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I groaned and cupped myself as I stumbled back. She darted by me, and I growled low, pissed that she’d one-upped me, even if it was only this one time.
“Fuck you,” she screamed out and ran right for the front door. I would have chuckled at what would greet her on the other side if not for the fire and ache currently settled right in my groin from her kick.
I watched as she flung the door open and was about to run full speed. But Luca’s massive form was right in her way, and she hadn’t paid attention before making her daring escape. She slammed so hard into his back that her little body flung backward hard enough she fell to the floor right inside the house. I heard the crack of her head hitting the hardwood, followed by her groaning and rolling over.
I straightened, a spike of discomfort lancing up the center of my body as if I’d been the one to hit the ground. I clenched my jaw and tipped my head toward Luca. He stepped inside, shutting the door and was about to bend down to pick Liliana up.
“Don’t fucking touch her,” I snapped, and he lifted an eyebrow at me. It was the only expression on his face as he slowly straightened and stepped back.
She was groaning louder as she tried to sit up, but I smelled the blood before I saw it on her fingers and smeared on the floor.
“Fuck,” I cursed and crouched in front of her. She tried to push me away, but it was clear the hit to her head had disoriented her. “Get Baxter on the phone and have him come to my place,” I said to Luca without looking at him, wanting our personal physician onsite to look her over.
“Get the hell away from me.” She tried to sound strong, this little slip of a girl, but her words slurred together, and this feeling of uncertainty—of worry—settled in me because she was hurt.
Liliana tried to push me away, but her attempts were feeble, and I lifted her easily in my arms, cursing internally. “For such a small thing,” I said against her ear, “you have quite the kick in you, sweetheart. Clearly, you’ve kneed plenty of men in the balls before.”
She mumbled something, and I could tell she was going to pass out, but I worried about a concussion. I hauled ass to the car and barked at Luca to get the fuck going. For the entire trip to my place, I held Liliana like she was mine.
Chapter5
Liliana
At first, I thought it was a dream. The blood and violence… death.
I kept seeing my father and Logan hanging from rafters, their bodies mutilated as Matteo stood back and laughed.
But I knew that vision wasn’t reality. I’d never seen gore and violence at Matteo’s hands. But I remembered the conversation in the living room.
He stood in front of me as he told me what he did to my father and brother as if it were everyday conversation.
It had slowly sunk in that they were gone, no doubt killed so slowly the last words out of their mouths were the sounds of gurgling as blood filled their lungs.
I felt zero sadness. No remorse.
I’d actually felt relief… a type of euphoria that I would never again have to be put in the hard situations they threw me in. I’d never again have to fend off their anger or defend myself from their drug-induced high and drunken abuse.
Once the shock of that new reality had faded, the only thing I focused on was survival.
I remembered everything after that, although it felt like a jumbled mix of bits and pieces from a movie running full speed in my head.
I’d been running on adrenaline after kneeing Matteo in the balls. All I’d thought about was getting away. Although, in the back of my head, I knew escape was futile. I knew he’d find me no matter where I was, no matter where I hid.
But I hadn’t cared. I had to get away from him. I had to try.
But then I’d slammed into a big ass concrete wall… or so I’d thought. The beast of a man had been blocking my escape, and my momentum had been so intense that I’d catapulted backward, landing on the floor and cracking the back of my head.
After that, things had been a chaotic mess in my brain, but it was all slowly filtering back like a gentle wave lapping at the shore.
I heard voices—deep, male ones—but I couldn’t quite make out what was being said at first. There was a little more conversation between the two of them.
I didn’t dare open my eyes, didn’t want to draw attention to myself any more than there was.
The voices became clearer the longer I lay there and concentrated.
“She’ll be fine with rest.”
I didn’t recognize the voice of the man who spoke, but I didn’t have time to sift through my memories and try to place it before a soft touch landed on my forehead.
