Page 97 of Scandalous Contract

But the energy in me had calmed. Her voice quieted the chaos in my head, the doubt, the worry, the...fear. Cattaneos weren’t supposed to be afraid. But I’d been scared. Afraid for weeks now.

I didn’t fear death or danger. Death would come for everyone. There was no escaping it. And danger was a Cattaneo's middle name. We were born into it. Many of us died because of it. That wasn’t what I feared.

I feared losing those I loved. I feared he’d send someone after them. I was afraid that the guards I put on them wouldn’t be enough. I was mad as hell because I couldn’t personally protect them all myself.

That fear could make me reckless. Hearing Stefanie’s voice, hearing who I fought for, stilled that fear and replaced it with something else.Hope. There was no more doubt in me. I was confident that I would get this done tonight.

I wouldn’t fuck this up. Her voice drifted through the air, wrapping around me, accompanying me as I drove. She was tracking the storm, laying out the path, and according to her, it wasn’t headed in my direction. Not yet, anyway.

Though I wasn’t in the path of the current storm, I left the stream playing. I needed to hear her for a while longer. The rain lightened to a drizzle as I neared the location. But it would pick up again, according to my favorite meteorologist.

Following the GPS’s instructions, I turned onto a back road. I followed it for a mile. Staring out into the darkness, I saw nothing but trees and more trees. I thought I’d be driving to some run-down house.

That wasn’t the case. The GPS led me to a dense forest area. It was right up ahead. I would have to park and travel the rest of the way on foot. In the fucking storm. Sighing, I pulled over and killed the lights.

I stared over at my duffle. I’d thought it would be a house and that I would be able to tie Scott’s ass up and take a little pleasure in finishing this. He didn’t deserve a fast kill. He’d kept me from someone I wanted for a while now.

He deserved to feel every second we’d been apart. But my current situation prevented that. I stared around outside. The rain was coming down a little harder now, and according to Stefanie, there was now a severe thunderstorm warning for our area. I wouldn’t be able to take my time with Scott. I had to make this quick.

“If you have to be on the roads right now, be careful,” Stefanie’s voice filled the car.

It was strange, but I felt those words were meant for me.

I stared down at the app and whispered, “I’ll be safe, sweet Stefanie.”

I exited the weather app because I couldn’t have any noise alerting Scott to my presence. I unzipped my bag and retrieved the weapons I needed. I shoved two guns into my holsters and two small knives into the side slot of my boots.

I stared down at the zip ties, duct tape, large scalpel, and my small handheld saw. I wouldn’t be using any of those tonight. I zipped the bag up and tossed it onto the back seat. Gloves on, ski mask in place, I climbed out of the car.

Shutting the door behind me, I stared down at my phone. Droplets gathered on the device. I wiped my hand over the waterproof case to stare at the red dot representing the location of Scott’s car.

The forest was silent, except for the distant rumble of thunder. I strode deep into the forest, continuously glancing down at the red dot pulsing on my phone's screen to make sure I was heading in the right direction.

The rain had intensified, turning the ground into a slick mess. I welcomed the storm. It covered up any sounds I made. And the thunder would cover up the sound of Scott screaming and begging for his life.

The rain soaked through my clothes, branches clawed at my arms, and the scent of damp earth filled my nostrils. According to the red dot, Scott’s car should be right ahead. I paused, crouching behind a thick tree trunk, eyes scanning the clearing ahead.

There it was, Scott's car, parked haphazardly among the trees. But where was he? I remained still, scanning the area, looking for any sign of movement, any pop of color that didn’t belong here in the forest.

I saw nothing and heard nothing but the patter of rain. I started to move closer to the vehicle. A twig snapped to my left. I turned sharply, catching a glimpse of movement. Before I could react, a heavy force slammed into my side, knocking the wind out of me.

I hit the ground hard, slamming my head against a rock, the taste of blood filling my mouth. I stared up at a large, bulky figure with his foot raised, his boot aiming for my ribs. Unless Scott had grown to the size of a sumo wrestler, that wasn’t Scott Pollard!

I rolled over just in time to avoid having my chest stomped. I wince, a sharp rock digging into my abdomen. Ignoring the pain, I pushed myself to my feet. The man rushed my way. I met him head-on, swinging at his face.

My fist connected with his jaw. It was like punching a concrete wall. My fingers felt like jelly. And fuck! They hurt. He aimed a fist at my face. I dodged left. He missed. I couldn’t dodge the next blow.

A punch to the chest sent me stumbling back, nearly slipping in the mud. My arms flailed as he grabbed my mask and pulled me forward. The fabric ripped away, revealing who I was. A sharp kick to my leg sent me sprawling to my fucking face, mud splattering everywhere.

Then he fisted the back of my shirt and lifted me up. I’d never been lifted in the air before. It was as if the entire world was moving in slow motion – me, him, the rain falling from the sky and dropping into the puddle of mud beneath me.

Then, he released me, and everything fast-forwarded. I slammed into the ground hard, coughing up blood. He kicked at my shoulder. I rolled away from him before the second kick could land, entire body aching.

He swung at my face. Lying on the ground, dazed, there was no dodging the blow. He was strong as hell. Each punch he threw felt like a sledgehammer to my face. I had to get off the ground, or this would be my final resting place.

I felt him reaching into my holster, grabbing my guns. I reached for him, just as he tossed both weapons aside, then slammed his fist into my face again.

“I was ordered to beat you bloody before I killed you. So no guns,” the big bastard growled.