Page 75 of Stolen Vows
The man freezes, spinning around and raising the metal bat. He rakes his gaze over me, shock etching into his aged face, and then his mouth spreads into a sinister smile. “So, you survived that fall, huh?”
I lift a brow.That was him?“You sound disappointed.”
He scoffs, lifting the bat with one arm. “Not at all, little girl. In fact, I’m glad your husband will get to witness what the De Tores do to you.”
In the next second, he swings downward, the blunt end of the bat landing directly on Leo’s uncovered hand. Crying out, Leo lurches forward, kicking the man in his kneecap with the heel of his shoe.
Something cracks, and the older man buckles with a grunt, bringing his weapon down onto Leo’s hand once more. The sickening snap of bone breaking bounces off the walls, and I cringe, my finger pulling the trigger before I have a second to think it through.
It clicks, popping without releasing anything, and fear snakes its way up my throat, constricting airflow. I pull again and then another time, and still, nothing happens.
The man laughs, tipping his head back as he turns fully toward me. “A Ricci strapped with an empty chamber. How fucking embarrassing. Your father is probably rolling in his grave.”
A hand clamps down over my mouth, and the gun falls from my fingers. I see a black shoe move forward and kick the weapon away, back toward Leo and the stranger. My body jerks in protest as I’m partially restrained, and pain explodes in my shoulder as my assailant grabs it.
I scream, shredding my throat from the anguish.
Leo, bloodied and sightless, starts crawling toward the sound. “Fuck,stellina?—”
The stranger steps on what I suspect are already-fractured fingers, halting Leo’s movements. “Please, Leopoldo. Did you honestly think this was going to end happily for you? Don’t forget that this isallyour doing. If you hadn’t married this bitch in the first place or killed half the fucking family, there would’ve been no reason for any of it. You’d be don with no resistance, and Stella Ricci would probably be dead in a mass grave somewhere with the rest of her family.”
Leo spits, watery blood dribbling past his lips. His breathing is labored, his eyes unopened as he tilts his head up. “Fuckyou.”
The man laughs again, and whoever is holding me laughs, too. The sound is chilling, wrapping its billowy arms around me.
I think I might pass out, my vision softening at the corners.
“Okay, enough, Ranolfo,” the person—man?—behind me snaps, shaking me a little. “We’ve got the fucking whore, so let’s just get out of here before security comes. This is what we wanted anyway.”
With that, I start thrashing, thrusting my head backward to try and catch the captor’s chin or face. My shoulder aches so much that I’m close to passing out, but I keep on, digging my heel into the man’s toes and pushing down the mounting panic rising within my chest.
I can hardly fucking breathe, but there’s no way in hell I’m leaving here with them.
“Jesus Christ, stop fighting. We don’t want to fuck a broken doll, and you’re already in rough shape.”
The other man snickers. “Whose idea was it to tamper with the elevator?”
“Speaking of, we should probably send someone to check on Frankie. Make sure he’s dead and all.” The man behind me starts pulling, dragging me backward. “We don’t want to be chasing him down in a few years like this. No fucking repeats,capisce?”
Rage flares in my soul, sparking like an untamed wildfire. I grit my teeth against the agony tearing up my body and steel myself in place as a small plan formulates in my head. It’s not much, but it will hopefully at least buy me enough time to dart outside and find help.
My hand curls around the utility knife in my free arm, unlatching it from where I’ve been cradling it in my dress.
“Do you have it?” I ask quietly.
The man by Leo narrows his eyes at me. “Have what,puttana?”
I work my jaw from side to side, resisting the urge to spit at him. “TheOrchidée Sans Nom. Frankie was bringing it to us, and since you clearly intervened with that, I’m asking if you took it.”
“So what if we did?” the man behind me quips.
“I want it.”
They exchange a contemplative glance, and then the focus is back on me. I slide a finger against the blade, testing its sharp edge, and feel a drop of blood bead along the path.
“I don’t give a shit about Leo, or your family, or the party outside. I just want to know if you have the flower.”
Silence. They don’t answer at first.
