Page 65 of Thorns of Desire

If I could lead them away, the girls wouldn’t be in danger. Should I scream for them, or would that put them in danger? And Phoenix… Fuck, she’d never hear me. Maybe I should grab them and run.

I could only hope Manuel’s guard would be there to rescue us because we didn’t have a shot in hell of taking on three trained men.Giants, by the looks of them.

I was about to make a break for my bedroom door when one of the men waved his sword.

“I wouldn’t recommend it.” His sword sliced into my nightstand, breaking it in half.

Am I going to die?The thought echoed while my heart screamed I wasn’t ready. My heart punching my rib cage, I remained frozen, staring at them while every instinct screamed at me to run and hide.

It was like someone had pressed pause on my life, and all I could do was watch these masked men prepare to slice me with their swords, ending my life that had barely begun.

The whole scene felt surreal, and I half-expected Raven to rush in here and wake me up from this nightmare. Yet, nobody came. Did she and Phoenix leave after Isla and her family dropped us off? I hoped so—for their sake.

I watched as one man stalked toward me, his eyes lit with anger, and all I could do was stare, my feet glued to the floor.

The masked man neared.

One step. Two. Three.

My life flashed before my eyes. Those years with my mom, traveling the world from stage to stage. Our morning swims in the Aegean Sea. Our years in the States when we’d devour burgers and ice cream while watching silly rom-coms. She’d tell me it was all a fairy tale; I would tell her that I wanted to be the princess in those happily-ever-afters and she’d smile with a sad look in her eyes.

Those were the things that had shaped me. Small events that all added up into something big, somethingimportant.

Pressure squeezed the oxygen from my lungs, threatening to suffocate me right here and right now.

He was in front of me, the cold blade of his sword against my neck. The hate gleaming in his dark eyes had me reeling back.

“Twenty-three years.” His hot breath fanned across my face, making my stomach lurch. My eyes locked on the familiar tattoo on his hand, right between his thumb and index finger. “After twenty-three years, I finally get to avenge her death.”

“Her?”

“That’s right.”

My brows scrunched. I was unable to look away from this monster.

Who?I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t find my voice. I knew one wrong word could cost me my life.

“She was promised to me, and your filthy existence took her away from me.”

“Stop talking, you idiot,” the other masked man spat, his voice tense. “She was my baby sister, you never even met her. Now shut the hell up and grab her so we can get the fuck out.”

The drumming of my heart reached a fever pitch, and before I could form another thought, my world turned pitch black.

TWENTY-SEVEN

MANUEL

Iknew something was wrong as soon as I pulled up to the building and spied my men lying dead in the alley.

I threw my door open and jumped out, rushing into the building and taking the steps two at a time. I didn’t bother with picking the lock. Instead, I pulled out my gun, screwed on the silencer, a softpopsound, and a bullet had pierced through the lock, the door falling open.

I rushed through the dark, empty apartment. It was mere hours ago that we dropped off the women here. Where were they all? I continued in the direction of Athena’s room and stopped short.

My beautiful girl lay unconscious as a masked man was in the process of restraining her, taking no care of her limp body. He jerked her back and forth, her head repeatedly hitting the hardwood.

A red mist coated my vision.

I couldn’t think, the anger so swift and so violent that I rushed into the room with a roar. I went berserk, hell-bent ondestroying everything in my path.Porca puttana! I’d make these assholes regret ever setting their sights on her.