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I take her hand, trying to guide her inside. She snatches her hand away and walks into the apartment. I follow her, then turn and quickly type in the code. Lockdown… Maybe she really is a princess, and this is her tower in the castle where she’s banished.
“I need your phone,” I tell her.
She turns to me and bites her lip. I almost kiss her. It aches to be this close to her. She’s still got that terrified look as if she thinks I’m going to hurt her. I’ve forced her to come here. Maybe I didn’t have to hurt her, but she’s here, and she doesn’t want to be.
“Mia…”
She turns and runs into the apartment, snatching her phone from a fold in her dress. She’s yelling into it,“Please, please help…”
I run after her, grab the phone, and throw it so hard against the wall it erupts. She gasps and leaps away from me, covering her face. It stings me on a deep level. It hurts me, having her think I’d ever do anything to hurt her.
I grab the phone and snap the SIM. She groans and turns in a circle, looking around the loft-style apartment, open plan in the extreme. From this one spot, we can see the kitchen, the family room, a small workout area, and a bedroom. The bathroom and another bedroom are down the hall.
“What is this place? Your bachelor pad?”
“Were you calling the cops?” I say.
“Elio,” she replies. “I don’t want you to get into trouble, you crazy person,but you’re going nuts if you think Elio and Luca would blame you.”
She sits on the sleek, modern-looking gray couch. I sit near her, my hand trembling. I want to grab her so badly, own a thick handful of her perfect leg, and press my lips against hers.
“It’s not about them. It’s about Vito Santoro and Tony Marino. Both those names mean something. There are prices that must be paid for what I did.”
She’s quiet for a long time. I say nothing, watching her, resisting the urge to brush her beautifully messy, light-colored hair from her forehead.
“Thank you for stopping him,” she whispers, shuddering. “He wasn’t going to do anything good.”
“There was no way I was going to let him hurt you, Mia,” I growl. “No goddamn way. I didn’t mean to… But I would have.” She flinches when I take her hands but doesn’t pull away. I hold her firmly, letting her feel my warmth. “I would’ve put a bullet in his head and told him the reason was you, Mia. He was a scumbag.”
“Just like my dad,” Mia says, laughing strangely as if she’s too tired and in too much shock to handle any more emotion. “He said they playedgamesback west. It didn’t sound good.”
“Does that fit with your dad?”
She pulls her hands away and rises to her feet. A depressing shiver moves through her. “Can you heat up this place? It’s very airy.”
“Mia…”
She turns and swallows. She’s holding back so much pain. “You’ve kidnapped me, Dante. Let’s just call it what it is. So please forgive me if I don’t want to have a therapy session. I just want to rest. Okay? Or can I call someone?”
“No,” I tell her. “I’m sorry, Mia.”
“Then I just want to sleep and hopefully not dream. Is the other bedroom this way? I don’t want to sleep out here.”
She picks her chin up, trying to seem confident, striding toward the hallway. I watch her go, still fighting the urge to grab her, kiss her, and press my body against hers.
I run a hand through my hair. What now?
CHAPTER 10
Mia
It takes me about an hour to calm down. I sit on the edge of the bed, shuddering, forcing myself to breathe slowly. I’ve had panic attacks before, but never one that felt like it lasted for hours. Everything from the fight to being here is a bit blurry. I remember Dante taking my hands, though, the warmth I felt, and I remember his firm, protective body pressed against mine.
Finally, I’m able to lie back. I don’t want to fall asleep. I just feel so drained. It’s like all the energy has been sapped from me. I close my eyes, let myself drift deeper into the blankets, and then I think of the kick, the blood pooling. I smile. It feels wrong, but a blissful, warm feeling flows through me.
All my life, I never thought somebody could hurt the big bad wolf, but I never had a Dante before. I can’t be loyal to Dad forever. I can’t keep giving him a chance he never even asked for because he will never admit he did anything wrong.
I’m the wolf, not the dog. I’m the howling wolf. When I have the chance, I’m going to make this right. Dad was going to let that monster be my husband.
