Page 27 of Ruthless Sinner
Before I can open my mouth to interject, my father’s voice booms with a chilling threat. The air in the room grows heavy and suffocating as he speaks each word with a deadly calmness, his eyes burning with an intensity that makes me shrink back in terror. “If you don’t return my daughter to me by sunset, I will wipe out your family and everyone you love. I’ll kill your brothers and sister, your parents, your friends, your bodyguard, her,” he nods at me. “I will kill everyone you love. You will be an orphan at thirty-one, and I will ensure that no one ever dares to follow your leadership again. Do not test me.”
The deafening roar of my thoughts screams inside my head, drowning out the sound around me.
Return me, Dante. Give me back to him. Whatever he does, I can handle it. I can live with the pain. I know how bad it can be, and I can take it. Don’t lose your family and everyone you love for me.
But when I open my mouth to say the words aloud, my tongue feels like a brick. I try to speak, but the words are stuck, trapped behind my tightening throat. Nothing escapes. My palms grow slick, and anxiety wells up in my veins. Why can’t I find my voice?
“Do your worst, Martinelli. I’m not afraid of you.” Dante exudes an easygoing, carefree confidence as he speaks. A smile spreads across his lips, reaching all the way to his eyes.
As my father’s guards get to their feet, Dante takes my hand and leads me towards the door. Enzo follows behind us, a comforting presence. “Walk,” Dante orders as he leads me from the room. “Remain calm.”
I whip my head around to look back and realize too late what he means. The guards are following us. We exit the restaurant with a posse of men menacingly cracking their knuckles. There are eight of them and three of us; it won’t be a fair fight.
As we make our way to the parking lot, I feel the tension rising among my father’s men. They eye us with suspicion and malice, their hands twitching towards weapons at their waist. I grip Dante’s hand tightly in an attempt to steady my nerves.
Suddenly, someone pushes Enzo from behind, and he stumbles into Dante, which jolts me in turn. This is a precursor to what will happen when we are out of sight of the restaurant. I can feel it in my bones. My father didn’t send his men to make sure we got to the car safely; they’re here to hurt us.
Enzo stays close behind us, a protective barrier between us and the guards. My heart rate skyrockets, and even Dante’s unwavering patient hand placed comfortingly on my lower back does not stop me from spiraling headfirst into an anxiety-fueled rabbit hole.
Then we turn the corner, and I see a group of men standing beside Dante’s car. I don’t recognize any of them, but they wave in recognition of us.
I swear I feel the relief in Dante’s touch as a smile comes to his face and he greets the men. “Sal,” he grins, “I didn’t think you’d make it.”
My father’s men falter and fall back. I hear murmuring among them, but it gets quieter as they retreat.
“Thank fuck,” Enzo swears under his breath.
I’m not the only one who was scared; I was just the only one who showed it.
When we reach the car, someone wraps Dante in a hug, and he releases my hand. “Thank God you sent that text when you did. We were about to head out of town.”
Dante claps the man on the back. “If the waitress hadn’t tipped us off, we’d be in deep shit right now.”
“You and Enzo can’t take eight guys?” Someone jokes.
He rolls his eyes. “Fuck off.”
I’m still trying to get my heart rate to settle when Dante quietly escorts me to the backseat. “You okay?” He asks, the smile on his face tightening.
I nod, but I am not okay.
Dante reads me like a book. He presses the back of his hand against my forehead and purses his lips. “You’re clammy. Let’s get you home.”
That’s the shock setting in. Just moments ago, I thought my father’s men were going to beat us to death in the parking lot. It doesn’t fully set in until we’re safe just how close we came to dying.
Chapter 29
Dante
Enzo gets in the driver’s seat, his grip tight and confident as he navigates the winding roads. I settle into the plush leather seat beside him, glancing at Adalina through the mirror in my sun visor. She sits with her back straight and her eyes fixed on the floor lost in thought. The soft curves of her face are etched with worry lines as she bites her lip in concentration. The dull hum of the engine fills the silence between us, amplifying the tension in the air.
“Is she okay?” Enzo’s hushed voice is strained and filled with concern.
My head bobs with a forced nod, but I’m not convinced. “Adalina?”
Her gaze slowly rises, but the look in her eyes is distant and unfocused. When I don’t say anything, she fixates on something in the distance.
Enzo casts me a weary glance as we come to a halt at a red light. “Are you sure?”