Page 10 of Little Rabbit

“How disappointing you still only hear the part that pertains to your dick,” she sighs, once again sounding like she’s close to me. How the fuck is she doing that? I turn around and look, but continue to find nothing. “But no matter. I’m sure this will get your attention. I expect you to keep your promise and keep my parents safe. See you later, Alessio.”

A crash sounds behind me, and I whip around to see Sienna falling out of a tree to my left. She is far enough away that I can’t get to her easily as I take off after her, a snarl of outrage pulling from my throat. “Sienna!” I scream her name, no longer finding this funny or charming. No, now this is about showing her she’s not in charge, and she is not going to best me again. I move as fast as my feet can take me, but the woman is quick like my new favorite nickname for her, and she knows this place far too well. When I think she’s going to have to move out of the way of a large tree, she goes straight for it, using the low branches to swing herself forward and farther ahead.

I hear the car door shut before I hit the edge of the trees, and a roar of outrage pulls from my chest. I skid to a halt on the gravel driveway as I see her give me a little wave, and then peel out of the driveway. “Follow her!” I order Lazaro, who races for our SUV and takes off after her.

I stand there for another moment, trying to get my emotions under control. I can’t fucking believe she’s gotten away. Again. How can one little woman manage it when no one else has? Now I’m more determined than ever to get her back. This no longer has anything to do with her family coming after her. Now, this is personal. This is proving a point.

I turn and stalk back up to the house, striding inside and finding her parents still standing in the kitchen, talking in hushed voices that immediately cease as soon as the door slams open. “Where would she go?” I demand, trying to keep from screaming at them. Still, my voice is harsh, and her mother flinches.

“We honestly don’t know,” her father says softly, holding his wife tight. “Sienna has a lot of friends. She’s an adult and has her own life. The only friend we know personally is Rori.”

I stare at him, trying to gauge if he’s lying to me, but he holds my stare, refusing to look away. Finally, I thrust a hand through my hair and blow out a harsh breath. I need to be smart about this. Anger will cloud my judgment. “Fine. I’ll have men here to watch over you within a couple of hours,” I tell them. “If shit goes sideways, you will go with them, no matter what. Understood?” They both nod. “Good.” I take a deep breath and tell them, “Despite what your daughter thinks, I’m not going to force her to do anything other than accompany me to a location where she can be safe and out of harm’s way. You have my word.”

“She certainly doesn’t seem to think that,” Lou-Anne says softly.

“And I will clear that up once we get this whole thing done and over with,” I reply simply. “Believe it or not, Mrs. Harris, my plans for Sienna are solely regarding her safety. What happens after that will be something she and I work out together.”

“But you intend to marry her,” her mother persists. “You said as much. You don’t even know her.”

“I know enough. I know that your daughter is fierce, stubborn, and she isn’t going to let those bastards take her without a hell of a fight. As for marriage, I need a wife, and I don’t want one that’s going to cower or cry every time she sees me. But marriage isn’t just about what I need. It’s about protecting her. My name, my family name, carries far more weight than any other in the world. We are feared for a reason. If she’s married to me, her family will have no choice but to leave her the hell alone, just like her sister. She can live her life without fear. She will have me, she will have our allies, and she will have her sister and her husband too. And all of those connections will be extended to you, as well.”

Lou-Anne’s face is full of guilt. “We put her in this position,” she whispers. “If we had been more careful?—”

“No one knew about her for twenty-six years,” I interrupt. “I think that means you’ve done a damn good job. But everything comes to light eventually. The one thing your stubborn daughter isn’t taking into consideration is it’s for the best that we got to her first and not her family.”

Lou-Anne and Dennis share a look, but I can see that the truth is starting to sink in. Finally, Lou-Anne turns back to me, and her eyes are hard; an inner strength there showing the bravery her pale face is lacking. “I want your word, Mr. Caruso, that you will not force her,” she says firmly. “Because I’m sure you’ll eventually catch her, and no we won’t help you, but when you do, you will let her future with you be her choice. And if she decides you are not her future, then you’ll let her go and leave her alone. No fine print or false promises. Because having someone take away your choice is far worse than anything else. Trust me.”

Her husband’s arms squeeze her tighter, and I can see the pain on his face. And though I’m lying to the poor woman, and fully plan on keeping Sienna with me for the rest of her life, I nod. “I promise. Now, I’m going to find her. Both of you get your things packed and be ready to leave when my men get here.”

They nod their agreement and ease out around the island away from me, toward the bedrooms down the hall. I pull out my phone and call Lazaro. He answers on the first ring and says immediately, “She’s heading toward the city, but she’s gotten a good head start. She’s damn fast.” I can hear the admiration in Lazaro’s voice, along with annoyance. Lazaro will take her escape personally.

“Follow her, but don’t grab her,” I order him. “If she wants to play this game, then we’re going to let her think she has the upper hand. I’ll call and have some of our men pick me up. We’ll send some of them to London with her parents. In the meantime, I’m going to start figuring out where she went.”

“Alright,” Lazaro says calmly. “You sure you want this one, Alessio? She seems like a lot of trouble.”

“The best ones always are,” I smirk. “Call me back when she stops.” I hang up and start calling my men.

My sweet little rabbit is running, but I love a good chase. She has no idea what kind of beast she’s awoken.

6

ALESSIO

“Where do you think she’s heading?” Lazaro asks as we pull up to the plane waiting in the private hangar. I ordered the flight to be ready to take off at any minute, and we have no time to waste. I can see the tension in his body, in the way he grips the steering wheel as we pull in. He’s none too pleased Sienna got away either, and he’s taking it personally she was able to outsmart him. Still, the woman is far more clever than either of us ever expected, including hooking into speakers hidden in the trees while she crept around to get away. I’ll be asking her about that the next time I catch her. And this time, I won’t let her get away.

“Your father is tracking her down. You said she got on a private jet?” I ask as I climb out of the car and head for the lowered plane steps.

“Looks that way, but there’s no guarantee she’s on it with the shit she pulled last time,” Lazaro huffs as we walk inside. He doesn’t pay any attention to the flirtatious look the flight attendant sends him, and I see the disappointment on her face. Not my problem, and the least of my worries right now. “I got the information on the jet, but they haven’t landed anywhere yet, so I can’t tell you where they’re heading, only that they’ve taken off and have a three hour head start.”

I sit down in one of the seats towards the back of the plane, and pull out my phone to call Aurelio.

“So you let her get away again, did you?” Aurelio says loudly into the phone as soon as it connects.

I roll my eyes. “Your information didn’t give any indication of how clever she is, Aurelio. You’re losing your touch,” I mock. Again, few could get away with speaking to me like that, but Aurelio is like a second father to me, so he gets a pass.

Aurelio scoffs. “It is not my fault you did not listen when I told you she was not like her sister. That should have been your first clue. Though, her sister is certainly giving her man a run for his money.” He gives a low chuckle of amusement.

Intrigued, I let myself be distracted for a moment. “Oh? How is she doing that?”

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