I swing and have one of the guys on the floor clutching a bloody nose in a second, the other one in a choke hold as I debate whether I should toss him out the window and ruin the pretty picture window.
“That’s not how this is gonna go,” that same gruff man who first spoke says, as though answering the question in my head.
He’s got his forearm around Bella’s throat and a huge black gun pressed to her temple.It’s Dante Moretti.
“What do you want?”I ask.
“I’ve come for what was promised me a long time ago,” Dante says.“But I’ll take you too.My new friends will like that.Release that man.Don’t make this messy.”
“Leave her,” I say.“And then I’ll come with you peacefully.”
I have no idea what he wants from me, doubtless it’s something to do with Hydra, but I’d walk into the fires of hell if it meant Bella would be free, no questions asked.But how the hell did he find her here?
“How could you do this?”Bella says looking towards the door, her eyes still wide, but hard with anger and indignation.“I thought you were my friend.”
Her brother Matteo is standing there, larger and somehow taller than the last time I saw him up close.The night him, his bother and their father beat the crap out of me and dragged Bella away.
“You have no friends here, sister,” Matteo says.“I told you that before.You shouldn’t have contacted me.”
“But we’re glad she did, aren’t we Matteo?”Dante says venomously, eyeing him with unmasked hate.
“Fine,” Bella snaps, that fire in her that I fell in love with a long time ago blazing hot.“It’s me you want so just take me.Leave Blade out of it.”
Never gonna happen, but, that’s my girl.No fear.Just fire and fight.Even in the face of utter hopelessness.
Dante looks like he’s thinking about it, but the mean gleam in his black eyes tells me that’s just for show.
“I don’t think so.You’re both coming.And if you don’t calm the fuck down and go quietly, I’ll have to add his elderly mother to the party.And if the noise you’re making wakes her up, this’ll be the last sunrise she sees.Am I clear?”
This asshole really likes the sound of his own voice.
“What do you think you are, some kind of bard?”I ask.
I still think I have a chance to fight all of them off.But that gun barrel is so close to Bella’s head…
“What the fuck’s a bard?”Dante asks, sounding offended.
It’s sad that all I can do is hurt his feelings.What I’d like to do is bash his face until there’s nothing left.
“Fine, we’ll go,” I say.“Just tell me.Are you new friends those Hydra bastards?Is that why you want me?”
Dante chuckles.“They don’t like being called bastards.And Rogue Angels stole a lot of money from them.Having the vice president to bargain with will make them really happy.You mangy dogs really bit off more than you could chew this time.Fucking idiots.”
Everything about what he just told me lands wrong, every fucking word makes me want to rip his throat out.
There’s still the narrow staircase that could give me a chance.And the trek to whatever cars they have waiting for us—probably those black foreign numbers in the street.I really should’ve paid more attention.
My guns are in the saddle bags on my bike.I get to those and it’s game over for Dante and his goons.
But they’re holding me very tightly as they drag me down the stairs and that barrel never leaves Bella’s temple.
There will be casualties if I fight.Innocent ones.And I’m afraid Bella will be the first.
This is one messed up situation.
So I don’t fight.I let them lead me to the cars.They separate us, stashing me in the car with two goons, while Dante takes Bella into his.Matteo doesn’t get in the car with them.I hope he won’t truly let his sister be hurt by that piece of shit.And if Dante harms her in any way, I’ll murder every member of his family.And just for abducting her, I’ll murder him.This is a promise I make myself as we speed down the road, color returning to the world that’s one giant blur right now.
But I’ll make good on that promise no matter how empty it sounds right now.
