Page 41 of Happily Ever After
Not Lex and I though. Wewillget us out of this mess.
We reach the top of the stairs and enter the deck. There is no sign of Rhia or Lex, but happy chatter comes from the kitchen.
Silas, Romero's sidekick, disappeared behind the house, presumably to ambush them from the back.
The guy holding me at gunpoint makes sure he and I are a few feet behind Ella and Romero who now enter the living area.
Rhia comes out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a tea towel.
"You were gone for ages. I nearly sent Lex out to go looking fo—" The last part of her sentence trails into nothingness when she spots Romero behind Ella.
"You're not the Reverend," she says and then notices her best friend's bound hands.
"Lex," she yells from the top of her lungs.
He rushes into the room, a knife in hand. Not sure if he was chopping veggies or grabbed it as a precaution hearing the alarm in Rhia's voice.
Romero promptly points his gun at Ella's temple.
Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm.
"Well, hello there," Niccolo says in his smug voice. "I suggest you drop the knife. We wouldn't want anything to happen to the bride, would we?"
I can see Lex assessing the situation. When his eyes land on me, I blink three times to signal to him that there are three of them.
Thank fuck he seems to understand and immediately turns toward the kitchen. But too late. We all watch as Silas walks through the door, his gun trained on our friends.
"Drop it," Silas repeats.
Lex does so without hesitation, then grabs Rhia's arm and shoves her behind him.
"Cute," Romero mocks with an exaggerated eye roll. "Always the protectors."
"Now, before we get to the fun of recovering the treasure you found, I think your two friends should get in costume like you two." He's speaking to Ella, pointing at her bound hands. "It's symbolic, isn't it? Though perhaps I should have tied you and your fiancé together."
"Max, why don't you help Mr. Burg get more comfortable sitting down," he tells the guy behind me, who's digging his gun into my ribcage.
"Sure, boss."
I'm certain I could overpower the guy, even with my hands bound behind my back. Lex could too, but neither of us is willing to risk our girls' lives, and Romero knows it. So, we play along… for now.
Max nudges me toward the small dining table and pulls out a chair, proceeding to duct-tape me to it. They do the same with Rhia and Lex, leaving only Ella standing.
"Shall we, Miss O'Neil?"
Without looking at any of us, Ella storms into the bedroom, Romero hot on her heels. But before he completely disappears, he turns around and winks at me, a suggestive smile on his face.
I growl loudly, trying to stand up with the chair attached to me. Silas and Max are quick to push me back down.
"Easy, tiger," they laugh, but I hardly hear them over the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears.
Ella is alone with this criminal.
All I see is red.
Chapter Seventeen
Ella
