Page 47 of Gio

“Yeah, this is her. The bitch said she would be here, and here she is.”

Bitch? What bitch?

Confusion weighed heavily on me, but I didn’t stop trying to rescue myself so that I could get to Gio and make sure he was okay. “Gio,” I called out again, utter fear seized my vocal cords.

“Stop. Fucking. Moving.” The men were having trouble carrying me because I wasn’t a willing victim. “Stop!”

“Fuck you,” I shouted and kicked backwards, aiming for whatever body part I could find. “Let me go!”

“I like ‘em feisty,” one of them said with a menacing chuckle.

Gio stood up and relief coursed through me, but fear returned at the sight of the blood dripping down his left arm. His gaze met mine and he shook his head, which I took to mean that I shouldn’t call out for him, so I didn’t.

“Asshole,” I grumbled to provide a greater distraction.

Another shot rang out and I screamed with my whole body as a now-familiar warm spray landed on my right side and I realized Gio had taken one of my kidnappers out.

The other man’s grip tightened around my waist as he dragged me towards a waiting van. I went slack, giving him all of my weight to slow him down but the fucker was determined, which only heightened my fear.

Three more shots rang out and my gaze sought out Gio, who had put three bullets into the van. A second later the sound of a car horn went on and on as if someone was lying on it.Or dying on it.

“Shit,” the kidnapper mumbled.

“Save yourself,” I whispered. “Let me go and get the fuck out of here so you can live to fight another day.”

He laughed but there was no humor in it. “I might as well put a bullet in my own fucking head if I come back without you.”

With those words, I knew my fate was sealed.

More shots rang out and I lost sight of Gio as the man shoved me into the back of the van. He pushed his dead friend out of the driver’s seat and took off.

Gio’s bike was right behind us, but more bikes sounded in the distance, and I knew the Steel Demons couldn’t have possibly gotten here that fast, which meant Gio was outnumbered.

Shit.

Tears streamed down my eyes as gunshots rang out in loud bursts. Gio would have no choice but to escape to save himself. If he didn’t, he would be shot to death.

A loud sob escaped when the sound of the group of motorcycles grew closer and I knew whatever happened, Gio was no longer chasing the van.

I was completely alone now. Gio wouldn’t know where they were taking me which meant any rescue effort would take more time than I likely had.

I never told Gio that I loved him. Now that I was faced with the reality of death, I knew what I felt for Gio wasn’t just an intensified version of my lifelong crush. It wasn’t the effect of great sex either, at least not just the effect of great sex. No, I loved him. Loved the man he’d become, gorgeous and charming and protective without stomping on my need for independence. I loved him, I was wildly and madly in love with my brother’s best friend.

And I would never get the chance to let him know.

I cried until my tear ducts were dry, until my body ached, and my throat burned. Regret washed over me that I hadn’t told Gio how I felt, that I hadn’t taken full advantage of our time together. That I hadn’t gone after my dreams and started my own event planning company and hadn’t told Nicole to go fuck herself.

There was so much I wanted to do that I hadn’t done yet. So much that I put off for later and now it looked like later wouldn’t be an option.

***

I was so lost in my thoughts and in my woes that I hadn’t realized the van had come to a stop, or how long we’d been driving. I hadn’t done any of the things everyone says you should do if you get abducted, and now we were here.

“Come on.” The only guy left standing wasn’t as aggressive when he untied me and dragged me into a dark building. “Wait here and don’t try anything funny.”

I ignored his words and the minute I was alone, I looked around and squinted in the dark in search of doors or windows, anywhere that might provide me with an escape option. Icouldn’t see shit. “If only I had my… oh shit.” I patted my body suddenly remembering that I hadn’t put the phone back into my bag that was now lying on the sidewalk outside Marla’s office, I’d stuffed it in my jacket pocket when I’d seen Gio. I pulled it out and turned on the flashlight. Empty shelves filled the room and even though windows covered three walls, they were all about fifteen feet above the floor. “Double shit.”

Turning off the phone, I dialed Gio. His phone rang and rang. Feeling desperate, I almost hung up until I heard the sweetest sound. “Harp? Fuck baby, I’m so sorry.”

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