Page 79 of Doll's Eye
He doesn’t answer right away. “I’m taking you home.”
“Whose home?”
“Ours.”
I scoff and shake my head as I look away. My appetite completely gone. “And I’m the crazy one,” I say in disbelief. What the hell is he actually thinking? “I’m not going home with you. If you really think I am, then you certainly are dense.”
“I’m dense?” he blanches and finally looks at me. “You thought you could go allKill Billand become a fucking assassin.”
I bite back a giggle, and it only enrages him even more. “I’m sorry. It’s just kind of funny hearing you make any movie reference.”
“You still think this is all a joke. That you almost died back, there is a fucking joke. We sent you away to keep you safe, and you put yourself in even more danger by becoming a professional killer. How could you be so arrogant and reckless?”
“I prefer audacious,” I say smugly, and his face somehow darkens even more.
“Alessia, I swear—"
“Judge me all you want, Massimo, but it wasn’t my choice to be sent away. It’smyfucking life, and I’ll do with it as I please. If you ever knew me, you would’ve known I wasn’t going to just settle down in the suburbs and meet a nice guy, get married, and have a normal life. I never wanted that, and I never will. Go ahead. Try and ship me off somewhere else. I’ll just find myself another thrill there as well.” We both sit there seething, our nostrils flaring in detest. “I’m not going home with you. If you try, I’ll do my damnedest to escape and make it so youneverfind me again.” Each word is more spiteful than the last, leaving my lips.
“Thanks for the warning,gattina.”
“Do not call me that,” I growl, and he finds amusement in it as his lips twitch. Giving me a small taste of my own medicine.
He invades my space, and I don’t dare move an inch. Standing my ground proudly. “I’ll call you whatever I want,gattina. Especiallymine,” he rasps in my face, and it takes every ounce of strength not to be affected.
“I’ll never be yours again. Just so you can toss me to the curb for the second time? No fucking thank you. Fool me once, and you’re dead to me.”
He chuckles and leans back in his seat, allowing me to fill my lungs with air. “Siamo fatti l’uno all’altra, amore mio.”We’re made for each other, my love. He lightly trails a finger down my forearm, then back up again. I keep still as my skin breaks out in little bumps. “I made the mistake of sending you away, and I won’t make the same mistake twice. So, get used to it, Alessia, because I amneverletting you go.”
It’s me who invades his space this time. “In your twisted ass dreams,cornuto,”cuckhold, I whisper against his lips, then flick my tongue out to swipe from his lips to his forehead before falling back into my seat and facing forward.
His eyes remain on me. “Eat your sandwich.” He stands up. “We’ll be home soon.”
I take three bites of the sandwich and then toss it in the seat next to me. I’m not hungry, and I’m not going to be his obedient prisoner. I’d rather be Tullio’s. I’ll have to find a way of contacting him. Once he learns of the attack on me and Massimo’s intervention, he’ll undoubtedly come to confront the De Lucas, insisting on seeing me. I’ll beg him to take me home with him, and unless Massimo is willing to jeopardize his alliance with his new best buddy, he’ll have no choice but to let me go.
Chapter forty
Massimo
Cornuto.
I didn’t let her get a reaction from me, but I was burning inside to wring her little neck and fuck her silly.
Tullio will likely be displeased to find out about my independent actions and the delayed notification. But dealing with Alessia takes precedence. She faces severe punishment.
Right now, though, I can’t even look at her. I had to jump inside a separate vehicle from the airstrip to go home. I cannot stand her dry tone and bitter remarks as if none of this holds any weight. Her stupidity and immaturity and lack of self-preservation…
“Oh, shit!” my guy behind the wheel shouts and slams on the brakes as we all brace ourselves.
My head whips around to the vehicle Alessia is in behind us, watching it roll. My heart plummets, and I’m already out the door before we’re even safely on the side of the road. I run towards their vehicle as it does one more roll and comes to a stop on its side.
“Alessia!” I slide down the slight decline in the grass. Vinny kicks out the windshield and starts crawling out with blood coming from his head. I ignore him to climb up on the car.
“She fucking attacked Bruno,” Vinny groans.
“Fucking—” I growl and punch out the broken glass of the side window so I can peer inside. If she isn’t dead, I’ll fucking kill her. The little psychopath. My hands around her slender neck are getting more and more enticing. Choking her until she passes out, only to let her wake up to do it again. “Alessia!”
“Shit.” I hear her whine and see movement under the limp body of one of the guys riding with her. “I didn’t exactly think that through,” she utters under labored breath.
