Page 66 of Be Very Quiet

“I was trying to catch you off guard!”

This time, when the kick came her way, she was prepared. She’d kept him talking long enough to free her hands. Liliana grabbed his foot and flipped it up while kicking out and sweeping his other leg out from under him. Douglas slammed to the floor, and the gun went flying.

“You go, girl,” Nina shouted.

Liliana lifted her hips and rolled until her weight was on her shoulders, then placed her hands on the ground beside her ears and kipped to a standing position. She prepared to tangle with the martial arts expert as he started to get up. He might be good, but she was no slouch.

“Rookie move not tying my feet, Douglas. You’re not very smart, are you?”

“I knew you were a pathetic, weak girl. If you think you can take me, guess again, bitch.”

“Stay where you are, or I will blow a hole through your skull.”

Liliana’s head jerked up to see Luca burst into the room with Audria and Christian on his heels. Christian secured Douglas’s gun while Audria moved to release Nina.

Douglas looked as if he wanted to test Luca but dropped back to the floor with a huff.

“Roll over on your stomach,” Luca ordered.

“Go to hell,” Douglas spat.

“Roll. Over.”

If looks could kill, Luca would be dead, followed closely by Liliana when Douglas turned to glare at her. Then he rolled to his stomach but kept going until he grabbed her legs. Liliana’s training kicked in. She clasped his head and slammed it into her knee. His nose shattered, and he screamed, but it was mainly because Luca had picked him up and thrown him against a wall before tackling him. Christian wasted no time slapping flex cuffs on his wrists and ankles.

“You’re hurting me,” Douglas whined.

“Good. You’re lucky I don’t put a slug in your brainpan,” Luca growled. Then he stood and strode over to her, gathering her in his arms. She hissed, and he instantly pulled back.

“What is it?”

“That disgusting pig kicked her,” Nina so helpfully supplied.

“Let me see.”

“Luca, it’s fine.”

He ignored her and lifted her top. Apparently, it was already bruising because he clenched his teeth. “I’m going to kill him.”

Liliana grabbed his arm to stop him from pounding Douglas into a pile of dust. “It’s fine, Luca. I don’t want you going to jail for assault.”

“I’ll only punch him a few times.”

When she refused to let go, he sighed and cupped her cheeks. “Damn, honey. You are something. You took him down twice.”

“Oh, you saw the first one, huh?”

“Yeah, I was ready to bust in, but Audria stopped me. Then you Bruce Lee’d his ass.”

Liliana laughed and winced when it pulled her side. “Thank you for saving me.”

He kissed her forehead, apparently forgetting they weren’t alone. “Babe, you saved yourself.”

“Police!”

Suddenly, the room filled with emergency personnel. When Luca went to talk to them, Liliana rushed to Nina and hugged her. Audria had found her clothes, and Nina had been able to dress before help arrived.

“Are you okay?”

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