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The Italian shoved Rachel forward and Ben reached for her as she stumbled. Her breath caught on a sob and she clung tight while he hugged her close, cheek pressed to her head as he watched the monster flip open his phone.
Somehow, he had to keep both his sisters safe. He gave Rachel a squeeze, empty reassurance for her as well as himself, before prying her fingers from his arms and shifting in front of her as a shield.
Alrigo lifted his gaze, his mouth curled in a malicious smile. “What do you know, three new voicemails.”
It didn’t take long for him to access the messages; Ben had the number and password programmed into his phone. Surprisingly, the guy played them on speaker. First was a jumbled message from Halli in which she sounded twice as freaked as Ben felt.
He worried about her all alone. She’d never been able to handle the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants lifestyle their parents had raised them in. At times they hadn’t known where the next meal would come from, where they’d sleep, or if the cops would catch up to them. At the first opportunity, Halli set down roots and hadn’t changed a thing in her neatly scheduled life, until this trip. She hadn’t even visited their parents in prison once over the past nine years.
Halli’s message cut off abruptly and Alrigo moved on to the next one. Halli again, her voice slightly calmer as she told Ben she’d try the hotel. Ben felt a brief flare of relief, until he realized she’d call and find out they never showed up. Then what would she do?
He found out with the third message.
“Me again. Not sure where you guys are or what’s going on, but I’m okay.”
Halli’s laugh filled the room for an all too brief moment.
“Yeah, I know, not so believable after the last two messages...but really, I’m fine, so don’t worry about me. I’m going to the Consulate General in Milan. It’s like an embassy. Meet me there in the morning by ten. I’ll wait out front for you.”
Her decisive, though somewhat shaky, words surprised him. Go Halli. Then the triumphant smile on Alrigo’s face turned his brotherly pride to something far less welcoming. Halli’s message told them exactly where and when to find her. Hoping to figure out a little more of what the hell was going on, he held Rachel back with one hand and stepped closer to Alrigo.
“What does she have that you want? Maybe if you let me call her—”
The hand with the gun shot out and connected with Ben’s jaw before he could finish his sentence. Stars exploded on the edge of his vision. Rachel’s cry echoed in his ear as he stumbled back a step. She supported him from behind until his balance returned.
Ben gulped back the lump in his throat, warily watching Alrigo suck in a harsh breath, his skin paler than before. When a cough made the man’s features twist in pain, Ben knew he was injured more severely than just the stitched gash on his head. Could he use the knowledge to their advantage?
No more had the thought formed in Ben’s mind than Alrigo straightened, his jaw clenched tight as he met Ben’s gaze. “Do not give me a reason to decide I only need one of you. Your s
ister is much less trouble than you.”
The initial sharp pain of the blow to his jaw receded, replaced by a steady aching throb of discomfort. A trickle worked its way down the side of his mouth and the metallic taste on his tongue confirmed blood. Ben wiped his lip with the back of his hand, but remained silent with Rachel at his back clutching his shoulder.
“Zucchi!” the Italian boomed.
The door opened and the man who’d been guarding them stepped back inside. Ben didn’t like the stocky little minion any more than he did the ring leader, and he really hated the way the weasel’s slimy gaze roved over his sister.
Without warning, Alrigo backhanded the man across the face, then shoved Ben’s phone under his bleeding nose. Ben didn’t have to know Italian to guess the goon was getting reamed out.
Zucchi looked confused, but he nodded, apparently unwilling to question the boss with a gun in his hand.
Alrigo Lapaglia spoke again, gesturing toward Ben and Rachel. He finished with, “Capito?”
Zucchi’s “Si,” was lost as Alrigo slammed from the room.
Ben made a mental note of Alrigo’s limp as he left. If he could get past the man’s gun so he didn’t have to worry about Rachel, he could probably take the guy down. Then again, he’d still have to deal with Zucchi and Nino, and any other guy in the place. He’d noticed one more for sure on their way inside the villa.
“Are you okay?” Rachel asked softly, her hand lifting toward his face.
He jerked his head back and wiped his bloodied lip again, angry the bastard had caught him so off-guard. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
She tugged his arm. After a quick glance toward their guard, who used his sleeve to wipe his nose, Ben faced her.
“What are we going to do?” she whispered.
“I don’t know yet, but I’m looking for any chance I can to get us out.”
“Halli sounded awful.”
