Chapter Thirteen
She had dozed off some time after Alex had left her, in spite of her resolve to remain awake. But the terror of her situation and the aftereffects of the drugs must have gotten the best of her.
Alex had promised to make her suffer – as soon as he returned from watching Giovanni skin Ari alive for losing her.
The thought made her want to curl up and give in, knowing that her father was likely killing the one person who would fight the hardest to save her.
Ari may not be a ‘nice’ person, but she knew he would put his life on the line to save her. He was just honorable that way.
People respected him automatically. They didn’t always like him, but he commanded respect without working for it.
I don’t care if I’m bound. I will make sure this is a crime scene that no one can ever clean up, she vowed, the fear in her heart overridden by her determination to go out swinging. But as the hours ticked by without event, Celina realized that she might be left there to die. No one else knows where I am. What if Alex gets killed with his crazy actions, or what if he just decides to leave me here to get eaten by the rats that scurried close to her when she stayed still too long.
Would he do that? She wondered. He’s not that – oh what am I thinking. Of course he’s that fucking stupid. Look where I am right now.
Without realizing it, she had fallen asleep, not knowing how much time had passed in the windowless room where she sat tied.
The sound of a car door caused her to jump, her heart racing as she whipped her head around to look.
He entered, swaggering confidently as he approached her.
Celina snorted with disdain, despite her coarse throat and chapped mouth.
As he approached, she looked up at him hatefully, hoping he could read the animus in her stare.
The steely resolve she had been missing before returned to her in spades.
He didn’t speak but as he approached, Celina tensed.
His gloved hand reached forward to fist in her hair, pulling her head back. He held a bottle of water in his other hand. As her mouth opened with a surprised squeak, he poured from the bottle directly into her mouth.
Desperately, she tried to swallow so she didn’t drown, the cool liquid actually soothing the rawness in her throat.
If he’s giving me something to drink, does that mean he intends to keep me alive?
“These ties are really tight,” she whispered into the pitch-black room, testing how far he would go to make her comfortable. “Could you loosen them just a bit? I can barely feel my fingers.”
She sensed him staring at her for a long moment and she was sure he was going to refuse. Why hasn’t he spoken? Could he really think that I wouldn’t know who he is?
For the time, she realized that she needed him to at least untie her so she could make her escape. How, she didn’t yet know, but she was smart – something would come to her. She offered him a weak smile, sure not to let him know she knew who he was.
If he loosens me enough, I can probably kick his ass I’m so angry. But if he has a gun…
He knelt in front of her and untied her feet, then immediately strode behind her, still silent and undid her hands entirely.
Instantly, she pulled her arms forward to rub at her burning wrists. She was about to jump forward and run when he shoved a gun into her temple. The cold metal made her freeze instantly, alarm coursing through her.
“Um, thank you,” she breathed, continuing to slowly rub her wrists, pretending there wasn’t a gun pressed to her head. “Thank you so – “
He leaned forward, bringing his face to the side of her neck. He licked upwards, leaving a trail of saliva from below her jawline to the back of her ear. She had a hard time keeping still and not retching.
Even though she couldn’t see his mouth, she knew he was smiling and the idea chilled her to the bone.
Grabbing her by the hair, he yanked her from the chair, throwing her to the ground and Celina knew what he was about to do.
Run! Every instinct in her body screamed. You have to get away!
But she knew she wouldn’t make it two steps before a bullet lodged itself inside her ribcage.
“You don’t have to do this, Alex!” she screamed as she tried to scramble away. He froze as she said his name. She tried to jump to her feet, thinking he may have been distracted enough to give her a second or two head start, but he anticipated her movements. He slapped her soundly across the face as she rose, sending her sprawling back to the cement floor.
“You are such a whore!” he rasped, winding up to hit her again. “You give it up to everyone but me, huh?”
Fury replaced her terror and she turned her head upward, her long, platinum hair falling away from her bloodied face as she smiled her customary cocky grin at him.
“Well, I thought that a whore slept with everyone, but a bitch sleeps with everyone but you. I guess that would make me a bitch, huh Al?”
He raised his leg to kick her but she rolled out of the way, rising up to her knees.
“Lie down, whore!” he demanded. “I’m not finished with you!”
“You’re going to have to screw a dead body, stronzo,” she retorted. “Because I’ll fight you till I’m dead before I lie down for you.”
“You think Ariano is going to come and save you, puttana? He’s so busy trying to figure out where you went, he hasn’t even had the balls to tell your papa you’re missing yet. Now don’t you wish you had picked me instead of him?”
“He’s ten times the man you’ll ever be, you slime ball,” she replied, knowing that the bullet that was going to end her life was coming any second. “So what now, idiot? You think my father is going to promote you to capo over Ari? You think that Ariano is going to get blamed for this?”
“You don’t?” Alex snickered, drawing toward her. “I said lie down – and spread your legs like the slut you are.”
“Fuck you,” she snapped and he raised the gun, pointing it at her face.
“This is your last warning! Lie the fuck – “
The sound of a silenced gunshot rang through the room and Celina watched as Alex fell sideways, his face twisted in surprise as he went down, a spray of blood radiating from the wound in his temple.
“Celina, are you okay?” a strong voice demanded.
As if in slow motion, she turned her head and stared at Ariano.
He’s not really here. I’m either dead already or hallucinating. Shit like this doesn’t happen in real life.
“Celina! Are you all right? Tell me he didn’t have time to hurt you.”
Numbly, she shook her head, as suddenly, a wave of men flooded the room. Ariano swept her into his arms. She tucked her face into his shoulder, breathing deeply as his scent calmed her.
“Papa?” she gasped, watching as her father strode toward her, his face pinched in panic.
“Oh, my baby!” he cried, snatching her from Ariano, who reluctantly released her.
Celina gaped at the tears in her father’s eyes as he kissed her cheeks, blubbering. It was a sight she had never seen.
“I couldn’t bear to lose you! You’re all I got left, cara. This is my fault, all my fault…”
“Papa,” Celina said soothingly. “It’s okay – I’m okay.”
She looked around to ensure the others had not seen his display but they all seemed to be looking elsewhere deliberately.
“I’m fine,” she assured him, casting Ariano a shy look. “And I think it’s probably because of Ariano.”
“It’s definitely because of Ariano!” Giovanni roared, turning to glower at Alex’s dead body. “If he hadn’t shot this piece of shit, I would have ripped him apart – slowly.”
He raised his gun as if he wanted to fire again but Celina stopped him.
“It’s done, Papa,” she sighed, slipping out of his arms and reaching for Ariano. She waited for her father to take notice and when he finally saw what they were doing, his eyes widened.
“What is this?” he demanded. “You have been with my Celina?”
“No, Papa,” she interjected quietly. “He has been keeping me safe, just as you instructed. He has cared more about me than anyone else all these years. Including you.”
Gio’s mouth dropped open and his dark eyes flashed as if he wanted to argue. But then he ducked his head down guiltily. He nodded slowly, acknowledging the possible truth of her words.
“I’m sorry, my princess. So sorry that I haven’t always…been a good Papa,” he sighed. “It’s just that – well, ever since your mother… And you look like her sometimes, and I just can’t…”
Celina blinked and then threw her arms around him, squeezing tightly. “I know, Papa. I miss her too.” She kissed him on the cheek and then turned back to Ari, who had remained wisely silent as he waited for the don to process everything that had happened.
Giovanni pinned Ariano with a steely glare. Before he could rip a strip off his soldier, Celina interjected.
“What have I always needed, Papa?” she asked, a note of exasperation in her voice as she waited for some misogynistic comment to fall from his lips.
“You’ve needed someone to take care of you,” he growled. Everyone held their breath as the don reached forward, expecting him to lash out at the bodyguard. Instead, he reached out to clap Ariano on his shoulder.
To her amazement, Celina found herself smiling.
No, Papa, she thought. I needed someone to see me for me. And Ariano does. But her father would never value that, she realized. The only value he would see was someone who would put his only daughter’s safety before his own.
“You’re reassigned,” the don told Ariano, pulling him close. “You are my new capo effective immediately.”
Ariano gaped at him.
“And who’s going to be on Celina’s watch?” he demanded, speaking for the first time.
Giovanni laughed.
“You are, paesano. You are going to take care of my bambina and keep her safe. Can you handle all of that?”
Ariano looked at her, their eyes locking, as unspoken words passed between them.
“Yes,” he whispered roughly. “Yes, I can do that.”
The don smiled and whipped around to yell at the men.
“Burn this place down and get rid of this garbage where it won’t be found,” he ordered, kicking Alex’s lifeless body. “And I want all of you to remember what happens if you fuck with my little girl.”
Ariano turned back to her, pulling her tightly into his arms.
“Come on, baby,” he said, drawing her close to his body for heat. “Let’s get you out of here.”
She looked at him, her eyes glistening.
“You didn’t have to agree with him to keep your job or get your promotion,” she told him, the words almost sticking in her throat. “I know I’ve been a royal pain in the culo since you started on this detail.”
He stared down at her, his eyes a strange and beautiful color as he searched her face.
“You have no idea how scared I was that I had lost you,” he murmured. “All I could think was that if he had killed you, I’d never be able to do this again.” He leaned down and whispered his lips over hers, reveling in the feel of having her in his grasp again. Then he deepened the kiss, taking ownership of her mouth and crushing her body to his.
“Besides, I think you need to be taught a lesson about the proper way to treat your detail,” he growled roughly into her ear.
“Well, you can always try…” she taunted with a smile tugging at her lips. “But you’d have to catch me first.”
“There’s my pain in the ass,” he sighed, kissing the top of her head. She allowed herself to relax against him, knowing that she was exactly where she had always needed to be; safe, understood, and loved.