But as soon as he starts toward the windows to check out what’s happening, I turn and bolt.
Maybe I can’t break the guy’s skull, but I sure as hell can run away.
“Fiorella, hold on!”
I tear ass to the hallway, knocking over a table covered in bolts and washers. They scatter across the floor. I throw myself around the corner and down the short hall, past the floor chief’s office, the accountant’s little closet, the storage room with all the spare parts and tools, and toward the back exit.
But he’s coming after me.
The problem with all this is he might not be lying, but there’s no way for me to say for sure. All I know is I was stuck back there with a bunch of armed men I’d never met before, and there’s nothing I hate more in the world than feeling like I’m trapped.
A shiver runs down my spine at an old memory.Go ahead, Elisa, you drink it. I’ll be fine, I promise.Take as much as you want.
I hit the back door and kick it open. Luca’s coming behind me, his face twisted in frustration.
Sunlight slams me in the eyes. I look around at the weed-strewn back lot and take two steps toward the narrow strip of woods past the blacktop, but I come to a stuttering halt.
There’s a car parked ahead. A big, black truck.
And four men carrying small submachine guns are coming out of its open doors.
“Fuck!” Luca runs into me from behind, knocking me to the ground. I curse and hit hard, scraping my hands and bashing myright knee on the pavement. He lands on top of me, drawing his gun, and the sound of bullets rips through the air as he shoots at the armed men. I cover my ears, a scream dying on my terrified tongue.
They didn’t expect us. Otherwise, we’d be filled with bloody holes by now. Instead, Luca’s one hell of a shot, and he manages to kill two, wound a third, and forces the last one to sprint around behind the SUV into cover.
“Don’t fucking move, I’ve got you,” Luca snarls, possessively grabbing me closer to him. I squirm, not used to being this close to a man. I don’t understand what’s happening. I fully expected him to use me as a meat shield, but instead, he’s putting his own life at risk to save mine.
Two of his men come spilling out behind us. He signals them, and they split up, one going left, the other right. They take down the last armed man without much of a struggle.
“Get off me,” I say, trying to push him away, but Luca’s body is impossibly heavy, dense, and hot. He smells like mint and flowers with a musky, masculine undercurrent. His face is close to mine, and his jaw’s set in a hard line.
Another thrill shoots straight between my legs.
I’m a disgusting freak, but I find this obscenely hot.
“You’re going to get us fucking killed,” he says, finally moving back and hauling me to my feet.
“Shit,” I say as pain flares in my right knee. I gasp and limp slightly, my strength giving out. I must’ve really hurt it when I hit the ground.
“I’ve got you.” He forces me to put an arm around his shoulder. I try to yank back, but he holds onto my hips and keeps me there. The man’s freakishly strong.
“Who are those people?”
“I don’t know,” he admits, hurrying me toward the truck.
“Keys are in the ignition,” one of Luca’s soldiers says. He’s a burly guy with a hooked nose, a massive slab of a human. Terrifying, if I’m honest with myself, but everyone’s kind of scary right about now.
“Get in.” Luca helps me into the back. “Hold on tight and keep your head down.”
“What about the rest of your men?” I ask, staring around wildly. More gunfire breaks out in the garage. I flinch, hating myself a little bit for showing weakness.
“They’ll be alright. You’re the priority right now.” Luca jams my seatbelt into position, his lips inches from mine. “Don’t be a pain in the ass. Just keep your head down.”
He slams the door and gets behind the wheel. “Stefano, go kill those motherfuckers. Meet back at the depot when you’re finished.”
“Gladly,” the big soldier says with a vicious smile. He hurries off, running back to the garage where the fighting’s getting hot. There are screams and more gunfire, and I don’t know how many men are getting killed in there, but I can guess.
“Hold on,” Luca says and hits the gas. The truck jumps forward, wheels spinning as he turns the steering wheel, whipping us around.
