Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
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 my right 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.
“Where are we going?” I manage to ask.
He barrels the truck around the corner and toward the front. Two men are waiting near the other vehicles, but they hesitate. They probably don’t realize what’s going on. It’s not until we’re speeding past that they finally take some shots.
I keep my head down. I’m stubborn, not stupid.
But Luca’s a good driver. He stays calm, and we end up peeling out as he hits a hard turn. Once we’re on the main road, he guns it again, and soon the sound of shooting is only a distant crack and pop, then nothing at all.
I sit there, heart racing. Sweat pours down my back. I pat my jeans and curse softly under my breath. I must’ve left my phone back in the garage, which means I have no way of reaching out to anyone.
Luca’s staring straight ahead, grim and determined.
“Hey, asshole,” I say, leaning forward against the seatbelt. “Seriously, where are you taking me?”
“Back to my place,” he says. “Now just sit back and quit making my life hard. For a girl that was just nearly killed, you’re not very grateful.”
“I’m supposed to thank you for abducting me?”
“You could maybe show some gratitude for the whole ‘saving your life’ thing.”
“You broke my knee.”
“And saved your fucking skull from getting blown off.”
“Where are we going exactly? Does my father know about any of this? Where’s my brother and what about his guys? The shift was supposed to start soon. Were any of them warned?”