Page 80 of Wounded King

Luciano stares at her as if he's ready to strangle her.

"What do we know?" Marcello interrupts.

Luciano pulls out his phone. "We didn't find any IDs on them, but the men didn't have a chance to search all of them before the cops started showing up. There's no way Mallard can cover this up. The fucking cops will be all over our asses on this."

"That's fine. We have nothing to hide. Our guys all got out, right?"

Luciano nods. "We take care of our own, dead or alive."

A few seconds of silence pass, then Marcello says, "They appeared to be Italian." A strange look passes between him and Luciano.

"Could be hired hands. Let's find out what our two hostages have to say."

"Where are we going?" I finally find my voice.

"My penthouse. You'll have to stay there until I can figure out what's going on."

"Oh," my mind goes into overdrive. "What about Pippa?"

"I don't think your friend is in any imminent danger. But if it makes you feel better, she can stay with Luciano. He'll keep her safe."

Luciano grunts, but doesn't reply. Neither does Pippa.

"I need to get some of my things… and Felix."

"Felix?" Marcello's voice jumps in alarm.

"My cat, remember?"

With a deep sigh, Marcello pulls out his phone and calls Alejandro to instruct him to get my cat. "Happy now?"

Not really, because… Alejandro… if he hurts Felix, I'll shoot him myself.

Marcello's expression is unreadable. Nervously, I chew on my lower lip. Despite us sitting so close, with his arm draped over mine and our thighs pressed together, I feel an abyss between us. A deep, unsettling abyss, and I have no idea how to cross it.

Grovel, Pippa's eyes tell me, as if she can read my mind. I widen mine at her.Yeah, not happening.

She huffs, and Luciano asks her if she's okay.

Part of me wants to argue with Marcello that Pippa should stay with me, but I'm also aware that we need to talk. Besides, from the looks of it, she and Luciano may be hitting it off. I've never seen her this animated.

"Do you think my family is in danger?" I manage to ask in a low voice.

"No. They used you as bait," Marcello nearly spits the last word, "and they'll pay for it. Your family should be safe, but if it makes you feel better, I can assign a team to keep an eye on them."

"Thank you. Yes." I bury my face in his chest, still unable to look at him. I know I hurt him. Hell, I hurt myself. How can we ever get over something like that?

The SUV comes to a stop in front of Marcello's skyscraper. More guards than I'm used to are standing watch as we enter first the foyer and then the elevator. Luciano and Pippa get off on a different floor. She waves at me, grinning from ear to ear. She really is having the time of her life.

"We'll meet at the warehouse as soon as the women are settled," Marcello says before Luciano closes the door.

Silence stretches between us once it's only him and me in the elevator. The silence seems to become louder with each second that passes—Jesus, the ride never took this long before—until I can't take it any longer.

"Thank you."

His arm stiffens, and he pulls me closer. "You have no reason to thank me. It's because of me that you were in this situation."

I can't deny that truth. "Still. I mean it. Thank you."