AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I gently lifted her shirt to expose more of her side and back. It took everything I had not to gasp at the dark, angry bruises. No wonder she didn't want to go parading around in a bikini in front of a bunch of strangers at the pool. She probably also wanted to pick out her own dress to make sure that it hid all the marks that bastard had left on her.
I was an idiot for not thinking about it sooner. I laid there for a long time, imagining what she must have gone through and thinking of all the ways I would have loved to drag out Andrea's death.
Teo
After an amazing dinner, followed by a stroll along the deck at sunset, we finally docked in Nice. I'd had a good time with Mia but once we were in port, I had to shift my thoughts to more pressing matters, like making sure that my men were able to disembark without detection.
I escorted Mia away from the crowd of people at the bottom of the loading ramp with our two small suitcases.
"How will we know if they got off the ship okay?" Mia whispered.
"We're supposed to meet them around here." I urged her through the bustling port, heading for an old, dilapidated building.
"What is this place?"
"It used to be a restaurant but there was some fire damage a few months back and the owners haven't rebuilt. I figured it would be an inconspicuous spot to meet up. Come on. Let's get inside."
I cautiously opened the back door and peeked inside. There was no sign of anyone, but I placed my hand on the gun in my waistband just to be safe. I kept Mia close behind me as we entered the old building. The smell of smoke was still thick in the room and several walls had char marks from the fire. I led Mia further into the restaurant, when a sudden movement caught my eye. I pulled my gun quickly and aimed just in time to see my friends holding their hands up with guns gripped firmly.
“Whoa, Teo. It's us.” Luca sounded startled.
I lowered my gun with a sigh of relief. “I wasn't expecting you guys to already be here.”
“Well, unlike you, we didn't have to worry about checking out, getting our luggage, and all that fancy stuff,” Enzo teased.
“So, everyone made it here without being detected?” I looked around, noting that Alessandro, Luca, Enzo, Dante, and Nic were all there along with a handful of men that had joined us.
“All here and accounted for. And we were careful. No one followed us,” Alessandro reported.
“Good. My father and the others arrived on the private jet a couple of hours ago. He should be sending us a ride soon. We're just supposed to sit tight until the cars arrive.”
I checked my watch. It was nearly seven. I had three hours to be picked up, get Mia settled with my family, and find an excuse to slip out to the Blue Sapphire to meet Anna by ten. I hated all the sneaking around and secrecy. I would be glad once I knew what was going on so that I could take care of whatever it was and get it over with. I was tired of focusing on anything other than Mia and our upcoming wedding.
We only waited for about fifteen minutes before two black SUVs pulled up to the back of the restaurant. My father sent a text letting me know that the cars had arrived for us, and I led the men out.
Half an hour later we pulled up to the same hotel where I had been shot. We had bought that hotel during my stay and still owned it. It was a good investment that brought in a lot of money, but I had always come up with some reason not to go back. Walking through the luxurious lobby, my pulse began to race with memories of that night.
