ChapterTen
It took an effort to get up from my desk and walk out of my last class for the day. Enzo was serious when he said I would be going somewhere with him and the rest of the Valentino boys after school today. I wasn’t looking forward to this.
I have no clue what they had planned, where we would be going, or what they wanted from me at this point. It was out of my control, and that put me off guard. It made me feel out of control. I didn’t want to feel like that. Not with how out of whack all my plans already were. There were far too many problems going on right now for me to go gallivanting off with Nico and his boys.
Moving out of the classroom, I wasn’t surprised to see my escort waiting propped up against the wall opposite the doorway. He said he would be collecting me after the last class of the day, but a small part of me had hoped he would find something better to do with his time. With all the hell I’d brought down on their syndicate in the last few months, I figured they would all be a little busy trying to straighten out all that mess. Apparently, I’d been wrong.
“Nico and the boys are already waiting in the car.” Enzo didn’t say anything else as he turned away from me and began walking down the hallway.
I didn’t immediately follow. There was a chance of more students filling up the hallway on their mad dash to exit the premises for the end of the day, and those students could get in between us. If there were enough students blocking me from him, he wouldn’t be able to do anything if I took off in the opposite direction.
Of course, my thinking was faulty. Enzo was a Valentino boy, and no one wanted to be too close to them. Not intentionally or without reason that was. Every other student in the hallway gave him enough space that he could do backflips down the hallway if he wanted to. There was a clear line of sight between us, and I wanted to stomp my feet like a spoiled child for not getting my way.
“We don’t have all day. Keep up.” He didn’t even turn around or slow his steps as he spoke to me.
Grinding my teeth together, I tightened my grip on the handful of notebooks in my arms and reluctantly followed his tall figure towards the exit. I wasn’t getting out of this, so I should figure out a way to make the most of the situation. Now would be a good time to get some information out of Nico and his boys. I wasn’t sure how much they would be willing to tell me. If they’re anything like me, I would be walking out of this meeting with less information than when I went in.
Pulling my cell phone out of my back pocket, I shot off a quick text to Jasper letting him know what was going on. He was going to flip his lid when he read it, but at this point it took too much energy to fight against them than I had at the moment. It was just better to go along and get it over with.
Sunlight streamed down temporarily blinding me as I walked through the doorway. Blinking my eyes quickly, I let the scene in front of the school come into view.
I guess the text to Jasper was pointless.
He stood in front of the steps facing off against Nico. They stood almost chest to chest, death and menace glaring at one another from their eyes. Jasper’s hands were clenched at his sides, while Nico’s nostrils flared.
“Do you honestly think I’m going to let you take her anywhere?” Jasper’s voice rang out through the parking lot. He was not a happy camper.
“I don’t think you have much of a choice. There are a few things she and I need to discuss, and I’m not having this conversation here at the school. Don’t worry. She’ll be in one piece when I return her to you.” Nico crossed his arms over his chest, but he didn’t take a step back. Neither of them was willing to give an inch to the other.
I understood Jasper’s worries. The last time I’d been alone with these guys ended with Dante dragging the tip of the knife through my soft flesh. Sure, I’d ended up with a few scratches and lost a little bit of blood, but I’d also been turned on a fuck.
For days after that all I could think about was if Dante was into knife or blood play. Images of me strapped down to his bed completely naked and my body riddled with his marks played through my head so frequently I’d ruined quite a few pairs of panties. My clit had been constantly engorged and sensitive that just the soft brush of fabric against it could’ve sent me off.
I certainly haven’t told Jasper about those little fantasies that keep playing through my mind. That would be just another thing for him to freak out about. Since the Valentino boys took me, he’d been a little more protective than he had been in the past. I knew it fucked with his head. To be honest waking up with a gunshot wound in the stomach and being strapped to a chair in a dimly lit dirty warehouse fucked with my head too. That didn’t mean I wanted him to micromanage my every movement.
I just haven’t had the heart to tell him to back the fuck off yet.
He loved me just as much as I loved him, and it would cause him even more worry if I didn’t let him have his way. I could push him when I needed to, and there were times when he wasn’t going to back down from me.
Right now was going to be one of those moments when I needed to push him to get my way.
“The last time you had her, she ended up being shot, cut up, and almost dying. I don’t have much faith in your ability to keep her alive.”
He wasn’t wrong in his assessment of what happened between us. Of course, I understood where Nico was coming from with all that shit. Didn’t mean Jasper was going to be reasonable about it.
“Jasper, I’ll be fine,” I said as I moved to stand next to him. Placing my hand on his shoulder I attempted to push him back a step to put some distance between him and the mafia prince. I didn’t need for them to come to blows in the middle of the school parking lot.
“You’ll be fine? You weren’t the one that had to patch you up and see how much pain you were in the last time. Nope. Not gonna happen. If they need to talk to you then I’m going with you.” He continued to stare at Nico as he attempted to push me behind him.
This wasn’t going to go the way I wanted it to. I had to push him down, and I didn’t like that feeling.
“Who are you to tell her what she can and can’t do? Her fucking daddy?” Cole’s sarcastic remark came from the backseat of the black SUV. Rolling my eyes, I shot him the universal sign to go fuck himself as I focused on Jasper.
“You will know exactly where I am, and I’m more than capable of taking care of myself. Nothing is going to happen to me. I need you here to run interference with Alicen, Milo, and the rest. I don’t need them trying to come after me, and then they get themselves in trouble. Don’t worry about me. I’ll see you in just a little bit.” Wrapping my arms around his middle, I hugged up against his side.
He’d never been able to deny me anything when I hugged him or pouted. It could be because they were things I just didn’t do often, but he was a sucker for it every time.
I didn’t want to put him in his place. I would if I had to, but there would be hurt feelings involved with handling this situation that way. Feelings that I didn’t know how to handle. I wasn’t the most compassionate or empathetic person, which meant there were feelings I didn’t understand. It was always awkward and uncomfortable every time I tried to console or make someone feel better.