Hopefully, not my blood.
“Sit.” The scarred man points with his gun, gesturing for me to put my ass in the chair.
“I’d prefer to stand.” The longer I drag out every second, the more of a fighting chance I have of survival.
There’s no sign of Ashton, which means he’s my hope at escaping, or at the very least informing my father of our major fuck-up and my ass getting caught.
Dante will send his men to rescue me, won’t he?
Unless Ashton opts not to tell him because he’s pissed at me.
I did tell him to get the fuck out of my car, in the frigid cold.
Shit.
Plus, it’s not like my cell phone was getting service up here. I doubt Ashton’s is either, but maybe if he keeps trying, he can at least get a text sent out.
“As you wish.” The scarred man smirks and then slips on brass knuckles before slamming his fist into my chest.
I swear my ribs crack, the pain radiating as I double over in agony, gasping for breath, and I collapse onto the chair, although I’m not exactly sitting.
The man yanks me up by my hair and puts me on my ass on the cold metal chair.
Heavy footfalls tread down the stairs. It’s the man who was smoking the cigarette. His ashen hair and sullen face irk me like he’s trying to figure me out.
“Seems we’ve managed to capture Luca Ricci,” the scarred man tells the older gentleman with a smoke in his mouth.
He removes the cigarette, putting it out on the floor. “Is that so?” He tilts his head, his gaze tight on me, and a crooked smile falls from his lips.
My heart races and my breath quickens.
I don’t like that he knows my father. “Whatever bad blood there is between Dante and you, it’s none of my business.”
“You sneaking up to my cabin is my business.” His tone is gruff as he steps closer and nods at the man who already beat me once to give me another lick.
It’s like fire to the chest, making me cough and gasp as I try to catch my breath. I’ve been hit on the ice hundreds of times, plowed unsuspectingly, but nothing compares to the burn inside me right now.
Each breath scorches as I wheeze, trying to breathe. The pain radiates through me. “I wasn’t sneaking,” I rasp. “I got turned around, lost.”
“A Ricci just happens to fall upon my cabin in the middle of the night?” The man tilts his head, bending down, his eyes level with mine. “Be straight with me and I can make this quick.”
Two
Ashton
Luca had to be an asshole, toss me out of his car, right in front of the cabin where we were supposed to be surveilling the place.
My fingers are frozen. My jacket isn’t nearly warm enough for this asinine weather.
Turns out, he saved my ass by kicking me out.
Am I ready to thank him?
Not quite.
Am I going to let the bastards beat the shit out of him a little longer?
Yes, but only because I don’t have a great plan to take them all out.