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“Stop fucking losing your mind for one goddamn minute so we can talk!” he yelled at me before grabbing me for a big hug. I collapsed against him and cried against his chest. My pain felt like weakness. I was so fucking tired of not feeling in control of my own life. Alessandro patted my back as I let go of my agony and let it fall down my cheeks. “Let’s go to the hotel. We can figure out our next steps there. But you arenotgoing back. Do you understand me?”
Anguish consumed my mind. He still didn’t get it. Maybe if I knocked him out and ran?
“Nix, stop thinking of ways to get away,” Alessandro begged.
“I’m thinking of ways to save you.”
“You saved me all those years ago,” he whispered. “It’s my turn now. Hell, you’ve spent your entire life saving people. Me. Sunshine. Grace. The Bullets. It’s time to relinquish a bit of control. It’s time to trust someone else to be strong. I know you’re scared. I know you think you’re doing what’s best, but it’s time to come home.”
He was right. I knew it. But hoping to escape the Ringleaders was dangerous. I wasn’t sure I could do it. But now that I’d seen Alessandro, I wasn’t sure if I was strong enough to run away again. We had to try.
“Okay,” I replied weakly. I hated how much these people had stolen from me. I used to be the levelheaded one. I used to be the one who pulled the strings. Not anymore.
Alessandro pressed his hand against my back and started leading me back down the windy streets of Sydney. I was sweating through my sweatshirt, and my entire body ached. I felt completely drained. “Just a little further,” Alessandro promised while guiding me. I stole glances at him, noting the ways he’d changed and how he was still the same. He was a protector. He was the level head to my eccentricities. He had a couple of wrinkles around his eyes, and his scruff didn’t look as sharp and trimmed as it used to. He wasn’t wearing a perfectly tailored suit, either.
But he was still the same. Still tall and proud. His olive skin looked beautiful in the Sydney sunshine, and I loved the way his muscular arm wrapped around me. I felt safe for the first time in ages.
He pulled me up to the Sofitel, and I stopped immediately. “You can’t stay here,” I whispered.
“Why not?”
“It’s owned bythem,” I said while looking around.
“It’s owned by who?”
“The Ringleaders.”
Shit. This was a bad idea. I needed to end this and leave.
Alessandro let go of me to fast walk toward the entrance. I stared at his back for a moment in confusion, and once he realized I wasn’t behind him at the revolving door, he called over his shoulder. “Grace is inside.”
My heart panged. Grace.
I jogged after him and let out a shaky exhale. They'll know we were here. I wanted a long reunion with Alessandro and Grace, but there was no time for that. They’d find us soon, and I was ready to run.
Chapter Nine
Grace
I trembled as I stared at the clock. Two minutes. Alessandro had two minutes to show up before I was getting the fuck out of here.
Okay, maybe ten minutes. I couldn’t just leave him. What if he was dead? What if they were coming after me next? I pulled my wet red hair up into a bun and paced the hotel room. It was insane how quickly shit went south. One second Alessandro and I were shopping, the next I was sprinting down the street toward our hotel. The second I got in our room, I locked the door and shoved a nightstand in front of it. Then, I hopped in the shower and cleaned up as quickly as I could. After drying off, getting dressed, and packing everything into my suitcase, I waited.
And waited.
Then waited some more.
One minute. One minute until I was out of here.
The minute passed in the blink of an eye. I wished I had my cell phone to call Sunshine. I wished I wasn’t scared that it could be traced and put her in danger. I wished I didn’t feel so fucking alone. I didn’t want to run away in the first place. I could handle myself in a fight. Visions of Alessandro lying dead in the street made my stomach coil with anguish.
I waited a bit longer; each tick of the clock felt like a death sentence.
Then, the door handle moved. Whoever was on the other side pushed against the nightstand. I clutched my chest and prepared to fight my way out of there. “Grace?” Alessandro said cautiously. “If you’re still here, I’m going to be pissed. I said forty-five minutes.”
Never in my life had I been so relieved to hear his bossy voice. I let out a huff of air and shot off the bed. I shoved the nightstand away and flung open the door. Relief flooded me the moment I saw him. “Thank fuck you’re okay,” I choked out, tears stinging my eyes. Alessandro looked nervous as I checked him over for bruises. He appeared flushed and ruffled. There was a purple bruise blooming on his neck. “What happened…”
I realized what had happened the moment I saw him.Nix. Nix!He was standing behind Alessandro, holding onto his hand like it was a lifeline. He looked rattled but still the same. The thick-rimmed glasses he used to wear weren’t on his face. His lips were swollen and bruised. His eyes wild, feverish, and coal black. He looked haunted and horny. The sweatshirt he wore didn’t hide the way his chest heaved. I felt my excitement rise within me. It was like taking a breath of air after being held under water. My mouth parted in a gleeful smile. My skin felt ten pounds lighter. But then, that elation cracked, crumbled, and collapsed. Nix licked his lips while glancing at Alessandro, and that simple longing look was all I needed to see. Iknew.I just knew where I stood in this dynamic.
