Bang, bang.
The silence ceases, reality bringing with it the thunder. Shots ring out from another shooter and Giuseppe’s two men fall to their deaths in front us. I jump to my feet, my heart racing. I dive for Alison when the lapdog who held me before gets between us. He pushes me away and I pull my arm back before swinging forward, aiming to do some damage to his face. Blood gushes out of his nose as he grabs it, moaning in pain. The gun slips from his hands and I sweep it off the floor bringing the butt of the gun down on his head, knocking him out cold.
“Lindsey.” A muffled cry screeches through the room as I spin around. My chest heaves, my ears ring, and my body shakes. It all happens so fast. No.
Lucio is dragging Alison away, kicking and screaming. My heart quickens. He’s getting away.
I run, but my scalp screams in pain when I’m pulled back by my hair. Using all my strength, I push back against the assailant gripping my hair, but he doesn’t let go. Instead, we both fall to the ground in a heap.
“Ali!” I yell as we struggle, but it’s no use. Lucio is about walk out the door with Ali and I can’t reach her. My restrainer is too strong, too heavy on my limbs. She disappears from the warehouse along with Lucio, her screams and the last of my hope to get out of this nightmare in one piece. But I won’t give up. I can hear the sirens growing louder, closer. The police are coming.
Cries charge the building amongst the grunts and groans from the bruising of flesh.
Punch after punch.
Blow after blow.
Bullets fly, orders are shouted, blood decorates the walls with misery.
My lungs work in overdrive to survive as the hands around my neck crush my windpipe. I claw at his grip, gasping for another second of air before the blackness creeping in sucks all life out of me.
His skin bleeds beneath my fingertips and one by one, I pry those motherfuckers from my neck.
I scream, finding the last push of strength I need to rip them away completely when a bullet ricochets through the room and blows half of the man’s head off. The force of the bullet pushes him to side and he falls beside me, thankfully not on me.
My hand flies to my chest as I drag in as much air as my overworked lungs will take. The haze before my eyes dissipates and my savior comes into view.
Black eyes as dark as death.
I smirk. I should have known. But what the hell is going on?
Enzo Rossi stands just meters away, grin on his smug face, black hair short against his head with his hand out, offering to help me up. Hesitantly, I grab onto him and he hoists me up with ease as though I weigh no more than a feather.
“Thanks,” I mutter, my voice raspy.
Turning back around, I stare at Enzo with utter confusion as sharp pangs of pain shoot through my chest.
I shake my head. “I don’t understand. I don’t get it, but I don’t have time. I have to get Ali.”
His white teeth shine as he smiles, and it still gives me the fucking chills. “You’ll understand soon enough, Lindsey. You can thank me later.” He winks, and I stand there, mouth open and ready to speak but no words come out while my mind scrambles to make sense of what’s happening here.
He looks sideways to where Adriana sits by her father’s lifeless body. She killed him in cold blood, yet she’s curled over him, tears streaming down her face. I have no clue what the hell is going on but two things I know for sure.
The kingpin of the Marino Crime family is dead and my sister has been kidnapped by a psychopath.
I bolt to the door of the warehouse as fast as my legs will take me and as I reach outside, I scan the open space for Ali, but she’s nowhere in sight. I bend over, leaning my hands on my knees so I can catch my breath. I hear Enzo’s voice behind me. “Adriana, we have to go now. Cops are nearly here.”
“Okay. Let’s go,” she replies.
I turn my head to see them jogging toward me, Adriana still sniffling.
“Wait.” Adriana halts. She grabs my hand and squeezes it in hers. “Just know how sorry I am. For my father, for my brother, for my entire family and the world of hurt they’ve caused you. All those years ago when we met, had I known my father’s intentions for you both, I would have told you both to stay away. I’m so sorry I dragged Alison down. If—” She pauses and coughs. “When you see her, tell her I love her. And I hope one day you can both forgive me.”
“Come on, principessina,” Enzo whispers softly into her ear as he pulls her close.
I nod. “I will. And thank you, both of you. I don’t understand, but thanks.”
Adriana gives me a tight-lipped, pained smile while Enzo sends me a sharp nod before disappearing into the quiet street.
I scan the area again before running back inside and stopping at the sight of the lifeless criminals lying in pools of their own blood. Goose bumps rise on my skin. That could have been me, could have been Ali. I’d survived, and now Ali’s future lies in the hands of her enemy. I should have been more prepared. I knew they’d come for us. I had no doubts. But the chair beneath me had been knocked away, rendering me defenseless against everyone, including myself. My secrets and lies from the past intertwined with my present. They tangled with my future, hoping I’d believe there was no hope of stealing back what they’d taken from me. But in those few defining seconds when I believed this was it, I was going to die, Alison was going to die, I realized no matter how hard I fell, no matter what my stepfather and mother took from me, and despite everything the Marino family gave me, I have something they can’t controclass="underline" my will to survive.
The willpower of a child who had her family ripped into an irreparable mess.
The willpower of a confused teenager who would do whatever it took to wake up the next morning.
The willpower of a woman who would fight until her last breath for her family, for her life, for love.
No broken bones, no cuffs, or threats were strong enough to take me on and win. Even if my body repelled against the fight, my mind won’t let me down.
A gunshot echoes through the streets and I jump. My heart smacks against my ribs. I run. I run for the freedom I’ve spent years trying to find.
My thighs burn as my legs move fast through the open warehouse door and down the street. My bare feet splinter on loose gravel beneath them. I’m so close. I round the corner and relief washes over me. I smile as I spot the police cars coming for me, and I wave my hands in front of me. Cars screech to a halt and a few men, all in black with NYPD in thick white letters on their chests, run toward me, shouting as they see me, but I can’t concentrate on them. I’m locked onto the indigo eyes piercing into mine.
“Lindsey.”
“Mason,” I whisper under my breath.
I fly into his rock-hard chest. His strong arms lift me off the ground. I clutch my sweaty hands around his neck and I close my eyes, his scent filling me with familiarity.
His arms squeeze me and I wince, the tightness aggravating my battered body.
“I got you, sweetheart. I’m sorry it wasn’t sooner. So fucking sorry.”
I pull back as the crushing of my heart threatens to break right through my chest. Ali, we have to find her. Get to her before Lucio tortures her and kills her.
I pull at Mason’s vest and stare at him with wide eyes. Words fly from my mouth, but I don’t hear a thing. Am I coherent? Is he listening to me? Why isn’t he running? Why aren’t we already searching for her? I’m hitting his chest while still locked onto his eyes. Water is dripping down my face but it’s not raining.
“Alison. She’s gone. Lucio has her. He got away. We have to find her. I need to make calls, we’ve got to go. Now.” My voice cracks to unrecognizable. It’s screeching, feral but now I can hear it. Loss squeezes my racing heart and I double over in agony. It’s too much.
Mason pulls my face into his hands, trying to calm me, but I can’t stop shaking. My entire being trembles as the tears fall freely.