Page 45 of Protector

His laugh fills the empty space again.

“Carlo,” Maria says softly, and I whip my head to her. She’s never spoken a word to him, never talked back, never acknowledged him. Because it’s not her place. And she knows that.

The fact she’s trying to stick up for me has me loving her more than I ever have before, but I’m also terrified.

“You,” Carlo says coldly, not even looking her way, “have done enough.”

He steps forwards, and Maria clings onto my arm tighter.

“Daddy,” I whisper out of habit, my voice stuttering. My hands continue to shake, but for an entirely different reason. This man has taken my whole life from me, everything a normal girl should’ve had. I cannot let him take this too.

Even though the thought of being pregnant is terrifying, already I want to protect this baby from the man who supposedly raised me.

“Come with me,” Carlo says coldly, stepping even closer. One of his men steps into the room behind him, and I cling right back onto Maria.

I shake my head, terrified for my life.

Literally.

“Come with me, Bonnie.”

My name falling from his mouth boils like molten lava through my veins. How dare he?

This man took away everything, and I lived with it. But not now. It isn’t just about me now. It’s about Puck and our baby. I refuse to cower so easily this time.

“Oh, so now you know my name?” I question bravely.

I’ve tried this game before, and I’ve always lost. But I have way too much to lose now.

“Bonnie,” Maria whispers to me, because she knows that it’s the wrong move.

But what she doesn’t understand is that whatever move I make, it’ll always be the wrong one. Sometimes, you’re just a pawn on the board, and you’ll be the one that gets knocked off regardless. So it doesn’t matter what move I make, I’ll be the one that loses. Over and over again.

“Come with me,” Carlo says again, but I stand my ground, shaking my head. I straighten my spine, raising my chin and standing as tall as I can up against him.

I will not cower. Not this time. Not when it’s not just about me anymore.

After a stare-down of about ten seconds, Carlo nods, and the lackey at his back stomps further inside, wrenching Maria away from my side.

I try to cling onto her, adamant to protect her the way she always has for me, but it doesn’t work. Her hand slips out of mine, and Maria is hauled away from me, being dragged out of the room.

Tears fall down her cheeks, as do mine, and before she disappears from sight, our eyes connect, and she mouths one simple word.

Run.

“Maria!” I shout, trying to dodge Carlo to get to her, but his strong, large hand has a solid and harsh grip on my arm. And when I try to fight him off, he reaches around my waist, throwing me over his shoulder.

I kick and scream with all my might, hoping that King, Dax, or Puck will hear my cries of help, but if what Maria said is true and they’re still in the games room, I know they will never hear me.

Carlo carries me through the house, and as we pass rooms, another of Carlo’s men appears and follows us through the house.

By the time we get to a door on the far side of the house, there must be about fifteen of Carlo’s men behind us.

Carlo fumbles with a key, and then opens it, carrying me down a set of stairs and into a dark room that smells damp.

He eventually throws me onto my feet once we hit the bottom, and I stumble back into a set of bars.

Looking around, it’s like cells. I never knew we had cells underneath the mansion?

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