Page 37 of Thorns of Blood

“No.”

“But—”

Done with his questioning, I shoved him as hard as I could. Shock on his face as he fell backward was the last thing I saw before I bolted.

The sweet taste of vengeance filled every fiber of my being, spurring me onward, when he grabbed my ankle. I hit the floor hard, all the air whooshing out of me, and a vase from the little coffee table smashed, scattering shards all over the floor.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” I gasped as I scrambled for purchase. “I’ll make you regret it.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he growled through clenched teeth. He sounded furious, but I couldn’t risk glancing at him. Instead, I focused on reaching for the crystal ashtray, hatred burning through me, giving me an extra boost.

Feeling the cool object under my fingertips, I swung it around and it met its intended target. Suddenly, he released me,and I scrambled to my feet. I was out of the bedroom a half breath later, adrenaline rushing through me and fueling me with extra speed, but even before I made it around the hallway, I collided with a guard.

His gun dropped to the floor with a thud and I dived for it, the move sending my knees and wrists thrumming with agony. Ignoring it, I reached for the gun.

My fingers gripped the cold metal and I lifted my arms, aiming for the man’s heart.Pop, pop, pop.Shots cut through the air, making my ears ring.

Blood splattered all over me. The man’s body fell before I could jump back to my feet, and my vision went dark as terror took hold of me, feeling a man’s body on top of mine for the first time in years.

A scream tore up my throat but I swallowed it, shoving the body off me, the gun still firmly between my fingers.

Panting, I used the last flare of energy to jump to my feet. I caught sight of Giovanni at the end of the hallway, his gaze locked on my bloodstained clothes.

Once on the outside deck, my eyes set on the sunset in the distance. I was running out of time. Bracing a hand on the rail to support myself, I kept on going until I reached the stairs, where I stopped dead.

A younger version of Giovanni stood in front of me.The man I shot along with Giovanni. His arm was bandaged and he wore an expression that told me he wouldn’t mind paying me back for the transgression.

My heartbeat drummed in my ears, penetrating my heavy breaths and mixing with the waves crashing against the side of the yacht. More men appeared. Guards. First mates. Giovanni.

And they all had guns and rifles pointed at me.

If I tried to run, they would fill me with lead.

The first tear fell, and hopelessness threatened to buckle my knees. I was grossly outnumbered. I was aware of how dumb my plan was, born out of desperation. Out of fear.

As the wind whipped at my hair and my skin, that familiar cold terror clawed at my skin. I was again that eighteen-year-old girl with broken hopes and dreams.

Brutalized. Discarded.

And that terrified me.

I looked over at the rough sea, its depths calling me. I wasn’t sure that there was any other way of escaping this.

“Liana.” Giovanni’s presence brushed at my back, but I forced myself to stand still. “There’s nowhere else to go and you know it.”

Goosebumps rose up, something frightening whispering in my ear and calling me to the edge. I took a step. Another.

“Don’t you even think about it.” Giovanni’s warning reached me over the wind.

Another step and I closed my eyes, a single name ringing in my ears.

Amara.

THIRTEEN

GIOVANNI

I’d miscalculated.