Page 110 of She Belongs to Me

“There was some guy on a horse. He… took her.”

Those were the only words I needed to hear, the ones I’d feared. “Which direction?”

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Domino warned.

“Don’t tell me what to do. Which fucking direction did they go?”

Romeo pointed.

I took off running, managing to capture one of the horses and jumping on the mare’s back. “Go, girl. Go. Go.” The horse took off running toward the open field. If the fucker believed he was going to get away with kidnapping her, he’d soon learn crossing me was the worst thing he could do.

I raced full out, hoping the half-moon would help navigate my way. There was a way off the property from the back, a single road leading to a much larger one. It was two miles away, but a fast horse could make it at full speed within twenty minutes or so. At least five had already been wasted.

The need to push the traumatized mare weighed on my mind, but if Alexandra was taken off the property, the likelihood of seeing her again would diminish to near nothing. I knew a shortcut that could cut some time. The asshole would have a vehicle waiting. How many men had it taken to almost destroy what most mattered to me?

How many enemy soldiers had infiltrated the property, their moves clandestine enough they hadn’t been noticed by my men? I couldn’t question how it had happened until everyone was safe.

I could tell the horse was breathing heavily and needed to slow down, but the fear and anger remained.

“Come on, baby. Only you can help me find her. She’s very important to me. I promise you that if you push a little longer, you’ll have all the apples you could ever want to eat. Deal?”

I guided her to the river, allowing her to drink as much as needed. When she lifted her head, she snorted and stamped one hoof.

“I knew I could count on you. Let’s go, girl.”

Maybe I wasn’t a horse whisperer like Romeo, but the mare responded to my request, pushing herself to full speed. We jumped over debris and a small portion of the river, heading toward the road at record speed. I was lucky I always carried a weapon, yet the single magazine of ammunition was all I had.

I only prayed it would be enough.

Voices sounded off in the distance, men speaking in Italian. Another confirmation Mattia was behind this. I slowed the mare, moving as close as I felt comfortable before stopping and sliding off. I patted her on the flank, whispering in her ear to stay where she was before advancing.

With the weapon in both hands, I crept closer.

The voices became clearer, their intentions easy to discover.

They were taking her to an abandoned warehouse to wait.

There were four of them. Not the best odds, but I’d handled worse.

I moved even closer, careful not to make a sound. It was entirely possible I had one shot at freeing her. When I was able to catch a limited view between the trees, I didn’t see a horse or a rider.

But seconds later, I heard the labored sound of a horse being admonished for taking too much time. The whinnying cries of the horse indicated he or she was being abused. From what I could tell, the man cursing in Italian was wielding a crop. The bastard.

The voice I recognized. Mattia.

My rage reached a pinnacle, but I had to be cunning about this.

“Don’t hurt the horse. You fucking asshole.” Hearing Alexandra’s sharp cry was enough to push me to the breaking point.

I sensed she was struggling with her captor, the horse still crying from the abuse. They were coming closer. I shifted through the foliage, gaining a couple of feet. As the horse finally started to come into view, the beauty reared back, finally unable to tolerate her abuser.

As luck would have it, something that was rare in my world, my beautiful ward took matters into her own hands by jamming her elbow into Mattia’s gut at the same time a branch cracked against his face.

The two of them went down, the horse running off immediately. Alexandra was yelling, frantically trying to get away.

“Not a chance, bitch,” Mattia yelled, immediately grabbing her by the leg. I bolted from the trees, tackling the man all the way to the ground. His hold was broken.

“Run!” I barked at her, praying to God she was listening to me.

---