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With a sense of dread twisting in my gut, I followed them out of the room, my mind racing. Every step felt like walking deeper into a maze with no way out.
This was bad.
I couldn’t just accept this, not without a fight.
I had to try to escape.
Without really thinking it through, I bolted toward the nearest window, my desperation clear in every step.
I barely made it a few paces before I felt a strong grip on my upper arm, pulling me back. When I turned my head to look, I saw that it was Dante. His hold was rough, yet there was a strange gentleness to it, as if he was trying not to hurt me, and I didn’t know what to make of that. This man was dangerous, lethal even, and he was holding himself back… for me…
It was a strange realization that gave me pause, but only for a fraction of a second.
In that moment, something inside me snapped. I whirled around, and my hand connected with his face in a sharp slap. The sound of it echoed through the silent hallway as my chest heaved up and down in a fit of anger that was now laced with fear.
For a split second, Dante’s expression was one of cold shock. Then, I could see a flicker of something in his eyes, a mix of anger and, perhaps, a reluctant sense of respect.
That might not have been my finest moment.
“You’ve got spirit,” Rafael said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips, yet his eyes were somehow serious. “I’ll give you that.”
Dante regained his composure quickly, a mask of indifference quickly sliding back into place. His cheek was reddened from my slap, and I swallowed past my nervousness and held my chin up high, feigning confidence. Would he hit me back? Worse, would he decide to kill me instead?
“You’re under our protection now, whether you like it or not. You don’t know the danger you’re in now. Coming with us is the only way to stay safe,” Dante said, his voice calm but firm.
For a long moment, he was silent, but then he took several steps back toward the room I’d been hiding in and dragged me along with him.
“Now, you and I are going to have a discussion about what happens to little girls who try to be brave and slap the powerful mob boss who is trying to do nothing but keep them safe from a situation far more dangerous than they know.”
Chapter Two
Ellie
“What do you mean?” I whispered, my voice shaking with my anxiety.
I couldn’t stop the tremble of fear that rushed through me as he guided me into the bedroom. Rafael’s steps echoed as he trailed behind us. I knew I’d gone too far, pushed too hard, but my anger had overtaken my common sense. It was stupid really. I should have stopped and thought before I’d raised my hand to him, but I hadn’t, and I was severely regretting that now.
Was I going to die?
“I’m going to teach you a lesson in respect, little girl,” Dante said coldly, and my back went ramrod straight.
I wasn’t a little girl. I was a grown woman.
“My name is Ellie,” I blurted out. I don’t know why I told him my name. I should have given him a fake one just in case I made my way out of here and escaped. That would have been the smart thing to do, but apparently, I was just making dumb mistakes today for the fucking fun of it.
I needed to get my shit together and fast.
“I know who you are, Ellie Martinez.” He smiled.
“You know my name?” I sputtered, disbelief coating my every word.
What the fuck?
He cocked his head, staring at me with eyes that were far too perceptive and I tried to take a step back, but his grip held me tight, and I didn’t get very far.
“You’re Marco Vargas’ girl,” he said simply, and his knowledge of that was like a slap to the face.
“I’m not his girl anymore,” I spat. I jerked my arm away from him and leveled him with a glare that was fit to kill.
