“If that opens”—Landon points at the flimsy door—”you stay behind me. Understand?”
“Yeah.” I nod for emphasis.
His gray eyes lock on mine. “I don’t care what happens, or who you think is on the other side. Even if they call out and it’s Seth or Damiano’s voice. Even if someone says they’re going to kill a puppy if you don’t come out the door. You stay behind me.”
“Got it.”
My stomach feels like twisting ropes, tightening and knotting. I’ve been scared before; I’ve been in dangerous situations like this before. But something about this one feels different—maybe because I can’t see the enemy. When Alessia’s ex had us in the hotel, he was right there, staring at us and threatening violence. The same thing happened with my cousins. They were there, and I could see what they were doing.
Now, I’m hidden away, and someone bad is trying to find me. They could show up at any second, and I won’t see them coming.
“Hey.” Landon lowers his voice. “Hey, I know you’re scared, Madison, but it’s going to be okay.”
“Yeah.” I have to choke the word out. I really just want to burst into tears, curl up in a ball, and rock in the corner. But maybe Landon is right, and it’ll all be okay.
“So,” he whispers, “how did you meet Seth and Damiano, anyway?”
“Oh.” I see what he’s doing—he’s trying to distract me so I don’t freak out. “Um, I met them at a club. Although I already knew Seth…he used to be my brother-in-law.”
Landon’s eyebrows go up in surprise. “Really. I hate to ask, but?—”
“My husband, his brother, passed away. Motorcycle accident.”
“Shit, I’m sorry.”
I nod. “Yeah. It was pretty terrible. Still is.” I don’t want to dwell on death, though. Especially not right now when Erich Pointer is trying to hurt me. “Anyway, we met at the club, and…now we’re together.”
“I’m glad for you—the three of you seem like you have a solid relationship.”
A warm feeling blooms in my chest. “They’re pretty great, and?—”
The door flies open, and my sentence ends in a scream. Fear pumps through my veins, ice-cold.
This must be Erich Pointer. I’ve seen pictures of him—I looked him up when he first kidnapped Seth’s parents. Even without that knowledge, though, I’d know it’s him. There’s something about the way he holds himself, the calculating look of hatred in his blue eyes. This is a man who hates Seth and Damiano with every fiber of his being, and he’s bent on their destruction.
And to him, I’m the key to their ruin.
Landon lifts his arms, but taken by surprise, he isn’t fast enough. Pointer smashes his gun into Landon’s head, and Landon goes down.
Now nobody stands between me and the man in the doorway.
Landon groans from the floor, crumpled against the linen shelf. Blood spills from a wound just above his temple. He moves like he’s trying to get to his feet.
“Say goodbye, Madison.” Erich Pointer lifts his gun.
“You don’t have to do this,” I whisper.
“Oh, I do. And even if I didn’t have to do it…” He smiles with his teeth showing. A threat. “I want to do it.”
He takes aim with his cruel, blue eyes. His finger clenches on the trigger.
Landon throws himself in front of me.
A shot rings out.
16
DAMIANO
