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A hiss of pain rushes between her lips, and I glance down to see the chafed circles of bruised flesh around her wrists telling me someone tied her up too tight–and not with the appropriate rope.
“What did that sick fuck do?” I demand, my mind instantly flashing to Nicolo Marchetti. He’s the only one who could possibly have hurt this beautiful girl.
Anya’s eyes widen in shock, and she shushes me as she glances around the room to see if anyone else is paying attention. Then she takes my hand and pulls me into the hallway and away from our peers.
“I don’t give a fuck about what I said before about you sticking it out and finding someone nice after Nicolo gets tired of you,” I whisper vehemently. “He’s a monster for thinking he can lay his hands on you like this. I’m going to sic Ilya on that sadistic bastard and have him cut off the asshole’s balls.” And if Ilya cares more about his stupid fucking alliance than he does about my friend, then I’ll castrate Nicolo myself, but he’s not getting away with this. I’m so full of rage I just might murder the cocky prick.
“Whitney, shhh, calm down,” Anya pleads, her face paling. “Nicolo didn’t do this.”
“Oh right. My mistake. You probably fell down a flight of stairs,” I snap. I need to get my shit together. I can’t be pissed at Anya about this, even if she is trying to defend her abuser.
Anya snorts, and for some reason, that brings my temper down a notch. “No, this was definitely all done at the hands of a psycho, but it wasn’t Nico. Actually… if it weren’t for him, I’d be dead right now.”
That shuts me up. Of all the things I expected her to say, that wasn’t it. But my face must show the million questions racing through my brain because Anya rushes to explain.
“Nicolo and I were supposed to go on a date this weekend. But I was kidnapped by some disgruntled ex-employee’s sons. I… might have spit in one of their faces, and he backhanded me into last Sunday,” she says, pointing to her bruised cheek. “They hauled me into this abandoned warehouse and tied me up and were threatening to torture me.”
She gives a convulsing, full-body shudder at saying it aloud, and I reach out instinctually to take her hand.
“I was… so terrified,” she murmurs. “They had all kinds of knives and were talking about cutting up my face. I actually though he might have cut off one of my fingers for a moment there.” Anya raises her hand to inspect her digits, as if she’s still slightly surprised to find all five on her hand.
My stomach twists with anxiety at her horrible story.
“And then Nicolo was there. He… he killed them all.”
“All?” I ask.
“Well, the brothers and their bodyguards, who restrained me. They had a firefight right there around me. And I was so sure I was going to die. But then it was over, and Nicolo cut me free. He was so gentle with me. He came for me himself, even though he has plenty of men who could have done it for him.” Her voice shifts into a wondrous tone. “And then he took me home. He cleaned me up and made me feel so safe and warm and–” Anya’s explanation cuts short as she swallows hard, her eyes closing.
“What?” I breathe, my heart thrumming against my ribcage.
“I’m falling in love with him,” she breathes, her confession seeming almost painful.
My stomach twists as I recognize the fear in her statement. I can see it all over Anya’s face that she’s falling hard and fast for Nicolo, and from the sound of it, somewhere in their contentious relationship, Nicolo fell for Anya as well.
I can almost forgive Nicolo for all the terrible things he’s done to Anya and Fin because he saved my best friend’s life. I can only hope this proves to be a turning point in the way he treats her. Because Anya’s expression tells me she’s beyond the point of no return. She won’t leave him.
“Ladies, you’re going to be late,” Professor Moriari observes as he reaches the door to our classroom. “And from the looks of it, I would guess you haven’t finished stretching…” As his eyes take in Anya’s face more closely, his words falter, and his stone-cold expression shifts into concern. “Is everything alright?” he asks.
“Yes, I’m fine,” Anya assures him as her cheeks flush. “I… got in an accident this weekend. But really, I’m fine.”
“Well, if you need to take the day off, I understand. It won’t do to push yourself if your body needs time to heal.”
“Thank you, Professor.” Anya gives him a grateful smile, but I know she’s going to come to class anyhow. This girl doesn’t know the meaning of the word “quit.”
She confirms my suspicion a moment later, after Professor Moriari enters the classroom and Anya turns to wrap me in a hug.
“What was that for?” I ask when she releases me.
“Thank you for always being such a good friend. I have no doubts you would have made Nicolo a eunuch come hell or high water if he were responsible for my face,” she says, a smile splitting her face.
“Yeah, well, I still do kind of blame him since it was his pissed off ex-employee’s kids,” I point out.
Anya giggles as she loops her arm with mine and steers me toward the classroom. “I suppose that’s fair, but please leave his balls intact all the same.”
“Fine,” I grouse jokingly.
But Anya’s story does really get me to thinking about her situation and why it happened at all. And suddenly, Ilya’s warnings come screaming back to me. I need face the fact that his determination to keep things professional and without emotion between us is correct. Anya’s and Nicolo’s connection put her at risk because his enemies could see she means something to him. If I want to avoid putting myself in the same precarious position, I need to accept my arrangement with Ilya for what it is. Unless I want to risk ending up like his late mother, sent to an early grave, I can’t fall for Ilya. And I don’t want to die young. I have a dream to follow.
