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“Rich people holding cell. Where do you think?” He rolled his eyes. “You’re all the same. You come in here with doe eyes thinking one of those rich men are going to sweep you off your feet. You’re nothing but a toy. I hope you understand that now, sweetheart. Go home. And find a real job.”
“Is that why you let me in?” I pulled at my arm. “You thought I wanted money?”
“Didn’t you?”
I opened my mouth to tell him he had it all wrong. But the thing was my reasons for coming here were just as pathetic. Maybe I hadn’t come looking to land a billionaire because I needed money, but I still did come to find someone.
“You have to let me go. I don’t want to be here.”
“Did they not explain the rules to you?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You can’t leave until you get what you came here for.”
“I’m not in the mood for riddles.” I squinted my eyes at him. “And who the hell is ‘they’? No one told me anything.” Shit. I was on the brink of a colossal panic attack. This was too much. They took Enzo and now Luca. What was I supposed to do? “Please. At least let me see my friend.”
“Your friend. We’ll see.” He chuckled.
I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant by that, but then Enzo strode in with a black business card in his hand and tossed it in the bouncer’s face. “Let her go. Her debt is paid.”
“Hmm.” The bouncer’s eyebrows shot up into his receding hairline. He bent down and picked up the card with the same logo on it, except it was blue instead of gold. His gaze darted between Enzo and me as he rose to his full height. “I guess there’s always a first time.”
Slowly as can be, he moved toward the thick velvet curtains and pulled them back, just enough for us to squeeze by. I slipped my hand around Enzo’s arm and did what Luca had asked me not to do. I looked back. At the bottom of the stairs, the asshole with the creepy smirk waved goodbye. And I swore he mouthed the words, “See you later.”
I froze in place and fisted my fingers around Enzo’s tuxedo jacket. This place scared the crap out of me. “Enzo.”
“I know. Walk.”
Somehow, I managed to move my legs. But as soon as the fresh air hit me square in the face, I realized we’d left Luca behind. “Enzo. Wait. We can’t leave. Luca is still in there.”
“You’re my only priority. Let’s go.”
“No.” I stepped away from him. “He got in trouble with those people because of me. I can’t leave him.”
“Jesus fuck, Donata. You’re not going back there.” He scanned the empty street. When the tires of an SUV screeched in the distance, he bent down and threw me over his shoulder. “You’ll thank me later.”
“What the balls, Enzo?” I put my hands on his back to keep my balance. “Put me down. I get it.”
“No, you don’t.” He strode down the sidewalk, toward the side of the block that seemed to get darker and darker. Enzo took determined strides and didn’t stop until a vehicle pulled up in front of us. “Get in.” He set me down.
By now, my belly and arms were so bruised, I decided it wasn’t a good idea to fight him on this anymore. The smart thing to do would be to regroup and figure out how we could help Luca. I climbed in the car and scooted all the way over to make room for Enzo.
“Just drive us out of here. Don’t go home yet.” He tapped his driver on the shoulder then sat back, releasing a long breath. “What the fuck was that?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” He glared at me. “You’re sorry? Do you realize what almost happened to YOU?”
I’d been trying not to put too much thought into what those guys almost did to me. I shivered when I considered where I’d be if Luca and Enzo hadn’t shown up. “I know. Of all the dumb shit I’ve done in my life, this one tops them all.”
“Yeah, it really does.” He reached for my hand. “Are you okay?”
“I am. Just a little bruised.” I showed him my arms and wrists. “All that because of a little liquid tattoo.” I rubbed on the ink, but it didn’t even smudge. “How long before this washes off, do you think?”
“The guy said about a week.”
“What guy?”
“The bookie who took my money.” He pressed his forefinger and thumb to his eyes. “That’s what they wanted when they split us up and took me in the back. The only way to get you out of the mansion was to pay off your debt.”
“What fucking debt?”
