Page 77 of As the World Falls

My hand flies through my hair for the hundredth time as my car whips around the block, racing down the street faster than the legal limit. “Cecilia,” I growl into the phone, knowing I wouldn’t hear her response because she hasn’t responded the first fifty times I’ve called her name. All I knew was that she was in trouble. I sensed it the minute her name popped up on my phone, knowing there was logically nothing else she’d ever call me for. The silence, followed by her loud, shaken voice speaking to someone else, was my second clue, and by then, I was already on my feet and barreling out of my house.

I white knuckled the steering wheel as other revelations carried through the phone, like the fact that she was with Hodge and the fact that he’s a bigger scumbag than I thought and owed money to some dangerous people. I nearly break a molar, grinding my teeth together, when I hear a scuffle and the sound of Cecilia screaming in pain. It feels like I’m swallowing burning embers at the noise and how she’s still trying to speak through it all and give me clues as to where she was and who she was dealing with. She was so smart, even now. I hated how scaredshe sounded despite trying to keep it together. It made me want to rip a chasm open into the earth and let everyone fall into the fiery pits beneath it, if only to save her from the world's evils.

My blood practically runs cold when I hear the man's voice introducing himself as Dante Amato. Hodge was a fucking idiot to get involved with him. Dante Amato was part of a lower-ranking family in the Cosa Nostra, and it wasn’t without a lack of trying. They were one of the worst families, keeping themselves wrapped up in bad business that Stef and his close relatives liked to avoid. They were untrustworthy and tried to undermine the Luccio’s every chance they could get. Stef and Dante were always competitive, but as they grew older, the rivalry grew more vicious and deadly as Stef and his family gained more power over the city. Dante has gone as far as wrecking some of Luccio’s deals in his gun-running business, but even more so, he is dirtying the city with his drug and sex trafficking rings, which Stef personally has no hand in. Stef has been at war with him for a while, and he can count himself at war with me now that Cecilia has set foot into his world.

I press harder on the gas as I zip through the active night streets. The only thing sticking out to me is that she said she was at Alexander’s. It was a higher-end restaurant on the outskirts of Boston and well known for being the kind of place that fuckheads like Hodge or Dante and his men would hang around. I was praying to God that she was still there and in one piece, or I was seriously going to fuck someone up.

I pull up out front, tucking my gun into the back waist of my slacks under my jacket before walking to the entrance. A man standing at the door puts a hand on my chest, stopping me from going inside. He’s saying something, but I don’t hear him. All I can see and feel is his hand touching me, and I don’t hesitate to grab it, twisting it along with his arm at a speed he couldn’t anticipate. He’s on his knees now, grunting in pain, andthen he’s out like a light once my knee connects with his nose. I straighten my jacket once more before entering the building.

My gaze roams over the scene in front of me. Dante and one other man towering over Hodge, beating the hell out of him, then Cecilia, who is being held against her will in a chair by a man who has both of her hands behind her back at what seems to be a painful angle. He has her hands balled into his one giant fist while his other hand falls to her knee and begins rising up her thigh as she squirms, trying to keep him off of her. I’ve seen way worse scenes in my time, but seeing her like this, her heart pounding hard enough to be physically seen on her chest, the way the sick look on the man's face promises her the absolute worst outcome every woman fears in their life, creates a rage in me so visceral, I feel slightly panicked at the uncontrolled feeling of it all.

Her eyes, full of dread, find mine, and they widen into hope, and the sight nearly kills me where I stand, but then she whimpers my name, and I—See—Red.

I barrel towards him, ripping my gun out from behind me, and place it at the side of his head, pulling the trigger without a second thought. I hardly register the heavy spray of blood on me or the brain matter that coats the walls and floor. All I can see and focus on is the shock in Cecilia’s face as she watches the man fall to the ground. She starts panting, clearly freaking out, but I don’t have any time to comfort her because the other two men are pulling their guns out now and aiming them at us.

I spin toward them, aiming mine at them, my eyes connecting with Dante. “You don’t want to do that,” I say calmly.

“James Kingston. What brings you here?” he gleams as if he were thrilled by my unexpected presence.

“I’m here to collect what’s mine,” I say, gesturing to Cecilia. “She has no part in this, so if you don’t want to end up like your friend here, you’ll let her leave.”

“No one is going anywhere until we get paid, and I surely don’t take orders from Stefano’s charity case.”

I grind my teeth as I pull out my wallet and hastily toss ten grand his way, letting the wad fall at his feet. If Cecilia weren’t here, I would make this place a blood bath but going against a family head wasn’t a smart move right now. Especially when Stef isn’t here.

“If any of you ever lay another finger on her again, I will hunt down every single one of you until your family is completely fucking eradicated,” I promise. “You don’t want your problems to be with me, Dante. I think we both know that would cause some very big complications for you.”

Dante grimaces, knowing Stef and I are the stronger outlier, and stomps to the spot where the cash lies on the floor and snatches it, handing it to his guy to count. When he nods, Dante faces me again. “I’m sure this won’t be the last time we’ll see each other, James, but for now, I’ll let this mishap slide.”

“Pleasure doing business with you,” I grumble, turning back to Cecilia, who is still staring wide-eyed at the man lying face down on the floor. “Come on, babe,” I murmur to her as I slip my hand around her waist and lift her to her feet. I slowly walk her out of the restaurant, leaving Hodge to whatever consequences he meets because I could give a fuck less, and if he manages to make it out of there alive, then he had to deal with me next for endangering her in the first place.

Cecilia’s hand grips my jacket tightly as she walks out with me, and I gently ease her into my car before coming around to get in on the other side. She seems less still and catatonic when I get inside, and I watch her for a moment before starting the car.

“Are you alright?”

“No,” she answers quickly, then meets my gaze with her teary one. “But you came.” She says it like she’s surprised and thankfulall at once, and it makes me want to go back inside and kill every single person in that room for making her so scared.

“Nothing could have kept me away,” I assure her.

She nods, a faint smile lining her mouth as a tear falls down her cheek. “I had a feeling,” she whispers. I lean in, using my thumb to wipe her tears, reveling in her skin's warm touch against mine.

I begrudgingly drive her back to her apartment when it’s the last place I want her to be. I wanted her in my home, my room, and safe in my presence. But I couldn’t do that cause her damn brother was staying with me, and we were too busy going over a new protection plan with Marco for Cecilia over the coming weeks when all hell broke loose, and she got herself deeper into this mess.

I don’t have him watching her for only an hour, and she goes and gets kidnapped. I don’t think I’ll ever not be on guard when it comes to her.

We drive in silence most of the way, and it’s when we’re nearly to her place that I’m finally getting pissed off. I think she can sense it because she keeps side-eyeing me from her seat like she’s waiting for me to explode any minute.

I park outside her building and exit the car, going around to open her door and help her out. “You don’t have to do that,” she says, taking my hand as I lift her from the car.

“Oh, I do. It seems I need to keep you in my grasp constantly, or you go out and do stupid shit,” I gripe as I follow her up the steps to her building.

“Please, do we have to do this now?” she asks tiredly, unlocking the door leading to a hallway and a staircase to the left. I follow her inside and up the stairs.

“Yes, we’re doing this now. I don’t think you realize how serious that could have been, Cecilia. Those men could have killed you.”

“I think I realize, James. You murdered a man right in front of my eyes,” she whispers in a shouting manner so that no one hears. I can’t help but smirk as she does, and she narrows her eyes on me. “Do you think this is funny? I am scarred for life after tonight.”

“He had it coming. His hands were all over you,” I say darkly, remembering the way he held her hands behind her as he touched her against her will. The memory was still too fresh and made me want to go back there and light his body on fire.

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