A few staff members eye us suspiciously as we race down the employee hallway toward the exit, but no one stops us. Chelsea bursts through the door and ushers me outside, her troubled gaze raking over the rapidly darkening staff parking lot as I look around for my bodyguards. She’s not complaining about the frigid air, and that’s how I know this is serious. “What direction are your bodyguards coming from?” she inquires, and I point left. “Come on. Run.”
“You’ve got to give me something,” I say as we jog along the side of the building. Lights flicker to life, and they must be on a timer to come on in the evening. “What is this about?”
“I’m so sorry, Rena,” she huffs out, in between pants. “I should’ve spoken up sooner, but I’m scared.”
“That makes two of us,” I admit as the sound of approaching footfalls reaches my ears.
Chelsea slams to a halt, grabbing my arm. “Oh God. What if it’s them?”
“Them?” My brows knit together. “Who are you talking about?” I ask, struggling to keep the rising hysteria from my voice.
“Thank fuck.” Chelsea almost visibly collapses in relief when Fabrizio rounds the corner. “Come on. Let’s get you to safety, and I’ll tell you everything.” Yanking on my arm, she pulls me forward as the other three bodyguards come into view, and we race toward each other.
Pop, pop, pop!
Chelsea screams and drops to the ground, attempting to pull me with her, but I shove her off, standing horrified as I watch more bullets rain down on my bodyguards, their bodies flailing and jerking as they are hit multiple times.
“Run,” Fabrizio croaks as he falls forward on his knees, blood bubbling in his mouth. “Run, Rena!” he shouts just as another bullet enters his skull and the light dies in in his eyes.
Chelsea is screaming, crouched into a ball on the ground with her hands over her ears, and her high-pitched screeching snaps me out of my dazed state. With trembling fingers, I pull my cell out of my jeans pocket and press my fingerprint to the screen to unlock it. A clicking sound echoes in my ear as something cold is pressed to my temple. “I’ll take that,” a man with a slightly familiar voice says, snatching my cell from my hand before I’ve had time to react.
“No!” Chelsea screams before the sound becomes muffled.
A meaty hand lands on my arm, and the gun at my head presses in deeper. I wince as a dart of pain rattles around my skull. Blood thrums in my veins and rings in my ears, and adrenaline is coursing through my body as terror grips me. “Hello again, Serena,” the man says, coming around in front of me.
“Lucas?” Disbelief laces through my tone, and I’m sure my confusion is evident on my face.
My eyes snap to Chelsea’s, widening when I see the man restraining her. One hand is over her mouth while his other hand pins her wrists behind her back. He has her crowded against the side of a large black SUV, shielding her from sight.
Shocked gasps ring out from a small crowd who has stupidly stopped to stare. One girl has her cell out, and it looks like she’s recording. Screams pepper the air as a barrage of bullets is shot over their heads. The bystanders quickly disperse, and a scary-looking man wearing black fatigues snatches the cell from the girl, pointing a gun in her face as she turns ashen. He prods her frozen form with the butt of his gun, and she takes off like she’s got a rocket up her ass.
“We should move,” the man holding Chelsea says, and my attention returns to him.
“You!” I hiss, glaring at the man from the boutique.
He flashes me a grin and waggles his brows as tears stream down Chelsea’s face. “Surprise.” He chuckles as I glare at him before he jerks his head over the hood of the car. Several men stand from their crouched positions. They are all wearing black and carrying rifles. Without a word, they climb into two adjacent black SUVs as Lucas drags me toward them.
“You really shouldn’t have done this,wife.” Lucas pins Chelsea with a cold look. “Did you really think you could outsmart me?” Digging his nails into my arm, he shoves me in front of him, pressing the gun hard into the side of my head. The creep from the boutique releases his current hold on Chelsea to mirror our position, so we are facing one another, both of us with guns at our heads. “Don’t try it, sweetheart. I won’t hesitate to shoot,” he says, leering at her as she tries to get free.
“You won’t get away with this.” She glowers at her husband over my head.
“You should’ve stuck to the plan,” he says as the creep opens the back door of the SUV. “Now, I’ve got to take you too,” he adds as Chelsea is shoved into the back of the car.
I fall to my knees when I’m pushed inside. Then Lucas is climbing up behind me, dragging me into a seat. The car takes off as he buckles me in, keeping the gun pointed at me the entire time. I tremble as his hands move over my body, squeezing my eyes shut and trying to talk myself off a ledge. This is bad. So fucking bad. And I’m still completely clueless as to what is going on.
The sound of glass smashing has me opening my eyes. Lucas crushes my cell and Chelsea’s under his foot before opening the window and tossing both of them out of the speeding vehicle. Across from me, Chelsea is strapped to her seat with the creep beside her, gleefully waving his gun in her face. Our eyes meet, and I see my fear reflected back at me, but it does little to dull the pain of her betrayal. “I’m sorry,” she whispers while tears roll down her face. “I wanted no part of this, but he made me do it.”
“Shut your mouth,cagna,” Lucas barks. “This may hurt,” he adds the same time a stabbing pain shoots through my upper arm.
I barely have time to process the fact he’s stuck me with a needle before I black out.
35
ALESSO
Leo is absently watching CNN as we work at the conference table in Ben’s office at Caltimore Holdings. Ben is attending a board of management meeting upstairs while Leo and I are doing prep work for the Chicago visit tomorrow.
“Rich assholes,” he mumbles while shaking his head.
