavy clothes, you know...or you don’t. Have you ever been on a boat?”
She shrugged, her gaze at the cracking dawn. “There’s always a first for everything. Kidnap a girl, steal a car, kill a man…getting on a boat won’t be so hard.”
Cazzo. “You know it’s not too late to change your mind. It’s winter, and the sea isn’t always a best friend. There’s nothing wrong with knowing exactly what you can and can’t do. The safety of your baby—”
