Page 15 of Don’t Break My Heart (Secrets of Ravens Hollow #3)

Stepping from the warmth of The Voliera onto the bustling street of Rome, a chill comes over me.

It’s late, and this dress isn’t doing much to shield the cold.

Orlando shrugs off his suit jacket and places it over my shoulders.

“The perfect gentleman.” I give him side-eye.

Both of us knowing he’s far from that. He just shared me with his brother, for one.

I’m surprised I can walk out of that place with the fucking they gave me.

But I was stretched in the best way possible.

I’m still floating on the high, satisfied and feeling less hostile toward them than I was when we arrived at this place a few hours ago.

I shrug into his jacket, inhaling his scent as his arm settles warmly around my shoulders, and he pulls me in close to his body.

“Always for you, my wife.” He grins back at me in a way that tells me he’s having too much fun calling me that.

I can’t help but smirk back at him. I’m no one’s wife, but the way he says it makes me melt just a little every time.

I guess there are worse fates. I could have been forced to marry an asshole like Valentine.

I’m still raging about his obvious infidelity.

Poor Daisy, with the shit she has to put up with.

I only met the girl tonight, but I already know she deserves better than he’s giving her.

As we cross into the club’s parking lot, the two of us do our best to keep up with Onyx’s large strides in front of us, while Reef and Romeo follow behind .

I can’t help but smirk at Romeo’s dirty talking. Him telling Reef how he’s going to make it up to him when we get home, fucking him just as good as he did me. “Sloane can even join us if she’s up to it,” he says, and I laugh again.

I lean into Orlando. “Your brother has a dirty mouth.”

“Family trait.” Orlando smirks sexily.

“Yeah, it is.” I laugh.

He drops his lips to my ear. “I’m not done with you for the night.

I have been kept away from you for too long.

Tonight you’re going to sleep with my cock buried deep in your pussy.

Reef can wait.” He nips at my ear, his dirty words making my pussy clench even though she has well and truly had more than enough for the night.

“I’m shutting up shop for the night, my pussy is done.”

“I’ll bring your cunt back to life with my special type of resuscitation.”

“Oh yeah, and what would that entail?”

“Me eating you, sucking you, licking you just the way you like until your hands curl in the sheets and you’re begging me to fuck you again.”

I turn in his arms and stare up at him. “So confident, aren’t you.”

He pulls me toward him for a kiss. “I know you better then you know yourself, treasure, I don’t need confidence.”

I pull away from him before he can crash his lips into mine again. I give this guy an inch he wants to take a mile. But he’s still on my shit list. He catches up to me, pulling me possessively back into his solid chest.

Onyx pops open the car door with his fob.

From his stiff body language I can see he’s on edge and just wants to get me home safe.

I don’t blame him, this parking lot gives me the creeps at this time of night.

I have no idea if this is a nice part of town or not, but there is just something shifty about it.

The screech of tires slices through the air in a way that makes me jump.

Orlando holds me closer as if he can sense my unease.

“The city is still busy even this late. That club won’t even close until the sun starts to rise,” he tells me, and I think it’s to reassure me we’re safe; he must be able to feel the way my heart races.

It’s hard not to be on edge when I’m in a new country and I know the threat his papa placed on my head.

When I hear the roar of a car engine, I spin around just in time to spot a matte-black four-wheel drive as it plows through the parked cars lining the lot, smashing into ours with a deafening crunch.

My heart leaps into my throat, and I don’t miss the fear etched across Onyx’s face as he jumps out of the way and swoops in, coming to the opposite side of me then Orlando.

A couple rounds of gunfire pierce through the night.

Onyx’s massive body shields me as Orlando’s hand grips mine tightly as the five of us run for cover, ducking behind an adjoining building.

“What the fuck was that?” I whisper, gasping for breath as I grab for my weapon.

“Get her out of here,” Orlando growls at Onyx, his eyes a blaze of anger.

Onyx covers my mouth as he drags me farther down the alleyway, not waiting for the others.

“Fuck,” I make out Romeo mutter under his breath, and I glance over my shoulder to see him supporting Orlando’s large frame.

Orlando’s black shirt is wet with what could only be the stain of fresh blood leaking through.

A cold shiver wracks my body as I meet his gaze, the pain etched on his face so palpable I can almost feel it myself.

“No, Orlando,” I whisper cry, even though the sound comes out muffled around Onyx’s hand.

I want to run to him, but Onyx won’t let me, his strength overpowering me as he moves quickly into the shadows of the alleyway.

Another shot rings out, the vibrations rattling the brick walls of the surrounding buildings, as Reef and Romeo spin around, returning fire, Romeo using his body to shield his brother.

One of their bullets ricochets, striking the shooter with a sickening thud.

I watch as he hits the cold, hard asphalt, the impact echoing in the stillness of the street.

“Keep moving, trouble,” Onyx growls when he can’t drag me forward anymore.

But I’m worried about Orlando, I can’t leave them behind. “He’s hurt,” I cry, desperately needing to go back and help him.

Onyx glances at the boys quickly, then back up the alleyway. There is nothing in sight except for a lone motorbike. He shoves me toward it. “Get on it,” he demands, pushing the helmet into my hands.

“What?” I ask in horror. He knows I can’t ride.

“Do as you’re told.” His voice deepens to scary, his face a mask of seriousness.

With my stomach churning like crazy, I throw a leg over the seat and prop myself up on the bike, securing my helmet in place.

Onyx drops to his knees, just as the other boys make it to us.

He pulls a knife from his pocket. Yanking open the panel under the headlamp, wires spill out in a mess of red, black, and green.

“Get Orlando on the back,” Onyx calls over his shoulder while he strips back the wires with his pocketknife.

“This is your brilliant idea?” I squeak at him.

“It’s all we have, doll face, he needs help,” Romeo says, assisting his brother onto the back of the bike.

“We have to get you as far away from this place as possible,” Reef agrees with him, still facing the opening of the alleyway, his weapon drawn, shielding us .

Orlando grips me tightly just on one side. “Treasure.” He says my nickname like he’s holding onto it for strength.

“I can’t ride this thing,” I mutter back to him in a panic, knowing I’m going to get us both killed.

“I promised I would give you a lesson. What better time?” he murmurs, and I know he’s trying to keep it light for me, but I hear the discomfort in his voice. This is bad, really fucking bad.

More shots ring out down the alleyway, and Reef fires off another round, still shielding us.

Romeo moves around in front of me, taking my hand, he places a quick kiss to the back of it. “Onyx will start it for you. You just need to move.”

“I’ll talk you through it. It’s just like swimming, you’ll see.” Orlando’s voice vibrates through me with so much confidence I want to believe him. But I don’t.

A spark, a hiss, then the engine roars to life. Onyx gets out of the way, tucking his knife back into his jeans. His dark eyes lock with mine, a flash of fear in their depths. It must be killing him to send us off without him by my side. “Get her the fuck out of here.”

I feel Orlando nod, his head moving closer to mine. “Clutch in. Right handle to go. Easy. Just keep it steady.”

“Fuck, Orlando, I’m going to kill us both,” I cry in a panic.

With his good side, he squeezes me a little tighter, but it doesn’t help because now I can smell the metallic tang of his blood. “You don’t get me out of here, I’ll bleed to death. I got you, treasure. Now ride.”

My stomach twists as I glance back, catching a glimpse of the boys sprinting down the alleyway toward the sound of fresh gunfire.

I know this is our only option. With a firm shove of the clutch and a twist of the throttle, the bike lunges forward, the engine's rumble echoing off the brick walls of the alley as we take off in the opposite direction, leaving my boys behind.

“Just keep it steady,” Orlando instructs, and I do all I can to focus on the sound of his voice over the roar of the engine and the thumping of my frantic heart.

Even though I try my best to keep it together, the further we go, the more my hands shake terribly.

This isn’t just my first time riding a bike, I’m also still slightly inebriated.

Why did I have to drink the better part of a bottle of whiskey tonight?

It seemed like a good idea at the time, when all I wanted was to have a little fun and block this situation out of my head.

But now, riding through the unknown city streets of Rome, I might kill both of us and that thought is utterly terrifying.

“Where do I take you?” I yell through the helmet.

“Valentine’s place. It’s not far from here, I’ll direct you.” I feel the way he winces in pain as he says it, and I know we’re running out of time. “Right at the next street,” he tells me when I approach a corner.

Gripping the handles tighter, I try to keep the bike straight as I navigate the narrow turn. The balance is shaky and feels like we’re going to tip, but I hold on for dear fucking life, praying to anyone that will listen to keep us alive.

“Shit,” I hear him curse in my ear as he reaches for the handles to steady us.

I correct just in time, and we keep on down the road. I’m pretty sure if I don’t kill us by crashing this fucking thing, I’m going to have a heart attack and die anyway. Because right now, my heart is pounding louder than the engine.

“It’s up here on the left; you’ll see the iron gates like at our villa.”

“How do I fucking stop?” I shout behind me, terrified all over again. They didn’t think this through. I should have stayed and fought with them. A gun I can handle. Someone else should have gotten him to safety. I can’t be the reason he doesn’t make it.

“Let off the gas… now!” he rasps, his hold on me getting weaker by the second. “Right foot, that’s your rear brake. Slow. Go slow. Don’t touch the front brake too hard!”

Tentatively I ease off the throttle, my shaky foot pressing the pedal. The bike wobbles as the engine whines in protest.

I feel his good hand come to mine. “Clutch in with your left hand! Now both brakes… gently.”

My fingers, sweaty and tense, grip the levers with white-knuckle force.

The bike lurches forward with a sudden jerk as it slows, then dips slightly to the left, the tires crunching on the gravel.

I throw my feet down just in time, narrowly avoiding a collision with the stone wall holding up the Moretti front gate.

“I stopped,” I gasp, checking my body is still in one piece, hardly able to believe it. I pull the helmet off and move out of Orlando’s hold, keeping a hand on him at all times.

His tired eyes run over me like he can’t focus. He’s pale, and my heart lurches knowing how bad this is for him. His lips drop to my cheek clumsily. “I told you I’m a man of my word, treasure.” His words shake out in a way that makes me want to puke. He sounds drunk, out of it.

“What the fuck are you going on about?” I ask in panic, wondering if he’s losing his mind the pain is so bad.

“I promised you I would teach you how to ride. That was your first lesson. Next time we do it when I’m not in so much pain.

” I feel him slip away from me and catch his arm as he starts to fall off the bike, using all my strength to bring him down to the soft grass gently.

I pray we haven’t just done more damage.

For a split second, I stare at his beautiful face, fear coursing through me.

He smiles up at me, then his eyes slowly close.

I grip his hand tighter. Fuck, no. I’m losing him.

I whip my head around, looking for something, anything that can help us.

Then I see the intercom on the gate. I sprint toward the front gates of his brother’s place, banging on the intercom with all my force.

I can’t lose Orlando, not now. “Valentine, help, please, Orlando has been shot,” I call through the speaker as soon as it clicks over, tears now wetting my face and blurring my eyes so bad I can’t see straight.

“Ava?” he asks, confused and sounding groggy and out of it.

“Yes. Please help me, he’s passed out at your gate,” I cry.

“I’ll be there in a minute.” He disconnects the call, his voice filled with panic.

I rush back over to Orlando, dropping down to my knees.

Checking his pulse, it’s faint but it’s there.

I pull up his shirt and my stomach drops when I see a smear of dark red blood covering his chest. Oh, dear God, he’s going to bleed to death right in front of me.

I rip off his jacket and apply pressure to the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Tears stream down my face.

“Don’t you fucking leave me here,” I cry, the pain lodged in my chest taking over the adrenaline rush. “I fucking love you, Orlando. Please don’t leave me.”

I have no idea how long I hold him like this, praying to whoever will listen that he will be okay.

I feel another hand on my shoulder and realize his brother is right behind me.

He drops to his knees beside me. “Doctor is on his way, I’m taking over.

” He looks distraught as he takes the blood-soaked jacket from my hands and applies pressure to the wound.

“What the fuck did you do?” His furious eyes come to me as if this is my fault.

“It was an ambush outside of your club.” I whimper, knowing this couldn’t have been my fault, but the hate in his eyes scares the shit out of me. I take a shaky step back, not sure if I’m going to vomit or pass out.

Orlando has to pull through, I can’t do this without him.