“You sure you’re ready for this?” I glanced at the darkening bruise below her eye. “You can take the day off, you know…after what happened.”
There was more than the bruises, too. Ryth’s hair was up in a loose ponytail. There was blood between the strands. Blood from what those bastards did to her.
He had me by the hair. Her words surfaced.
I clenched my fist around the steering wheel and the ache around my knuckles flared. Whatever we did to them last night, it wasn’t enough. Goddamn cheating, jealous cunt. She and the piece of shit fuckboys she had to do her dirty work. I wanted to hurt them again. Real bad.
“Yeah. I’m good.” She turned to me, forcing a smile. “This is my last year, Nick. It’s important.”
I swallowed and nodded. It was important. But in my mind, I demanded, leave it, I’ll get you a goddamn tutor if you want, you can take your exams somewhere else. Just not…here.
She yanked the handle of the door and shoved it open before I said the words. Only, she didn’t climb out. Not yet. Instead, she pulled back, leaned across the seat quickly and gave me a soft peck on the cheek. “Thanks for caring. I’ll meet you here later?”
“I’ll be waiting.” I forced out the words.
She was gone then, climbing out and shoving the car door closed behind her with a bang, leaving me sitting here with my heart in my goddamn hands. Go after her…I stared at her back as she walked away. Go after her, you pathetic fucking excuse…
The sharp blare of a horn behind me pissed me off. Movement came from the corner of my eye. A group of girls stared as they made their way to the front doors, glancing from me to Ryth as she walked, oblivious to their attention. Fuck. I winced, shoved the car into gear, and pulled out of the drop-off point, not even bothering to look at the line of cars waiting.
I searched the drivers. But there was no Freddy this time. Looked like the Stidda, Mafia Prince Lazarus Rossi was true to his word and left her alone…for now.
How long that would be, I didn’t know.
I punched the accelerator, forcing myself to not turn the fuck around. My heart was pounding. I pressed my hand against the ache. Christ, I had it bad. I wanted to go home, back to the savage glare from Tobias as he paced the floor, talking about hunting Gio down. We would…only not yet.
Not until all this shit died down and we figured out what was really going on. Her mom and our dad were on their honeymoon, but her real dad was still missing. That shit didn’t sit right with me. One minute he was in prison…and the next, he wasn’t.
He’d turn up…most likely in a damn body bag.
You don’t steal from the Rossis and walk away, no matter what Lazarus said.
I pushed the car toward the city, finding familiar streets. Once everything settled, we’d hunt Gio down…and make the bastard pay for what he’d done to her. What kind of lowlife scum lured a woman out to a goddamn house in the middle of nowhere for her to be fucking ambushed? Jesus.
Nick, I’m scared.
I still heard those words. They haunted me, keeping sleep at bay. I’d stayed awake all night watching over her, replaying every goddamn second of the attack over and over again. Still, our little stepsister held her own, fighting them off long enough for us to get to her.
But that would not happen again. We would not let her out of our sight…except for school. I winced at the thought and pushed the pedal harder, headed to the converted warehouse on the upper east side, and pulled into the gated parking lot.
A yank and I shoved my hand inside the glove compartment, rifling around for the security card before yanking it out to press it against the scanner.
The boom gate lifted, leaving me to drive in and pull into the parking space assigned for my apartment. It felt weird when I climbed out. I hadn’t been home in a week, barely even thought of the place. Not since Ryth and her mom had moved in, at least. I stepped inside the elevator, yanked the grate down, and pressed the button for the top floor.
The rickety thing shuddered and rose, taking me to the penthouse apartment. I shoved the grate up and stepped out, moved to the electronic keypad beside the door, and punched in my eight-digit security code.
The lock released, leaving me to push inside. The place was a converted warehouse, expansive, with an open floor plan. The only walls were for the bedrooms and bathrooms. Floor-to-ceiling windows gave a view of the city that was spectacular at night.
I loved the place and had spent a damn fortune on it. The building alone cost me almost three million and adding in the renovations, it cleared a cool eight. But when I walked inside, I didn’t feel that excitement anymore. The place felt…empty and no longer like a home.
My mind returned to Ryth. I didn’t like leaving her.
Christ, I didn’t like it. I glanced over my shoulder, tension making me antsy. Caged. Like something was wrong. I massaged the back of my neck as I made my way into the bedroom to the closet. I hit the light, pulled my duffel bag from the corner, and filled it with clothes.
I’d already made up my mind I wasn’t leaving the house, not while Ryth was there. If dad wanted me out, then I’d buy the house next door…I’d buy all the goddamn houses, however many it took. I grabbed the bag and switched off the light. As I walked past my boxing bag hanging from the steel beam overhead, I lifted my gaze to the picture of mom hanging on the wall.
I’d come back someday soon to get the photo and the rest of my stuff. I might even put the place up for lease. But I didn’t want to wait a second longer now. That gnawing ache grew in the pit of my stomach. It was her…my stepsister, drawing me in, making me desperate to be with her twenty-four-seven.
Fuck if this didn’t feel like falling in love. But I sure as hell had no right to…there was more than my heart at stake here. I hauled my bag over my shoulder and walked out, yanked the door closed behind me, and set the code to lock it before making my way to the elevator once more.
I dropped my bag to the floor, pulled the grate down, and headed to the ground floor, then grabbed my phone and punched out a message to Tobias:
We need to talk.
Barely a second later.
T: About?’
About…
I shuddered as the elevator came to a stop. But I didn’t step out, only stared at his reply. My damn hands shook as I typed:
I think I’m in love with her.
I swallowed hard, staring at the message…my thumb hovered over send…but I couldn’t do it, not like this. Not over a damn message. I backspaced and instead typed out:
Nothing. On my way home.
I didn’t wait for an answer, not that I expected one. Instead, I grabbed my bag and left, making my way to the car once more. By the time I tossed my bag into the back and slid behind the wheel I’d made up my mind, I was going to get her. Last year or no last year, I didn’t give a shit. Not when assholes like Gio Romano were around.
I pulled the car out, desperate to get across the city. By the time the towering buildings were in my rear view, that clenched fist feeling had eased a little inside me. I relaxed my jaw and forced myself to concentrate on heading back to Duke’s school. I grabbed my cell, ready to text her, as I turned into the street and made for the pickup point.
But as I lifted my gaze and saw the familiar car parked against the curb, thoughts of texting Ryth drifted away. “What the fuck?”
I checked the license plate…and turned back to the school. What the hell was dad doing here? Panic filled me as I pulled up hard, switched off the engine, and climbed out. I vaguely registered a white van parked across the street as I headed for the Mercedes and bent low, staring into the rear seat.
He was supposed to be on his honeymoon, so what the fuck was he doing here?
“Excuse me?” A man’s voice came from behind me. “Can you tell me, is this the main entrance?”
I straightened, my mind already racing as I turned. “Yeah, you head—”
Buzzz….
Fuck, something bit me hard against the neck. Agony roared as my knees buckled, sending me crashing to the ground. Shadows descended…too many of them. I tried to fight, tried to yell.
“Grab him,” one of them snarled as I unleashed a roar, lifting my head to find three massive guys surrounding me.
But these weren’t punks…these were men, their steely stares dangerous.
Fight!
I shoved against the ground and drove upwards. My body trembled as that thing came for me again. A goddamn taser…they’d hit me with a fucking taser.
Electricity crackled, sparking at the end as I drove my shoulder into the closest guy. I cocked my fist, driving it up to catch him in the sternum. I was weak, my blows nowhere near my normal strength, still it made him gasp, clutch his chest, and stumble backwards.
“You!” I barked. “Picked the wrong guy, motherfucker.”
“Get him before the girl comes,” another barked, stabbing a finger my way. “Now!”
The words froze me…my pulse raced, booming in my head. Before the girl comes…he means Ryth. “What the fuck?”
A shadow descended, moving fast, too damn fast. A blow came to the back of my head, leaving me stunned. Buzz…buzz…my insides turned weak as agony punched into my chest. Darkness moved in, stealing the light until I fell.
“Someone grab his keys. His car needs to be gone.”
“No…” I slurred, my heart skipping. The sound was all I heard as they lifted me from the hot asphalt. I tried to surface, tried to open my eyes. Tried to do anything. But that darkness held me under as the crunch of boots came and hands gripped me.
I punched out, but my blows were slow and pathetic as the slow grind of a steel door came before the thud of it closing.
“The car!‘ One barked.
“Take it…” I whispered, and forced my eyes open. “Take everything…just not her.”
But they didn’t listen, just heaved me in and piled into the back of the van as the engine started. The snap of something tight cut into my wrists, binding them together behind me.
“You’re not gonna be any trouble for now, are you?” The growl was close as the van swayed, turning.
The growl of the Mustang’s engine drifted to me. Desperation swelled at the sound. My car…my fucking car. But all I saw was Ryth in the damn thing. Her back against the door, legs splayed for me to see. I pushed the hurt away, focusing on what mattered…where they were taking me. My phone. My damn phone.
My thoughts were slow, too damn slow. A sledgehammer started somewhere in my head, trading blow for blow with my heart. The sound of the Mustang faded as we sped up. I blinked, focused on the assholes around me. Two in the back and one driving. The asshole in my goddamn car made four of them. “What do you want with her?”
One of them looked my way, and in the murky gloom, I caught the stitching on his shirt, an H inside an O. I scowled. I knew that symbol…
He watched me staring, then his lips curled as he lifted the taser. “Look away.”
“Fuck you,” I croaked, my throat on fire. “Do what you want with me…but you leave her alone.”
“Is that right?” the bastard sneered, and leaned closer. “Don’t tell me you’re falling for the little bitch? I watched the recording…saw what you’ve done. You think she’s special? Believe me…we’re doing you a favor. Get the fuck over her, Banks…and forget she ever existed.”
Forget she existed?
What the fuck?
The van swayed, the engine growling louder.
I tried to stay calm, testing the plastic cuffs around my wrists. But inside, I was panicking, trying to put it all together. Dad. The wedding. I glanced back at the stitching. The fucking wedding. The Priest.
HO…Hale Order.
That name…that goddamn name. A chill coursed along my spine.
I clenched my jaw, my mind reeling, timing each goddamn turn as I tried to map out where we were headed. My muscles tensed, the tension on the plastic cuffs strained until heat filled my hand and I couldn’t stand the pain. I made my move as we turned once more.
I shoved forward.
Head down, I rammed the bastard, slamming him into the side of the van.
The taser was all I saw. That and his fists. I took the blow to the side of my head, then dropped backwards when he shoved that thing at me, crushing my hands underneath as I fell.
Ryth’s face filled my mind as I hit the floor hard. Tires squealed, and the force of the sway snapped the bindings. My hands were free, screaming in agony, but free. I shoved upwards, catching a fist in the face. My head snapped backwards and the tang of blood rushed into my mouth.
But she was all I cared about. I unleashed a roar, driving myself sideways, then kicked out, driving my boot into the asshole’s shin. An anguish-filled scream followed.
I didn’t have time to smile as I shoved forward, ramming into the bastard with the taser. My training kicked in. The heel of my palm met the bastard’s nose. The blow was not as powerful as I wanted with the swaying, but still, it made him grab his nose and howl.
They were all fucking yelling.
“Get him under control!” the driver shouted, jerking his gaze to me as he veered into the other lane.
I shoved out my hand, bracing as I flew across the space. The blow was fucking brutal. Something crunched as my shoulder hit the side. Snick. My blood ran cold with the sound.
“Fucking come for me again and see what happens.” The asshole with the taser pressed a knife against my neck. Blood streamed from his nose. “One fucking move.”
If it was only me, I might’ve stayed down…might’ve swallowed that burning in my gut.
But it wasn’t about me. I was just in their goddamn way.
I lunged, giving it all I had, aiming for the knife as we turned. Grunts followed my fists. I traded blow for blow. These bastards were dangerous…and trained. Too fucking trained.
My blows grew weak. The knife slashed, barely missing me as I ducked and slammed my shoulder into him. Agony stabbed into my stomach. I looked down, catching the glint of steel buried deep.
“Fuck!” the asshole roared.
I looked up, my movements far too slow. His fists came at me, catching me on the cheekbone. My head snapped sideways, once…twice, and darkness swallowed me whole.
