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“Only if you promise to give me the whole story,” he said solemnly, wondering what the hell he was getting himself into, “and only if you’re sure it’s safe to try to leave again? How many guys are watching you?”
“Just that bastard until tomorrow; that’s why I have to escape today, and I think I know how I can do it.”
“Okay, Bianca, listen carefully. On the side of my cottage facing the neighbor, there’s a door. I’ll leave it unlocked,” he replied, though taken aback by her sudden transformation. The shaking, frightened girl who had staggered from the water had suddenly become a confident young woman with a plan. “Keep the towel around you,” he added quickly, not wanting the coarse detective to see her in just a bra and shorts.
“Thank you, I was going to ask if I could. The wind is so cold.”
“Time’s up!” the detective shouted.
Looking over his shoulder, Nick saw the oafish man lumbering toward them.
“She’ll go back with you, no problem,” Nick said, placing his arm against Bianca’s back and guiding her forward.
“You know, Nick, this is an isolated spot,” the detective remarked, fixing Nick with an unwavering gaze. “There’s no telling what could happen. I’m told there are rip currents, even sharks.” Then lowering his voice, he added, “You take care of your business, and I’ll take care of mine. Are we clear?”
Though he wanted to flatten the thug’s nose even more, Nick wordlessly nodded his head.
“Batten down the hatches,” the cop continued as he grabbed Bianca’s arm and started walking away. “It looks like this will be one helluva night.”
“I sure hope so,” Nick mumbled, watching the brutish man head back to the large, modern home, “but what the fuck have I just agreed to?”
* * *
“Try that shit again, Bianca, and you’ll be fucking sorry,” Matt warned ominously as he bustled her across the sand.
“Lay one finger on me and you know my father will hunt you down, and we both know you’ll end up being the one who’s sorry. In fact, I’m going to tell him all kinds of things. Yeah, Matt, you’ll end up regretting this bullshit, and that’s a promise.”
“Hah. With the money I’m getting I’ll be on a private jet flying to the other side of the world by the time he sees your face again. He’ll never find me.”
“If you’re so sure about that, why haven’t you messed with me?”
“Keep it up and I fucking will,” Matt hissed as they reached the oversized patio. “Now get inside.”
As he opened the sliding glass door, Bianca hurried past him and ran across the chic living room to the stairs. Taking them two at a time, she hurried into her bedroom, closed and locked the door, then let the towel fall from her shoulders.
“Thank God,” she whispered under her breath.
Desperate for a shower, she moved into the bathroom, turned on the faucets, then hastily peeled off her wet clothes and stepped into the stall. She hadn’t wanted to give her handsome rescuer her real name, but as the hot water streamed over her, she knew she’d done the right thing. If she’d lied, and he’d found out, she would have lost his trust, and for the moment his trust was all she had. Letting out a long, relieved sigh and closing her eyes, she began to shampoo her hair and think about her handsome hero.
He had a surfer’s tan and the body to go with it. Wide shoulders, a six-pack she could scrub her clothes on, and muscled arms. His chiseled features and dark brown eyes reminded her of a runway model she’d once drooled over in New York. But the most surprising thing about him was his confidence. He hadn’t seemed the least intimidated by Matteus, though the crooked detective not only carried himself with a menacing air, his ice blue eyes were filled with malice.
Rinsing out the shampoo and stepping from the shower, she lifted a towel from the rack and began to dry herself off. The hint of a smile crossed her lips. For hours she’d been praying fervently for help, but she never expected it would be offered in the form of a gorgeous guy. Even his name was sexy. Nick Vincelli. But if she was to escape, she had to stay focused. Getting to know him better… that would come later.
* * *
Back inside his small beach house, Nick had dropped a pod in his coffeemaker, and was watching the hot, dark liquid fill his mug. Adding cream, he carried it to his desk, placed it carefully next to his laptop, then sat down and entered Bianca’s name into the search engine. News reports instantly appeared on his screen. After reading the opening sentences of the first one, he leaned back in his chair.
Things are bad, really, really bad.
“You weren’t kidding,” he muttered as her words echoed through his head. “Fuck. Am I’m completely screwed?”
CHAPTER2
The threatening weather swept in from the ocean with fierce winds and torrential rain. Standing at the picture window looking out at the dark night, Nick wondered if the storm was a harbinger of the days ahead. Fate had thrown him a curve ball, one he could never have seen coming.
Bianca Albertini was the daughter of legendary mob boss Lorenzo Albertini. The tough gangster was based in Las Vegas, and according to the news reports Nick had read on the internet, Bianca had disappeared several days before. He assumed she’d been kidnapped by the loathsome detective, but who in their right mind would snatch the daughter of a feared and powerful man like Lorenzo Albertini?
Nick had no illusions about the danger he’d be facing if he tried to whisk her back to her father in Las Vegas. The people who had snatched her would move heaven and earth to get her back. Or kill her. She’d be able to tell her father exactly who they were. But in spite of the risks, Nick felt compelled to help, and he was uniquely equipped to deal with the perilous situation. It was almost as if fate had thrown her into his path.
