I awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of the lock on the kitchen door being blown to bits. Sitting up, I immediately tossed off the covers, grabbed my gun and ran to Alexis’s room. Shutting the door, I locked it, knowing we only had moments to plan.
“Someone’s inside the house,” I said as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Put on some pants and shoes. You’ll need them to run.”
She followed my command, and I thanked the lord that she trusted me enough to know not to argue. She slipped on her clothes and sneakers as hard knocks pounded on her bedroom door.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” a deep voice called from outside.
“It’s John,” she said, panic in her voice.
A gunshot sounded as the lock to her bedroom door was shattered.
“Crawl out the window,” I said. “I’ll hold them off.”
A booted foot kicked the door open, and I shot the first man who appeared. He crumpled to the ground as I saw Alexis open the window and begin to crawl outside. John Armetta entered the room, a snarl on his face as he inched toward me, gun held high while two men flanked him.
“You Carusos keep shooting my men,” he snarled, nudging the dead body with the toe of his boot.
I knew I was fucked. If I shot him, his two goons would shoot me dead. But if I waited, they’d catch Alexis. Glancing over, I noticed her disappear through the window.
“She’s outside!” John called. “Go catch her. Alive.”
“No!” I said, my finger tightening on the trigger. “Take me and torture me all you want, but you leave Alexis alone.”
Recognition flared in John’s eyes. “Ah, I see. Who knew the Carusos wanted to fuck the Rossi women so badly? Was she good? I always liked Alexis’s cute little ass in those tight shorts she wore in the summer...”
I fired a warning shot into the wall. “We’re all going to end up dead if we start shooting each other, and that’s going to get us nowhere. Let’s put down the guns and talk like civilized men.”
“But I’m not civilized, am I?” John asked, with a dismissive shrug. “I’m a monster. That’s what Michael tells everyone.”
“You traffic young girls! There’s enough money to be made in our business. You know the human trafficking can end today if you allow it.”
His thin lips formed a humorless smile. “Women are made to please us, are they not? And making money from pretty girls who satisfy rich men pleases me.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“I’m also smarter than you, I’m afraid. There never was anything in that big head of yours.” He tapped his temple. “If there were, you’d know I had another man outside this whole time.”
My heart shot to my knees as a man walked down the hallway, his hand over Alexis’s mouth as she struggled in his arms.
“Want me to knock her out, boss?”
“I’d love to kill her, but they’re both more valuable alive...for now. You two know the plan. Update me when you get to the cabin.”
“Fuck this,” I muttered, realizing that taking action would be better than getting kidnapped. Aiming my gun, I shot at John’s neck. Unfortunately, he turned slightly the second I released the bullet, causing me to miss as his two goons fired their own shots. Pain ripped through my arm as a bullet grazed me, and I lunged forward, determined to save Alexis.
My head exploded with pain as something blunt struck me near the temple. I uttered Alexis’s name, terrified I’d failed her as everything suddenly went dark...
I awoke with a gasp, tugging my hands against the restraints that held them together behind my back. Darkness surrounded me and I realized someone had tied a cloth bag over my head. The seat beneath me felt like it was gliding, and I understood I was probably in the back seat of a car. My ankles were bound as tight as my wrist, and my arm burned with pain.
“You’ve been shot so I wouldn’t move,” a deep voice said from the front seat. “We can sedate you like we did Alexis, but then you wouldn’t feel the pain, and what’s the fun in that?”
His chuckle mingled with another man’s in the front seat, and I craned my body, trying to feel if Alexis was near me.
“She’s next to you, but she’s out cold,” the man said. “John said you two are to remain alive for now, so calm the fuck down, Nick. Struggling is only going to rip that bullet graze in your arm open wider. We’ve got another two hours to go.”
I took several deep, calming breaths, knowing I’d need my wits if I was going to get us out of this. Cursing my ineptitude to keep us safe, I vowed to save Alexis.
Eventually the highway turned to gravel, and the car began to vibrate above the bumpy road as we drove. After an eternity, the car came to a stop and the men exited. Cold air rushed against my bare arms and legs as I was roughly pulled from the back seat.
