Didn’t she tell me she was done with him?
Taking my key from my pocket, I walk to the front door to lock it. Through the glass, I spot a police car parked a shortdistance away, and I smile, waving through the glass before locking the door and heading over to the bar.
I can’t wait to get out of here and home with them.
Home.
Dio.
I really found one. I have to bite my lip at the warm feeling that spreads through me.
After switching off the lights, I move through the empty kitchen to the lockers at the back. As I reach for my backpack and jacket, something cold and hard suddenly presses against my temple, sending a shiver of dread down my spine.
“Shhh,carina.Stay calm. Keep quiet, and I won’t hurt you,” a familiar voice murmurs in my ear, thick with an Italian accent.
“Matteo, what the fuck?” I accuse, my voice trembling, but I don’t dare to move a muscle.
“You’re coming with me, and you’re going to be quiet,” he commands, pressing the gun tighter against my temple, forcing me to tilt my head slightly.
“Or else?” I challenge, gritting my teeth in defiance.
Pulling my back to him, he leans down and whispers, his words chilling to the core, “Or else, I’ll shoot your cop boyfriend who’s waiting outside for you.”
A wave of chilling dread washes over me as I realize the gravity of the situation. “Where are you taking me?” I ask, trying to sound indifferent, though my heart is pounding.
“To the boss. You’re my last chance to get in.Ora sii una brava ragazza e cammina,” he hisses, prodding me forward.
As Matteo and I reach the back door, I steal a glimpse through the window next to it, and my heart lurches at the sight of Joshua. He stands there, looking down at his phone, unaware of what’s happening inside.
“Bastardo.Looks like he’ll have to die after all,” Matteo mutters, releasing me and moving toward the door.
Fear courses through me, and I move forward and grip his forearm, “Please, Matteo, I am not going to do anything. I will go with you and won’t make a sound. But please, let him live.Ti prego,” I plead, my eyes welling up with tears.
The desperation in my voice is palpable, and I hate myself for it, but I don’t care. All that matters right now is Joshua.
He searches my face, his eyes scanning every inch of my expression as if he’s trying to determine whether or not I’m telling the truth. I hold his gaze, willing him to see the sincerity in my eyes. After what feels like an eternity, he closes his eyes and takes a deep, reluctant breath.
“Vaffanculo,” he curses under his breath. The tension in the room is almost suffocating. “You stay right here, you hear me? One wrong move, and I shoot him,” he warns.
“Okay,” I whisper and push down my fear, forcing myself to stay strong.
I will walk to my death with my head held high as long as I know Joshua will not die for me tonight.
The screen’sglow illuminates my face in the dark of the night as I look at my phone. The light above the bar’s back door is so dim it does precisely nothing to light up the alley.
It’s been nearly ten minutes since I saw her close up the front, and her boss has already walked past me with a scowl, so I am considering going inside to get her when the back door creaks open and the last of her coworkers steps out. He has his hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets, his gaze fixed on the ground.
“Buonasera,” he mumbles, barely glancing up as he goes to walk past me.
“Wait, is Carolina still inside?” I ask, stretching my hand out to halt him.
He nods, not meeting my eyes. “She is closing the front. She is coming in a minute.” He starts to walk again, brushing past me.
I frown at his retreating back before turning to the closed door again. Carolina had already locked the front. I saw her do it.
That is suspicious as fuck. I am about to walk over and go inside when I feel a sharp pain on the back of my head, and everything goes black.
“What the fuckis taking them so long?” I sigh to Xander, who is on the phone with me over speaker.
