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My grip on him remains white-knuckled, my eyes still squeezed shut, as I hear him shouting again, his hands firmly around my body, keeping me wrapped in his arms. Before I know what is happening, he lifts me effortlessly, and is standing on the sidewalk. I have no idea what is happening or who he even is, but I decide to trust him.
“Hold on, Little Red. I need to make sure you are safe.” My legs circle his waist, my arms wind around his neck, and as I rest my head against his solid chest, his masculine aroma calms me.
But then I lift my head for a moment and immediately wish I hadn’t. The first dead body I ever saw was my mother’s and that was two months ago. I can now add another five or so to that list, although the sight of these men is much more disturbing. I bury my head into the crook of his neck, the image of what I just saw now burned into my brain, almost making me retch.
His arm around my lower waist keeps me with him, while he yells some more, and I try to think of anything other than what could possibly be happening right now. What I’ve been witness to.
The squeal of tires has me jolting upright, looking at the road as a black Escalade pulls up and we are moving towards it with haste. I begin to panic, but I am paralyzed by it. Not getting into cars with strangers is something that is drilled into us from a young age, yet here I am, glued to man who is stepping into the car like we are one person. My savior sits in the back seat, and I remain wrapped around him, my body still not able to move. Straddling his waist, with my head still buried in his neck, his hand rubs up and down my back, and it is only then I realize I am shaking.
My body trembles uncontrollably, the shock at what just happened seeping into my body, and I internally curse myself. I need to be stronger than this. I am in New York now; things like this happen in the big city, don’t they? I need to grow thicker skin.
“You’re okay. Everything is okay,” he repeats in my ear, continuing to rub my back in slow and soothing motions. His touch is somehow making me feel safe and secure, when I have a feeling that I really should be running in the other direction.
“Take some deep breaths,” he says, and I do. I don’t need to have a panic attack, that’s for sure. I try to slow my breathing as the car we’re in speeds down the street. To where, I have no idea. I have never had anyone look after me in this manner and certainly not a man. At this thought, I bolt upright and look the man in the face.
His dark hair falls across his forehead, his brown eyes piercing mine like they’re trying to decipher my thoughts. His square jaw is tightly clenched, and his dark blue top stretches across his muscles. He is without a doubt the most attractive man I have ever seen. Not that there were many boys to look at back in my small town. But he is not a boy. He is all man. The tall, dark kind, and he’s older by at least a decade, maybe more. There’s an air of power around him; he is in control.
I tentatively look around the car and notice another four men in here, including the driver, all busy talking to each other in another language. Italian, I think, but I really have no idea.
As I bring my gaze back to the man in front of me, I see what looks like red paint across my shoulder. “Oh my God,” I whisper as I touch my crop top that is now tainted with bright red blood. Am I bleeding? Have I been shot? My breath quickens, and I start to panic all over again.
“You’re okay. It’s mine.” My wide eyes flick back to his top this time, and I see red blood seeping through his shirt at his shoulder.
“You’ve been shot?” I ask urgently, my hands leaving his neck and covering his wound without another thought. I have no idea what I am doing, but in all the movies I watch, they try to stop the blood flow by applying pressure. So that is what I do. I don’t miss the definition of muscle on his arm as I squeeze his shoulder firmly with my tiny hands.
He chuckles, bringing my attention back to his face. “I am alright, Little Red. Just a graze. I will live to see another day.” His eyes seem to sparkle in delight at my concern for him.
I don’t reply, slowly releasing my hands, becoming suddenly very aware of how I am sitting on him. I blush slightly at our position and go to move, but there is nowhere else to sit. All the other men are huge, not leaving a spare space. His hands travel up my thighs and grip onto my waist, and at the unexpected touch, a shiver runs through me, my eyes flicking to his. He leans his head back against the seat, openly admiring me as his hands rest on my hips.
“We are nearly there, Little Red. Stay put.” I nod mindlessly, amazed that he is so calm and in tune to how I am feeling, yet he doesn’t even know my name. Though, I haven’t missed the nickname he’s bestowed upon me.
The grip of his hands is warm, firm yet gentle, and I’m surprised by how easily my body relaxes into him. Looking out the window, I try to see if I can make out any landmarks or signs that would tell me where I am or where we are going, but as the buildings rush by, I come to accept that I have absolutely no idea. All I know is that I am in a car with four men I don’t know, all with guns at their sides and blood on their clothing. An air of danger lingers around me, and I know deep down I should be frightened, but I am simply not.
I came to New York for an adventure… and it looks like I found it.
3
Dante
I don’t know who this tiny redhead is, but she is nearly weightless as she sits on my lap. I can’t say I mind the vision I now have, of her perfect tiny body on top of mine, and if I didn’t just fuck shit up by shooting Dominic and killing all his men, I might actually be able to enjoy it. She walked straight into the line of fire, and I had little time to think about what I was doing. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Even though her face is still gripped by fear, her body tells me she is slowly calming down. That is, until she realized I had been shot. It is just a graze, but it fucking kills. I’m pushing out the pain with every shallow exhale, before I take a long, deep breath in. But that’s the wrong move, because I become overwhelmed by her scent almost immediately. Citrus fills my lungs, the kind that reminds me of warm summer days in Italy, while playing with my son Leo in the Mediterranean. The one and only scent that makes me feel at ease, in my bliss, the scent of the life I want to have someday.
She is beautiful. I don’t think I have ever seen a woman so breathtaking. And young. Probably much too young for me. I am not entirely sure she is even of legal age, and I feel like a dirty old man keeping her secured to my lap.
I can’t stop taking her in, though. I try to avert my eyes, but they keep coming back to rest on her. Her flaming red hair is long and tied up, her ponytail tickling my fingers as she looks around out the windows, wondering where she’s going. My grip on her hips remains, not only because Tony is driving like an absolute maniac, but because if she continues to move and wriggle around on my lap, I think she might find something solid underneath her that she may not necessarily appreciate. Not in a moment like this, at least.
Thinking back to my meeting, I can’t believe Dominic pulled that stunt. He knew what he was going to do the minute he saw me in his club. He has no fucking respect and now all five of his men lay dead on the sidewalk.
He won't like that. Both him and his brother Federico will seek revenge, and I have no doubt they will come after me and my team in time.
I didn’t miss the opportunity to pull my gun on him, though. I couldn’t kill him, not yet. But I will kill him. I will take great pleasure in doing so as well. We have a long history with each other, and I want him gone. And now, that desire is only amplified.
I’m only injured because a stray bullet skimmed my shoulder before I slammed Little Red into the pavement. As Carter disarmed Dominic, I didn’t miss his eyes as they honed in on the beauty in my arms, my hand under her cute little ass as I brought her with me to safety. She clung to me like I was her last breath, and I nearly was.
Unfortunately for Little Red, her life has just become endangered, and although scared, I am sure she has no fucking idea what she has walked into. Dominic got a good look at her, and with her small stature, long red locks, and glowing pale skin, she is quite easily identifiable. While I don’t need another person to look after, the urge to protect runs strongly through my blood.
We reach our neighborhood and all us boys start to settle down. Carter is still on high-alert in the front seat, looking at every car that passes, as Tony continues to weave through the traffic. Luckily, the streets are still quiet, giving us a clear run. As we get close to our city compound, my cell phone rings.
