Page 74 of Forsaken Promises
I feint left, then right, my body moving with a fluid grace that comes from years of training. I feel a sudden rush of gratitude for my father’s insistence that I always be in tip-top shape, always hiring the best trainers to make sure I remain the weapon he wants me to be.
“Luca is going to take his sweet time with your bride,” the guard taunts as he smiles at me, his teeth bloody. “He’s going to fuck her until she forgets who you even are. You’ll never see her again.”
That was thewrongthing to say to me.
With a burst of speed and power that takes even me by surprise, I land a powerful kick to his chest which causes the guard to stumble back. Without hesitation, I deliver a crushing blow to his windpipe.
He staggers back, his eyes bulging and his mouth gaping like a fish. I don’t give him a chance to recover, don’t let him draw another breath.
“Go fuck yourself,” I hiss to him before I punch him in the jaw with one hand while my other hand takes a dagger and plunges it into his neck.
The guard screams and tries to lunge for me, but I drag the dagger across his neck, hacking across skin, muscle, and sinew. Blood pours from the man’s neck and down my hand in thick rivulets before he collapses on the ground, his eyes staring at nothing.
The old Dom would have been horrified by what I’ve done. I probably would have thrown up and then castigated myself for my cruelty.
But I find I don’t care what I did to this guard. He stood in my way of getting to my woman, and he had to pay.
I leap over the body and charge toward a still struggling Sofia and Luca. But just as I’m about to get close, just as my fingertips are about to graze the fabric of that wedding dress abomination, Luca yanks her through the door and out of sight.
Pain erupts in my shoulder as one of Luca’s men shoots at me, the bullet barely grazing me. I turn around with a snarl.
He wants to fight? I’ll give him a fucking fight.
And then I’m going after my wife.
36
SOFIA
As Luca drags me out of the back of the chapel, desperation and adrenaline course through my veins. I can’t let this happen, can’t let him take me away from Dom. He came for me. He’s trying to rescue me.
I struggle against Luca’s iron grip, my bound hands clawing at his face and arms, my legs kicking out with every ounce of strength I possess. I won’t go quietly. I will not let him win without a fight.
But Luca is too strong, too determined to let me go. He hauls me down a side passage, his breath hot and ragged against my ear.
“Stop fucking fighting me, Sofia,” he growls, his fingers digging into my arm hard enough to leave a bruise. “You’re only making this harder on yourself. On both of us.”
I can hear the sounds of fighting behind us, the grunts and shouts and the sickening crack of bone against bone. But above it all, I hear Dom’s voice roaring my name with fury.
Dom’s voice brings me the first bit of hope I’ve felt since this whole situation went down. And it’s that hope that causes me to fight back.
I let out a bark of laughter, the sound harsh and mocking in the narrow confines of the hallway. “I can’t wait to see Dom put a bullet in your fucking head,” I spit back, my voice dripping with venom. “I’ll never stop fighting you, Luca.”
He spins me around, slamming me against the wall with a force that nearly knocks the air from my lungs. I gasp. His face is a mask of rage and madness, his eyes glinting with hatred.
“You really think your precious Dominico will be able to get to you?” he sneers, his lips curling into a cruel, mocking smile. “My men will tear him apart. And you? You’re mine now.”
For a moment, I feel a flicker of fear. What if he’s right? What if Dom can’t reach me in time? But then I remember how he easily destroyed Luca’s men and fought with a savagery that took my breath away.
Dom will get me. I know it.
He’s coming for me, fighting like hell to reach me, to save me from this nightmare. And that thought reminds me that I can’t give up, can’t let Luca break me, can’t let him win.
I am a Marino and a Sicura. And we don’t give up. Ever.
“I’m never yours,” I snarl as I wrench myself out of his grasp. Before Luca can grab me, I rear back and headbutt him in the face, finally doing what I wanted to do before Dom burst into the chapel. The satisfying crunch of his nose breaking fills the damp smelling hallway.
Luca howls with pain, jumping back to cradle his nose. I use this opportunity to stagger down the hallway, my heart pounding and my breath coming in ragged gasps. I don’t know where I’m going. I don’t even have a plan beyond getting as far away from Luca as I can.
