Page 23 of Ruthless King

“One I had no say in,” I snap. Is this guy delusional? In what world is selling a person normal? Crossing my arms, I stare at my boots. Deep crimson splotches the black pleather.Oh, no. Blood on my shoes… I squeeze my eyes closed again.

By the time I glance back up atSignorValentino, he’s shirtless. And a freakin’ ripped god. Abs ripple beneath perfectly tanned skin, and even the old scars and bloody mess across his right pec don’t detract from his flawless form. Black ink tattoos his flesh, a myriad of spirals and symbols surrounding a skull with a tilted crown in the center. More ink traces his upper arms, completing the entrancing design. Tiny numbers embedded within the ink over his heart catch my attention, but they’re bathed in blood and I’m too far away to make them out. Plus, I’m fucking staring at his bare torso. Shit, stop that.

He lifts his gaze, expression turning feral. “See something you like, princess?” he rasps.

“Never,” I hiss.

I force my eyes to the door opposite where the big thug stands on the phone. This is it. My chance to escape. Sure, the door would open to the FDR, and I might get hit by oncoming traffic, but I’d just have to risk it. I’m on all fours again, and I start to crawl backwards. One knee slides back, then the other. I hazard a quick glance at my kidnapper.

He flashes me brilliant white teeth clenched so tight the tendon in his jaw pulses. “Hand me some ice.”

“What?”

He ticks his head at the bar just a few inches away from my hand. “Ice, now. It’ll numb the pain. From the bullet that you just fucking shot me with.”

“How am I the bad guy here?”

“Please, Stella, the ice,” he grits out. A tiny prickle of guilt stabs at my stupid heart. What the hell is wrong with me? He’s the one who kidnapped me!

My gaze darts between the car door and the anguish on his face. I could still make it. He’d never catch me, not with that wounded shoulder.

“Don’t even think about it. You open that door, and the first car that zips by will take you with it.”

Dammit. “Sounds like personal experience. Is that how you take out the competition?”

His eyes narrow, and his mouth twists into a sneer. “You know nothing about me or my life, Stella.”

Mickey’s head pops in again, meaty hands stuffed in his pockets. “The doc said she’ll be at your place in twenty minutes tops.”

“Good, let’s get the hell out of here.”

The goon eyes his boss, big lips screwed into a full pucker. “Do you think I should leave you back here withher?”

“Mannagia alla miseria, she’s only a girl, Mickey. I’ll be fine, just drive.”

I can’t help the tiny smile from parting my lips. That’s right, he should be scared. He’s got another thing coming if he thinks I’m just going to roll over for him because he’s some badass mafia king. I have no idea where this newfound bravery is coming from, but I’m rolling with it.

I’m tired of being treated like shit. Dad selling me out to the Kings was the final straw. It broke me, but in a way that needed to happen. It’s time to rise from the rubble.

“Mickey,” he barks before the driver closes the door.

“Yeah,capo?”

“Some ice?”SignorValentino ticks his head at the bucket.

“Yeah, sure thing.” He dips his big hand in and scoops out a few handfuls, filling a glass tumbler. After he gives it to his boss, his dark eyes skim over me. “I’ve got my eye on you, girl.”

“Leave her alone, Mickey,”SignorValentino barks.

My brows leap up, nearly reaching my hairline. For a kidnapping asshole, he was being oddly gracious considering I’d just shot him.

The door slams shut behind our friendly driver, and I’m left alone with a bleeding mob boss.

CHAPTER12

THIS COMPLICATES THINGS

Luca