Running Scared: Sequel to Special Delivery (The Billionaire's Baby Book 2)

by S Cinders

  I recognized the urgency in Marco’s voice.

  “Where are Will and Gina?” I whispered climbing out of bed and yanking on some clothes. Then I slipped my feet into shoes without worrying about socks.

  “They are taking care of things, we will see them in a minute,” Marco motioned for me to follow him and it was then that I heard voices coming up the stairs.

  I barely had time to run into the ensuite bathroom following Marco blindly as the voices came closer. I heard the muffled sound of a gun followed by cries of pain. Suddenly there were so many shots I couldn’t tell how many shooters there were and which ones were ours.

  Marco pushed a tile and a door swung open in the back of the shower. I followed him through and he shut it just as the door to my room was smashed in.

  My heart was in my throat. I was terrified that something bad was going to happen to Will and Gina. Marco had a hold of my wrist and he was pulling me so quickly that I had to run to keep up. We raced through the secret corridor down some stairs and ended up somewhere below the house. There were several cars in this secret basement. Marco lost no time shoving me into a Bugatti Chiron and getting behind the wheel.

  Marco revved the engine and he peeled out of the parking space and down a long tunnel.

  I could hardly catch my breath, “Where are we going?”

  “We are going to the meeting place, Will and Gina should be minutes behind us.”

  “Who broke into the house?” my voice cracked a little on the last word.

  Marco glanced over at me briefly, “You doing okay, Shay?”

  I nodded, which we both knew was a blatant lie.

  “I don’t know who those men were. But I have a feeling this all goes back to Redmont.”

  “Emma,” I breathed her name. “It all goes back to Emma. I wish that I would have listened to Mandy. She told me a hundred times Emma was bad news. I’m an idiot.”

  Marco reached over and patted my knee, “We are all idiots at times.”

  I turned to him, “Where is the meeting place?”

  “Airport,” Marco said his eyes back on the road. “We are leaving the country.”

  “Where are we going?” I felt a little panicked. “I don’t think I’m allowed the leave the country.”

  Marco laughed, “There is nothing legal about anything we are doing, Novia. Stop worrying. Will takes care of his own, and you Shay, are most definitely his.”

  I felt color suffuse my cheeks. But on its heels the disappointment that Will didn’t want me for his own. Okay, so didn’t want wasn’t the right terminology. He was determined to send me away when my safety was assured. I might mean something to him, but not enough to break whatever personal code or standard that would allow me to get close to him.

  “Does Will date women or just fuck them?”

  Marco choked on his own spit, “Shit, what?”

  “You heard me, Marco, don’t make me say it again,” I knew asking would be shooting myself in the foot.

  The last thing I wanted to know about was Will’s conquests. Or even worse, that he has a steady girlfriend and that I was barking up the wrong tree.

  Besides laying beside me, and that was only when I was distraught, Will had been the perfect gentleman.

  A dark feeling hovered near my stomach, “What kind of woman is he attracted to?”

  Marco choked again, “Are you trying to get me killed? Novia, these are not questions that I can answer and you know that as well as I do.”

  “Why?” I demanded, “Is the car bugged? Can he hear us talking?”

  Marco mumbled something like, I wouldn’t put it past him.

  “I’m scared,” I blurted out, “What if something happens to them back there and I didn’t make a move? What if the last time I saw him really was the last time?”

  “No, Shay, you can’t think like that, not in this business. You have to assume that everything will go right, it has to go right. They are trained professionals, the best in the business.”

  I blew out a breath, “What if Gina’s pregnancy slows her down?”

  He gripped the steering wheel tighter, “That has been one constant in my mind ever since we left the house. I can’t worry about it. I was already upstairs when I got the message to get you out. I couldn’t have gone to trade places with her. I have to believe that Will can not only keep her safe but that they both will come out of it unscathed. There isn’t any other option that is acceptable.”

  It dawned on me that Marco was just as terrified as I was. He was only better at hiding those emotions. We drove for a long time, passing the commercial airport and heading out to the county. It was another hour before Marco pulled off to a little side road that appeared to be going nowhere. We followed it for a mile or two when it turned into a dirt road.

  Another three miles of dirt road and we approached a massive hanger.

  “What in the hell?” I clutched Marco’s arm.

  He gently extracted himself and then came around the Bugatti and opened my door.

  “Come along, Shay. We need to get out of the open. This is all Will’s land, but I don’t trust anything right now.”

  We raced to the hanger and Marco opened the door using his code and a retinal eye scan. It was very James Bond, and I would have appreciated it more had we not been running for our lives.

  “What now?” I asked as we waited in the dark space.

  “We wait,” he said curtly.

  I nodded even though he couldn’t see me and then we sat in silence for thirty-eight minutes. It was the longest thirty-eight minutes of my life. I imagined both Will and Gina shot and bleeding out at the house. We were wrong to have left them. I

  Each second that ticked by had me coming up with worse scenarios. They had been taken captive, I was sure of it.

  There was a squeaking as the door opened. Marco tried to grab me, I assume just in case it wasn’t Will and Gina. But I was fast and in seconds had launched myself into Will’s arms. He stumbled back not expecting my enthusiastic greeting, but I wasn’t done.

  I showered his face with kisses as tears of joy ran down my cheeks. I was muttering over and over, “I thought you were dead.”

  Will wrapped his arms around me so that I didn’t fall and allowed me to touch every inch of his face and next with my lips.

  “Don’t ever do that again?” I cursed at him, “I have never been so scared.”

  He quirked a brow, “Not even when you were kidnapped?”

  I was completely exasperated by the thought, “That was nothing compared to this. I can’t even...”

  I broke off because the lump in my throat was making it hard to speak. But I had to make him see how much this affected me. I cupped his whiskered cheeks with my hands and laid one passionate kiss on him.

  It only took a second for Will to become a willing participant and then a moment more for him to take charge of the kiss.

  Best fucking kiss of my life. Will was an expert and many things, but kissing had to be his specialty. Never had I felt such an intense surge of want and need roiling around my gut. I dug my fingers into his black curls and sucked on his tongue the way I wanted to suck his cock.

  I was wild and uninhibited. It wasn’t until the catcalls broke through that I realized we had an audience.

  Gina was grinning at me, “Girl, it’s not that I don’t like free, live porn. But we need to get your ass out of here.”

  I looked over at Marco who was busying looking everywhere but at Will and I. My eyes traveled back to Will’s.

  “I’m not sorry,” my voice was rough and needy.

  His arms tightened for the briefest of moments before he whispered, “I should be, but Lord knows I’m not.”

  “We leaving town or what?” Gina broke the silence and I reluctantly unwrapped my legs from Will’s waist and slid down the front of him.

  CHAPTER 16 – Shay

  Eight and a half hours later we climbed off of Will’s private plane into a long black limousine in Rome. I
had never been outside of the United States. So despite the situation and my fears I was amazed at everything around us. My eyes were glued to the windows as we passed gorgeous architecture that had stood for thousands of years. It was beyond incredible and I could hardly believe that we were really there.

  Gina had fallen asleep against Marco’s shoulder on the plane. The way he tenderly held her all of those hours and the tender way he brushed his fingertips across her slightly bulging stomach spoke volumes. I don’t know what his hang up was, but Marco loved Gina. It was as clear as night and day.

  Marco was an incredibly handsome man with a rocking body. But he seemed to not realize it. He had a birthmark that affected one of his cheeks, but it did little to take away from his allure.

  Surely this wasn’t why he pushed her away? It didn’t make any sense. I knew it was none of my business, but I could see that he was hurting and I knew that Gina loved him. I just couldn’t see what the problem was.

  The moment she woke, Marco turned on the polite disinterested face that he usually showed her. It pissed me the hell off for both of them. However, until I spoke with Will about it I wasn’t going to mess with it. I had learned enough about sticking my nose where it wasn’t wanted.

  And besides, in the short time that we had been together, these people had become dear to me, like family. I wasn’t about to fuck that up.

  “Do you think they followed us?” I turned to ask Will.

  He raised a brow, “They will follow, I’m positive of that.”

  I felt a frisson of unease race down my back, “Why did we go somewhere they could just follow us?”

  “My villa is not far from here, Shay. I have many men and women on staff there. Let them come. We have nothing to fear. If they are stupid enough to chase us here they don’t deserve to live.”

  “Why here?” I asked. I knew that he had gorgeous olive colored skin and silky black curls so common in the Italian culture. But this was the first time I had heard of him having connections here.

  “Have you heard of the Sicilian Vespers?” Marco smirked but then quickly coughed and turned away when Will gave him a death glare.

  I wasn’t up on Roman politics but I knew that there were a handful of major families that controlled the mafia in Rome. I wasn’t sure if I should have been impressed or horrified as I turned to Will.

  The look on his face was impassive but his eyes blazed.

  “How did you end up in Tennesse?” I choked out.

  “There was some heat in New York and I was sent to my grandmother who was retired from the business. I was just a kid, being raised by my uncle in the city.”

  Suddenly things started clicking into place. The ease with which Will had become a mercenary. He had grown up in this lifestyle, in a sense it was all he knew. The mafia had been around in Rome since 1200’s and I had a feeling that Will’s family had been in it from the beginning.

  “You’re gonna let in flies, Novia,” Marco teased.

  I snapped my jaw shut and flushed. I couldn’t believe I had been starring with my jaw on the proverbial floor of the limo.

  “Do you work for the Mafia?” I croaked.

  Will shot me a dangerous look, “I know nothing of what you are speaking about. I am a businessman, pure and simple. We will be going to my family’s villa in the country and I expect we will be welcomed with open arms.”

  It was clear that Will had no desire to discuss his family. I knew the driver worked for Will so it wasn’t like he was being careful because of who might be listening. It was more, he didn’t want me to know and that hurt.

  It actually hurt a lot.

  I turned back to the countryside but it didn’t hold the same allure that it had moments earlier. All I could think about was that Will was involved in a Sicilian gang and that I was in way over my head. Who was the bad guy and who was the good guy? Can you have two bad guys? Is that a thing?

  Nothing was black and white as it is in the movies. We drove for a few hours before we came to a heavily guarded gate. Once we were cleared we began down the drive of the most gorgeous villa that I had ever seen. It made Mark’s mansion look like an apartment. I could hardly see the entire building it was that massive.

  The limo pulled up to the front steps and staff came out just as one would expect in a Victorian novel. The driver opened the door and we exited. When Will stepped out there was a cry from the top of the stairs before a large Italian man came rushing down the steps.

  Rapid fire Italian flying from his lips as he wrapped his arms around Will and kissed both cheeks with enthusiasm. What surprised me was the way that Will responded in the same language speaking like a native. I hadn’t a clue what they were saying but it seemed that it had been some time since the two men had seen each other.

  Will glanced my way and this time he spoke in English, “Julio, this is Shay Montgomery. Shay this is my cousin, Julio.”

  Julio was just as tall as Will although a little slighter muscular stature and at least ten years older. When he spoke his English had that delectable accent that I was certain he knew how attractive it was.

  “This beautiful flower is, Shay? It cannot be. I have heard so many things about you, Cara. My cousin was quite taken with you in his younger days.”

  I flushed and Will scowled at his cousin who went ahead blithely as if he hadn’t said anything to make us uncomfortable.

  He turned to Gina, “The lovely Gina, you are positively glowing! I’ve never seen you as lovely.”

  It’s not that Gina wasn’t as gorgeous as he said. But we had all left the house in the middle of the night and then flown and driven for another half of a day. There wasn’t a one among us that couldn’t use a strong bath and a toothbrush.

  I tried to suppress a smile and Marco outwardly growled at Julio’s attention to Gina. I also noted that Gina looked pleased as well.

  Julio turned to Marco, “It’s a pleasure to have you back with us, Marco.”

  Marco looked like he wanted to throw it back in his face, but he bit his lip and replied respectfully, “Thank you, Julio.”

  Julio turned a teasing eye to me and winked. I couldn’t help but like the man. He wasn’t like anyone I had ever met before, but he was humorous and he clearly adored Will.

  It was the last point that weighed the heaviest with me.

  “Have you any word?” Will asked as we entered the spacious home.

  Servants were on hand to escort us to our separate chambers, but I wanted to know what Julio was going to tell Will.

  He glanced at me, “Go along, Shay. I will come to you in a few moments.”

  Reluctantly I followed a pretty little maid up the stairs and into a gorgeous guest suite. She ran a steaming bath with scented oils and the moment I sank into the water I found my muscles starting to relax.

  The maid dropped off some clothing and said something in Italian that I didn’t understand. I nodded and said thank you before closing my eyes again and letting the heat from the water calm me.

  It wasn’t until I noticed a pounding on the door that I realized I had fallen asleep.

  The door swung open and standing there with a look of panic was Will. He took two steps in the bathroom and it dawned on him that I was lying there naked in the tub. The water had cooled and my skin was covered in goosebumps. My nipples were hard and tight and I had nothing but my hands to cover myself with as I cried out.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Will ran his hand down his face and looked anywhere but at me, “You weren’t answering when I called your name. I thought that something had happened to you Shay. I was terrified that you were hurt or worse.”

  I stood up and his gaze whipped back to my naked body. I had been cold before but I was feeling the heat from his gaze. Will looked at me like he was a dying man and I was his last meal.

  “You are fucking killing me, Shay,” he rasped and took a step forward.

  I pointed to the towel that was sitting on the vanity, “Can you hand
me my towel?”

  He grabbed me out of the water and sank his lips hard on mine. Suddenly a towel was the last thing on my mind.

  CHAPTER 17 – Will

  There are few things in this world I’m afraid of. I can handle snakes, spiders, wild animals, serial killers, and psychopaths—as long as they are directed at me. But I can’t begin to explain the terror I felt when those fuckers broke into my home and almost got Shay.

  It was the closest I have ever been to completely losing my mind, and I never wanted to be there again. This is the first time I have ever involved my family in a problem of mine. In those short moments when I wasn’t certain that we would be able to get her out, I knew then and there I would move heaven and earth to keep her safe.

  My family can be—intense. One doesn’t grow up in a life like ours without knowing the dangers we face every day. But there is one thing above all else, family.

  The moment that Julio and I were alone he grinned at me, “So, this is the one?”

  I didn’t try and pretend that I didn’t know what he was talking about. It was about time that I fessed up to my feelings for the woman. She was more than just an old friend, more than a job.

  I love Shay Montgomery. She is mine.

  A curt nod was all that he needed from me. Expressing my feelings had never been a strong point for me. Julio was aware that by my asking for his support I was in something deep. We spoke for some time about Redmont and possibilities on how to take him out.

  It’s kill or be killed in our business. I wouldn’t have involved Shay no matter how long I harbored this secret devotion to her. However, now that she has a target on her back and I’ve gotten to know her again. I can’t seem to let her go.

  Call me selfish, can me idiotic, it wouldn’t be any worse than what I have been saying to myself.

  As soon as I could get away from Julio I raced up the stairs toward Shay’s room. My blood was still hot from that kiss earlier. I knocked but there wasn’t an answer. I knew there was a possibility that she was sleeping. But after our scare earlier that day I couldn’t go to my own room without seeing her.