AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What the fuck!” screams the leader as he lets go of me, sending me into the hardwood floor carpeted in shards of glass.
The front door splinters at the lock as someone on the other side attempts to kick it down. Could it be the cops? Am I lucky enough to have survived this easily?
When the door flies open, I can barely make out the details of my rescuer’s face, but as soon as I look closely enough, I can see him.
It’s Marcello.
He looks just as I remember him, exactly as I’ve pictured him in my head every night before I go to sleep. Maybe a bit older, sure, but not by much.
There’s so much going on around me that I freeze in place. The gunfire that blew out the windows has deafened me, and all I can hear is a high-pitched ringing in my head. Marcello motions to me to come towards him, to get up from the floor and run, but I’m completely paralyzed.
I see him roll his eyes as he sprints to me, picking me up off the floor and swinging me over his shoulder. If I were capable of actually absorbing what’s happening right now, my head would probably explode. This feels like the most unhinged fever dream I’ve ever had.
My ribs hit his shoulder as it bears all of my weight, and I shout out in pain as he carries me out of the room. I’m shocked that he’s able to run so easily with my entire body weighing him down, but I’m not going to question it. Right now, all I’m going to do is shut up and be eternally grateful to the universe for sending him my way.
“Marcello! Where the hell did you come from?!” I shout as he continues to run towards a blacked-out SUV on the other side of the road.
“No time,” he replies curtly as he swings open the back passenger door, tossing me inside and slamming it behind me.
He climbs into the seat directly in front of mine, and within seconds, we take off into the night. The driver is speeding through the side streets, and I’m worried that we’re going to get stopped by the police.
“What the fuck is happening?!” I shout, gathering my bearings and feeling the welt on my head from where I smacked myself on the pavement. As soon as I feel it, my headache worsens, and I regret raising my voice at all.
“Don’t worry about it,” Marcello barks from the front seat without looking back at me. He’s hanging on to the handle above the door as if he’s anticipating an even more intense ride as we head onto the highway.
I grasp around for something to hang onto as the driver presses the gas pedal into the floor. The engine roars, deafening me as I try to rationalize literally anything that’s taken place within the last hour. This kind of thing isn’t real, and it certainly doesn’t happen to people like me.
“Marcello, you need to tell me what’s happening!” I demand, emboldened by the adrenaline that’s finally beginning to course through my system. All I could do before was freeze, but now I feel like I could kick down a brick wall.
“You need to keep your fucking mouth shut until we get where we’re going. Do you understand me?” he growls just loud enough for me to hear him over the engine.
He whips his head around to stare directly into my eyes, and the intensity of his gaze strikes fear into my bones like I’ve never known. For now, he’s not the sexy stranger who has haunted my dreams and delusions for the past five years. He’s a dangerous criminal, and I need to treat him as such.
ChapterEleven
MARCELLO
The woman in the back miraculously remains silent for the rest of the drive, even though I can sense her panic and confusion. I’m waiting for her to burst into tears or scream at me to let her go, but she’s being surprisingly cooperative. All the more reason to believe that she’s trained to handle crisis situations.
When we pull up to my estate, rain begins to pour down in sheets. I’m barely able to punch in the code that opens the electric gates, and I curse myself for installing such an unnecessarily complicated security system.
I glance back at the woman, who has remained silent with wide eyes as she glances around the property. It’s still pitch-black outside, save for a few scattered street lights, and I’m certain that the appearance of a ten-foot concrete wall around the perimeter of my home frightens her.
Good. She needs to understand who she’s fucking with.
I’m honestly a little disappointed that she’s doing what I’m asking her to do. It would be easier to get an idea of who she actually is if she were less cooperative, and it would give me a better sense of how to deal with her. As of right now, she’s likely an undercover American trying to infiltrate my organization.
After a maddening number of unsuccessful attempts, I’m able to unlock the gates. I step back into the SUV, turning around briefly to assess the state of the woman as she stares out the window. I can already tell that she’s going to be stubborn, and I’d hate to have to hurt her, but my empire doesn’t function on mercy. If she’s here to fuck me over, she’s got another thing coming.
We enter the underground garage attached to the lower floor of my house, and as soon as the vehicle is shut off, she exhales deeply as if she’s been holding in the same breath since I dragged her out of that warehouse.
“Can I speak now?” she asks, her voice wavering as she gathers her bearings. She’s awfully brave for someone so ill-prepared to handle the consequences of her actions.
“Did I say you could speak?” I reply, glaring back at her as Tommaso handcuffs her before guiding her out of the back seat.
She sighs, her eyes darting around as she tries to make out the vague shapes in the dim light of the garage. It’s obvious that she’s putting on a front of bravery for me, and I have to admit that it’s entertaining. The female cops are always the most fun to deal with because they have more to prove than anyone else. It’s almost like they want me to be impressed by their stoicism.
Tommaso follows directly behind me, leading her into my office and cuffing her to my computer chair. She doesn’t struggle, doesn’t beg for her life – instead, she locks eyes with me every chance she gets. Circumstances aside, it’s a little creepy.
