ADELINE

 

THE BLACK LIMO is speeding towards New York City, and there's nothing I can do to stop my journey back to that dreadful prison.

After wrestling with Giovanni's two hired goons, they shoved me in the back seat with Gio and slammed the door shut, sealing my fate.

I'm pressed against the door, not wanting to even look at the man beside me, let alone touch him or feel his presence while the two men riding in the front are invisible behind a raised black partition.

I'm vibrating with nervous energy.  I don't know what's going to happen to me.  But more importantly, I want to know what will happen to my baby.

I'm not sure if my father told Giovanni about the baby or not.  I'm afraid to even bring it up, because what if he wants me to have an abortion like my father had wanted?

I shiver and wrap my arms around myself.

"Are you cold?" Gio asks, and I can hear what sounds like genuine concern lacing his tone.

Closing my eyes, I shake my head, not wanting to even speak to this man.  Knowing Gio, he would pull me close to warm me up, and I can't bear the feeling of his hands on my skin right now…and I never will.

I'm not sure how I'm going to survive this.  I'll have to bide my time and plan my escape.  And I will escape.  There is no doubt about that in my mind.  I will fight until I have nothing left to give.  I will protect myself and this baby until my last dying breath, if that's what it takes.

Opening a mini built-in cooler, Giovanni withdraws a bottle of water and holds it out towards me in offering.  "Thirsty?" he asks.

I lick my lips and stare at the water.  My mouth is so dry that it feels like the Sahara desert.  Even though I want to refuse anything from him, but I'm too thirsty to say no.

Snatching it out of his hands before he changes his mind, I unscrew the lid and gulp down several big swallows.  The cool liquid feels so good on my sore throat, which feels like it's been ripped to shreds from screaming so much.

"Easy," he says, pulling the bottle from my hands and replacing the lid.  "You don't want to drink too much too fast.  You'll get sick," he chides.

The fact that he's worried about my wellbeing is disconcerting.  Maybe he's not planning on killing me after all?  But how could I ever trust this…this monster?

"How are you feeling?" he asks me.

When I meet his gaze for the first time since we got in the limo, I can see that he's asking a loaded question.  Does he know about the baby?  I decide to play it safe and answer with a quiet, "I'm fine."

"Adeline, there are some things we need to discuss before we arrive back home."

Home.

New York City will never be my home again.

My home was with Lucien.  And Giovanni stole him away from me.  He stole my happy ending, my future…everything.

"I'm sure you know your father is in jail.  The family is in disarray, and it needs a ruler before things get any more out of control.  I plan on taking your father's place.  And with you by my side, I will gain back the family's approval and trust."

I glare at him.  So he's still going along with the plan that was forged by my father years ago.  The plan that I had been willing to go along with too…before…before Lucien, before he opened my eyes to the truth.

"I'm sorry to ruin your plans," I hiss, "but I refuse to stand by your side and help you commit more crime and bring more drugs and sex slaves into the city."

In a motion so fast, I have no time to react, Giovanni grabs my wrist and drags me across the seat and into his arms.  My body instantly goes stock still from shock…right before I start to fight him.

I claw at his expensive suit, but his grip is too tight.  He twists me like a ragdoll and locks me in place with my back against his chest and my arms crisscrossed in front of me.

Releasing a feral scream, I buck against him, trying to set myself free.  I can't stand to be this close to the man who took Lucien from me.

"Calm down, Adeline.  It's not good for the baby," he growls against my ear.

I gasp and continue to struggle until I wear myself out.  His grip is too strong, and my efforts are proving to be futile.  Eventually, my body relaxes slightly, but my guard is still up, my senses on high alert.  "You know?" I ask with disbelief.

"Of course I know.  How do you think I found you?  Surveillance cameras outside of the abortion clinic."

I close my eyes and shudder.  That's how he found Barbara.

"Besides, your father always told me everything.  When you went missing, I was the first person he came to.  Why would he keep something like that from me?"  His hot breath skates against my neck, and I shudder in disgust.  "You should know that your friend, Barbara, was strong right up until the end.  It took a lot for me to break her.  She didn't want to give you up."  He nuzzles his nose in my hair, and I cry out in agony.  "She was a fighter, but she had what I needed.  And I was willing to do anything to get it."

Tears fill my eyes when I think of him going to Barbara's house and beating her.

Barbara was innocent.  Her only crime was helping and protecting me.

I wrestle against him, and this time he lets me go.  I retreat to the other side of the bench seat, pressing myself against the doorframe.  "I hate you!" I scream at him, a sob tearing from my throat.

"I understand that.  But with time, I hope you will love me again, like I know you did once."

Sobbing in my hands, I shake my head in bewilderment.  I will never love Giovanni.  In fact, I don't know if I'll ever love anyone ever again as much as I loved Lucien.

"When we get back home, things will be hectic at first.  But they'll slowly get back to normal.  You'll see," he says with an optimism that angers me.

"I'm not having an abortion!" I blurt out heatedly.

"I don't want you to," he says with a blank expression.

My brows furrow at his words.  "But…it's not your baby," I say, even though that is obvious since I never slept with Giovanni.

"Doesn't matter.  We're the only two who will know that."  He flashes me a dark, stern look before adding, "And I plan on keeping it that way."

"I don't understand," I mutter, shaking my head softly.

"That thing inside of you right now will be the heir that the Valenti family is expecting."  He grins an evil grin that has me trembling.  "When I announce your return and our pregnancy, it will give me even more leverage when I take my rightful place as head of the empire, just like your father always wanted."

I cringe in disgust and lean my head against the soft seat.  "This can't be happening," I mutter.

He's quiet for a while before he asks, "Why don't you get some sleep?  We still have a few hours before we get home."

Closing my eyes, it doesn't take long for exhaustion to cloud over me in a thick fog.  I sleep, but it's plagued with nightmares…with a longing for him.