AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He gives me a smug smirk, chilling me to the bone. “You won’t be leaving your room until Enzo gives the order, princess.” Leaning forward, he grabs me by the elbow and tosses me back into my room. “Oh, and I have strict instructions to confiscate any and all electronics you have and destroy them.”
I can’t stop my eyes from narrowing at this fucking asshole in front of me. “So, my phone? You’re going to Hulk-smash my phone now?”
“That, and any other shit you’re hiding in here to communicate with anyone outside of this room.” Holding his hand out, he glares. “Go on. Be a good little girl and get me what I’m asking for.”
As I scurry away, I head to my nightstand and grab my cell phone. Reluctantly, I walk over to him before slapping it against his hand. “There,” I growl. “That’s all I have.”
He pulls his hand with my phone in it away and looks down at it before slamming the door shut. And when I attempt to open it again, I find it locked.
I rush to my window and look outside just in time to see Hudson getting ushered into a black SUV with dark-tinted windows. I want to pound on the glass in hopes that he’ll come save me, but there are too many guards around him. We’d never get out of here alive together.
And now … I wonder if I’ll ever get out of here alive at all.
I have to wait until it’s Rossi’s turn to guard Briar’s door before I sneak back onto the property and inside the house. Which means I missed my flight back. Lucky for me, being an agent gives me the ability to make someone think I’m somewhere I’m actually not because I have connections that no one has any way of finding out about. So, as far as Enzo Romano is concerned, my ass is on a plane headed for the United States right now.
As guilty as I feel for still being here and coming back to see her, I couldn’t force myself to leave yet. Even if I know I should have just left and let Rossi take care of her. The thing is, I never planned to catch feelings for another woman. Ever. And I certainly didn’t think I’d fall for Briar James when I took this gig. Yet here I am. And even though remorse fills my entire being, I have to see her.
I know she didn’t mean what she said.
She couldn’t have.
Once I get a message from Rossi, letting me know I’m cleared to come in, I head toward the house. Making my way through the side where he turned the camera off and toward her room.
Seeing me sneak down the hallway, Rossi quickly puts the key in the door and turns it. “You’ve got thirty minutes, man. After that, I’m threatening to come in there and cut your dick off. We don’t need to be killed tonight by Enzo’s goons.”
Patting his shoulder, I nod. “Appreciate you, Rossi,” I mutter before pushing the door open and quietly closing it behind me.
The room is dark and silent. Nothing but the sounds of her soft snores and the quiet humming of the fan fill the room. I sit down on the edge of the bed, looking down at her sleeping on her stomach. The comforter sits on her back, and when she moves in her sleep, I can see her flesh. And instantly, I feel like I could murder someone.
Under her skimpy tank top, welts and marks peek out.
He did this to her. I know he did.
“That motherfucker,” I hiss under my breath, so fucking angry that I can’t blow his brains out right now so he can’t ever touch her again.
Stretching my fingertips, I brush a few loose strands of hair away from her cheek so that I can see the moonlight light up her beautiful face. She’s asleep, yet she doesn’t look peaceful—anything but.
She stirs a little before her eyes flutter open, and when she sees me, she quickly shoots up, scooching her body away from me. “Wh—”
“Shh,” I say, brushing my thumb across her face. “It’s all right, Dove. I won’t hurt you.” My eyes roam her face, and I find a sense of peace when they land on hers. “I just needed to see you.”
She looks toward the window for a split second, and then her wide eyes stare at me with panic. “You shouldn’t be here. He’ll kill you, Hudson.” She speaks in a hushed voice.
“If it meant seeing you one last time, then fuck it.” I shrug before I gently turn her body to get a better look at her back. “What did he do to you?” I gently touch the scars, and she whimpers. “I’ll kill him one day, Briar—I promise you that.”
She tries to fight the quiver of her lips, too strong to let herself fall apart in front of me, so I take the spot on the bed beside her, stretching my legs out but keeping my back to the bed frame. And then, without permission, I try to pull her against me.
“Come here.” I give the command, soft and low. When she doesn’t respond, I tilt my chin downward. “It’s okay; fall apart, Dove.”
Keeping herself upright, she fights a sniffle, shaking her head. “I can’t fall apart. There’s no one to pick up the pieces and—” Her voice cracks. “I’m not sure I’m strong enough to glue myself back together if I let that happen.”
Reaching for her face again, I cup her cheek. “You don’t need to. I’m right here.”
“But you won’t be,” she weeps. “You’re leaving. I know you are.”
“Shh, it’s all right. I promise it’ll all be okay.”
Her entire face falls, and so does every ounce of composure she was fighting so hard to keep. She cascades forward against me, and I make sure to keep my hands off the sores on her back when I wrap my arms around her body.
