Page 6 of Devil’s Embrace (31 Days of Trick or Treat: Biker & Mobster #10)

Chapter Four

Emory

I stared into the killer's cold blue-gray eyes, my mind racing through every possible escape scenario.

Each one ended with Mina getting hurt. Or worse.

My arms ached from holding her behind me, from the tension of preparing to fight or run, but I couldn't let go.

Wouldn't let go. This man—this monster in an expensive coat—might take our lives tonight, but he'd have to go through me first to get to my daughter.

"I have money." The words tumbled out in desperate inspiration. "Not much, but I have about five hundred dollars saved. It's yours. All of it."

His expression didn't change. Not a flicker of interest, not a hint of mercy. Just the same calculating stare, as if I were a math problem he needed to solve.

"Please." I hated the tremor in my voice. "We won't tell anyone what we saw. I swear on my life."

"Your life isn't worth much right now." His voice remained deep and eerily calm. "And five hundred dollars is insulting. I’ve paid more for shoes."

Behind me, Mina whimpered again, her small fingers digging into my leg through my jeans. I could feel her trembling, could sense her confusion and terror. Five years old and she was facing the darkest side of humanity while wearing a purple unicorn costume.

"I'll do anything." Shame and fear made my voice crack. "Anything you want. Just let my daughter go."

For the first time, something shifted in his expression—not sympathy, but perhaps recognition of my desperation. "Anything is a dangerous offer to make to a man like me."

His gaze flicked to the body on the ground, then back to me. I understood the implication. This man killed without hesitation or remorse. What else would he do without hesitation?

The thought sent a fresh wave of terror through me. But also something else… a flash of rage so intense it momentarily overshadowed my fear. This man had no right to terrorize us, to threaten my child. Halloween night was supposed to be about candy and costumes, not blood and death.

In that moment of anger-fueled courage, I made my move. Pushing Mina further behind me with one hand, I lunged to the side, aiming for the narrow gap between the killer and the wall. If I could just get past him, it might distract him from Mina.

I made it exactly one step before his hand clamped around my upper arm with bruising force. His grip was like iron, effortlessly halting my momentum and yanking me back. Pain shot through my shoulder as he pulled me closer.

"That was stupid." His face was inches from mine, close enough that I could smell his expensive cologne beneath the metallic scent of blood. "Don't do it again."

Mina let out a wail, high and terrified, as she saw him grab me. "Mama!"

"It's okay, sweet pea." Despite my reassurance, I knew nothing was okay and nothing might ever be okay again. "Stay right there. Don't move."

The killer's eyes narrowed as he glanced at Mina, then back to me. "Tell her to be quiet."

"She's five years old." My maternal outrage gave me courage to speak up. "She's terrified. What do you expect?"

His fingers tightened on my arm, sending fresh waves of pain through my shoulder. "I expect you to control your child, or I'll do it for you."

The threat hung in the air between us, clear and chilling. I twisted to look at Mina, her small face streaked with tears beneath the unicorn hood. "Mina, baby, I need you to be very quiet now, okay? Can you do that for Mama?"

She nodded, her bottom lip quivering with the effort of suppressing her sobs. My heart broke at the sight, at her trying to be brave when she should never have to face this kind of fear.

"Good girl."

The killer released my arm only to reach into his coat pocket. I tensed, expecting him to pull out his gun, but he produced several black zip ties. My stomach dropped.

"You're both coming with me. Turn around."

"No. No, we're not—"

He moved with shocking speed, spinning me around and wrenching my arms behind my back. The zip tie pulled tight around my wrists with a distinctive plastic click, biting into my skin. I gasped at the sudden pain and restriction of movement.

"I don't need your cooperation." I felt his lips moving by my ear and felt the heat of his breath. "Just your compliance. There's a difference."

With my hands secured behind my back, he turned me to face him again. His eyes were like ice, revealing nothing as he studied my face. "If you scream or try to run, I'll kill you both. Nod if you understand."

I nodded, swallowing the sob that threatened to escape my throat.

"Mama?" Mina's voice was small, confused. She reached for me, her little hands clutching at my jeans, but with my arms behind my back, I couldn't even touch her for reassurance.

"It's going to be okay, sweet pea. We just need to go with this man for a little while."

The killer turned his attention to Mina, and I tensed, ready to throw myself between them despite my bound hands. But he simply kneeled down to her level, his movements controlled and deliberate.

"Hello, Mina. You're going to come with me and your mother. If you're quiet and good, no one will get hurt. Do you understand?"

She stared at him with wide, terrified eyes, then looked to me for guidance. I nodded, trying to convey reassurance I didn't feel. "It's okay. Just do what he says for now."

Before I could say more, the killer straightened and scooped Mina into his arms in one fluid motion.

She let out a startled cry, her small body going rigid with fear.

Her unicorn hood fell back, revealing her blonde hair, so like my own.

She struggled briefly, her little legs kicking against his chest, her hands pushing at his shoulders.

"Stop." He didn’t raise his voice, but it still rang with authority.

To my horror, Mina went completely still, like a rabbit freezing before a predator. Her eyes, wide and blue, locked onto mine over the killer's shoulder, silently pleading for help I couldn't give.

"Good girl." He adjusted his hold on her with disturbing ease. "Now we're going to walk. You," he addressed me, "in front of me. Remember what happens if you try anything."

With my hands bound behind my back, I had no choice but to obey. He guided me with a firm hand on my shoulder, steering me deeper into the alley, away from the main street and any chance of rescue. Mina remained rigid in his arms.

We moved through shadows, the killer directing our path with occasional pressure on my shoulder. I stumbled once on the uneven pavement, and his grip tightened painfully, preventing me from falling but reminding me of his control.

I could still hear the distant sounds of Halloween festivities—music, laughter, children calling "trick or treat" to neighbors who had no idea that real monsters walked among them. The sound of normalcy just beyond our reach was almost worse than silence.

"Where are you taking us?"

"You'll find out soon enough." He guided me around a corner into an even darker section of the alley network.

My mind raced with terrible possibilities. Would he kill us once we reached wherever he was taking us? Use us as hostages? Something worse? The not knowing was its own form of torture.

But beneath the terror, a different emotion was taking root. Cold, hard determination. This man might control our bodies right now, but I wouldn't let him break our spirits. I wouldn't let him hurt Mina if there was any breath left in my body.

As we approached what appeared to be a black sedan waiting at the far end of the alley, I made a silent vow.

I would find a way out of this. I would get Mina to safety.

And if I couldn't, if this was truly the end for me, I would make sure my daughter survived, even if it meant making a deal with the devil himself.

The killer opened the car's back door with one hand, still holding Mina with the other. "Get in.”

I took one last look at the night sky, at the silver moon barely visible between the buildings. Somewhere, people were finishing their Halloween celebrations, heading home to safety and warmth. Somewhere, life was continuing as normal.

For us, everything changed in an instant. We took one wrong turn into an alley and glimpsed something dangerous. Now we were at the mercy of a man with ice in his veins and blood on his hands.

I climbed awkwardly into the back seat, my bound hands making it difficult to maintain balance.

The killer placed Mina beside me, her small body immediately pressing against mine for comfort.

Without my arms to hold her, all I could do was lean into her, trying to provide whatever reassurance I could.

"Remember." He closed the door, locking us in. "Your behavior determines what happens next."

As he walked around to the driver's side, I whispered to Mina, so softly even she could barely hear, "I'll protect you. No matter what."

It was a promise I had no idea how to keep. But I would die trying.

Luca

I guided the sedan through the quiet streets, keeping well under the speed limit.

No reason to draw attention with two hostages in the back seat.

The woman—Emory—kept whispering to her daughter, empty reassurances that I could have told her were pointless.

No one left my custody unless I decided they should.

The child's unicorn costume caught my eye in the rearview mirror, the glittery horn tilted to one side.

"Be quiet." The whispering stopped immediately.

I took the turnoff that led away from the city, toward the hills where the Moretti compound sprawled across twenty acres of prime real estate. The roads grew darker, less populated. Perfect. The fewer people who saw this car with its unexpected passengers, the better.

The woman's eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. Even in the dim light, I could see the fear in them, but something else too—calculation. She was looking for opportunities, weaknesses. Smart, but ultimately futile.