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“Maybe,” she agreed, her voice softening. “But I couldn’t just watch and let you die.”
I narrowed my eyes, then grabbed her chin so she couldn’t look away.
She should hate me, shouldn’t she? I’d kidnapped her, made it clear she was my captive. She should’ve been happy to see me dead. Not help me.
“Why?” I asked, unable to keep the disbelief from my voice.
“I don’t know,” she whispered, reached out, and touched my cheek. “You showed me kindness when I least expected it.” She shrugged. “I’m just paying it back. You protect me, and I protect you.”
Her words sent a shiver down my spine, and I found myself leaning in closer, craving the warmth of her touch. Our lips were inches apart, and I could feel the heat radiating off her skin. The attraction I felt was undeniable, but I couldn’t give in to it—not when there was still so much at stake.
“You need to understand something,” I warned her, my voice low and dangerous. “This changes nothing. And if you ever disobey me again, I’ll wrap my hands around your neck and kill you myself.”
“Even if it means risking your life?” she challenged me, her eyes flashing with defiance.
Why wasn’t she scared of me? She should be fucking scared.
Because I was. The magnetic pull she had on me, the force of attraction. It was as if she cast a spell over me. One I didn’t know how to escape.
“Especially if it means risking my life instead of yours,” I echoed her words, my resolve hardening. “Do not ever risk your life for me again.”
She searched my face for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then she sighed. “Fine,” she agreed. “But just so you know, I still don’t take orders from you.”
I chuckled. How could she still be under the illusion she had any say in what exactly was happening here? “Are you sure about that?” I held her gaze, then pulled away, my fingers trailing across her jaw as I let her go.
I took her hand and pulled her with me to the monitors. I watched each one carefully, took my time.
“What are we looking for?” she asked.
“Anything out of the ordinary,” I said.
She sighed but kept her eyes trained on the surveillance images.
When I was sufficiently certain a second wave wasn’t coming, I pulled her with me across the room, grabbed the fire extinguisher, and dragged her back through the closet and into the bedroom.
The sight that greeted us stopped her in her tracks.
“Oh God,” she whispered, staring wide-eyed at the two lifeless intruders sprawled on the floor.
Fuck.
“Stay behind me,” I commanded, shielding her from the grisly scene.
Dead bodies didn’t faze me. I’d seen my fair share of death and violence all around the world. Inflicted enough of it on my own. But it wasn’t something I wanted her to witness.
“Are they…” She couldn’t finish the question, but I knew what she meant.
“Dead? Very,” I confirmed, my voice cold and detached. I slung my arm around her waist and pulled her against my body. “Close your eyes and stay still while I handle this.”
I pulled out my phone and dialed Cristo’s number. “Get up here, now, and bring Alessio,” I barked into my phone and immediately hung up again.
Cristo should’ve recognized the urgency in my voice.
I turned to her, grabbed her around the waist, pulled her against me, and dragged her past the bodies. “Go hide in the bathroom,” I ordered and released her but stayed between her and the bodies—blocking her line of sight.
I did not want her to see, and I did not want her to be present when my brothers arrived.
Cristo knew about her, but until I had a better grip on where Alessandro’s loyalties lie, nobody else would.
