Page 11 of Broken

“I borrowed a few things.” He was studying the screen and checking some old and new footage. A face of an unfamiliar man popped up on the screen, and a slow smile built up on Theo’s lips.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Was the guy on the screen the one who was after me? But I didn’t remember ever seeing him. Was he one of those who refused to let theRosa Nera die with Ingrid?

“Mm-hmm.” Theo got to his feet and headed toward a keypad that was next to some cabinets. He punched in a code and one of the cabinets beeped. When he opened it, he revealed a huge collection of guns of all shapes and sizes. Wonderful. He picked up one and tucked it in the holster he attached to his belt, and he slid the second one inside his jacket. When he wasdone, the cabinet hissed as it closed.

“Food and drinks are in the fridge over there.” He pointed across the room as he made his way toward the door.

“Wait, where are you going? You can’t just...” My eyes fell on the scanner that was on the inside of the door too and Theo pressed his finger to it. “Hey! I’m not staying here!” I rushed for the door, but it was too late, because he’d alreadyslipped outside and closed the door in my face. “Theo! Open the fucking door!” I yelled as I banged on it, but I wasn’t sure if he could even hear me. The damn door seemed to be reinforced with something, and my fist was starting to hurt. Fuck.

I gritted my teeth, looking around the room. There was no other way out of here, was there? That was why he’d brought me here, wasn’t it? Becausehe knew I’d be safe in here. No one in their right mind would be looking for me in here, and they’d have trouble getting in too. I slipped my hand into my pocket to get my phone, but my fingers closed around empty air.

Frowning, I tried the other one, but my phone wasn’t there. Had it fallen out somewhere? I didn’t think so. Shit. I closed my eyes for a moment. Theo. He must have taken myphone when he’d grabbed me in that alley. He’d certainly had an opportunity to do so. Was that payback for me taking his phone or did he simply not want me to be able to contact anyone? I reached for my gun, but it was gone too. Oh yeah, I’d been more than distracted.

The computer was still on, so I hurried to it, intent on finding a way to contact the Cobras or Vix, but most of the computer’sfeatures were locked and required a password. The only thing I could access were the camera feeds. And the area that Theo had been monitoring... My heart skipped a beat. My family lived there. What if that guy was after my family? I took a deep breath, but it did nothing to alleviate the nervous fluttering in my stomach.

In here, I was powerless to do anything. Everything was in Theo’s hands,and I had to trust he’d get the guy before it was too late.

Chapter 7

I THOUGHT I WAS GOING to go mad with worry, but then a sound behind me made me turn around and I saw Theo coming through the door. The wave of relief that hit me was almost staggering, but it was followed by an equally strong wave of anger. I gritted my teeth, clenched my fists, and started toward him.

He stopped inthe middle of the room, his gaze focused on me, and his shoulders tensed when I approached. I was about to yell at him for leaving me locked in here without a way out, but the look in his eyes and his stiff shoulders made most of my anger dissipate as if it had never been there. He was expecting me to hit him. It was written all over his face. Oh God.

I let my gaze travel up and down his body,and when I was sure there weren’t any new injuries, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him to me. He flinched, and I wasn’t sure if it was because he was surprised or because he was still in pain from his wound, so I stepped back.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” I said. “But I’m really pissed that you left me trapped in here. What if anything had happened to you?”

“A friend would’vecome for you and let you out,” he said, pulling out his phone and tapping the screen. “See?” He turned the screen toward me.

A friend was actually someone he hired to destroy this place in case anything happened to him, and the contract had been amended recently to include me too. At least he hadn’t forgotten to state I should be let out alive and unharmed. Geez.

“That’s super comforting.”I shot him an annoyed look. “Where’s my phone? I know you took it, so don’t pretend you don’t have it. My family and my friends will be worried about me if I don’t contact them. Maybe they’re already losing their minds.” I didn’t care about the gun right now.

“They’re not,” he said. “I sent them a text from your phone. They still think you’re at your apartment.”

“Of course.” I groaned.“My phone. Now.” I extended my hand toward him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out my phone, placing it in my palm. “What about your job? Is it done?”

He nodded. “Part of it, yes. That man will no longer cause any trouble for anyone.”

“Was he a Rosa Nera?” I asked as he started toward the computer.

“Yes.”

“What did he want? I saw he was in the area where my family lives.Are they okay? Was that man looking for them?” I went after him, and he stopped and turned toward me.

“Your family’s fine,” he said.

I let out a sigh of relief.

“And yes, he wanted you.” He took a step forward, his face only inches away from mine, his eyes flashing dangerously. “But if anyone’s going to kill you, it’s not going to be some random guy. I won’t let anyone get in my way.”

My breath got stuck in my chest because of his proximity, but I managed to focus on his words and I fought the urge to roll my eyes, because I believed that he would’ve killed me a long time ago if he’d wanted to. But instead, he was protecting me. He just didn’t want to admit it. “You said only a part of the job was done. What does that mean?” I said breathily. “The guy’s gone for good, right?”

He took a step back. “He wasn’t the only one.”

“Oh.” I ran my hand over my face as Theo went to the computer and brought up a set of images. “And that other guy who also wants to kill me... I assume he’s a Rosa Nera too?”

“Yeah.”