My heart in my throat, I grip what I think is the rail of a staircase. I am rounding the corner to descend when I hear the faint sound of voices in the distance. I strain to hear, taking a few steps toward the sound.
I stand against the wall as Benito comes into view. He’s arguing with another, bigger guy. I’m too far away to make out what they’re talking about and I can’t risk moving any closer.
Forget about everything except Lucy.
I move down the staircase, one step at a time. I reach a door and open it slightly, carefully squeezing myself through the small space. My vision adjusts
as the moonlight shines through the windows in what I assume is a basement. I make my way down another flight of stairs until my feet hit the safety of the concrete.
“Hello?”
Lucy. My chest tightens as I move toward her voice. As I round a corner loaded high with boxes, I see her. She stands against the front of a cage, her fingers wrapped around its thick bars.
“Thank God you’re okay,” I mutter, my hands covering hers.
“Get me out of here,” she whispers. Surrounded by dark circles, her blue eyes are full of emotion. I tug at the cage and realize it’s padlocked. Shit. Why didn’t I think to bring something? I look around for something to break it open with. The only thing I see that will do the job is a huge metal pipe. The problem is, as soon as I start smashing the lock open with that, everyone in this damn building will be down here to inspect the noise.
I jump as the door above us slams shut and the unmistakable sound of footsteps fills the air.
“Hide,” Lucy urges me, her eyes growing wide. I duck behind a stack of boxes, trying not to think about how fucking terrified I am. The big dude approaches the cage. He’s carrying a bag of what looks like takeout.
“Here,” he mumbles, unlocking the cage. He tosses the bag to Lucy. As he goes to lock it again, she calls out, startling him.
This is my chance. My fingers find the body of the pipe that lies next to me. My heart thumps as I pounce on him, swinging the pipe at the back of his head. The sound is sickening, and as he crumples to the ground I panic that I’ve killed the guy.
“Come on, he’ll be fine,” Lucy begs me as I bend down to check for his pulse. I sigh, relieved, as the sensation of blood pumping through his veins passes my fingers.
“Pietro.”
“Okay, okay,” I mutter, getting to my feet. I grip her hand in mine.
“There’s two more guys at least,” Lucy whispers, her voice stricken with fear.
“Do you trust me, Luce?” I ask, looking her in the eye. She nods. “Then come on.”
Taking a deep breath, she springs into step beside me. We quietly bound up the stairs, until we reach the door. With my hand on the knob I slowly turn, my heart racing. Even though I know I have Benito on my side, I have no way of knowing when his friend will be back. We have one shot at this, and I can’t risk fucking it up.
Near the side door, freedom is eminent. I breathe a sigh of relief.
Giovanni appears out of nowhere.
“Lucia,” he gasps, wrapping his arms around her. “I was so scared I’d lost you.” “What the hell is this?” he growls, turning his attention to me. “You turn your phone off and come here alone? You both could’ve been killed. Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I was told to come alone,” I reply, my voice calm. “If I had showed up with you they probably would’ve killed her.”
“That wasn’t your decision to make, Pietro,” he fires back. “Who is behind all of this? Who contacted you? Hurry—go—take Lucia home and do not leave her side.”
“What are you going to do?” I ask. But I already know the answer. I shake my head and put my hand on his chest. “Please, Giovanni, just let this go. She’s back and she’s safe. No good can come from you bursting in there and threatening them.”
Giovanni calmly removes my hand. His eyes narrow, meeting mine. I shiver at how cold his expression is.
“Take Lucia home. Now.”
I grab hold of Lucy and guide her outside. She resists, pulling away from me.
“You can’t leave him here,” Lucy says, her voice stricken. “We have to do something.”
“You are not doing anything,” I mutter, steering her outside and toward the car. I unlock it and place my hands on her shoulders as she sits in the passenger seat, swinging her legs into the car. I walk around to the trunk and open it, retrieving a baseball bat I threw in there just in case. “Stay here, okay?” I hand her the bat. “I’ll be back in a second. Lock the doors and don’t open them for anyone.”