A man appears in the doorway, his excitement clear. “Kay is outside the main gates and demanding to speak to you.”
“He’s here? Evelyn stay inside with my wife and Stefano.” Paulo instructs quickly.
My stomach drops like a stone. I want to run as fast as I can to Kay, but I don’t. Instead I watch as Paulo leaves with a group of armed men in his wake.
“Come join me. Coffee?” The Don’s wife offers as she fills her own delicate china cup with the strong black liquid.
“No, thank you.” Sliding into a chair at the table, my attention strays to the window. It doesn’t look out onto the front of the building but into the stretching gardens. My head is spinning with different scenarios. Kay has come for me, of that I’m sure. Is he walking into a trap? Will Paulo kill him?
“I don’t know how he escaped, but my plans are going to have to be a lot less subtle.” Chiara murmurs, shattering my thoughts.
Turning. she smiles at Stefano in a way that doesn’t mean good things. “Kill my husband, Kay, and anyone who tries to stop you.”
The silent giant of a man bows before stalking from the room, radiating an aura of violence.
Blinking in bewilderment, clarity quickly seeps in. “It’s you. The one who put the hit out on Kay.”
Chiara acknowledges my words with a little salute of her cup. “My husband is a fool, and Kay is a nuisance that should have been dealt with long ago. I know my worth, and I’m proud of it, proud of my heritage. I will not let anyone take that away from me and my son! If you even attempt to make a run for the door, I will have no qualms in shooting you in the back,” she warns when I attempt to stand. Aiming the gun she’s kept hidden under the table level with my chest, she discards her drink. Reaching across, she taps one long, red painted fingernail on the screen of her phone.
“Kay and his whore are at the house,” she says the second someone answers. “I'm accelerating our plans and having them taken out now.”
“No mama, wait for me to arrive.”
The sound of Mauro’s deep voice has nausea rolling in my stomach.
“Mauro, I have everything under control. You will be Don by this evening, head of this family.”
“Chiara.”
The sound of her husband has her almost dropping her weapon in surprise. “Paulo…”
Standing in the doorway, Don Jilani straightens to his full imposing height, gaze blazing with loathing and fury. Flanking him on either side are men I don’t recognize and Kay. I don’t get the chance to soak the sight of him in. Fingernails bite into the skin of my arm, through my top, making me wince as I’m dragged off my chair.
“Stay back or I’ll shoot her,” Chiara threatens, the muzzle of her gun pressed flushed to my ribs.
“You should have known better than to let my men fuck you like a street whore whenever they desire. You think I don’t know you’ve been spreading your legs for most of them? That doesn’t get you loyalty. I know all about your plans to take over my business, thanks to Stefano.”
“It’s your own fault for suggesting Kay as your successor when you step down,” she hisses, desperation written all over her beautiful face as she shoots his right-hand man a look of venom.
“You couldn’t just make it easy and die in the explosion.”
Kay stands motionless. His attention isn’t on me but completely riveted on his prey. The stillness is unnerving as if he’s just waiting for her to make a mistake. Show weakness he can leap on. A lion ready to pounce.
“You think I don’t know you tried to seduce him when he was eighteen? That it’s the reason he left,” Paulo continues, voice rising in volume to a boom.
“He threatened the security of our son.” The barrel of the gun darts Kay’s way briefly before returning to me.
“What son?” Paulo strikes his chest passionately with his fist. “You think I’m old and senile?”
A tremor wracks Chiara’s slender frame, the grip on my arm tightening painfully, making me whimper.
“Of course, Mauro is yours…” she insists with confidence.
“And looks nothing like me,” her husband scoffs. “Plus, the DNA test I had done recently confirms it. I’ve had my suspicion for years he wasn’t mine, but I let it slide.”
The color drains from her tanned cheeks. “Test?”
Paulo’s laugh is humorless at her reaction. “Sweetheart, you’ve always underestimated me, and this is your last mistake. The money, everything you squander and enjoy is going to be stripped from you. You’ll no longer be a spoiled bitch with her nose in the air.”
Rage.
It flames over Chiara’s face, transforming her countenance into something ugly. Shoving me aside, she raises her weapon, her husband the new target. A gunshot cracks through the air. A violent boom fills my ear, making me jump at the sound.
Chiara jerks, the anger rolling off her, morphing to surprise and then pain. Blood blooms on the front of her dress. Hand crawling up, she tries to stem the rushing flow with her palm with no success. Legs collapsing beneath her, she's dead before she even hits the floor.
Kay stands with the gun still in his hand. The look etched into his face is haunted. The cold-blooded killer who first snatched me. Brutal, dangerous, but beautiful all wrapped up in one.
“Where’s Mauro?” Paulo asks without a sign of remorse or guilt.
“The phone was on the whole time,” I murmur faintly. “He heard every word. Everything.”
Stefano pads to the table collecting the item. “The line is dead now.”
Did Mauro hear his mother die, or did he disconnect before it happened? Clutching the side of a chair, my legs sag as adrenaline ebbs.
“Stefano, clean up this mess and summon Doctor Lorenzo.” Don Jilani’s tone brims with authority. “Kay, I suggest you sit down before you fall down. You’ve been tortured. That always leaves its mark, and you can’t ignore it.”
“Not before I talk to Evelyn.” He looks tired. Dark smudges shadow under his eyes; the lines from nose to mouth look deeper than I remember. His inscrutable gaze seems to map me from head to foot as if he’s seeing me properly for the first time since entering the room.
Staring at the bloodied shirt covering his body, I blanch in horror. For a heartbeat, Kay and I stare at each other.
Kay
“Kay.” Evelyn’s sweet voice is soft.
Dressed in faded jeans, the light green top she’s wearing swamps the slenderness of her frame. A mottled multitude of colors stain her cheek in different deepening hues. The blotches look like the size of a fist. Bottom lip puffy, a small cut is evident.
Moving slowly as not to spook her, I move closer. When I gently cradle her face, her eyes close as she leans in seeking comfort. Evelyn trembles beneath my touch. Sparkling in the light, tears bead in her long, lowered thick eyelashes.
“I thought you were dead.” Her voice is so small. Vulnerable. It has my heart pounding faster in my chest.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you safe like I promised. This is my fault.”
I let this happen.
Kept her with me instead of letting her go. The knowledge has pain squeezing through my chest. I’ve always thought myself capable of protecting those I care about. Been arrogant in that assumption. I never thought this could happen to me. I’ve been careful to guard my heart. Yet this woman, who I kidnapped, has stolen it. It was instantaneous. I just hadn’t realized it at the time.
“I’ll kill Mauro for touching you,” I vow, my voice pulsing with the emotions threatening to drag me under and consume me. Paulo had filled me in as we’d dashed up the driveway. How Mauro had been the one to assault Evelyn. How he’d been in the process of raping her before Paulo stepped in and rushed her away.
Pure unadulterated rage courses through me. I want revenge for my petal. I’m going to fucking destroy Mauro for ever laying a finger on her. For everything he and the bitch he called mother planned.
Watery, big, blue eyes open to study my own, a small frown marring her sm
ooth brow. “I just don’t want to see you with any more holes that someone needs to patch up…” The tears break free to roll down her cheeks. “You’re already hurt.” Her bottom lip trembles.
She’s been through so much, yet even now, her thoughts aren’t for herself. I’ve never met anyone so selfless. I silence her with a passionate kiss, tasting her sorrow. Her fear. A carousel of emotions that mirror my own. Evelyn quietens. Her tears ebbing, the salty wetness mingled against our mouths. When I move to draw away, her fingers tangle in my hair keeping my lips locked to hers. Boldly, her tongue strokes into my mouth, dancing with mine. Unspoken feeling passes between us. Things that perhaps in time will flower but still too fragile to be voiced.
Gawain clears his throat loudly.
Breaking apart I give him a glare.
“The doctor’s here,” he points out, his eyebrows raised in amusement at my reaction. “I suggest you get patched up before going any further.”
Paulo and Stefano are watching us with interest.
Lacing my fingers with Evelyn’s, I lead her toward the door. “Come on. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“Who’s your friend?” she asked with curiosity peeking at him as we pass him by.
Tightening my grip on her hand, I keep her close. “That’s Gawain, and I’m warning you now he likes to flirt.”
Kay
“I’ve never seen you like this, and it’s making me uneasy. You’ve got it bad for this woman, my friend,” Gawain’s American twang informs me from the depths of a high back comfortable leather chair. Bors doesn’t stir from his position by the window. A silent sentinel, he’s wearing a scowl on his dark-skinned, bearded face. Assuring him everything is being handled hasn't been easy. Arriving in Rome in a blaze of vengeance and wrath, he'd been ready to break some bones.
There’s only the three of us in the stylish study. Around us, bookshelves are filled with books in Italian.
Seated behind the wide wooden desk, my fingers pause on the keyboard of the laptop. I’ve transferred a small fortune into Evelyn’s bank account anonymously. I figure she’ll work out who it’s from right away. It’s enough to let her achieve and do whatever she dreams. Not a payoff for what she’s been through like Gawain imagines. After being the cause of pain and still more to come, I want her to take something good out of this. Blowing out a lung full of cigarette smoke, I watch as it spirals up in white wisps into the air. “I don’t give a fuck how you feel. We stick to the plan.”
“I’ve already agreed to play babysitter, but letting this woman mess with your head is going to make you a liability. You need to be sharp not distracted.”
I don’t reply, knowing Gawain speaks the truth.
Three days since Chiara tried to make her move and Mauro is yet to be found. He’s become a Phantom. A faceless shadow melding in with the city he knows well. Paulo’s men haven’t been able to find him. Those stupid enough to have defected have been dealt with swiftly and without mercy.
“Seeing a pair of Evelyn’s tits every time you send a photo is going to get boring. Varity is the spice of life, my friend, after all. You need to remember that and forget the blonde upstairs; although from the look on your face, I’m guessing you’re too love sick to do that.”
Bors grunts, his lips curling slightly at the sides, at that statement. “I agree, Kay has it bad.”
“No one will be seeing her breasts but me.” I toss them a steely glare. “You’re both going to have to get used to photos of fucking sunsets or dick pics, which ever one suits my mood.”
I’m not sharing what’s mine, and that includes nude photos. Holding my petal closely at night, I haven’t taken her; although, I burn to do so. Fears running through her head, the memories of Mauro’s brutality haunt her. She’s described it as a waking nightmare. The dread that he might return and finished what he started. Snuggled up warm and safe, we whisper to each other long into the night. I’ve seen the marks he’s left on her body. The crescent bite marks across her breasts. Imprints of painful hands on her porcelain skin. A choked cry had come from her slender throat when she’d shown me. Every tear she’d shed against my shoulder had just seared me deeper with blame. It could have been worse. I’ve seen it in my line of work. Innocence shattered and broken to never be the same again. I don’t want Evelyn to lose her easy smile. Forever live in fear.
“You sound so possessive.” The corners of Gawain’s mouth twitches into his cheek in a smirk. He seems to be savoring the moment. As if he never sees himself falling into the trap of love. I hope to fuck I’m there when he does. Karma is a bitch.
“Who the fuck wants to see your tiny dick?” Bors grumbles. “It’s always been tits you can’t go changing that now.”
Glancing at my watch, I stub out the cigarette in the ashtray beside my hand. “The only time you’ll ever see tits from me is if I’m in trouble. There’s something I need to do before you leave.”
I’m not about to argue with either of them. Evelyn’s breasts are off limits. They’re just going to live with the alternatives, not that I won’t get imaginative when I get started. Not waiting for a reply, I rise leaving, the study and my friends to their own devices. Moving to the living room, I find my backpack. Holding the lucky red keychain still attached to the end of my phone, I unthread it from where it’s tethered. I haven’t been without it since Paulo Jilani gave it to me on my eighteenth birthday. The last one I ever celebrated at this villa. That same week I left to find my own way in the world and left him and my past behind.
Unzipping my bag, I sort through it until I find a leather cord. I don’t question what drives me. With certainty, I just know this is right. The cord slips easily through the hoop at the top of the horn talisman. Tying a knot, I ensure it’s secure.
Heading for the hallway, I catch Evelyn padding down the stairs. Hair loose around her shoulders, it shines, flowing down in a river of golden waves. The bruises she wears have darkened to a deeper purple and black. A reminder of the violence she’s been through. She’s insecure about them. Shoulders hunched, her eyes are wide and skittish whenever she sees someone she doesn’t know. How can I promise to keep her safe when I’ve already failed once? I carry that failure like a burden.
When she sees me, I smile at her, hoping to lighten her anxiety. Eyes lighting up, she smiles shyly back.
Warmth rushes through my chest with something tender. The bond between us has only grown stronger. We barely know each other, but it’s there woven around us inexplicable.
“I was just coming to find you.”
Looping the cord over her neck, I let the good luck charm nestle between her breasts above her top. “This is for you.”
Cradling the little red horn in her palm, Evelyn examines it with a frown. “Your lucky keychain?”
“I want you to have it.”
What I feel for her terrifies me more than anything I’ve been through in my life. I’ve never done relationships. Moving from place to place with work, it’s been easier not to get attached.
“Sorry to interrupt, but we need to get moving if we’re going to catch that plane,” Gawain announces. Travel bag resting over his shoulder, he halts beside us. Bors is a silent looming shadow behind him.
Evelyn stiffens, the amulet still gripped in her hand. “Plane?”
Brushing strands of blonde hair gently from her face, I smile down at her, aware she has no idea how deeply she’s carved her name into my heart.
“It’s not safe for you here. I need to focus on hunting down Mauro. Keep my head in the game. I can’t do that unless I know your protected. Gawain is going to stay with you until the threat has been eliminated permanently.”
“I don’t understand. You’re sending me away?” There’s so much hurt and confusion mingled in her tone. She should be happy. Relieved its all over. The fact she’s not gives me a small spark of hope. It leaves me mired in conflict that I’ve made the right choice.
Gawain checks his watch, impatience transparent. “
Kiss her already. We need to get going.”
Tipping Evelyn’s face up to mine, my lips press lightly to hers. Tongue delving into her mouth, I try to soothe her unspoken questions. She moans sexily in her throat at the contact. Arms winding around my neck, she presses her smaller frame against me. I’m so tempted to stay there. Forget the notion to send her home, scoop her up, and take her to our bedroom. Instead, ending the kiss, I set her firmly away.
“Go home, Evelyn.” My words are firm, short, and inadequate. I have so much to say but know letting them out will do neither of us good. I’m doing all this for her sake.
She looks stunned. Shattered at my decision. The sassiness she'd started to show before everything had gone to shit is missing.
Gawain gallantly takes her by the elbow, leading her toward the front door. He knows better than to flirt with her. Watching over my petal like a guardian angel, he’ll bring death to anyone who tries to harm her.
“You did the right thing,” Bors mutters, clutching my shoulder in a sign of reassurance. “You’ve only known her a couple of days. You got caught up in the excitement. She’s pretty, and I’m sure the sex was good. What you think you feel might not be real at all.”
“Remind me of that when Mauro is dead and I’m standing over the fucker’s broken body,” I tell him.
Evelyn glances at me over her shoulder. Brow knotted, her look is troubled.
I don’t go after them as they vanish out the front. I want to soothe her, but I don’t. Distractions are costly. I’ll make this all up to her. Our meeting wasn’t conventional, but I intend to woo her right. How she deserves.
A wordless, mind-numbing whisper of danger rocks though me. It comes out of nowhere. My brain stutters as a gunshot abruptly rings out. I rush out of the door into the winter air with Bors in tow.
Gawain is crouched behind the car, gun drawn as he searches for the source of the attack. Skin as white as a china doll’s, Evelyn lays unmoving on the ground beside him. Hair a messy chaos, it hides her face from my view.
His Salvation: Cavalieri Della Morte Page 13