From across the garage, a body fell to the floor and roared in pain.
“ConsigliereBuccini’s hit!” Belio shouted at the other soldiers. “Cover him!”
In the space of a few seconds, the carnage escalated. Two of Callum’s men abandoned their sheltered positions and sprinted towards us. Belio managed to take one down, but the other ploughed into him, knocking him off me. They began fighting, the sound of vicious punches and groans filling the air, and I rolled under the car as a bullet struck the concrete beside me.
“Look around, Aria,” Callum shouted as my eyes darted to Max bleeding out and three of Sani’s soldiers dead. More would come. They’d be on their way, but time wasn’t on my side. My mind raced with a million different scenarios, but none ended well. “Do you want your best friend to join the body count?”
I closed my eyes as Ally cried loudly, begging him to let her go.
Fuck. Think. Think like Sani. He wouldn’t panic.
“You have five seconds to swap places with her, Aria, or this bullet will be lodged in her brain, and I’ll take you anyway.”
I forced my breathing to slow and rolled onto my back under the car.
“Five.”
My eyes quickly scanned the undercarriage, searching for a tracker Sani had placed on all his favourite toys. The small red light blinked from under the chassis. I reached for it and hid it in my bra.
“Two.”
I scrambled out from under the car and stood up with my hands trembling in the air. He tilted his head with a smirk. I stepped forward, glancing behind me to see Belio struggling against three men on the ground as they pressed a gun to the back of his head.
When I was within arm’s reach, Callum shoved Allegra forward harshly, and she fell to the floor. He grabbed my upper arm, yanking me towards him, and pressed the gun to my head instead. I glared at him through angry tears. Let him take me. Let Sani find me.
“Always such a good girl.”
“I fucking hate you,” I spat at him, and he grinned.
“Can’t say I blame you,” he said, pulling me towards the van.
Allegra began crawling towards me, blubbering with her arm outstretched. “Aria—I’m so sorry! He threatened to kill my parents if I didn’t do what he said.”
Callum immediately aimed his gun at her, and I grabbed his arm. “No! Please. Leave her. She’s harmless.”
His jaw clenched, but he lowered his gun and shoved me into the back of the van. He climbed in beside me as the rest of his men knocked Belio out and jumped back into the van, slamming the doors shut. My hands were forced behind my back so tightly I felt my skin pinch against the cable ties, but I didn’t take my hateful eyes off Callum’s face the entire time.
The van lurched violently as it sped out of the garage, tyres screeching againstthe concrete ramp. My shoulder rammed into the metal door beside me, sending a jolt of pain down my arm, but I barely felt it. I was too busy glaring at Callum.
“What the fuck is your plan here exactly?” I snarled. “Santino will kill you. You can’t get away with this.”
“How will he manage that from a prison cell?”
I smiled, feeling a small wave of triumph. He didn’t know. The van hit another corner, and one of his men slammed his hand against the door to steady himself. Callum didn’t move. He remained perfectly balanced, watching me with an unreadable expression.
“You really thought you’d done enough, didn’t you? The explosion, my father, the investigation. But you’ve underestimated Santino at every turn. He’ll be walking free any minute now.”
Callum’s face paled slightly, and my heart gave a small kick of joy. He narrowed his eyes at me before glancing at his watch.
“Even if that’s true, it will be too late.”
My throat lodged with sickening bile as I let the fear crawl back up my spine. “Too late, meaning I’ll be dead.”
He stared at me and then broke into a laugh. “You really have no idea, do you?”
“About why you want me so badly? No, I don’t. All I can assume is that you’re a demented psychopath who’s already banned from all the dating apps and this is your only way of getting a woman.”
He stared at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners with amusement. “I don’t want you at all, Aria. No offence. But I do need you.”
