Page 22 of Savage Prince

“I swear to it, as long as you keep your word.”

I squeeze out a frustrated breath and release my hold on his gun, slowly withdrawing it from his pocket.

Antonio heaves out a sigh as I slide off his lap and scoot to the edge of the bed. I would stand, but my damned ankle hurts too badly.

He shoves his hand into the opposite pocket and fishes out a small set of metal keys. Damn, I was so close to finding my own freedom. “Give me your hands.”

I flash them within an inch of his nose, and his head whips back.

“So that we’re clear,” he grumbles, “just because I’m removing these doesn’t mean I trust you.”

“Same here, buddy.”

Antonio slides the key into the hole, and the sound of the satisfying click has a swirl of hope rising. I’ll play the role of good little captive for now, but the second I have a chance to escape I will. Somehow, I’ll find a way to send word to Bella, and Raf will make her disappear before thiscoglionecan get anywhere near her. At least with her all the way across the Atlantic in Manhattan, some of the pressure is off. She should be moderately safe.

Or at least that’s what I’m banking on.

Once the cuffs are off, I rub my sore wrists. Angry red marks crisscross my flesh, but I’ve endured worse.

He rises and motions toward the main cabin. “After you…”

I push myself up and immediately my ankle falters.Shit.

Antonio’s wary gaze flicks to mine, and a flash of something that looks an awful lot like empathy crosses those stormy eyes. But I must be hallucinating because this is Antonio Ferrara, the man who stood by and allowed his father to do unforgivable things to his own brother.

“You should have let me wrap it,” he mutters as I attempt to walk past him, holding onto the wood-paneled walls.

“I don’t want anything from you but my freedom.” Without sparing him another glance, I hobble back to our seats.

The other guy, Pietro, eyes me as I limp by and sink into the cushy chair. Then his amused gaze pivots to Antonio behind me. “I thought you two got lost back there,capo.”

“Zitto,” he hisses.

The man’s smile evaporates, and he leans his head against the headrest. “By the way, I just heard from Salerno’s righthand man, he said if you can keep Sartori away from his territory, he’s ready to talk about an investment in the new restaurant complex.”

Wonderful, at least something has gone right today. If the rumors are true and Dante and Enrico have brokered a deal, now that I have Serena, I could force him to break it, weakening the Sartoris in the process.

The flight attendant appears, flashing a smile. “We’ll be landing in twenty minutes,signori.”

“Good.” I pivot my gaze to Pietro. “Is Nero already waiting at the airport?”

His head dips.

“Send him a message to call for Elena. We’ll require her services this evening upon our arrival at the estate.”

“Will do.”

I listen to their exchange with my eyes closed, pretending to zone out. Estate? There aren’t many of those in the city center of Milano. Where the hell is Antonio taking me? An escape from a city I know well is one thing, but from some small town in the periphery… that was another story all together.

CHAPTER 12

HURLED BACK IN TIME

Antonio

I spend the entire car ride watching Serena as she regards me with a bored expression. I underestimated her before, and it wouldn’t happen again. I thought that sprained ankle would slow her down, or perhaps the blatant warning about her beloved cousin would make her more tractable but she’s proven otherwise.

Now I’ve made the threat official, and I only hope she’ll behave. Somehow, I’m certain that won’t be the case.

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