A splashing sound catches our attention, and in unison, we look down at the floor beneath Ara as she stares at it, shocked. “I think my water just broke.”
Sky begins to dry heave, and Lorenzo glares at him to the point that Sky excuses himself from the room.
Everything stops, like the quiet before a storm.
“Stay here with your wife, boss. We’ll take care of this,” I promise Luca, because the mistake these motherfuckers made was involving my woman in any of this.
I'm just angry at myself for being so blind to all of it. But there were no signs, which makes me even more furious, because whoever this Fyodor Novikov is, he patiently waited to strike, and as we chipped away at his men, he put us in a chokehold where it would hurt most.
40
ROMI
Igroan, and my head feels foggy. My body aches, and my eyes are slow to open. At first, I see nothing but blurry light, but then my vision slowly creeps back in, revealing what appears to be an empty warehouse.What the fuck?
Memories trickle in, and I’m confused as to how I got here. Lily’s hunched over beside me, her hands bound behind her back. I try to reach for her, but I can’t move. Fuck, my hands are bound behind my back as well. I jerk against the restraints, testing their strength.
“Wow, the drug didn’t last as long as I expected, but I suppose you hadn’t drunk too much.” Shaun’s voice comes from my left, and I focus my attention on him. The room is dimly lit. The only illumination comes from the streetlights shining through the dingy windows, making the room eerily dark.
I jerk, trying to release my hands again. I then try to awkwardly stand, but it’s all futile. “What the fuck, Shaun?”
He circles around two chairs across from us and takes one, as if we're about to have a reasonable, mundane discussion. “I must confess, I never actually thought you’d become useful, but I’m glad I stuck around.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? Untie me,” I demand, and look back over at Lily, who mumbles something and slowly raises her head.
“We’re okay,” I whisper to her. There’s a moment of panic in her gaze as she tugs at her own restraints, but when she looks at me, there isn’t fear like I expected. She blows her bangs from her face, her hair a mess and half fallen out of the clip it was held back with.
“Well, this is new,” she says quietly.
Her nonchalant response fills me with confidence. She’s changed so much since being with Lorenzo. She’s no longer the coddled woman I used to know, and a part of me is relieved, proud even. No, we’re not damsels in distress. And if this asshole thinks that, then he has another thing coming.
I take a deep breath and lock eyes with Shaun, who, up until a day ago, I thought was just a normal fucking bartender.
“How manly of you to tie two women up. Scared we’ll beat the shit out of you?”
He makes a point to pull out a gun and let it casually hang in his hand as he sits, feet spread wide. “Be careful, Romi dear, that smart mouth of yours isn’t appreciated here.”
I stare at the gun.Fuck.
But he continues. “Do you know how long I’ve waited for an opportunity like this? Do you know how difficult it is singling out one of Luca Armani’s men, let alone the chance for two? I knew Armani’s woman would be his weakness. So, I had to find Arabella Armani’s. Don’t take it personally, Romi, but you were the easiest of her friends to get to. Your self-destructive nature made you predictable and easy to track. And, my God, it was so easy to get into your apartment. I must confess, your friends' random appearance saved you once.” I furrow my eyebrows, confused as to what he’s even talking about. “Andthen everything was going perfectly until that Moretti asshole moved in with you and ruined our plans.”
"So we waited for an opportunity that would be too good to resist. I never thought you’d actually have it in you to make him fall to his knees. You did all the hard work for me. And I do thank you for bringing Lily Taylor to my bar. Two pieces of bait are always better than one.”
This guy is out of his mind. It’s nothing like the Shaun I know from the bar, who is often charismatic and is always silently watching. No, this version of him has a lot to say.
I stare him down, furious that I got myself into this situation. Okay, maybe not entirely on my own, but I won't be the reason he draws out one of my friends.
“It’s just a waiting game now,” a familiar woman’s voice announces as she steps from the shadows, and it’s unnerving that I didn’t sense her presence before. My eyes widen when I recognize her.
It’s one of the women I slept with months ago, but what is she doing here? I remember her bright-red hair and freckled face. I still can’t remember her name, but wasn’t this the one my friends had caught trying to steal one of my lamps?
“Did I say you could speak?” Shaun interjects furiously, and she winces as she fades back into the shadows. Okay, what the motherfuck is actually happening right now?
But I have the good sense to keep my temper for Lily’s sake at least.
“I'll be honest, I was hoping for Luca’s head first. That’s really who I’m trying to get to. But you know, baby steps. I don’t have the manpower as he does, and using his wife wasn’t an option, since she’s too tightly protected at the moment.”
“You’re sick!” I explode, but he makes a point to raise the gun again, with a crazed smile. He then pulls a small device from his pocket. “If I were you, I’d be very careful in how you speak to me,because if you haven’t noticed yet, you’re kind of strapped in for a good time.”
