Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 144979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
The other two men haul him off, and I shudder. “Thanks for defending my honor.”
“Always, baby girl.” Mariella winks at me. “Now come join us. This is supposed to be a bachelorette party.”
“Exactly,” Serafina chimes in. “Let’s have some fun.”
I groan, and she gives me an evil little smile before she cannonballs into the pool and splashes me with water.
“Ta-da.” She bobs back to the surface and peers over the ledge. “You’re healed.”
13
ABELLA
After a full day of eating, drinking, sun, and jet lag, I end up crashing after our early dinner. But even with a sleeping pill, I fall into a fitful rest, tossing and turning as the wedding looms over me like a doomsday clock.
For a while, it seems like I’m trapped in dream after endless dream, trying to alter my destiny as I walk down the aisle to a man I don’t love. I wake several times with a racing heart and an urge to flee, though I know I wouldn’t make it out of the resort.
I respect Matteo. I care about him as a friend. But I don’t want to marry him.
As I drift back to sleep, his image is replaced by a haunting pair of dark eyes cloaked behind a skull mask.
A charge pulses through the air as rough fingers caress the length of my jaw, disorienting me. It doesn’t feel like a dream when I blink, and he’s still there, towering over my hotel bed.
“Hello, cara.” His thumb brushes my lips, stealing the breath from me when they part.
“Who are you?” I force the words from my dry throat.
“Have you forgotten?” His fingers drift down to my chest, pausing to graze my nipple. “Il tuo re.”
Your king.
A current of electricity passes through my body, branding me with those words. It triggers a sharp, violent ache inside me.
I want him to possess me.
I want him to take me away from here.
But when I blink again, he’s gone.
I sit up and glance around the empty room in confusion. Moonlight filters through the gauzy curtains, a light breeze blowing in from the sliding door. I left it cracked, knowing there are at least ten guards outside. Now, the room feels stifling.
As I ease my legs over the edge of the bed and rise to my feet, the summer heat clings to my skin. It’s only five a.m., and the sun hasn’t risen yet, but my curiosity won’t be sated until I get answers. I have to know if he was really here.
I wrap a silk robe around my nightgown and cinch it around my waist, then slip on a pair of sandals. When I step out the sliding door and into the courtyard, my presence startles the guards.
“You need something, Miss Moretti?” Nicky asks.
“Was he here?”
“Was who here?” he echoes.
I blow out a breath and shake my head. Of course, he’s not going to answer. A quick glance at the other guards confirms they won’t either. It only escalates my frustration.
“I’m going for a walk,” I tell them.
“Sure.” Nicky shrugs. “Let’s go.”
There’s no point in telling him I don’t need him to watch over me. It’s nonnegotiable.
“Can you just stay back a bit?” I ask. “I need to clear my head.”
“No problem,” he says. “You lead, I’ll follow.”
I take that small amount of freedom and walk through the courtyard, slipping down a narrow path to the front of the resort. For a while, I wander aimlessly until I find myself on the long, cypress-lined drive. This place is huge, and I’m not exactly sure where the boundaries are, but I figure if I walk the entire perimeter, maybe I’ll get a glimpse of the man I’m searching for.
Nicky’s footsteps are quiet and steadfast behind me, keeping enough distance so I don’t feel suffocated.
“Where’s your boss at?” I ask, trying a different approach to my earlier question.
“Seattle headquarters,” he replies smoothly.
“I don’t mean the head of IVI security.” I glance at him over my shoulder, lowering my voice. “I’m talking about Angelo, and you know it.”
“How should I know where he is?” He smirks. “I don’t keep tabs on the guy.”
“Of course you don’t.” I roll my eyes, but before I can say anything else, a commotion up ahead catches my attention.
“Best to keep moving.” Nicky appears at my side, following my gaze to the group of guards who have gathered near the fence. “You don’t need to see that.”
Ignoring him, I weave between the trees and stop short when I see the figure illuminated by their flashlights.
Strung up by his neck is the lifeless corpse of the same guard who was staring at me earlier. Only now, where his eyes were, there’s nothing but two gaping holes.
“Miss Moretti.” One of the startled guards takes notice of my presence, his flashlight blinding me as he and his crew assemble to obscure my view. “You shouldn’t be here.”