“Um, I actually need to use the bathroom. Let me do that real quick. Then we can track down Dimitri andDaphto say goodbye.”
“Sounds good. I need to use thelooanyway.”
I walked with Malcolm toward the bathrooms, trying to appear calm. Every step brought me closer to Luca. I waited just inside the bathroom until I heard the men’s door close, and then I made a break for the bank of elevators.
My finger mashed the button,and I watched the floor numbers light up.
“Come on. Come on.” I peeked over my shoulder, looking for any sign of Malcolm.
Finally, the doors opened with a ding. I scrambled in and hit the fivebutton. A couple stumbled toward the elevator and yelled for me to hold it as the doors closed, so I pretended to try and stop it. There was no way I was waiting on their drunk asses.
The doors closed,and I stared at my reflection in the gold walls of the elevator. It was only five floors, but it felt like the ride up took forever. My fingers dug into the hard case of my clutch. Breathing was a chore, and every muscle in my body was tight, ready to snap.
When the doors opened, I sprinted out and down the hall. Approaching room 551, I noticed the door was propped open. I lightly knocked as I pushed the door open. Shutting it behind me, I called out, “Luca?”. There was no answer.
Something felt off as I timidly moved deeper into the room. A bedside lamp was on, but there was no Luca. The sink in the bathroom turned on, and I tried to shake off the bad feeling in my gut, but it wouldn’t go away.
Two glasses of champagne sat on the desk near the window, so I took one and downed it. Picking up the second, I looked out at the St. Louis skyline.
When the bathroom door opened, I didn’t turn around. Luca’s tall silhouette was backlit in the glass’s reflection, blacking out the Arch. “This view is pretty spectacular.”
He didn’t say anything, so I took another sip before setting the glass back on the desk. “Sowhat do we need to—” As my eyes lifted, my mouth went dry.
“We need to make sure you aren’t going to be a problem for my family.” Mr. Moretti smiled at me, a gun in his hand.
TWENTY-FOUR
My mouth fell open, but no sound came out. I’d been so worried about faceless, unknown dangers that I hadn’t even considered Luca’s dad.
“Have a seat.” Mr. Moretti gestured with his gun toward the bed.
I tried to force myself to move, but my body was frozen in fear. Internally, I screamed for help, but I couldn’t even bring myself to run.
This is how I die.
Mr. Moretti sneered. How suchahandsome man could be so ugly was amazing. A humorless laugh left his lips as he moved toward me. Before I could step back, his free hand wrapped around my arm, jerking me from the window. With one hard shove, I fell across the bed.
It was as if that push woke me up, and I scrambled across the comforter to the other side, desperate to put some distance between us. My foot got stuck on the blanket, but I shook it free and cleared the other side of the bed. Jumping to my feet, I walked backwards towards the door.
Mr. Moretti tilted his head, a slight smile pulling at his full lips. “You think you’re just walking out of here?”
I never took my eyes off him. Lesson one of every action movie—never take your eyes off the threat. I kept inching back. As I reached the bathroom door, my heel caught on the carpet,and I stumbled into the wall. In two long strides, Mr. Moretti was on me.
He gripped my hair, slamming my head into the wall. Thesuddenattack rattled my brain, and pain splintered through my skull. The room became blurry as I reached out for something to hold on to, to stay upright because it felt like the world had gone upside down.
Another push into the wall, and I cried out only to be pushed face-first into the bedding. Fabric filled my mouth as I screamed. My breath dampened the cover,andIstarted to suffocate on my own hot sobs.
The weight of him on top of me kicked my panic into overdrive. My hands pushed frantically against the bed, but he wouldn’t budge. Kicking out, I hit something,so I kept flailing. I couldn’t give up.
Fingers twisted in my hair,and he yanked me up. Pain shot through my scalp, and I yelped, my hands flying up to his, blindly trying to remove his iron grip as I twisted in his hold.
“Quiet!” The back of his hand cracked against my cheek. With his hand buried in my hair, he shoved me onto the bed, climbing over me. Hismassivebody kept me pinned down.
Lifting my head, I could just make out his tousled hair and red face through the tears. The dim lights cast a shadow on half his face, making him a goddamn demon in the flesh.
“Stay fucking still!”
I, of course, did the opposite, wiggling and struggling under him, trying to free my hands. This time,his meatyfist crashed into my face,and I tasted blood as pain spread through my jaw. I cried, but I stopped moving.