“How can I trust you?” she yells, her nostrils flaring from anger. “You’re a criminal!”
I shake my head and take one step closer to her. She is hyperventilating and in obvious agony. I can see it in the way she hunches slightly to protect her broken shoulder.
"Then explain why your brother askedmeto protect you?” I challenge her.
Her eyes bounce between my eyes and my lips as she tries to look for a logical answer.
"He didn't trust me as a friend,Dolcezza. He trusted me because he knew who I was." I say.
She pauses and stares at me like she can't believe what I'm saying. The gun lowers an inch.
"He knew?” she asks, confusion warring with fear in her eyes.
"He knew from our first meeting. He always knew. I never lied to your brother about that.” I explain as I attempt to approach her.
She stares at me. The betrayal on her face shifts to uncertainty. She takes a step back, but her bleeding foot slips on a rock, and she winces.
I see the moment the argument leaves her. Her shoulder must be screaming in pain, and the sheer volume of adrenaline and grief has overwhelmed her. Her grip on the gun falters, and she clutches her shoulder.
I have to end this now, or she’ll hurt herself.
In one step, I launch forward. My right hand snatches the pistol from her trembling fingers before catching her wrists and spinning her around.
My left arm wraps around her torso, trapping her against my chest. She lets out a choked gasp of pain as my arm presses against her body. Her small body spasms against my hold, a desperate, last-ditch attempt to break free.
“Stop!” I growl directly into her ear, tightening my grip just enough to solidify the command but not to cause serious harm. “I told you to listen. I am not your fucking enemy.”
I discard the gun into a nearby flowerbed and secure both arms around her so she can’t move. She is screaming and flailing her legs, but I lift her off the ground easily. She seems even lighter now than she did three days ago.
I carry her back to the house, and Gio appears in no time. He guides us up the stairs and back into the bedroom. I put her on the bed and walk to the door, slamming it shut.
When I turn around, she launches herself at me, hitting and punching with no direction. Some of it lands on my chest, but they barely hurt.
“Let go of me! Let me go!” she screams, her wild eyes looking at me with feral hate.
“Stop it!” I push her back to the bed and pin both her arms on the sides of her head, then trap her legs between mine. She screams louder as I subdue her.
My voice booms in the room as I shout at her for the first time, "Enough!"
She freezes.
“I’m not going to hurt you. Youfuckingknow me, Kat. Maybe not my real name then, butyou know me,” I growl to her face.
“I don’t know you! I don’t know what’s happening anymore, but I’m not going to sit here and wait at your mercy!” She snarls, her eyes full of tears.
“Do you know what will happen to you if I let you go now?” I move my face closer to her, and she looks away. “Tell me, do you know?!” I snarl, all of my patience running out.
I cup her jaw and force her to look at me.
“He will find you in an instant and make sure you’re dead. Or worse, you become one of his goods. He’s a human trafficker, Katarina. Do you understand what that means?” I hiss, and I watch the look of anger in her eyes transform into pure terror.
I release her and let the words hang in the air. I take a few breaths in trying to compose myself before peeling myself off of her and standing across the bed.
She lies there glaring up at me, body shaking from fear.
“If locking you in this room is how I keep you safe, I’ll do just that.”
“Don’t make me,” I add before walking out the door.
