“Enzio,” I called out and moved closer, “let her go, man. This is kidnapping.”
Again, he started to laugh. “Kidnapping?” He turned to Karina. “Tell him, little lamb. Tell him you want to go with me.” He leaned in and whispered something in her ear. Her eyes closed, and her face paled as tears moved down her cheeks. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she was petrified of him. I had no idea what he said to her, but every instinct I had was screaming at me, alarm bells ringing like crazy.
She opened her eyes, and more tears slipped out. “I have—”
Enzio jerked her, and she whimpered before looking back at me. “Iwantto go with him.”
“No, no, you don’t. Karina, whatever he just told you, you can’t trust him.”
Enzio cleared his throat. “Well, then, now that that’s out of the way, I bid you a good evening, Detective.”
I leaped forward. “Karina, no!” But a car drove up behind them, and within two seconds, Enzio had pushed her into the back, and they were gone.
What in the name of fuck just happened?
***
KARINA
Bile threatened to move up my throat as Enzio dragged his knuckles up and down my cheek.
“Oh, how long I’ve waited for this.” His voice was hard, dark, and filled with so much malice, it had the power to make my ears bleed. “If it wasn’t for my father’s need for meticulous planning, I would have claimed you for myself years ago.”
“But you already did, remember? The night you fucked me…in more ways than one.” I glared at him. The face I once loved was now nothing more than a reminder of how much I fucking hated him.
He leaned closer and licked his lips. “Oh, my dear little lamb. That night was only the beginning. I have so many plans for us.” His hand brushed against my knee, but I jerked away from him.
“Fuck you, Enzio.”
He reached up and grabbed my hair, my scalp burning as he pulled my head back. “Keep that fight in you, little lamb. I’m going to enjoy fucking it out of you.”
I shuddered, fear turning my blood into ice.
With dark irises, he stared at me as if I were the prey he craved to devour, the soul he longed to consume. “Don’t you get it, Karina? I’ve always wanted you. I’ve always dreamed about having you for the rest of my life.” He leaned down, brushing his lips across my neck, and I tried to pull away, but he only tightened his grip at the back of my head. “You’ve always been the one for me, little lamb. That night at the beach house was part of my father’s plan. I just followed orders. If I had my way, I would have locked you in that room that same night and kept you there forever.” He dragged the tip of his tongue over my skin, and I swallowed hard, trying not to throw up.
“Why now, Enzio? After all these years?” My lips quivered, and I felt his hand on my knee. Tears stung my eyes, his filthy touch making my skin crawl.
“My dad wanted to wait a little longer. He wanted to get your brothers out of the way first. But then Detective Stone came along, leaving me no choice. He was taking what is rightfully mine, and knowing he was touching you, kissing you,” he moved his lips up to my ear, “fucking you, it was driving me insane.” He leaned back a little. “Unfortunately for my father, I could no longer sit by and watch it happen while I wait for him to finally give the order telling me I can have you. So I had to say ‘fuck the plan.’”
A tear slipped down my face. I wanted to ask him what their plans were. Why and how they had planned to get my brothers out of the way. But deep inside, I already knew. This war between our families wasn’t about territory, or business. It was about hate. Jealousy. Power. And we were mere pawns in this war, each and every one of us. My brothers too.
More tears moved across my cheek. “Don’t hurt my brothers.” It was all I could think of saying. I didn’t care what Enzio did to me. I just wanted him to stay the hell away from my family.
Enzio’s hand slipped in between my legs, fingertips brushing against my thigh. “Be a good little lamb, and no one will get hurt. Besides, we weren’t going to hurt your brothers. Well, Antonio, at least.”
I narrowed my eyes, my heart lodged in my throat. “What are you saying?”
He laughed. “You always think the worst, don’t you? We weren’t planning on killing Antonio. Just sending his ass to jail. A son in jail would be far more embarrassing than a son in a coffin.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there’s a murderer in town, and your dear brother is currently the number one suspect. And once I’m done, there would be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Antonio is indeed a coldblooded killer.” Enzio grinned and had a sinister look in his eye. Everything about him was screamingevil intent.
My stomach turned as my mind spun in a million directions at once, trying to make sense of what was happening.
The murder at Vertigo.
My brothers being questioned.