Page 99 of Born into Mayhem
I flip the kill switch near the right handlebar grip and then try to start the engine. When nothing happens, I act like I have no idea what’s going on. I play the part of the distressed female on the side of the road, bending over to examine the bike. Since I don’t know much about mechanics, it’s easy to act confused. I lift the seat and poke a few wires, and then stop to look around and wipe the sweat from my forehead. Finally, I give up, hang my helmet from the handlebar, and rest my ass on the seat while I keep glancing up and down the road for help.
After a long, hot twenty minutes in the sun, I hear the faint rumble of an engine right before a white Porsche turns the corner and starts heading towards me. I sit up, and then I stand and start waving. The car slows down, creeping closer until stopping right in front of me. The dark, tinted window slowly comes down, and when I see Leonardo’s face, I let the acting begin.
“Thank you so much for stopping,” I gush and then point back at my Vespa. “I don’t know what happened. It just stopped working.” I look back at him and scrunch my brows together. “Wait, is that you, Mr. Fontana?” I smile even bigger and rest my hand on the side of his car. “You probably don’t remember me, but I’m Dario’s wife. We met at Claudio’s party.”
Leonardo grins, and I ignore the way it makes my stomach drop. His eyes run over me before he says, “Of course I remember you, Mia.” He glances behind me at the parked Vespa. “Why didn’t you call your husband to come and get you? I’m sure Dario would hate to know you’re out here all alone.”
I run a hand through my hair and give an embarrassed laugh before I do a little improvising on our planned story. “My phone was dead, so I left it charging.” I glance down at my feet before I add, “Please don’ttell him, but I kind of snuck out. He had to go and do something, and I was so bored at that giant house with just his parents, so I hopped on this bad boy and made my escape.” I give another laugh. “It didn’t work out like I’d planned.”
Moving my hand, I stand back up and give what I hope is a believable worried look. “He’s going to be so mad at me.”
Leonardo studies me a second before asking, “His men let you leave alone?”
“No,” I say with an easy smile. I can feel him getting suspicious, so I add, “My brother was with me, but once we were off the property, he went into town so he could meet some girl he met the other night.”
I look back at the sea and take in the beautiful sight. It’s not hard to act like the starstruck tourist when I say, “I wanted to drive along the coast. My brother and I are supposed to meet in an hour. Dario worries too much about my safety.”
Giving a soft laugh while mentally apologizing to the man I love, I add, “I mean, it’s not like he’s the don, right? Who’s going to come after me?”
Leonardo gives me a genuine smile at hearing me insult my husband and then nods towards my broken down Vespa. “I can’t leave you stranded on the side of the road. Why don’t I give you a ride into town so you can meet up with your brother?”
“Do you mind? I don’t want to inconvenience you or anything.”
He smiles even bigger and motions for me to get in. “It’s no trouble at all, Mia. I’m happy to help.”
My skin crawls at the idea of being in such a confined space with him, but I play theI’m just a silly girlroutine and give him a big, grateful smile before walking around and getting in. Even after the door shuts and I hear the lock click into place, I’m not worried about my safety. I’m armed, and I know how to keep myself safe. I’m also wearing at least two trackers that I know about. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Dario added a few more I’m not aware of. My unease isn’t based on fear; it’s based on the perv next to me. I remember how he’d looked at me. The only thing he sees when his eyes run over me is a way to hurtDario. I’m something to be used to make himself feel better, and I really hate men like that.
We start driving, and I’m all set to keep playing pretend, but now that Leonardo has me stuck in his car and thinks me defenseless, the bastard can’t help but start bragging.
“I really can’t believe my luck, Mia,” he says, looking over at me with a sick grin on his smug face. “I thought I’d have to find a way to break into that compound of his and steal you.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, because he might be blowing his cover, but I’m not about to blow mine. He still thinks I’m clueless and weak, and it needs to stay that way for as long as possible.
“It means you shouldn’t have come here.” He reaches over and rests his hand on my leg. I stare at it, and the disgust on my face isn’t an act. “It means,” he continues, “that he shouldn’t have brought such a stupid, naive wife into this life.”
I scoot closer to the door. “Can you let me out? I’ll just walk back and pretend like I never saw you. I don’t understand what’s going on, but I swear I won’t say a word.”
He laughs and squeezes my thigh harder, fingers digging in with a strength that guarantees I’ll have bruises. God, that’s going to infuriate Dario when he sees them.
“We’re way past that, sweetheart. I’d say I’m sorry you got messed up in all this, but I’m not. I’ve been trying to find a way to ruin Dario for years.” He pauses to give another laugh. “I never once thought the opportunity would be so goddamn fuckable, though. Tell me, sweetheart, is anything else pierced besides your tits?”
“Get away from me,” I tell him, but when I try to squirm away, he just tightens his grip, making it clear he doesn’t plan on letting me go anytime soon.
“I could lie and say you might enjoy this, but you won’t.”
“I never once thought I would, you sick bastard.” I yell the words, but I can tell it still hasn’t occurred to him that I might be a threat. His views on women will be his downfall, and I’d be lying if I said that didn’t warm my little heart.
“So you do have some fire.” He glances over and eyes me like he can’t wait to force himself onto me. “I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. I knew you would, though. Sweet girls don’t willingly have needles shoved through their nipples, Mia. You’re fucked up, sweetheart, and everyone knows it after the scene you two made at the party.”
“Fuck you,” I tell him, and it seems to thrill him to no end to get a glimpse of the pale flame he thinks I have inside of me. He has no idea there’s a burning inferno in here and he’s about to get burnt. “You’re nothing compared to Dario, and he’s going to kill you for daring to touch me.”
Leonardo’s eyes snap to mine, and I recognize the look. It’s the same one he gave at Claudio’s when Dario humiliated him.
“You’re pathetic,” I tell him. “Just a jealous little bitch of a man who’s been holding a grudge against my husband since you were kids. Why? Because he got more pussy than you? Because he was stronger? Smarter? Better at every single thing?” I give a harsh laugh, ignoring the way his fingers are like a vise on my thigh. “Fucking pathetic.”
“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” he growls, taking the next curve way too fast as his temper gets the best of him. “If your husband is so fucking smart, then why did he just walk his ass into a trap?”
My whole body goes still at his words. “What are you talking about?”
