by Lara Swann
From their comments, it had obviously been her they’d recognized instead of me, which was another bonus - I might be able to count on my identity still being safe, even if they’d reported the sighting of Alessa. And that also seemed unlikely, based on the way they’d jumped us. If there’d been more goons on their way, they probably would have held off a little.
But whatever luck all that gave me, I knew the bodies would be discovered soon. It would be a fool’s hope to think the bratva wouldn’t immediately start questioning if I was involved…using Alessa’s description if they still didn’t know mine. The net around me was closing fast, and with that, any alternatives to the flight I’d planned started slipping away. Even running might not be possible if I waited much longer.
My gaze darted continually to the rear view mirror as I took random routes in the bustling traffic, changing direction on a whim. I didn’t think they’d had a chance to call anyone, so the risk of a tail was small, but it was worth spending the time to make sure we weren’t being followed. Eventually, after a half hour of twisting and turning in nowhere near the right direction and feeling the unspoken questions in Alessa’s gaze, I decided I’d done all I could.
Either we didn’t have a tail, I’d lost it, or whoever followed us was good enough that I was never going to lose them. I turned us back in the direction of the safehouse and we got there quickly as the morning rush hour traffic died off.
I glanced up and down the street a couple of times, but I didn’t see anyone as I drove the car into the garage. With any luck, no one would trace this place for a while.
“We need to get out of here - grab anything you need from the house and we’ll leave.” I stepped out of the car without another word, walking up to the house and unlocking it for her.
I gave her a pointed look, but Alessa didn’t need a reminder to be quick. I wouldn’t have let us come back here at all except that I wanted to switch cars - Jay’s Toyota could be too easily linked to the fight. I took the chance to grab the couple of large, overnight bags I kept packed up and ready, and a few moments later Alessa came down with a - hurriedly filled - bag of her own.
We threw them into the back of the second car in the garage - a black Audi this time, infinitely nicer than the Toyota and one that I’d been disappointed to relegate to back up.
Guess you got to take it out after all.
I locked up the house for the last time and then I pulled the car out of the garage, taking off down the street with a gentle roar from the engine and leaving yet another safehouse behind us.
Another safehouse, another city. I might have been prepared to run from here, but I needed to end this soon. I didn’t have time to create yet another escape route.
We were silent for a long time, the tension thick until we made our way out of Chicago and headed south on the Interstate, our held breath only easing once we saw the bulk of the city start to fade behind us. It was only then I let myself think we might make it, that my preparations might have been enough to keep these guys away for another few days. Just a few more days, then I could disappear, and Alessa could return to her family.
The now-familiar twist of my stomach let me know what I thought of that idea, but I ignored it. Now, more than ever, it was obvious that would be the best option - the only option we had. Maybe I’d enjoyed living the last couple of days in a haze of pleasure, but I’d always known it was a temporary thing. A little fun in the middle of the death and violence that made up my life.
The most I could hope for was to enjoy it for the remainder of our short time together. And if I wanted to get us both out of this alive, maybe I couldn’t afford even that much of a distraction.
It wasn’t a pleasant thought.
Instead of dwelling on it, I looked over at Alessa, taking in the pallor beneath her sun-kissed features, and the lines of worry etched across her sweet face. I hated seeing that, even as I knew on some level that she was handling the whole thing far better than I’d expected. Instinctively, I reached across and squeezed her hand, offering a rough smile. Now that my thoughts weren’t solely focused on survival, I could offer a little support. I still didn’t think I knew a thing about comforting women, but Alessa…I was starting to know her, at least a little.
“You okay?” I asked.
She seemed to see my slight change of attitude, absorbed the question as more than just the can you deal with this enough to get out of here I’d given her at first. Still, I wasn’t entirely sure she was going to answer as she shrugged a little, one hand bringing her hair over her shoulder and playing with it. Even now, with everything else bearing down on us, she still took my breath away with that simple, unaffected beauty.
“Yes, I think so.” She sighed and glanced over at me, uncertainty flickering across her face. “I just wasn’t expecting them to come after me like that…attack me.”
The man’s leering accusation flickered through my mind again, and I suddenly understood her withdrawal. They’d thought she was working with me. Anger flared at the idea of someone harming her, followed quickly by a protective instinct hammering at me to prevent it at all costs. But this wasn’t something I could clear up. It was probably even my fault.
“I know. It will be alright once you’re back with your family - your father will protect you, and you can make it clear you were kidnapped and held against your will.”
She didn’t respond, and the words were heavy between us as my hand slowly stroked the back of hers. I’d kidnapped her, yes, and held her against her will…but now?
The lines were blurred and neither of us could acknowledge it. We couldn’t let there be any truth in the bratva’s dangerous suspicions. The idea of them thinking that…made me more uneasy than even the idea of her returning to her family.
It took a while until she came back to herself, and I let her have her silence as the car raced down the Interstate. We’d left behind overcast skies, and now the brightness of the sun was easily dispersing them, the heat rising on an early summer morning. Despite the ugliness and death earlier, the weather was unaffected, and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day.
“Guess it just means I’m stuck with you, right?” Alessa’s words broke off my thoughts, and I glanced over to see that she’d pulled herself up a little, obviously trying to push away the unpleasant concerns. Her words were tentative, but the look she sent me had some of her usual humor in it. “Can’t go running off with the bratva hunting me, hmm?”
Something unexpected rose up within me at the sight of her courage and how hard she was trying to deal with it all. Instead of dwelling on it, I respected her obvious desire to move on and sent her a smirk of my own.
“I’ll try to make it worth your while.” My hand slipped off hers, further down her thighs and she caught her lip between her teeth as heat flared in her eyes again. She gave me a sultry look, which I returned with a small grin before my hand slid back to hers again.
Good.
Something in me settled as I turned back to the road. She would be okay. Like everything else that had been thrown at her over the past couple of weeks, this wouldn’t break her. The silence between us turned companionable again, but this time it was broken quickly.
“What about you?” She finally asked as her attention returned to the present, “What do we do now?”
“I’ve got another place set up for us - one last escape route. More remote this time, and it should buy me a couple of days to book flights and get the hell out of here.” My gaze turned distant, focusing on the horizon as if my unknown future might appear there. “I’ll get you safely back to your father when I leave for my flight.”
“You’re…definitely leaving?” I felt her eyes on me and the hesitation in her tone. She knew I’d been hoping for another way out of this - for Jay to come through with something. Even if it had been a slim hope.
“If I was going to hear from Jay, I would have already. The trail’s gone cold by now, princess.” I responded more casually than I
actually felt.
“Well, that’ll be exciting at least - another country, something completely different.” Her dark eyes were too perceptive and I knew her words were intended to comfort me, but even so, her voice contained a slightly wistful note. “Where are you going to go?”
I have no idea.
And even if I did, she was the last person I could tell. I was running from Santini as well as the bratva, and there was little point in going all that way only to have her give them my destination when she was reunited with her family.
So instead, I turned the question back on her. “Where would you go, princess?”
“Italy.” The answer came so quickly that I wondered whether she’d thought about this before. “My family always talk about it, you know - our motherland, where we come from. But I don’t think they’ve ever actually been there. I’d like to see what it’s like - really like. The food, the sights, the history…”
She trailed off and I tried not to stare. It was the most Alessa had ever said about something she wanted. She flashed me a quick smile, and I could see the light flush behind her skin.
“But I think anywhere in Europe would be great. It’s just so different, you know?” She followed up quickly, as if trying to cover the sudden passion she’d shown. I gave her a quick nod and a smile, not wanting her to see that I’d noticed her embarrassment.
“Europe, hmm…” I murmured, wanting to acknowledge her thoughts but unable to say anything that might tell her too much.
It was a good suggestion, and while I’d never had much interest in traveling - and I usually didn’t give a shit about history or culture - somehow her passion was a little contagious, and it spread to cover at least some of my previous disinterest.
Chapter Fifteen
Alessa
We pulled up to Leo’s getaway place a couple of hours after we’d left Chicago, the midday sun hovering over us and turning the mild weather of the last few days into a pure, dry heat.
Unexpectedly, the horrors of the morning were already fading - just another of the series of terrifying moments I’d faced since Leo had taken me.
Being targeted directly like that had scared me silly, but the only thing that really stuck in my memory from those brief few minutes was the way Leo had dived in front of me. In front of me. He’d kept me safe, as he’d promised to do, and then had gotten us both away.
So I figured I could either give into the terror and fear because that was what I should feel, or accept that Leo made me feel safe regardless of these crazy situations. And I decided to go with the option that kept me sane. I didn’t want this to wreck me if I could help it and for the moment, with Leo here, I could almost feel brave. So I let go of the awful memories and focused on what we were doing now, letting that return me to normalcy again.
The house in front of us was far larger than the others had been, taking advantage of the space that the outskirts of a small village gave you. We hadn’t passed many houses on the way, and the place seemed even more remote than I’d expected. I certainly couldn’t imagine anyone looking here for us - or any of the other anonymous towns we’d passed by on the way.
As we stepped out and grabbed our bags from the back, I paused to look around at the open countryside and breathed in the sweeter tasting air. I’d never imagined myself somewhere like this, but I was strangely excited to be somewhere completely different from the hectic streets of New York City. I grinned up at Leo as he unlocked the door, and threw my bags down into the hallway before darting through the place, looking around.
If I was going to be dragged around the country and trapped in different places with him, I might as well enjoy what I could of it. This place gave me the feeling of a villa, with a marble island in the kitchen that separated it from the well-decorated living space - cream leather sofas sitting before glass doors leading outside.
I went to look at the garden space, and then immediately gasped, turning the key in the doors and throwing them open to step outside.
A pool!
The crystal clear waters sparkled, reflecting back the sun from above and tempting me as I looked longingly at it. Leo came up behind me, but I spun to face him before he could wrap his arms around me.
“Leo! There’s a pool!” My voice was slightly breathless, and I could feel myself flush - but it was more with excitement than embarrassment. I hadn’t gone swimming in far too long.
“Indeed there is.” His voice was tinged with amusement, and the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled down at me.
Any other time, the sight of him would have taken my breath away, but I was too distracted for that. Instead, I pushed my hands against his chest to make my point.
“Why didn’t we come here immediately? And why didn’t you tell me?! I didn’t bring a bikini!” I exclaimed, my mouth running without thought as I got caught up in the idea of spending a beautiful summer’s day in the pool.
He just laughed at me, shaking his head. “If I’d have known you were going to react like this, maybe we would have…”
He brought my mouth up for a slow kiss, and I felt a familiar heat rising inside me. He was just humoring me, of course - there was no way he would have brought us to a village in the middle of nowhere when he had business in Chicago, but I hadn’t been able to help exclaiming over it anyway.
Why couldn’t all the houses have been like this?
It was certainly better than trying to read or play solitaire…though the other things Leo and I had been doing to pass the time had certainly been enjoyable. I shifted against him, pressing forward as I wrapped my arms around his neck and let him deepen the kiss, his tongue invading my mouth and playing there delightfully.
Since that first night, I couldn’t deny that I’d been insatiable. I’d wanted everything Leo had offered and could give me, and more. The things he’d done to me had been beyond anything I’d wished for, and I didn’t want to let it go for a second. If this was my one chance to indulge in true passion and pleasure, I’d decided to take it with both hands - everything else be damned.
I had no idea whether I was even going to survive this madness, and for once it was worth prioritizing what I wanted above what my family would expect. Duty to my family could wait until I returned.
And the result had been the most liberating few days of my life.
Maybe Leo had taken me and kept me captive, but his possession gave me more freedom than I’d ever felt around my family.
I pushed the thoughts aside and slowly withdrew from the kiss, even Leo’s rugged strength not quite distracting me from the pool at his side.
“Do you think we could get a swimsuit somewhere around here?” I looked up hopefully, but he just laughed again, a low sound that lit a fire in my stomach.
“No need for that, princess. If you want to use the pool…use it.” His eyes glittered dark heat, promising so much and making me shiver in pleasure as I caught his meaning.
I blushed and glanced around the garden, for the first time taking in the high walls and isolation of the place. My sense of modesty had changed drastically in my time with Leo, and I was now eager for glimpses of his hard, muscled body instead of embarrassed and awkward, but even so - I didn’t think being naked in public would ever quite be me.
“No one can see you in here, princess. That’s kind of the point of this place.” He murmured as if he could read my thoughts, and I had to admit that unless someone tried to scale the walls, we were pretty safe here.
At that thought, the now-familiar rush of desire hit me again as I pictured Leo and I skinny-dipping in the pool together. Now that would be fun. I smirked up at him, the naughtiness of the idea igniting a spark of pleasure as I lowered my hands to his hips, fingers brushing the tight curves of his ass.
“Shall we spend a little time in the pool then?” I let the invitation linger in my eyes, my mouth whispering over his as I nibbled at his lips.
His hand came up, pressing my head to his as he growled at my teasing, taking my m
outh in a hard, passionate kiss as he always did when I started it softly. My pulse jumped and I let out a slight moan, loving the feeling of him taking me over every single time he did it. My hands brushed through his wild, dark hair and it took a long moment before he let me go again.
When he did, I was surprised to see the hint of concern mixed with the obvious lust in his expression. His hand shifted to stroke against my cheek.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Alessa? After everything…” He let it trail off, but I knew what he meant.
How could I be interested in this again, so quickly after the traumatizing events this morning?
Slight irritation flared inside me, even though I knew by now that it was just his way of ensuring that he wasn’t taking advantage. I wanted to forget all that, why did he have to bring it up? And I hated the thought there could be something wrong with me enjoying myself instead of sitting in a corner somewhere, shaking and terrified.
I wasn’t trying to prove anything. It was simply beautiful weather, with a glistening pool beside me and a hot-as-hell guy standing in front of me. And there was no reason for two thugs with guns to take that away from me.
“Alessa?” Leo’s voice came again, and as I glanced up into worried eyes, my annoyance slipped away.
If you’d told me a week ago that Leo was capable of this kind of caring and concern for me, I wouldn’t have believed it. But the last few days he’d lightened up from the harsh, unrelenting attitude he’d had before. While I could never describe him as being soft, he was a lot more fun - talking with me and laughing easily now - and he did seem to care what I thought or felt. His infuriating cockiness and arrogance was still there, but - I had to admit - in the most deliciously sensual ways, instead of the mocking tone it had held earlier.
So I couldn’t quite fault him for the way he cared about me. Instead, I resolved to convince him just how fine I was.
I tilted my head up and kissed him again, moving slowly and letting the steady build of pleasure thrum through our bodies while my hands slid up under his t-shirt. I moaned at the light dusting of hair that slipped between my fingers, curling them and tugging gently. When I finally broke our kiss to look up at him, I could feel his cock pressing hard against me. My pussy pulsed in response, already wanting it - wanting him.