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She didn’t deserve this—she didn’t deserve any of it. But there was no escaping this life for her. Not now.
Not ever.
Alessia was the Marchetti princess. Whether she wanted it or not.
In another life, I could have protected her, loved and cherished her above all else. But Nicco and Antonio would never accept it.
They would never accept me.
The thought was like a punch to the gut.
“What do you have over there?” she asked, finally noticing me.
“Some blankets, water, a flashlight and some candles, and an emergency kit.”
“It’s like someone knew to expect us.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes but I drank it in, all the same.
She was so fucking beautiful it hurt.
Not like the pain the bullet hole in my shoulder created but something deeper. A wound on my soul.
“What?” she whispered, looking up at me through thick lashes and those dark eyes. Eyes I could get lost in. Eyes that I wanted to fucking drown in.
Shit, I needed to focus. Needed to concentrate on getting us the hell out of here and to safety before Mahoney’s men found us.
When I’d gone in search of supplies, I hadn’t heard them. But we couldn’t have run that far, so there was every chance they would find us eventually. And I was only one man against many.
Fuck.
Fuck!
“Nothing.” I forced my lips into a smile. “I think we should hole up here for the day and then try and find a route out under the cover of darkness.”
“And if they find us.”
It wasn’t a question, more like a forgone conclusion.
My jaw clenched. “Let’s hope they don’t.”
Nicco and his men would be working on finding us. Even if they played Mahoney’s game, I didn’t doubt for a second that they would be working behind the scenes to locate us.
By the way the sun was cresting over the tree line, it had to be about seven am. Which meant we’d been gone for approximately seven hours.
My thoughts started to turn to Jay and Bella, Michele and Marcella, but I slammed the door shut on them. I couldn’t go there, not yet. Not until I’d gotten Alessia the hell out of here.
“We’re going to be here for a while,” I said. “You should try and get some rest.”
Alessia’s gaze flickered to the bed beside her and she shook her head. “I-I can’t…”
“Sure you can,” I said, dropping the pile of supplies down on a rickety old chair. A plume of dust filled the air and I wafted it away. “We’ll put a couple of these blankets down and it’ll be as good as new.”
She didn’t look convinced but I needed to do something. Anything to try and ease the sheer panic in her eyes.
“If you come over here for a second, I have an idea.”
Alessia got up and moved aside, worrying her lip as she watched me push the bed up against the wall with no window. I pulled off the threadbare sheet and flipped the mattress surprised by how sturdy it still felt and laid out two blankets.
“See as good as new.” I winked, trying to lighten the mood. Alessia grimaced but sat on the edge, running her hands over the thick woolen blanket.
