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Daring the odds, I pressed my hand against his chest. “Do you think you can help me? I’m an idiot, I know. I just…”
“Let’s see what we have.” Daniel knelt down, running his hand over every inch of the tire he could put his fingers on. “No. I don’t feel anything, but it could be under the full weight of your car. Do you have a spare?”
My nervous laugh was real enough, but it fit the situation. “Yes, but I admit it. I’m one of those girls who’s never changed a tire before. I’m sorry. I know that sounds really horrible in this day and age.”
He stood, taking a deep breath. “Not at all. There isn’t a person alive who doesn’t concentrate on what’s important to us instead of realizing there is often more to learn.” He inched closer, making me feel entirely too uncomfortable.
I tipped my head, trying to keep the fake smile as I gazed into his eyes. It was far too dark to see anything but a slight glimmer under the single streetlight, but my instinct suddenly went into overdrive.
Run.
I had to get away from him.
“You know what? I think I can do it on my own. Thank you for stopping.” I inched away, shocked as well as horrified when he snapped his hand around my forearm.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he said under his breath, the deep, dark tone yanking me into a moment of utter oblivion where terror lived, something I’d experienced more than once.
“I beg your pardon?”
He shoved me against the side of the trunk, his large frame looming over me like a beast who’d captured his prey.
“It would seem you’ve been a very naughty girl. That needs to be dealt with and it starts right now.”
Before I had a chance to react, he ripped something from his pocket, slapping it across my mouth and nose.
Even though I struggled, beating my fist against him, the world around me started to fade. Suddenly, everything was shoved into a vacuum, sounds muted and my breath… echoing in my ears and my eyesight…
No. No. No…
* * *
Daniel
Darkness.
I’d just fallen into an entirely different level of blackness that I doubted I’d be able to recover from. I could sense my career being tossed into the garbage, everything I’d worked for and achieved shoved aside. As the beautiful girl slumped into my arms, I threw my head back, glaring at the stars. They held no meaning any longer. Even their brightness on the crisp night couldn’t drag me out of the new slip-n-slide that I’d just jumped onto. This time, it was pulling me straight into hell.
An ugly memory shoved into the forefront of my mind. The vision was so clear and vibrant that I felt claws clamping around my throat. Fuck. The last thing I needed was a reminder of the past.
“We can do this,” Alexander insisted. I noticed his gaze in the rearview mirror, his eyes piercing into mine. He knew I was the wild card at this point, growing weary of his bullshit, the games no longer entertaining. What he was attempting today was out of our league, but exactly what his father wanted him to do in order to prove his manhood. We were Alexander’s soldiers, supplying the brawn as he inflicted pain on an asshole who’d dared betray the Durante family. This was nothing more than a test.
We’d all been promised jobs within the Durante organization upon successful completion, but the thought held no interest any longer. Besides, the longevity for any of us was a fleeting dream, violence within the organization cutting lives short. I doubted I’d make it to thirty and I had a full life planned in my mind.
“You’re insane, Alex. This is crazy,” I hissed through clenched teeth.
He lifted his weapon for my viewing purpose alone. “What do the rest of you think?” he asked with a singsong tone.
Garrison answered first, his eagerness no longer surprising. The sweet, bumbling kid had transformed into a trained killer.
“We will do this. Period.” Garrison twisted his neck, glaring at me. “Because that’s what we agreed to, all four of us.”
“The Wild Boys,” Brogan snarled, pulling his Glock into his hand.
“Then let’s roll.” Alexander laughed as he cut the engine.
I could still hear that laugh in my mind, but it had been quickly drowned out by the barrage of gunfire, the stench of blood filling the air.
Then there’d been silence so deafening all I’d been able to hear was the pounding of my heart only seconds before we all heard sirens.
