Dangerous Flames (Mafia Hearts)

by Ely, Wendy

  “Come on,” Mik said as he ran toward the woods. He followed the trail of blood spots and quickly found another saturated area behind a tree.

  Enrico pointed to the large spot in the snow. “She had to be sitting here. Look at the blood over there.”

  “She’s hurt and barefoot with only a t-shirt and jeans.” Fear clenched his gut and twisted it like a hurricane. Gabi has to be okay.

  “Even if her wounds are superficial, she’s at risk of hypothermia.”

  Mikolas didn’t have time to answer. He trudged forward through the deepening snow. Blood splotches stood out to him like the moon in the inky black sky. Those splotches would show him the way. And when he got there-

  “Clayton’s a dead man and I’m going to enjoy it every second,” Enrico said, breaking into Mikolas’ thoughts.

  “Exactly.” Mikolas scanned the area around them. “Are there any cabins up here?”

  Enrico motioned off to the right. “About another half mile.”

  “That’s far when you’re barefooted.”

  “Let’s get our girl.” Enrico huffed along as he kept pace with Mikolas. Mik was proud of the old man for doing what it took to save his daughter but knew only a bullet would stop Enrico from saving her. Clayton better be well prepared.

  “Should we do it quick, Mikolas? Or stretch it out some?”

  Mikolas smiled for the first time since Enrico’s arrival. It wasn’t a smile of happiness but one of revenge. “Stretch it out. He’s going to pay for what he’s done.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Her legs were cramping up, probably from the cold, and she could barely feel her feet. Standing proved unbearable. Both of her feet felt like they’d gone to sleep even though she’d been walking a long way.

  A cabin came into view and provided a relief to her. Maybe Clayton would let her clean her cuts and rest. She’d be able to sit down at the very least. He wouldn’t be that cruel, would he? Or why was she trying to fool herself?

  “We’re going in there.”

  Good. “But what if there is someone here?”

  “I checked around in town. The mountain has been evacuated.” He pushed her toward the steps, banging her cut knee against the wood of the porch.

  “Stop pushing me. I’m doing what you want.” She glared at him.

  “Get up the steps.”

  She grabbed the rail and pulled herself to a standing position and limped up the four stairs. It seemed like an impossible task but she made without him pushing on her again. With nothing else to hold on to, she took a few wobbly steps toward the front door. She reached for the door knob and found it locked. Ha ha, Clayton. Bet you didn’t plan on that factor.

  Clayton skipped down the steps. He snatched a large rock from the side of the driveway and returned. He took no time for second thoughts before slamming the rock against the large picture window. Glass blew into the living room.

  “Don’t try anything. You can’t run and I’ll have some great target practice from here.” He climbed through the busted window and had the front door unlocked and open within a few seconds.

  “Come on in, darling.” His grin broadened as if he thought his plan had actually worked. Of course this would come crashing down around him. Mikolas would find her for sure.

  “Screw you.” She tried her best to shove past him but with her injuries, she didn’t provide much force with the shove.

  “If you insist but won’t loverboy be a little upset?”

  She kept her back to him as she made her way to the bathroom. The cabin was smaller than her father’s but just as expensive.

  “Were do you think you’re going?” He called after her.

  “To clean this blood off me,” she yelled as she pulled the bathroom door shut behind her. She would’ve loved to lock the door but the handle didn’t have one.

  Maroon hand towels hung on the bar next to the sink while little decorative soaps sat in the dish on the marbled counter top. Dog shapes. She rolled her eyes as she turned the tap on and let the water run. While she waited, she rummaged through the drawers. Maybe the first aid kit would be in the shape of a dog too. She wouldn’t care as long as these people actually had one.

  “Thank God,” she whispered as she found it in the bottom drawer. And the kit didn’t resemble a cute little puppy as she’d expected from the rest of the décor, including the bathmat in front of the tub. She took one of the pretty towels that probably had never been used for anything other than to be looked at, off the rack and soaked it with warm water. She sat down on the back of the toilet and flinched at the pain as she pulled one foot into her lap to assess the damage.

  Bruises had already formed around the slice marks. No blood anymore, only raw, open wounds. It looked like someone had scribbled on her foot with a fillet knife. She brought the wet towel an inch away. She paused and bit her lip. Cleaning the wound was going to hurt like hell. The first touch of towel proved her theory to be correct. Not wanting to draw any more attention to herself, she swallowed her cry of pain.

  Once both feet were wrapped, she moved on to her knee. Not wanting to take her pants off, she ripped the hole bigger and cleaned the gash the best she could. This wound continued to bleed, making her use the three gauze pads provided in the first aid box. The one slice on her palm was deeper than she’d expected. She covered the wound with two regular band-aides. Not enough, but worked for the moment.

  Even with the first aid applied, she still needed something to weaken the pain. She plucked a prescription bottle out of the medicine cabinet. Oh yes, a narcotic pain reliever. Out of curiosity, she glanced down at the name on the bottle. Jill Chalmers.

  “Sorry about what’s happening in your cabin, Jill,” Gabrielle said as she dropped one of the white pills into her mouth. She found a stack of paper drinking cups in the cupboard underneath the sink and washed the pills down.

  Clayton walked by the door to the sitting area of the living room. Had he been checking on her? He didn’t have to worry about her trying to escape. There wasn’t a window in the bathroom.

  But she didn’t plan on leaving the bathroom unless he made her. There was no desire to be around the man. She sat down on the toilet lid again and leaned her head back. Minutes passed in silence. The medicine must’ve started to kick in because the wooziness consumed her head. She rubbed her hand over her eyes and let her head drop down.

  A large crash sounded near the front door. She jerked her head up but even the startling loud sound didn’t snap her out of her dizziness. Maybe she’d just pass out in the tub until Mikolas rescued her. Because he loved her. He wouldn’t let her die at the hand of Clayton.

  She moved to the side of the bathtub and the room spun around her.

  Another crash.

  “Gabi?”

  That sounded like Mikolas. He’d found her already or was it a hallucination? She shook her head to clear the fog. It didn’t work.

  Another crash followed by a moan.

  Her imagination or not, Gabrielle couldn’t just sit in the bathroom and miss the opportunity of Mik saving her. With all of the banging around out there, it could be him needing her help. She grabbed the towel bar and pulled herself to her feet. She rubbed her eyes to try to wipe away the dizziness once again without succeeding. Her eyes were heavy and begged to be closed.

  She opened the bathroom door and used it to keep herself steady. Another groan came from her right, in the direction of the front door. The room spun as she stepped out into the living room.

  “Gabi,” Mik called out to her. He was on the floor underneath Clayton, wrestling over a gun.

  “Mik?” The image of the two men swirled together.

  Mik smashed his forehead into Clayton’s nose. At least that’s how it looked to her. Everything was blurry and it became harder to keep her eyes open with each passing second. A gun flew out of Clayton’s hands and slid across the wood floor. It stopped at her feet.

  “Get it,” Mik yelled.

  She picked
it up and held it in position. Clayton was hurt but didn’t slow down at all. He was trying to climb off Mik but Mik held on to him. Her eyes watered as she tried to focus. She took a step forward and it didn’t hurt as bad this time.

  But she was woozy and the dizziness increased. Clayton looked like he had gotten on his feet, blood pouring from his nose. Mik shortly behind him. She took a step back.

  “Don’t come any closer,” she ordered. She cocked the gun, blinking her eyes quickly to clear her vision. Focus, Gabrielle. She needed the room to stop spinning and the image of the two men to stop blending together.

  “It’s over for you now, Clayton,” Mik announced.

  Clayton reached toward her as she pulled the trigger. The blast boomed through the small cabin. She landed on her butt but kept her aim on Clayton staggering toward her. His bloody hand close to her again.

  “Shoot again, Gabi,” Mik said.

  She fired another time. Blood flew out of Clayton’s chest as he tumbled forward. His face bounced off the wood floor like a basketball.

  “Oh my God, Oh my God,” Gabrielle rambled. “I killed him, Mik. I killed him.” Even through her sleepy fog filled mind, her actions were real. She had killed someone. Setting the gun on the floor next to her, she let her face drop down in her hands. Mik scooped her in his arms and held her against his chest.

  “I’m sorry you had to kill him, honey.” His lips pressed against her forehead. “But I’m worried about you. Did he drug you?”

  “I did it.” She blocked the horror on the floor by closing her eyes.

  “What? Your voice is going in and out. What did you say?”

  Her voice sounded fine even though all she wanted to do was sleep in the safety of Mik’s embrace. Sleep. It never had sounded better. She leaned her face against his chest and took a deep breath of his scent. Even through the sweat and dirt, he was heavenly.

  “Love you.” The world faded to black.

  ****

  Mikolas’ muscles strained as he carried the sleeping Gabrielle across the yard in the direction of Enrico’s cabin. He hoped Enrico was doing all right. The impact of the day’s events had hit Enrico halfway over to the cabin where Mikolas had found Gabi. Mikolas had sent Enrico back to wait there. The old man had argued a bit but gave in, claiming the need to pay respects to the dead men and make arraignments.

  He didn’t know what the rest of the night held for him beyond protecting her while she rested. Maybe Enrico would be willing to talk man to man with him while she was asleep. He’d pack after that and they’d be out of there.

  His arms ached more with each step he took. Once they emerged from the woods, he let out a sigh of relief and found Enrico sitting on the porch, sucking on a cigar. His head was leaning against the rail with his eyes were closed.

  As Mikolas approached the porch, Enrico looked at them. “Is she okay?” His twisted with concern.

  “She took some pain killers and is asleep. It looks like he roughed her up a bit.” Mikolas started up the steps with her, holding her securely to his chest as if she was the most precious thing in the world. What was he thinking? She was the most precious thing.

  “Put her in the back of the van. I want to talk to you when you’re done.”

  Mikolas only nodded as he headed for the white van. He didn’t have anything left in him for a fight or even a disagreement with Enrico. Mikolas had reached his threshold.

  He opened the back door, put her on the bench seat, and spread a blanket over her. She snuggled into the warmth around her.

  Mikolas turned back to Enrico. “She’s going to be okay,” he said. He kept his voice quiet as he made his way back to the porch. He sat down on the top step next to Enrico.

  “Want one?” Enrico held another cigar out to him.

  He shook his head. “No thanks.”

  Enrico kicked a small spot of snow off the porch. “We were discussing your relationship with my daughter earlier.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair and waited for the next bomb to be dropped on him. “Lay it on me, boss.”

  Enrico patted him on the shoulder. “You did well tonight. You saved both Gabrielle and me.”

  “I didn’t save you.” He eyed Enrico with confusion.

  “You certainly did. I was too tired to go up against Clayton. You made me turn back—” He turned to Mikolas. “What about Clayton? You never said.”

  Even though Mikolas preferred to discuss his future plans with Gabi, he recounted the events for Enrico, who sat in silence until the story ended.

  “Gabrielle shot him?”

  Mikolas nodded. “She sure did. She’s going to be shaken up once she’s awake, I’m afraid.”

  “She is. I have a big mess to clean up over there.” Enrico held the van keys out to him. “I don’t want the two of you involved.”

  “You can’t deal with it yourself.” Mik took the keys from Enrico and held them in his hand, not sure of what Enrico wanted.

  “Your dad was in an accident but he’s okay and should be out of the hospital. Take the van to town. When you get cell service have your dad come up here.” Enrico held out a roll of hundred dollar bills. “Take this and go far away. Bad things’ll be coming to our family.”

  Mikolas shook his head. “Are you sure?”

  “Don’t question me.” His voice softened, saying, “I can see now you’re the man who’ll take care of my baby girl. I should’ve kept her away from the life. Now you have to. Take her far away from Vegas, Mikolas.”

  Mikolas stood up. “Okay.”

  “And make sure she gets medical attention.” Enrico pulled Mikolas into a hug. “Give her a good life, Mikolas, and check in now and then.”

  Mikolas let go of Enrico and turned toward the van. Their time had come to move on. The journey promised to be bumpy for a while, but each mile was worth it with Gabrielle by his side. They would get through all life threw at them together.

  Epilogue

  Gabrielle watched the waves crash against the shore. The water held amazing blue hues, shades she doubted she’d ever get tired of watching. It had been three years since arriving on the island and she hadn’t regretted it yet.

  She played with the wedding band on her finger before glancing over at her parents. “Isn’t it beautiful?” she asked.

  Her mother nodded as she took a sip of her fruity drink. A bright pink mini-umbrella sat against the rim of the glass. Gabrielle had never seen her mother happier.

  “It is. You guys chose a fantastic place to live. Even your boutique is doing well here.” Her father turned to Leon. “Where’s that son of yours? You’d think he’d be in a hurry to see us.”

  “He’s a working man now,” Leon said with a robust laugh. Gabrielle and Mik had been forced to relocate to a country that didn’t extradite even though none of Mik’s crimes had been linked to him yet, but the move had been worth the sacrifice once they became citizens, and the island they’d moved to provided enough solitude for her to come to terms with killing Clayton.

  The sliding glass door opened. A second later, Mikolas was at Gabrielle’s side, giving her a kiss. “I missed you.”

  “You should be saying that to them.” She pointed to their parents.

  “Well, look at you, Mikolas Russo!” her mother exclaimed. “A man in a uniform. Just as it should’ve always been.”

  Mikolas sauntered in front of them, pretending to be a model for only a second before their parents swarmed with pats on his back and a hug from her mother. Mik tapped the police badge on the front of the uniform. “Did you ever think this was possible?” He spread his arm out wide. “Any of this possible?”

  Gabrielle wrapped her arms around her husband in a hug. She looked out at the sweeping ocean and knew she had the life she had always wanted. Peaceful, beautiful, and full of love.

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading Dangerous Flames. I hope you enjoyed Gabi and Mik’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did like their story, please l
eave a positive review and email me at authorwendyely@gmail.com to find out how you can receive free books and other fun things.

  Thanks,

  Wendy Ely

  Also from Wendy Ely

  Confessions

  Desert Secrets, book 1

  PROLOGUE

  Chelsea’s chin rested on the palm of her hand. Her eyes slowly drifted shut. Once her head began to lower toward the table, she yanked it back up. No sleeping in the coffee shop. It might draw attention to herself, but where else could she sleep?

  She read the next Help Wanted ad. Even something temporary, a job would be a step in the right direction. She’d have something to show in order to get a place to live, even though the employer would probably fire her as soon as they found out her condition. Good thing she wasn’t showing yet. Shaking her head, she couldn’t imagine how she’d gotten in this situation. Pregnant, a runaway, and broke. Nice combination.

  Barely seventeen and alone in somewhere-Idaho, the world looked pretty bleak. With only a carry-on and a one way ticket to Seattle, she had been able to get off the bus during a rest stop and not returned at the designated time. And it probably had been a very bad idea. At least she could’ve slept for a few more hours on the bus.

  Cold air blowing in the continuously open door made goosebumps cover her arms. She reached down for her sweatshirt but couldn’t feel it inside her backpack. Gone. Just wonderful.

  Footsteps approached and she figured they would stop at the table next to hers. When the person stopped at her table and then slid into the extra seat, she wanted to cry. Had they found her? Maybe a cop? She’d never been in trouble with the law but could they arrest her for running away? She slowly slid her eyes up the length of the body in front of her.

  A well-dressed woman sat across from her, wearing a giant friendly smile. “Looks like you’re having a hard time.”

  “Why do you think that?” The words came out in a whisper. She looked around to make sure nobody else heard them. When nobody looked her way, she turned her attention back to the woman.