* * *
“What did you say?” Drago asked turning to see what she had said, but when he turned there was no Kat. With only an inch of space left for the elevator doors to close, he could see her black eye just on the other side before that inch of space disappeared.
“Kat!” Quickly, Drago went for the elevator buttons before it could go up, but it was so full he had to practically shove a person to the ground to get to it fast enough.
Pressing the button for the door to open again, it was too late as it began its journey up.
“KAT!”
Fear setting into his bones, he pressed the next floor button, so he could get off and take the stairs back down, but what had seemed to go so fast now seemed to go so slow…
* * *
Slowly Kat’s feet stepped back, something wasn’t right and she felt like she was right where the killer wanted her to be.
What the—!
Her body was snatched back as she was pulled into a stairwell. It wasn’t till she was pushed against the wall did she finally face who Lucca had called One-Shot.
No, please, not you….
The shock had kept her from screaming at first but the hand that covered her mouth roughly was now keeping it that way.
Don’t do this… she pleaded with her eyes, looking into the blueish-black depths… Please Sal.
Kat tried to fight harder to get free but he had her pinned so perfectly that she could barely budge. Hearing the feet running down the steps, she thought she had been saved when Drago came into view. Oh thank Go-
“Black hoodie and sunglasses at three o’clock.” Sal quickly told him over his shoulder.
Drago had only caught her eyes for a second before he walked right out leaving her to die.
NO! He’s right here!!!! It’s Sal!!!!! She had wanted to scream at him but the hand kept her from doing so. Come back!!
Once that stairwell door was closed, Kat knew for sure this time was it. Always secretly knowing it would be her own flesh and blood that was going to be the death of her… she just didn’t think it would be at the hand of a brother, but she should have realized that he might not have considered her a sister when he had yet to even try to see her.
His hand finally peeling off her face, she prepared herself to scream….
“I’m sorry…,” Sal told her.
AH!-Huh? That scream didn’t come out as she felt his arms wrap around her and she was being hugged to him.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he continued hugging her. “But I couldn’t risk him hearing us in here.”
She stood their rigidly in his arms. “So… you’re not trying to kill me?”
“No.” He laughed.
“Thank God.” Instantly all the tension left her body as she lifted her arms up to wrap them around him. It was an indescribable feeling she got being finally able to meet the brother she had been robbed of. The brother she felt like she would have been most similar to.
“Kat, I want you to know that even though I haven’t let you see me yet, I promise you, I’ve been there.”
“You have?” she asked, holding him tighter and becoming teary eyed.
“I have,” her brother assured her. “I was just afraid of not only letting you know, but One-Shot.”
“It’s okay.” Kat was the one to have to assure him now letting him know she not only understood his reasoning for ignoring her but that it simply didn’t matter. They were finally together and that was all she could ask for.
The door flying open had them turning to see a furious Drago coming in; not saying a word, he pulled Kat into his arms.
The kisses he was showering her with, she didn’t feel the need to tell him that she thought his ass had left her to die.
“Well?” Sal asked waiting to hear what had happened.
Drago gave her one last kiss, before he regretfully shook his head…. “He’s gone.”
* * *
Lucca practically kicked open the door, not understanding how One-Shot kept besting him. He knew everyone and everything all except for something as important as the man that he felt was trying to take him down. That was what led him here; there was only one man that stood between him and this city becoming his, and right now he was staring at him.
“Oh good.” Dante didn’t even jump at his forced entrance into his office. “You were just who I wanted to talk to.”
Staring down his father, that he had pictured killing a million times, it was everything he could do to get him to keep from doing it. “Is that so?”
His ice-blue eyes stared back at him, knowing exactly what his son was doing to him in his head. “What makes you think you can hire Katarina without my permission? She’s not only a Luciano, but she’s not even a soldier for Christ’s sake.”