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“Leave,” I snapped at the women, who didn’t hesitate for a single second before grabbing their dresses off the floor and running out of the room.
“What is going on?” Dom demanded, not happy that I had just ruined his fun.
I pulled out the gun I had picked from one of the now dead guards and pointed it at him.
“The fuck do you think you are doing, Armando?” Dom asked with a deadly edge, but it was lost in translation from the obviously stoned tone his voice also took.
“Ending you. I’ve waited for this day for over three years now. The day I would finally get to look upon your corpse. The day Alexis would get justice for everything you put her through.”
I had to fight with keeping my body still. I could feel a trembling threatening to overtake me, but I wasn't going to let anything jeopardize this moment.
“I don’t know what whore you are talking about. But my guards are going to kill you. It’s a shame, Armando; you could have been great within my organization.”
The cocky son of a bitch was actually still sitting there. He believed I had managed to get past his guards without being noticed. The drugs had eaten away his brain cells. He was so lost in his own world that he couldn’t even see what was right before him.
“You’re guards are dead, Dom. You can join them in Hell.”
One single shot rang out, and the bullet tore through his skull, painting the wall behind him. I took a few steps closer to him. I had waited so long for this moment that I thought I would feel a deep sense of relief and joy, but I felt nothing. There was a small sense of relief because it was finally over and done with.
There was relief that I could go home now. But there was no joy nor sense of euphoria. All I could think about was getting to Natalie. Despite the fact that I had gotten justice for Alexis and all of the women and children who came before and after her, it didn’t change the fact that Natalie was still in danger, and she would be until we were in the air. I needed to get back to her and then the joy would come.
Chapter twenty-nine
Natalie
“He’s going to be ok,” Gabriele said, doing his best to offer me what comfort he could.
I could tell he didn't truly believe what he was saying though. Afterall, how could he? Armando wasn’t going in just for a single fight. He wasn’t going up against just Dominic. He was going up against multiple guards who would be standing in his way of Dominic. Anything could happen. One could get in a lucky shot and Armando could be dead. He could be dead on the floor of some sleazy private club right now and we wouldn’t even know it.
All of this was crazy, and what was most insane, I was worried about him. Not just worried but terrified to my core about him. About the man who had tortured my father. It was insane, and yet I was praying with every fiber in my being that he would walk through the hotel door. When all of this started, if you had told me that by the end of this I would be well on my way to being madly in love with my main captor, I would have told you to check yourself into the mental asylum. And here I was, pacing back and forth in this luxury hotel room so terrified that I can’t even sit down, let alone admire the beauty surrounding me. All this was too much, but I had no one to blame but myself.
Dominic and my father had put me in the position to be kidnapped and held captive. But I put myself in this specific position by sleeping with Armando and then doing something so idiotic as to develop feelings for him. Maybe it would have been better if I had stopped my feelings right when they started to bud. Maybe I could have bidden my time until Armando killed Dominic.
At least then I wouldn’t have cared if he survived the battle or not. The problem was that it left me feeling lonely. Whenever I thought about not having Armando in my life, I felt like I was missing a piece of myself. As if my arm had been cut off. It made no sense, but none of this did. It probably would have been better to never care for Armando, but I did not want it. Not willing to trade that life for this one because as bad as some of the time had been, and as wrong as this felt right now, I knew the second he walked through that door, it would all be worth it. Assuming he walked through that door, a little voice inside my head reminded me.
“You don’t know that. How much time left?”
Gabriele checked his watch before he spoke, “Thirty minutes. If he’s not back by then, we have to leave. I know you won’t want to, but we have to leave. It’s what Mando wants.”
“What if we leave and he shows up five minutes later?” I countered. I was not prepared to leave him behind. Even if he was dead, he deserved to be properly buried.
“Then he will meet us either at the airport or in New York City. Getting you out after the three-hour mark is to ensure you and the baby are safe. We don’t know if Dom is going to send someone to the house. If they get there and find no body or any signs of a murder, they will know something is wrong and start looking for all of us. Plus, one of the guards could get a call in before Armando is able to kill him. It’s just safer for you and the baby to be out of town should shit go south.”
It was logical, but that didn’t mean I was happy about it. “And if he doesn’t make it, you just leave his body to be defiled and god knows what done to it?”
“If Mando is killed, then I will put the call in for our guys and make sure everyone within Dom’s organization is killed, and we will get his body back. He will be given a proper burial. Honestly, though, you need to have more faith in him. He’s very good at what he does and he’s smart. He will assess the situation first. He’s not going to risk being killed. Not when he finally has a chance to have what he has always wanted.”
“Justice for Alexis,” I said with understanding to my voice.
He gave me a kind smile before he spoke. “No, he’s not doing this for justice anymore. He’s doing this to protect you and that baby. He’s always wanted a family of his own and now that it’s within reach, he’s not going to let anything or anyone threaten that. I know it’s hard but have some hope.”
I was fresh out of hope at this point, but I wasn’t going to let him know. He appeared to have some, which should have comforted me, but it didn’t. My hand migrated over to my stomach. I couldn’t help but think about everything that needed to happen. I would need to get tests done as soon as possible. Either way, tonight, I was going to be free. Now I just need Armando to be here for it.
Fifteen minutes later, I heard a beeping at the door, and my heart shot up to my throat. I held my breath as I waited to see who would walk through. Either Armando was finally coming back alive to me, or it someone coming to kill me. Either way, my life was about to change. I saw Gabriele pulling his gun and pointing it toward the door; he was clearly prepared for someone dangerous on the other side. It only took seconds, but it felt like hours by the time the door opened enough for the person on the other side to walk through.
A cry broke through my lips at the sight of Armando walking into the room. He was here; he made it. I felt my knees going weak at the pure relief flooding my body. He was actually here. He instantly came toward me, and I threw my arms around his neck as he pulled me close. The feel of his arms wrapped around me made the tears fall. He was here with me. He was safe, and we were finally going to be safe. We were all going to get to go home. It was over.
“I thought I had lost you,” I cried into his shoulder.
