Page 193 of Sins of the Orchid

To say the situation wasn’t good was a gross understatement. The house sat on the edge of the city. A red brick three-story building rose in front of me, surrounded by a low iron fence and a charming iron gate. Wild orchids swarmed the gardens, vines snaked up the brick siding. It looked like a damn jungle. The gardens and the house were in need of a major clean up.

Something struck me as familiar about the house, but I couldn’t quite place it. My nerves were shot. To think clearly was impossible right now.

Any other time over the past eight years, I always had someone close by to save me. Now, it was just me. I’d have to be resourceful and figure out how to get out of this situation.

Adriano nudged me forward with his gun pressed against my spine, a cold reminder that he was no longer on my side.

As they shuffled me down the little stone path and into the house, I frantically searched for any way out. There were four men around me. More outside the gate patrolling back and forth. If they thought they were inconspicuous, they were idiots.

I walked through the entrance of the house and spotted more guards. All for me. It would be comical and flattering if it wasn’t so tragic. They needed so many men just to guard me… seriously, they gave me too much credit.

Once inside, they shoved me into a living room and pushed me onto a couch. Only Adriano and one other guard followed me in.

“Stay here,” Adriano ordered in a cold tone that sent shivers down my spine. He hadneverused that tone on me. I didn’t even know he had it in him. “One move, and the men have permission to shoot.”

“What a beautiful welcome,” I muttered.

“I could offer a better one,” he snarled. “Now behave.”

A guard eyed Adriano and me suspiciously. Then a string of Spanish followed. I caught every third word, and I wished my language skills were better.

Adding it to my bucket list if I get out of this alive, I thought wryly.

One second we were eying each other, the next he fisted my hair with one hand while with his other grabbed my shoulder, his fingers digging into the muscle. Pain shot through my shoulder blade, causing my eyes to tear up.

The other guy kept talking and I got a sense whatever he was saying agitated Adriano.

I opened my mouth to snap at my ex-best friend when Adriano glared at me. “Keep your mouth shut,” he bellowed.

My eyes darted to the other guy, and I spat out angrily. Sometimes when hurt feelings and anger mixed, stupid words poured out of my mouth.

“You might want to rethink the way you treat your prisoners,” I hissed at both of them. “Santi will have your goddamn head for this.”

Okay, I should have their head for this, but I knew my limitations. I wasn’t my grandmother. I admired and loved her strength. While I knew there were certain aspects of me that were similar to her; I was damn well aware that in other ways, I was nothing like her.

“Who knows, Santino might be dead right now,” Adriano drawled, his lips curved in a cruel way. He chuckled at my expression of horror, though there was no humor in his eyes.

I dug my nails into my palms. There was nothing I’d rather do than claw his face and wipe that grin off it. I loved Adriano, but he needed some sense beaten into him. Unfortunately, he held a gun aimed at me. I’d never make it off the couch, never mind clawing his face.

We stared at each other. The animosity in his eyes plunged a hole in my chest. It hurt badly. Last time I’d felt such pain was when I lost my mother. I wanted to beg him to stop, to remember all our years together, to remember his family. His father. Yet, none of the words came. My throat constricted with emotions and each shuddering inhale made it harder to breathe.

“Santino Russo will meet his death at the same time as you,princesa,” the guard taunted in a hard voice.

I held my breath, the meaning of the words clear. Yet, I struggled to understand them. Adriano would never hurt anyone. He wasn’t like that. Yet, the man that stood in front of me was a stranger.

“Adriano betrayed you and Santi,” the guard continued after realizing I wasn’t going to say anything. “So he could take over. Greed wins every time,” he added, a victorious look in his eyes, mocking me. My brain refused to believe his words. He was just messing with my head.

“No,” I mouthed in shock, shaking my head in denial. The word escaped before I could hold it back and satisfaction gleamed in his eyes. His statement pierced through my heart like a knife that would forever be wedged into it. The images of mine and Adriano’s years together flashed through my mind like iPhone memories. The only thing missing was a soundtrack.

Besties Forever.We were supposed to be best friends forever.

He knew how badly I hurt after Venezuela, the panic attacks. He helped me heal, protected me from the boys and girls in school.

Unaware of my internal turmoil, the guard started circling around me and Adriano, then back to me while his eyes darted around at each sound. He was edgy, checking windows and doors, then checking in with every guard outside. I thought Adriano was with them, but he seemed to be suspicious of him as much as me.

I sat unmoving, trying to calm my nerves, pain swelling inside me. This betrayal hurt. Really bad. Maybe even more than George’s that I only learned about as an adult. With each tick of the clock, my heart beat with another painful thud.

Fuck!