Page 95 of Liberated By Sin

Relief rushed over me when my car came into view, but before I could relish my escape, I was tugged against a hard chest.

Phoenix dropped to the concrete. I pulled my knife and twisted around, ready to run it through someone’s jugular.

37

I caughtAmara’s wrist when the blade was merely inches from my face.

Her other fist came down against my chest as I wrestled the knife from her grip. Not recognizing who I was, she fought me like a wildcat, punching, slapping, and a knee to the groin that had me doubling over as she aimed to stab me at all costs.

“Amara, stop! It’s me.”

She stilled.

“It’s just me,preziosa,” I whispered, pushing matted and stained hair from her eyes.

The knife hit the concrete with a loud clang as she drew in a sharp gasp, throwing her arms around me and burying her face into my chest.

“What happened?” I rushed out.

The louder her sobs and the more I took in her disheveled appearance, the faster my heart thundered.

“Who did this?” I asked, barely able to stave offthe tremble in my hands.

“Luca,” she murmured against my shirt.

Blinding rage overtook all rational thought. I was out for blood. Pushing away from her, I unholstered my gun, chambered the bullet, and headed for the door.

“He’s dead,” she said almost robotically.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Amara’s watery nod tore at my heart. I needed to get her out of here. If there was one thing I knew about Luca, it was that he was a pussy and rarely moved without his entourage. They’d come searching for him soon enough.

Tucking her under my arm, I guided her to my car. Amara was resilient, and from what I could see, there were no visible wounds, but she seemed to be in a state of shock. Whatever she’d gone through had left her rattled.

I cursed. Had I been more insistent on her returning home with me instead of giving in, she’d be in my bed right now, crying for a host of other reasons. The only upside is the fact that the bastard was dead.

Phoenix hopped into her lap, and that’s when it hit me. “Cambri?”

Amara simply shook her head, her stoic gaze fixed on the windshield as she squeezed the spotted cat to her chest.

I quickly rounded the hood and climbed inside, refraining from questioning her further until we’d driven several blocks from her building. She jolted slightly when I reached across the console and touched her thigh.

“Baby, I know that whatever happened back there has shaken you. But you’re safe now.”

“You were still here,” she said, squeezing my hand.

“Of course. You think I’d just go home and into bed? Blaise is posted outside your front entrance, and I planned to keep watch from the garage. Then I saw you running.”

Her voice was hoarse, and her smile frail as she looked at me withtears in her eyes.

“Thank you.”

Amara was mesmerized by the arsenal of weaponry I kept in the special storage room adjacent to my garage. Most were brought over from my home in Naples, and others I acquired through connections with Silas and Ares. Even with Luca dead, it was apparent he wasn’t working alone. There was no telling who he’d paid off to have done so much damage in such a short period. We shared blood, but our family knew the kind of man he was: a coward and a fool whose father couldn’t trust him to take over his business.

An inventory check was in order.