Page 12 of Little Rabbit

After a couple of clicks on the laptop, Lazaro adds, “It’s about four hours by train. She’ll have to switch trains either way.”

“Send some of our men to Monaco,” I order after a moment’s thought. My gut tells me it’s Spain, but I don’t want to leave it to chance, just in case. “We’ll head to Spain. Aurelio, if you see or hear anything that suggests a change, call us immediately.”

“Done,” he agrees and clicks off.

Lazaro is up and moving, and anticipation thrums through my veins. Fucking finally, we’re making progress. Sienna isn’t getting away again. I can almost picture her face when she sees me waiting for her. When she realizes she has nowhere else to run. She’ll still try, I know she will, but that’s when my little rabbit will realize she’s good and caught, and there’s no escaping.

Lazaro comes back. “We’ll be leaving in an hour. Someone else is on the runway, so we need to wait.” I nod, though I know the impatience I feel is all over my face. We’ll still beat her there, and it will give us a chance to get the lay of the land. I’m not leaving anything to chance this time. I want to know every possible avenue of escape so I can make sure our men are ready to grab her, in case she somehow gets past myself or Lazaro. “So, you’re seriously thinking of marrying her?” Lazaro asks after a couple of minutes of silence.

I don’t respond right away. It’s not something I really want to share, but I also know that Lazaro isn’t going to let it go until I tell him, the nosy bastard. “Yes,” I finally admit. “But keep that shit to yourself. I don’t need my father or yours lecturing me on her having a choice. That’s bullshit.”

Lazaro smirks. “So you’re going to let her think she has a choice, but you’re going to ensure she picks the one you want her to. I’m not going to say shit. Out of everyone, you and I are the most alike, and I wouldn’t give my woman a choice, if I had one.”

“That’s because you’re a prick,” I snicker. “But I also know Sienna isn’t going to give in to this without a fight.”

“Why do you want her? I mean, there is a chance that she has two other cousins out there who might be a better fit for you,” he points out. “Are you sure you want to pin all your hopes on a woman who would rather run and put herself in danger than trust you?”

I don’t answer right away, because he has a point. There are far more women out there, not just the other possible De Luca women, that would probably suit me more and would even throw themselves at me for my money and a chance to warm my bed. Still, the thought of them anywhere near me in that context irritates me, and I instantly reject it. The moment I saw Sienna’s picture was the moment I knew she was mine. But it was her note on my car, and when she got away from me in LA, that cemented my growing obsession.

Fuck, she consumed my thoughts the entire flight to Scotland. All I could picture was catching her and teaching her the consequences of running from me. But I knew she wouldn’t come easily. She wouldn’t whimper and cower or beg and plead for mercy. No, she fought me tooth and nail, and that is exactly what I want. I want this dark fire that’s building in my veins, and I want it knowing Sienna is always going to keep me on my toes and stoke the flames.

I also think she’s enjoying this as much as I am—the thrill of the chase. I saw it on her face when she got to her car before I could reach her, and I heard it in her voice when she took off through the woods. The woman loves this, and besting me is just as much an aphrodisiac to her as my chasing her is to me. I know this deep down in my bones.

“She’s different,” I finally answer. Lazaro arches a brow at me expectantly, waiting for me to elaborate. “There are two types of women in our world. Those who are broken and terrified of every man out there because of what their family has put them through or expected of them. And they’re willing to marry me with the hope of getting away from their family, or they know they have no choice. Meaning, they will always be agreeable while also telling their family about every move I make. And even if they don’t, their loyalty will always be to their family because they have been conditioned that way their entire lives. The others are women who are trying to move up the ranks and are clearly only after me for my money, family connections, or the title of a Don’s wife. They might be fuckable and be willing to give me heirs, but they’ll never be loyal to me or the family.”

“And Sienna is neither of those things,” Lazaro says with a knowing nod. “She’s coming into this knowing who you are but also not having been poisoned by her family, so while she’s a De Luca, she won’t be loyal to them. But at the same time, are you concerned about her thoughts about this life? She’s not used to it, which means she’s not used to you coming home covered in blood and dealing with the shit we do. That could break her differently. She might run to get away from it, which would mean getting away from you.”

That thought has been swirling around in my mind plenty as well. “She’s stronger than you think. The woman has gotten away from us twice, and she fucking tried to split my head open both times. She doesn’t cower when she sees me, so I don’t think she’s a wilting flower that’s going to lose her mind over a little blood.”

“Probably not. But even you know that is very different from seeing it every day. Or dealing with the daily mafia shit that we have to. It’s a life that’s not for the weak of heart. Which I’ll give you, Sienna is not.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Right now, my focus is getting to her before any of her family does.”

Lazaro sobers and nods. “You’re right. We’ll get her, Boss.”

Of that I have no doubt. Because I will never allow anyone to come between us. Not even Sienna herself.

By the time the plane takes off, I’ve gone back over all the information I have on Sienna, including the new information Aurelio sent minutes before we took off. It seems my sweet little rabbit is living up to her nickname. The girl was a star athlete growing up, including the track team. Sienna is accustomed to running long and far, and she’s probably planning on doing that with me. Too bad for her; I’ve also been a star runner for most of my life. While mine was more for fun and to keep in shape than the actual competition, I’m glad I have the stamina to keep up with her.

I get up from my seat and head to the bedroom at the back of the plane. It won’t be long before we land in Spain, and I want to make sure I’m ready. I don’t put it past her to have a few more surprises up her sleeve—unfortunately for her, I do too.

7

SIENNA

Spain

“What. The. Fuck?” Rori hisses through the burner phone I bought at the train station when I arrived. I have no doubt Alessio will figure out where I am if he hasn’t already, but all I need is time to figure out my next move. And part of that is filling Rori in on what the hell is happening, especially since I know she’s going to start noticing I’m not around as much. I debated on telling her anything, but I need to talk to someone. She’s the only one I trust, but I want to ensure she’s protected, too. I don’t put it past these fuckers to go after her and torture her to tell them where to find me.

“I know,” I sigh as I make my way down the boardwalk and enjoy the feel of the sun on my face and the smell of salt in the air. I love Spain; it’s a top vacation spot for me when I have some downtime, but this certainly isn’t a vacation. Hopefully I’ll have time to relax before Alessio catches up and I have to keep moving. “Look, I need you to be careful, okay? I don’t even know if they’ve made the connection to you, but from everything Alessio told me, it won’t take them long if they do.”

“Jesus Christ,” Rori breathes, and I can hear her collapsing on her squeaky old sofa. Rori has always had that old couch and she refuses to get a new one, preferring to spend her money on more fun things, to her at least. “Where are you now?”

“Spain,” I say, keeping my voice low in case someone is listening. “But don’t come here. I don’t know how long I’ll be here.”

“So, what, you’re going to run for the rest of your life?” she demands. “You can’t do that, Sienna. That’s insane. If you come back here, I’ll protect you. Or if you need me to go with you, you know I’ll drop everything to join you. I have lots of savings?—”

“No,” I interrupt quickly. “Rori, you’re not giving your life up because of this. I will be fine. I have money, and I can work anywhere. I just need to keep moving. I don’t need to do it forever – just long enough for Alessio Caruso and my new brother-in-law, or whatever he is, to handle this.”

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