Page 6

Max

I stand outside the door, listening intently for the sound of anything amiss.

It’s the first time that Cara has been out of my sight since I took her, and I know she’s going to try and make a break for it. She’d be stupid not to. I nailed down the windows in the bedroom, so there’s no way that she’s going to be able to free herself, but that doesn’t mean she won’t try.

She’s not going to make this easy, I can tell.

She’s got a mouth on her, too. Seems like she can’t get her head around the fact that I am serious about this, and I am not one of her little lackeys who’ll rush to do anything she wants.

I can only imagine the life of luxury she’s lived so far and how far removed this is going to be from it.

I can hear the creak of the floorboards as she moves around the room, probably searching for the clothes I told her to change into.

I didn’t expect her to need my help undressing.

The soft curve of her waist beneath the dress could have been a distraction, but I wouldn’t let it turn into one.

She’s using whatever she has to pull my attention away from keeping her here, but I have prepared for this, prepared for everything that she might throw at me.

I feel a buzz against my thigh. I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone, answering it before I check the name on the screen. I know who it is.

"Max," my father’s voice sounds in my ear. "You got her? You’re at the cabin?”

"Yes," I reply, turning away from the door so she won’t be able to hear me. "Got her out here without much trouble. She didn’t put up as much of a fight as I thought."

"Don’t get used to it being that easy," he warns me. "I just got a message from one of our allies in the city. Looks like Leone has sent out a search party to find her and bring her back."

I nod. It was what we expected. When we decided to take on the Leone family, to bring down Lucio Leone once and for all, we had been ready for something like this. He never let anything slide, and the kidnapping of his only daughter was sure to bring his ire down on our heads.

"Anyone see you leaving the city?”

"Not that I know of," I assure him. "I covered her with the blanket, and she didn’t kick up too much of a fuss until we got here."

"Must have been in shock," he mutters. "I’ve never known a Leone to make life easy for anyone..."

I let out a slight chuckle. He’s right about that.

The Leone family has been causing trouble for as long as I can remember.

At first, I thought it was the same kind of trouble that anyone in our line of business commits, but after Veronica joined our family I discovered just how deep and dark their business was.

No matter what people might think of my work, there’s shit that I won’t touch, and I am willing to take drastic measures to make certain nobody else does, either.

"I’ll let you go," my father tells me. "Don’t want someone tracking this call. You let us know if you need backup, okay?”

"Will do," I reply. "Maya alright?”

"Pissed that she’s not part of this," he replies.

I grin. My youngest sister has always had an attitude when it comes to the family business. She doesn’t like feeling as though she is being left out of it, and no matter how much I try to convince her that this kidnap is best as a one-man job, she’s had a hard time accepting it.

"Send her my love. Speak soon."

With that, I hang up and turn my attention back to the bedroom where Cara is hiding out. She should have changed by now. A few seconds later, she opens the door, nearly crashing straight into me waiting on the other side.

She leaps back from me as soon as she realizes what she has done.

Finally out of that ridiculous gown, she looks a little more human with her hair pulled back from her face.

She crosses her arms over her chest and looks up at me, defiant, even though she’s standing there in a pair of my old sweatpants and a tee that’s at least twice the size of her.

"There, I changed," she snaps at me.

I almost have to admire her spirited attitude in the face of everything she is going through. Not many people would be able to handle a gun to their gut without learning some manners, but she’s just as sharp-tongued as ever.

"I suppose you want me to get rid of the dress," she adds, as I flick my gaze back to hers once more. The dress—yeah, I suppose I’ll have to destroy it. Don’t want to leave any evidence that connects her to her old life, if I can help it.

"Not like I’m going to have much use for it out here..."

She lets out a sigh as she goes to brush past me, and I reach out to plant my hand on the doorframe, blocking her path.

"You’re staying right here."

She pauses for a moment, cocking her eyebrow at me.

"I’m sorry, what did you say?”

"I think you heard me."

I am going to give her one chance to think better of this—one chance to reconsider her attitude here, because if she’s not careful, it’s going to start causing her problems.

"You expect me to just live in this bedroom?” she exclaims.

I am almost surprised that she is so willing to talk back to me. After what I did, I expected her to be running scared from me every chance she got. But her father must have taught her that the world revolves around her and her alone, and she clearly believes it.

"I expect you to do as you’re told if you want to stay alive," I growl back at her. Her face pales slightly. She doesn’t want to show how scared she is, but it’s written all over her face.

"I’m not just going to do what you tell me," she mutters in return, but this time, she doesn’t make eye contact. She can’t. She can hardly bear to look at me, and I know that I have finally won this round.

She steps back inside, turning away from me and heading towards the bed. I close the door behind her, locking it and double-checking that there’s no way for her to get out.

I don’t know what comes next. I doubt it’s going to be pretty.

In fact, there’s no question in my mind that Lucio Leone will do everything in his power to get his daughter back, to keep her from falling into our clutches entirely.

But if he thinks that is going to be enough to save him, I am happy to disabuse him of that notion.

I head to the kitchen to make myself coffee. I want to be on the lookout for a few more hours before I get some sleep of my own. I doubt they’ve tracked us here so soon, or that they’d try and strike by daylight, and I can sleep when the sun comes up.

Until then, though, I am going to be on high alert. And I am not going to let my guard down for a moment.