Page 66 of Hunted Vengeance

My father picks up,likely because he thinks it’s Merrick calling. I suck in a breath when I hear his voice when he greets me, and something shifts inside of me. I realize that this is likely the last time I’m ever going to speak to my father. And at the same time, this man was willing to sell me to an absolute monster to get something he wanted.

I know he killed my mother. And I know he was not going to give a shit if I died the day after my wedding as long as it meant he got whatever political office he wanted. I know he is awful, and yet, I’m going to ask him for help.

I hate myself a little for it, too.

“Father, it’s Colette,” I rasp.

He is silent. That doesn’t surprise me. He didn’t want to hear from me. “As much as I don’t want to ask you for anything, we’ve been compromised, and we need a safe house while we take care of whatever it is you want us to take care of.”

More silence.

I almost laugh because clearly, he does not want to talk to me. I half expect him to tell me to hand the phone to Merrick, but to my surprise, he doesn’t. Instead, he clears his throat, and I hear him let out a cough.

“Marcello will be at your hotel in one hour. Go to the parking garage, not valet.”

“I need some clothes as well. Everything I had is gone.”

He grunts. “I will have the maid pack a bag of your things. But, Colette?” he asks.

“Father?”

“You are his now. And that is your identity.”

I almost laugh, but I decide against it, mainly because my father wants to feel like a big man, and it would be demeaning if I did. As much as I want to talk shit, I don’t. Instead, I tell him that I understand and thank him.

I end the call without waiting for his response. Slipping the device into Merrick’s waiting palm, I lift my gaze to meet his. He gives me a small smile, but I can tell it’s sad—for me. He doesn’t give a shit about my father. He’s probably ready to kill him today and would if he could.

I wouldn’t stop him, either.

I’ve suffered at my father’s hand for long enough.

“Marcello, my father’s man, will be here in an hour. He will meet us in the parking garage, not the valet.”

Merrick grips the phone. Then he gives me a single nod. “And he’ll have clothes for me as well. We just have to stay alive and get to the car.”

Grayson snorts. “They aren’t coming in here. We’re ready. Armed and waiting.”

So… we wait.

We finish packing everything and check the room for any evidence of our existence. But there is nothing. And then, we get the hell out of the hotel fifty minutes later. Marcello is waiting for us when we step out of the elevator and into the parking garage.

Merrick and I slip into the back seat, Grayson takes the front, and because Marcello wants to keep breathing, he says nothing to me and only speaks to either Merrick or Grayson. Both of which tell him to keep an eye on who is following us, if anyone.

After two hours of driving around the city, we arrive at a dumpy-looking building. There is a butcher and a dry cleaner on the first level with an apartment on the second. From the outside, it looks like it’s falling apart, but I know any safe house of Adriano Bellucci is going to be luxury, and I’m right.

Inside, it’s almost as nice as our limestone building. Almost, but not quite. Maybe I should be impressed that my father had me brought to his personal safe house. I’ve only been here once with him. All other times, we would just go to Florida or somewhere else. I wouldn’t know the location, not out of safety, but because he didn’t think enough of me to tell me.

Merrick and I take the master bedroom, while Marcello and Grayson take the other two bedrooms on the other side of the house. I can’t believe that this is real life. As I look around the bedroom, I can’t help but wonder what is truly to become of us.

“Bait or not, I will kill any man who dares to lay a fucking hand on you, Colette.”

I turn around to face Merrick. This man who I have fallen in love with. I believe him. But at the same time, I cannot let him do that. Taking one step toward him, then another, I close the distance between us.

I cup his cheeks as I tip my head back and look up into his eyes.

“I will never let you hurt someone else, Merrick. Not for me, not ever.”

He closes his eyes slowly as if relishing my touch. I know how he feels because I feel the exact same way when he touches me. When I slide my thumb across his bottom lip, he opens his eyes, and for a moment, I can read every ounce of his vulnerability.

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