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“Ah, so my nephew does have a big mouth. Did he tell you all about the way I’ve been destroying his world while his cock was down your throat?” He takes another step, pressing me harder against the tree. Bark scrapes along my exposed skin but I allow the pain to ground me. One of his arms brackets me in while the other keeps the barrel of the gun pressed against me, keeping me from fleeing. I could fight. I could escape. But…
“He told me everything. About the barbershop and the car accident with Eli. The cyanide and all the bodies left behind.” I show no emotion, no fear, as I speak as though I have the authority to do so. As if Renz truly did let me into his world. I just need to stall. To wait for Renz to get back from his call. “He knows that it’s you behind all the attacks.”
Matteo shoots me a scathing glare but doesn’t disagree or argue. I may not have much information but it’s enough to have him questioning things. Finally, he smiles, and shakes his head, giving me a disapproving look.
“See, that’s the thing. I don’t think he does, but, in the grand scheme of things, it matters not.” He shrugs and slides one of his hands into his too-tight pants as he steps away from me. The other hand, the one holding the gun, goes slack at his side. I’m not stupid. I know that his calm, casual demeanor, and the fact that he’s willing to give me space to run means that we’re not alone out here. He has backup.
My hands shake and I fist them at my sides to hide the movement. My eyes flick from side to side as I look for signs of Renz or anyone else out here in the woods. When I see no one but Matteo, I swallow deeply and force myself to stay calm. I can do this. Ihaveto do this. I have to stay in control in order to survive.
I say nothing, perfectly content to let him dig his own grave while I stall. I only wish that I could get to my phone, to record him, or call one of the boys. Renz has no idea that his own uncle is the one trying to kill him, does he?
No. He can’t.
“My nephew has been a problem for me since the day he was born. I’ve been content to milk him for all he’s worth. Accept his money and his gifts. Enjoy my freedom and the lifestyle I can afford. But the time has come for me to take my place as the head of this family. With Renz out of the picture, I’ll be the next in line to take his place. Unfortunately, taking the little bastard out has been more—” he pauses as if admitting that Renz and his friends are hard to kill is physically painful. “More of an issue than I’d originally thought. It would be much easier if I could just do it myself, but I can’t exactly go into his home and kill the Don of the Cosa Nostra, now can I?”
He chuckles again, but it’s an angry sound. Matteo isn’t paying attention to me whatsoever as he continues his speech, but I know if I tried to run, he or his men would be on me in a second. I listen to all of his words, absorbing them, committing them to memory, knowing they will be important soon.
“But I came up with a solution. A foolproof plan.” He pauses, finally deigning to look at me. His smile sends a shiver of repulsion through me. Whatever he says next, I know I’m going to hate it. “I’ve decided that while I want my nephew dead, I find that I have quite enjoyed playing with him these last few months. So, I’ve decided on one final game. One that I know will truly destroy him and his littlefriends.” he spits the word, and from that alone, I can tell what he thinks of Eli and Zac. “I will take the one thing they care about more than anything.”
My brows lift in question as I cross my arms over my chest. I will not be weak; I will not cower. This isn’t over yet. “And what is that?”
“You,”he says simply.
Shaking my head in confusion, I protest. “What are you talking about? I’m not—”
“Oh yes,” he interrupts, “You most definitely are. They would not invite you into their lives in any capacity if you didn’t mean something to them. I have men on the inside of their world. I know what they do with their time, who they see, who they fuck, who and what they speak about. You are the only one, little rabbit, the only thing, that has mattered to them and when I take you, theywillcome.”
Swallowing, my brain begins to form a plan even as fear makes my body tremble.I need an escape. I need to think. I need to stay calm and focused.
“Where are you taking me?” I say, shocked at how steady my voice comes out. I just need the details. I need to know his plan so I can run as soon as I get the chance.Where the hell is Renz?
Matteo grins and jerks his head at something to my left. “With me.”
And then, I’m being bound and gagged by more men than I can count. I scream and thrash. I kick, punch and bite. I yank out hair and rip shirts straight down the center. I claw, drawing blood.
I go feral.
I don’t stop or pause. I fight. I fight with everything I have. I fight for my life because, at this very second, it feels as though that is exactly what it’s come down to. I fight even as one of the men punches me in the gut. I fight even when another one backhands me. I scream and cry but I don’t stop fighting. I fight until my already aching and weak muscles, give out.
Matteo laughs loudly in the background and then falls into a fit of heavy coughing.
He’s weak. Old and overweight. He talks too much. He relies on his men to do the heavy lifting.
Focus, Violet. Fucking focus!
I realize at that moment that I have no choice but to submit and go along with Matteo’s plan. I can’t escape these hulking men or the ropes that now bind my limbs. I can’t scream with the gag in my mouth, and I can’t see now that I’m blindfolded. I have no way to run, no way to fight or protect myself. I have to rely on my available senses while I can, because I have no doubt, they will knock me out soon.
They say in moments of life or death, your body acts on instinct.
Mine did. I fought. I fought until I couldn’t fight anymore. But now? Now, my body has shifted tactics.
Instead of falling into the overwhelming panic that wants to take me under, the fear and anxiety that want to render me useless, I mentally set a plan in motion. I give myself a goal, something to cling to until I can escape.
Matteo thinks I’m the one thing the boys care most about in this world. I have no idea if that’s true or not, but what I do know, is that this piece of shit has underestimated me. He may think that I’m nothing more than a weak whore, waiting to be rescued by her men.
But he made a grave miscalculation.
I am not a damsel in distress or a princess in a tower.
