I roll again and retch from the realization that he just killed one of my only friends. I need to get out of here while he’s busy. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and slowly sit up, trying to keep the dizziness at bay. When I’m standing on legs that feel laden with lead, I turn and notice the porthole is too small for me and there is only the door out of the small cabin. This isn’t one of the luxury yachts I used to work on.
Now, to look for a weapon. I open drawers and don’t find anything. I open the small closet and don’t see a bar for cloths but hooks. I pull on one, trying to rip it from the wall, but I’m not strong enough. Moving toward the porthole, I look out and see a boat next to us. Nothing looks familiar to me. There is no way to open the porthole that is somehow sealed closed.
I hear someone coming down the gangway toward the room, and I jump back on the bed, getting into a position to look like I’m still unconscious. I didn’t find a weapon, so now I’m going to have to fight hand to hand. Somewhere in my mind I remember I know some things but not much. I take a deep breath and slowly let it out so that I’m now relaxed. I close my eyes and focus on controlling my breathing.
The door slams open and the urge to flinch as it hits the wall is almost too much.
“Wake up, bitch. I know you’ve been awake.”
Okay, no more faking. I don’t want to piss him off more to where he kills me before Dante’s men can find me. A brief memory of the bridal salon flashes through my mind. I’d just told Dante’s head security guy, Stefano, that I was ready to leave and stepped into the dressing room to change into my street clothes. When I stepped out, Kara was standing there. I’d finally broken down earlier that day and talked to her.
“What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to apologize in person.”
“How did you know I was going to be here?”
“You said you were going to come do this. So I just went to all of them until I saw your detail. Have a glass of champagne with me?” She holds up a glass, and I take it. Something crosses over her eyes, and as we clink glasses, my sixth sense springs to life. At the first taste, I remember this taste, and I spit it at her.
“You’re not going to poison me.” I throw the glass at her as soft pops ring out, and I watch the guards surrounding me fall to the floor. Crimson circles form on their heads and I cringe back. “What is going on?” I’m about to swing around behind me where Kara is focused with horror in her eyes when I’m struck hard on the head. I fall to the floor, worried I’m never going to see Dante again.
“Hello, Cody,” I purr, trying to distract him by flirting. I know Dante will never make it to me. He’s on a plane somewhere else in Europe. But maybe they didn’t kill all his security, and between them and Mattia, I’ll be found. I need to push to survive, giving them time to find me.
“Hello, McKenna, or should I call you Katriana.” The name runs through my memory, and it feels right but isn’t completely true.
“I don’t know who that is. I’m McKenna.” I roll to the other side. “Are you possibly confusing me with someone else?” When I stand up, I make sure I never turn away from him. He moves across the room toward me, and the urge to keep the bed between us is so great that I jump up on it and move back to the other side. “Um, Cody, I don’t understand what’s going on. Can you take me back to Dante? He’ll be very worried about me.”
“No, he won’t. I made sure he won’t ever worry about you again. When his plane landed, there was something waiting for him at his private hanger.” Cody chuckles, and the sound is evil and sinister. My heart clenches in my chest for only a moment. I know he’s still alive because if he were gone, I’d feel it, I’m sure. Maybe he hasn’t landed yet. I need to get to a phone and call him.
I look at the open door and, in that moment, Cody is on me. He throws me to the bed. “I’m going to finally get a taste of you before I press my gun to your inadequate breasts and shoot you.”
I scream and fight, hoping someone hears me. I claw at his face and bring up my legs, but he’s stronger and bigger than I am. I buck and fight. I won’t go down without a fight. With my dying breath, I’ll call Dante and save him. I can’t let him leave this world like I will.
“Why?” I scream in his face as I spit and struggle.
“Don’t think it’s anything special. You’re just a job to me. When I got the job as bosun, I thought I’d finally make enough money to pay back my debts, but it didn’t work. I had to start doing this. Isn’t it ironic that my first job is the woman I’ve been lusting after?” Another evil chuckle leaves him and this time he’s got a Cheshire cat grin.
I get my wrist free and clench my fist. I slam it into his face like I saw Dante do to him before. Blood spurts over both of us. He draws back his fist and hits me. My face explodes in pain and my eyes roll back. I can’t and won’t lose consciousness. I fight harder, gritting my teeth as a second energy comes to me. The need to live takes over. I won’t die this way. He’ll kill me before he rapes me. I won’t let another man take from me again.
With everything left in my body, I buck hard and thrash around. He falls back toward the door, pushing it closed. I jump up and kick at him, but he grabs my ankle and pulls me to the floor. He rolls on top of me, and I hear wood splintering along with a loud boom and then his body is being pulled from mine. Looking up into Dante’s angry eyes, I calm. He’ll avenge me. My eyes fall closed and I fall into unconsciousness, letting my body go to that place it needs to repair and release the terror.
* * *
Dante
When we board the boat,I know there isn’t anyone else on board but him and McKenna. One of the guards finds Kara’s body strapped to the anchor. Cody rushed the disposal of her body and the anchor floated back to the surface.
I hear a scream and I’m rushing below deck. I don’t care what happens to me. Protecting McKenna is all I think about. She is everything to me. If I die in this moment, she would go on and rule the family. Maybe I’ve left a piece of me with her to carry on.
I kick in the door, praying she’s not on the other side. The wood splinters apart and slams into the wall behind it. The scene I’ve rushed into has my knife drawn and my hand reaching for Cody. I rip him from her body and look down briefly as she loses consciousness. I stab him in the gut, twisting my knife. I know I’ve nicked an artery. He’ll slowly bleed internally before he dies.
“You’ll die for touching her,” I growl in his face as I throw his body across the room, and he slams into the wall. I drop to my knees at my love’s side. She’s out cold and I yell for our medic, who rushes into the room. Holding her against my body, I try to check for injuries. I see the bruise on her cheek and her nose is broken again, her eyes already blackening. I feel a lump on the back of her head and pray silently to the God who has forsaken me that he protect her.
“Get the trash on deck,” my father orders from behind me as the medic kneels next to me. He checks her over.
“She needs to have a scan done of her head, but other than that, I don’t see any other major injuries. Her face is going to be bruised again.” He and I make eye contact. He was there to see what she looked like when we came home. Her old bruises were starting to fade, and now this.
I lift her up and carefully lay her on the bed as my father’s men lift up Cody, who is unconscious from hitting the wall.