“I don’t want you,” she pronounces before the drug takes effect.
“Too bad.” I kiss her forehead and scoop her off the bed. When I do, I spot something that sets me off. She’s got a bruise almost the size of one side of her face. The anger in me drives me to move quicker to get us both to safety.
Sliding a harness around us, I wrap her legs at my waist and then lower us to the ground. Once that’s all done, Joey’s at my side, taking all the gear. He sees the bruise in the moonlight, and the realization that we may have been just in time strikes us both. I carry my treasure as I run past the cameras and over the wall. Jail sure as fuck paid off when it came to getting fit. I trained day and night to get fuller, stronger, faster, and more cunning each and every day inside.
The vehicle’s waiting down the road and we all climb inside. I cradle Giada to my chest, wrapping her up with a blanket I have in the car so they can’t see her dressed like that. “A minute to spare. Let’s get out of here.” After we’re ten miles away, they drop the hack and allow the cameras to return to position and all sensors to resume normal operation.
“Damn, she’s been roughed up,” the doctor says.
“I wonder if your brother came back before we knew it and then left again. It’s only a half-hour drive.”
“I don’t know, but I do know he’s going to pay for this.” I brush her hair away from her face while the doc takes a look at it. He touches it, and she moves slightly with a painful moan.
“Sorry. I’m looking for any broken bones, but it’s just a really good wallop. Give her some ibuprofen for the pain. I’ll come over to get blood work for her in two days.”
“Good. I hope to hell she’s not pregnant with that bastard’s baby.”
“She’s beautiful, but she looks frail and a little malnourished, so there’s a good chance she’s not, especially if she’s receiving beatings. Then again, you never know.”
“We got your back either way.”
“Thanks. I knew I could count on you.”
“Take care of her. What about your mother? Are you going to try to get her out as well?”
“That’s going to be a little harder. I don’t know if she wants to leave. You know how it is. You stick with your husband no matter what. She came from Sicily engaged and married my father as soon as she landed.”
“Oh, well. You should find out. Your mother’s this girl’s only ally.”
“Until now,” Joey adds.
“I second that. If she means something to you, she means something to all of us. I’ve got a little sister and if any fucker did that to her, he’d be missing all his fingers and his dick.”
“Thanks.” She moves a little in my arms, so I adjust and cradle her closer.
Once we’re through the garage of the house, each guy watches for anyone lurking before I carry her up to bed. I can’t have her lying in that shitty gown. She’s mine, so I slide it over her head and slip on one of my tee shirts. I freeze and stare. She looks so damn sexy in my shirt and in my bed, but then I see the rings on her finger. Growling, I gingerly pull them off and slip them into my drawer. I might need them later. Then I tuck her in and then step back out to address the guys before I go to bed.
Doc and my tech leave together with plans to stop at a liquor store to give themselves an alibi. Joey goes down to his room, and Martin looks on. “Sir, I made arrangements for Rita to pick up some new clothes this afternoon. She claims she needed a new wardrobe. Nothing much, of course, but you know some women can shop,” he says with a smirk, giving me three shopping bags full. “Oh, and it’s all on her husband’s account, so I’ll give them cash in the morning.”
“Fucking wonderful. Thanks. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to be in bed just in case they come looking for her in the morning. I can’t appear to have gotten no sleep.”
“Perfect. I’ll bring in breakfast around nine.”
“Sounds great.”
“She’s got to be special, Santino.”
“She is to me.” I close the door and strip down to my boxers. All of my clothes will be dealt with in the morning, but for now, I need to hold her close to me. The bed dips as I slide under the covers with her, pulling her close.
It’s going to be a rough couple of weeks before I even begin to seduce her. Shit, I don’t even know if I still got it in me. It’s been a long time, and I was a young man who didn’t have to try to get a woman to fall for me. They fell at my feet just because of my name and looks.
For Giada, I’m sure that’s going to be the opposite. She probably sees me as an extension to the life she has had to this point. I’m going to change that no matter how long it takes because she’s mine, even if I have no real idea where to start. This abduction had been a last-minute priority and nothing else had been planned. I’m grateful for Martin’s quick thinking and actions because I hadn’t considered the clothes aspect and I sure as hell can’t let her out until I get Rafael out of the picture.
She rolls in my arms so her face is nestled against my chest. The soft sigh coming from Giada’s lips reassures me that I did the right thing.
Chapter Six
Giada
I’ve been in my bedroom since Signor Marchetti sent me
