Page 101 of Tailored for You

“Serena.” Enzo’s voice came from somewhere in the car where my phone had landed.

“Serena, focus on me,” Donovan demanded.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to push the fear deep down so I could listen.

I looked at Donovan’s eyes through the rearview mirror. Used that as my anchor point.

He nodded, turning his eyes back on the road. “When I say run, run. Don’t look back. Find a place to hide. Now move to the other side of the car and hold on.”

I nodded and did as he instructed. The window rolled down. Sitting behind the front passenger seat, I saw how focused Donovan was. His eyes were scanning the road, weaving between cars as best he could.

“Serena, ready?” Donovan yelled. “I need you to be ready.”

He careened over a curb, narrowly missed a car, and spun us out.

“Run. Now.” Donovan ordered, grabbing a gun from the center console. I didn’t need to be told twice. I flung the door open and sprinted down the sidewalk.

Shouts and car doors slamming behind me made me run faster.

Thank God I wore sneakers.

I sprinted, never looking back. Something nicked the ground in front of me, concrete spraying up.

A bullet. As if I needed a reason to run faster than I already was. I pumped my arms, willing myself to run faster, and turned into an open garage receiving center. The doors that led to the back were wide open, and I dashed inside.

A few overhead lights illuminated the massive space, leaving it shrouded in shadows.

Find a place to hide. That was what Enzo had done every time there was some danger. There were boxes everywhere, some half-open. I slid between two on the bottom shelf, boxing myself in on three sides, with no real way to see anything.

Please let this be good enough.

When I crouched down, trying to make myself as small as possible, my hand brushed something sharp. I followed the edge, careful not to cut my finger, until I found a dulled edge that wouldn’t slice me when I held it. It was dark, but I could tell it was something made of steel, about the size of my hand.

Good. If they found me, I’d have a surprise waiting for them.

There were shouts, echoing through the large space. My heart pounded. Beams of light flashed above me. I covered my mouth, trying to hide the sound of my breathing.

Be small. Be invisible. I willed myself.

The box I was hiding behind moved.

My stomach dropped, and a scream crawled its way up my throat. A man appeared, poking his head into the small hole he had created.

“Found her,” he yelled. I sent a punch to his nose, like I'd learned in the self-defense course I took years ago. The man shouted, and hurried footsteps came my way.

“She punched me,” the man said, and then the heavy box was removed, revealing me to a group of men, who all had smiles on their faces.

One of the guys moved closer, reaching for me. I took a step forward and then swung my leg up, nailing him in the balls.

If they thought taking me was going to be easy, I’d show them just how painful I could make it for them.

CHAPTER 31

Enzo

“Find them,” I snarled as I pulled my house door open so hard that one of the hinges broke off. “I want their heads on a spike. I want their boss on their knees, begging for their life. Call everyone. They search and don't stop until Serena and Harper are home and everyone else is dead.”

“We’ll do it, brother. I promise,” Rafael said. He’d been with me when Serena called. He was careful not to touch me. I could count on one finger the number of times I felt this scared and angry and out for blood. When my parents died, the only thing to blame was wet roads and rain. “We’ll do all that and more. Donovan was right near some of our spots. We have men scouring the city for Serena.”