Page 110 of Chasing Caine

Not letting go of my hair, he dragged me backward again. I sidestepped, pivoting my body to twist his arm. But my ankle gave out and I tripped, giving him the chance to hurl me to the floor.

The air flew out of me when the man’s knee landed on the small of my back. Fire licked through my body, an agonizing blanket spreading out from where he pinned me.

My phone buzzed. Another call from Antonio. I should have listened to him.I’m sorry, Antonio. This was going to kill him.Please let the police get here soon.

The man dug into my pocket and pulled the phone out.

He lifted my head and smashed it down onto the fl—

Chapter 36

Antonio

Iinhaledonthreesteps, exhaled on three, blisters already forming. Running in sockless oxfords was a horrible idea, but she was at Eva’s. Fool woman. She’d found one of the pigment pots and sent me a photo.

I told you so, her text had said.

After those messages, I’d paused enough to call Special Agent Skinner, who informed me she’d texted him the same information. He and Gallo were coordinating officers to descend on the building. When he learned about the threat delivered last night, he cut me off with a simple, “We’ll hurry.”

I slowed to a jog, dialing her number again. The phone rang three times. She’d declined each of the others after one ring, so this was either an improvement or she was too busy to even reject my call.

But this time, she finally answered. An impossible weight lifted from my shoulders. My words came thick through heavy breaths. “Samantha! I was so—”

“I warned you.” The deep voice on the other end of the phone sent a shock wave through me, bringing me to a dead stop.

I blurted out, “Whatever you’re being paid, I’ll double it.”

Silence.

“Triple it! I don’t care, just don’t hurt her!” I pressed a hand on the wall of the building next to me, scraping my fingers on the brick, trying to steady the rage. “Or I swear upon all that is holy, we will come for you.”

“You’ll never find us.”

He clicked off and I ran. Faster than I’d ever run before.

I was not losing this woman again.

I’d been such a fool. If I’d told her about the threat right away, she would have been more likely to believe me. We could have talked about it. Made a plan. As much as she would have wanted to pursue the investigation, I could’ve convinced her to call Skinner and at least get his opinion. Go with him.

Marone,Icould have gone with her if she persisted in investigating. She wouldn’t be alone with those criminals.

Samantha Caine was strong and capable, but I treated her like a fragile doll. A woman like that needed a partner, not a boss or a manager.

That was it. Everything.

After she rantome, I acted like I was in charge.

The piazza came into view minutes later, and I checked the map on my phone. Eva’s building was on the opposite side and I dashed through the center, past a fountain, sending tourists, children, and angry pigeons scattering. The hotel was straight ahead, surrounded by a throng of people, talking and pointing.

My stomach clenched.

Something had already happened. Was I too late?

I tore through the crowd, ordering people out of the way as I went instead of apologizing.

An officer guarding the front door was distracted with answering questions, so I slipped past him and ran inside. The man at the front desk snapped his attention to me, eyes wide.

“Are the police upstairs?” I demanded.