AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Too late for that but I’ll make it up to you. I’ll kill you quick.” His hard body is plastered to my back, “It didn’t have to be this way Chochete.You chose the wrong man.”
“At least he doesn’t take without permission.” I struggle against Xander’s rough hold.
I’m drowning in a whirlpool of panic swirling around me in a violent current. My shoulder absorbs the brunt of his anger as he twists my arm higher the more I struggle. The pain radiates down my back. The memories of his rough hands violating me scratching at my instincts to stay alive. I refuse to let his dirty hands touch me again.
“You have no idea who Daddy arranged for you to share a bed with, Chochete.” Suddenly I’m hurled to the ground, landing hard on my wrist and my knees against the unforgiving concrete surface of the kitchen floor. “Delgado is the devil and he’s taken from me for the last time.”
A blunt kick to his kneecaps buys me a few inches as he stumbles back. “You may be strong enough to take me by force, asshole but I’ll never be yours.”
I try to crawl further away but the pain in my arm slows my escape. He grabs hold of my ankle and drags me back. “That’s why you're going to die. It’s the only way to take back what was promised to me.”
His heavy boot collides with my back and steals the air from my lungs along with my ability to fight. My head smacks against the floor as I collapse. I’m laying helpless, my arms and legs splayed out beneath me when another voice rings through the whooshing in my head.
“We’re out of time. Finish this and let’s go.” A beat later something hard strikes the back of my head, and everything turns black.
I blink away the darkness fogging up my head, but I can’t seem to focus my vision. My head is screaming from the hard blow and Xander’s scent still lingers in the air masking the once savory aroma of my dishes that are now ruined. I rub the tender spot on the back of my head when another scent hits my nostrils. I scramble to my feet, coughing when the heavy smoke fills my lungs. I gasp, clutching my chest as the heavy smoke curls in around me.
Shit.
Chapter 19
Dominic
I don’t wait around for Manny to arrive. It took all the strength I had not to put a bullet in Victor's brain when he told me Callie may have been the intended target. Now that I know, all I want to do is lock her up in my tower where no one can ever touch her. I fire up the car, peeling out of the dirt drive and reaching for my phone when my tires hit the gravel. A tight knot twists inside my chest at the thought of her being used to wound me but you can’t slay the devil.
Dialing her number, annoyance hits me when it goes to voicemail. Same with Lanah’s number. I toss the phone onto the dashboard and pound my fist into the center of the steering wheel before gripping my raw knuckles tightly around it. I veer to the left to avoid a large pothole on the shitty backwoods’ road. I press my five-hundred-dollar shoe to the floor wedging the gas pedal underneath it. The SUV rockets to eighty miles per hour and steadily climbs higher, kicking up the pebbles underneath my tires into the air. My suspension bears the impact of my exasperation by the time I hit a paved road.
There's an impulsive sensation filling my chest, my need to reach Callie and confirm that she’s safe only intensifies as I snatch my phone from the dash and try calling her again. Slowing my speed just a touch as I approach traffic, I whip around any vehicle not moving out of my way fast enough. Swiping across my screen, I locate the app for my security system and pull up the live feed from the bakery.
“Fuck.” I curse out loud when I find the feed is down. My desperation is now clawing at me, staining my thoughts with shades of blood red, and nudging me towards the edge of insanity.
Punching another set of numbers, I finally get a call to connect. As soon as I hear him breathing, I’m barking out orders before he can speak, “Carlos, get to the bakery now. Something is wrong. I need eyes on Callie.”
“I can be there ten.” Carlos replies.
“Faster.” I disconnected the call and toss the phone aside again.
Only two blocks to go.
As I turn into the parking lot near the bakery, I shoot past a dark SUV traveling at an excessive speed matching mine. My head pivots, skimming the dark tinted windows as I fly by setting my senses on high alert. Ignoring the pull to turn around and go after it, I slam on the brakes. My SUV skids to a stop across the asphalt. Seconds later, I’m kicking the door open and hurling myself towards the bakery as I catch sight of the dark clouds rolling against the inside of the shop front window and the high-pitched wail of the fire alarm ringing out.
A crowd is gathering watching the building be engulfed by smoke. Some are on the phone detailing the scene to nine-one-one, others filming their thirty second videos for social media. I don’t wait for the fire department. Rushing to the door, I rip at the chains wrapped around the door handles. It’s pad-locked shut and isn’t budging no matter how much strength and fury I pull at it. I only have a split second to think so I yank off my jacket and wrap it around my arm using the grip of my gun to smash through the tempered glass. I swipe my arm down and kick at the cracks until I have enough room to climb through. Dropping my jacket covered in shards of glass on the ground, I strain to see through the heavy smoke. The sprinkler system is raining down from the ceiling smothering the flames in its storm.
“Callie.” I call out.
“Here.” I hear a small voice echo back. “I’m here.”
Sight is rendered useless in the dark, and I stumble into tables as I push further inside. “Keep talking Princess. Let me hear you.”
“I’m here. I need help.” I keep moving toward her pleas.
“I’m coming for you.” I offer her reassurance, muffling a cough as the smoke pollutes my lungs. I’m getting closer, I can feel it.
When I spot her, she’s low to the ground, holding a small cloth over her mouth and nose and another much larger one over two bodies on the floor. She catches sight of me, her eyes wide with fear peering out over the top of the cloth.
“I can’t move them.” She pleads for help. I reach for her, and she pulls away. “Them first. They’re unconscious.”
“Dominic?” Manny’s voice calls out for direction.
