“Stay put, we’re coming over,” Lucian says before the line cuts off.
I guess they’re coming over. I shake my head and sigh.It’s going to be a long night.
When I check the clock on my desk, it's already dinner time. I go out of my office to check on Katarina, and I’m on top of the stairs when I see a maid carrying a tray of food knocking on the bedroom door.
I stop and wait for Katarina to tell her to come in, hoping to hear her voice. But it doesn’t come. This time, Gio knocks.
Still nothing.
Gio frowns and knocks again.
When she still doesn’t answer, Gio and the maid shoot a questioning look in my direction.
“She must be sleeping,” the maid says.
“I don’t think she is,” Gio mutters, and I can recognize the worry in his tone.
I close the distance between us and pound on the door, my heartbeat speeding up as I wait for her to respond to my rude knocking. When there’s no noise in ten seconds, I turn the doorknob.
It’s locked.
“Katarina, open the door.” My voice booms in the hallway, my heart hammering against my chest.
Nothing.
“Something’s not right,” Gio says, but I’m already kicking on the double doors. It flies open in two kicks.
I hurry inside, and when I see the bed is empty, a cold wave washes over my body. I run to the bathroom to check if she’s there, but it’s empty too.
“Cazzu!” I swear, and that’s when I see the balcony. The glass doors are open, making the curtains dance as the wind sweeps in.
When I step out, my eyes catch the fleeting figure of a woman dashing across the lawn. She is dressed in nothing but anoversized white t-shirt of mine that she must have stolen from my closet. Her bare legs are moving quickly as she makes her way toward the gardens.
The urgency in her pace is unmistakable, and it’s clear she is desperate to get away. Without a second thought, I launch myself over the edge of the railing, my hands gripping the balustrade as I lower myself. I use the window frames of the room below as a makeshift ladder to drop to the ground level. As soon as my feet touch the ground, I break into a sprint, pushing myself to run as fast as I can in the direction she went.
As I close the distance between us, I can see she’s struggling to run with her bare feet and injuries.
“Katarina!” I yell, and her head whips towards my direction. As soon as she sees me, she picks up the pace.
We have reached the main gardens, surrounded by tall trees and manicured plants, when her bare feet stumble on the gravel. I reach her in seconds and catch her before she falls to the ground.
She whirls around to push me with all her strength, and, in one moment, a pistol I recognize is pointed at my chest. She must have found it in my closet.
“You’re developing a bad habit of pointing a gun at me,” I say, forcing a calm tone as I try to manage the fear that is so vivid on her face.
"Just let me go. I'm leaving, and nothing you say will stop me,” she spat, her voice rough with exhaustion yet holding on to a fierce determination.
“I can't let you do that.”
The sharp metallic click of the safety coming off is the only answer I get.
“Do you even know how to use that gun?” I ask, trying to distract.
“Mateo taught me how to use all sorts of guns,” she threatens, and I watch the angel I know transform into a fierce fighter. I can’t help the smirk that tugs on my lips.
Damn, she looks a hundred times hotter when she’s threatening my life. But she’s right, I should give her more credit. She did escape her kidnappers. So I hold my hands up, palms flat, as I lock my eyes on hers.
“Katarina, I have no reason to hurt you." I plead.
