Page 55 of On Ice

“Can you give me the address?”

“I don’t know the address.” Sweat beads on my forehead. “I’m at Luca Barone’s home. You must know who that is, right? He’s… he’s in the syndicate. He’s the one holding me. Can you send someone quickly?”

“Luca Barone?” Her tone shifts slightly.

“Yes.” I hear a door slam somewhere in the house and my anxiety ramps. Is that Luca? Is he already searching for me? A chill runs through me when I hear voices in the distance. They’re not directly outside my door, but I feel like they’re getting closer. “They’re coming. You need to hurry.”

I’m going to die.

“Stay on the line,” she says. “We’re working on locating you.”

“So is he,” I whisper, fear shivering through me as the voices grow louder. I thought I’d have more time before they came for me. A feeling of doom descends over me as I realize there’s no way help will arrive in time. Luca will probably have me chopped into little pieces and buried in the garden before the operator even rolls a unit.

I should have killed Luca.

I made a critical misstep taking pity on him. His death would have bought me more time. Nobody would have found him immediately, which would have given the cops more time to arrive. But I fucked up and that will probably cost me my life. Luca was scary enough before I assaulted him. Now he’ll show me no mercy.

Terror ripples through me and I stumble deeper into the dark room, searching for somewhere to hide. The voices are definitely coming closer with every passing minute. There are stacks of canvases, some leaning against the walls. I slip behind one large canvas, praying if they come in the room to look for me they’re not thorough.

“Is someone coming to help me?” I hiss into the phone impatiently.

“We have a unit on the way.” The operator’s voice is strained. “Please stay calm and remain on the line.”

“I’m trying to be calm but I’m running out of time.” I put my hand over the speaker of the phone, and consider turning it off. If Luca’s men come in the room she could give my location away by talking. But knowing she’s on the line gives me a scrap of comfort. Surely he wouldn’t murder me with her on the phone listening, right?

I listen to the thump of footsteps moving through the big house. There are now multiple voices and doors opening and slamming shut. I feel like puking I’m so scared and my thigh muscles burn from holding my crouching position. It goes through my mind to call my brother and father to say goodbye. But I don’t want to get them involved in this mess.

God, what will happen to Mom if I die?

I fucked up really bad. I should have planned better before making a move against Luca. I needed to get a phone somehow, but I didn’t think this through. I panicked when I heard him coming into my room and impulsively attacked him. In hindsight, that was foolish. He’s not going to let this slide. I’m already confused about why Luca kept me alive this long, but attacking him will be the last straw.

The door to the room opens and raw panic swamps me. Sweat streaks down the side of my face as I listen to someone enter the room. My heart is pounding so hard, I feel nauseous. I’ve never been so scared in my life. I hear the person moving slowly around the room, shifting canvases. Their breathing is jagged but the way they search methodical. I’d hoped maybe they’d make a cursory search of the room and leave, but no such luck.

Someone else enters the room, joining the first person. “No sign of him outside,” they say gruffly.

The first person grunts. “Yeah, I know. It’s because he isn’t outside.”

My terror increases as I recognize Luca’s voice. I clench my hands into fists because he’s coming closer. The amount of adrenalin pumping through my veins might kill me. I’m shaking like a jackhammer because there’s nowhere for that jolt of energy to go. My blood pressure is probably high enough to pop my head off and send it to the fucking moon.

In normal circumstances, I don’t back down from a fight. I’m a big guy and I’m strong. But I can’t take on a bunch of guys by myself and I know Luca has an army at his disposal. Not to mention the weapons they have. They don’t even need to fight me. They can just put a bullet in my skull and be done with it.

“You can leave, Matteo.” Luca sounds eerily calm. “And keep the men out.”

“You want me to leave?” Matteo sounds confused.

“Yeah. I want privacy.” His voice is only a few feet from me now. “Evan and I need to have a serious discussion.”

Fuck.

He knows I’m in here.

There’s no point in hiding. Gritting my teeth, I push up onto my feet. I refuse to be crouched down in fear when he reaches me. No fucking way I’m kneeling at Luca’s feet in terror. I’d rather die standing on my own two feet, looking the bastard in the eyes.

While the room is dark, there’s enough moonlight coming through the open curtains that I can see Luca’s face. He’s closer than I even realized. His expression is cold. Emotionless. His eyes glitter like obsidian. The other man still hovers near the door. He’s huge, all muscle and aggressive energy.

He takes a step further into the room, and Luca snaps, “I said get the fuck out, Matteo.”

“But boss—”

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