Page 50 of De Luca: The Saint

He stares at me in disbelief, “What the fuck? How did you know how to do that? I know professionals that couldn’t have pulled that off.”

I grin, feeling pretty impressed with myself, “My dad took me shooting every week for target practice. I’ve taken several shooting classes. I couldn’t defend myself that night in the bar because I didn’t have a gun.”

He shakes his head, “You’re fucking amazing, Katherina. I underestimated you.”

The sound of heavy feet coming down the stairs alert us. My badass woman feeling evaporates in an instant. I’m terrified. I just got us both killed. I’m sure of it. When they see Wolf and the other two lying dead on the floor, there won’t be any talking our way out of it.

“Behind me, Kitty Kat,” Damian says as he takes the firearm from me.

I do as he says, but I don’t want to watch him die. I can’t.

Dozens of men appear in the basement, guns drawn, as they glance at the dead bodies and then over to us. One of the men parts from the rest, he steps forward, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Domenic De Luca stands there assessing the situation. He walks over to Damian and helps him from the floor, “Are you alright?”

He shakes his head, “Just get me the fuck out of here.”

I run over to him, “That’s it?”

Domenic eyes me curiously as Damian ignores me and talks to another man, “Max, she’s been raped. Make sure she gets counseling and whatever she needs. Bill me.”

His brothers surround him protectively. Domenic says, “They raped her?”

He shakes his head, “No. I did.”

The shock in all his brothers’ faces is apparent, but he’s not telling the whole story. Why?

“Damian!” I scream, but he stays silent with his back turned to me. Then he’s gone in less than a minute, leaving me like I don’t fucking matter, like we didn’t just go through hell together.

The man he was talking to walks over to me, “Hi, I’m Max, a friend of the De Luca family. I help women who have been through what you have. Can we take you to see a doctor?”

I shake my head, “No, he didn’t hurt me.”

“Okay, look, I don’t know what happened. I do know what Damian said, and I’d like to help you.”

Tears roll down my cheeks. How could he just walk away like that? It’s like that night two years ago, all over again. I don’t think I can live through this again.

“I just want to go home. Can you take me home?”

He nods, “Of course, but I wish you’d reconsider.”

I roll my eyes, “Well, I won’t. So can we go?”

Waving his arm, he says, “Follow me then, watch out for the bodies.”

I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about until we reached the top of the stairs. I gasp when I see the literal piles of dead bodies, “Did you guys do this?”

“Yes,” he answers like he’s answering something as simple as do you like coffee. This man is a giant like Domenic and Damian, maybe a little shorter, but not by much. Something about him, in the way he moves, reminds me of a brick wall. He’s very sturdy, like a bomb couldn’t knock him down.

After stepping over more bodies than I could count, he walks me out the front door to a large van. A group of people I don’t know are standing beside it, “This is my team, Hunter, Jade, Mia, Trevor, and Nash. Everybody, this is Katherina.”

I don't know how he knows my name, but I don’t question it. I smile a shy hello to everyone and slide into the front passenger seat, where Max holds the door open for me.

As upset as I am about how Damian left things between us, I’m so relieved to be going home. I can take a hot shower, not be chained to the floor, and eat. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.

Max gets into the vehicle and says, “I need your address, Sweetheart.”

The not-so-distant memory of Wolf calling me that causes a chain reaction I have no control over. First, I begin to shake. Then, I scramble to get out, but the door is locked. I cover my face with both hands and sob. That one word made everything come back in a frantic rush. The door lock clicks before it opens suddenly and I move my hands and see a blonde standing beside me, “I’m Mia. You’re going to be okay. Was it something he said?”

I nod, “Sweetheart. That’s what Wolf called me.”

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