Page 3 of Unruly Obsession
LORENZO
Lily freezes like a deer in headlights, and I pull her behind me just before the car that was aiming for her gets to where she was standing. I pull out my gun and shoot once. I’m already running toward the car as the impact of the shot blows out the back tire, and the car fishtails before hooking the next corner and then rolling.
The car lands on its roof, and there’s only a moment of silence before someone from the vehicle starts shooting. I dart for the closest tree, cursing as I look back toward Lily.
“Stay behind the tree!” I order her. She’s terrified, in a daze, her face stricken. Fuck me, it’s probably the first time a princess like her has ever seen a gun go off that isn’t aimed at a flying plate. “Lily!” I yell again, trying to get her attention. Another shot barely misses my shoulder, and I pull in tighter behind the tree. I look toward the villa.Fuck, I can’t waste much time here. What if they’ve ambushed the Armanis as well? I need to get to the boss.
When I look back at Lily, I’m relieved that she’s tucked herself farther behind the tree. Her chest rises and falls in that blinding pink bikini. The moment she’s out of harm's way, Iround the tree and take two shots. The first is at the driver's hand, holding the gun aimed at us. He’s hanging upside down from the seat belt, screaming as he drops the weapon and clutches at his now-useless hand. I aim the second shot at the back of the knee of the other asshole trying to run away from the car. He buckles, immediately hitting the ground.
The man who is trapped in the car continues to scream as he awkwardly tries to unbuckle himself. The other one, however, smiles like a crazed man, and I realize too late, as I point the gun at him, that I won’t be taking anyone with me to interrogate. He shoots three times at the belly of the exposed car, hitting the fuel tank.
Suicide.
No evidence.
No survivors.
The car explodes, and I’m thrown back from its heated blaze, hitting a nearby tree. Hard. My back and head smack against it, and I drop, disoriented. Ringing pierces my ears as I shake my head once and then twice, trying to gather my bearings as quickly as possible.Are there more? More cars? More intruders?
My vision fades in and out as I stand, pushing through the inconvenience.
A faint voice in the distance creeps in through the fog in my brain, but I focus only on the threat that’s evaporated into flames. Lily comes into my peripheral vision, and I realize it must’ve been her calling out to me.Damn it, she was meant to stay exactly where I told her to hide.
I immediately pull her in and behind me, adrenaline taking its course and surging me back to life. We need to get back to the villa. I grab her hand and begin to run toward the grassy path. I glance back over at the car; now it’s nothing but a bonfire, with nearby trees catching fire. I stop at the second figure, theone who was thrown as far as I was from the explosion. When I flip him over, there’s barely anything to identify. He’s scorched and smells like melting flesh, and I know immediately without checking his pulse that he’s dead.
Fuck.
We have to keep moving.
“Is he…?” Lily’s small voice trails from behind me, and before I can even look at her, she’s vomiting into the well-trimmed grass.
Fuck me. I don’t have time for this.
I throw her over my shoulder, well aware she’s still vomiting and uncomfortably trying to squirm off me, but I don’t give a flying fuck. My objective is to reach Luca and Ara. It’s just good fortune that Lily weighs barely anything and doesn’t hinder my speed.
Within only a few minutes, I’m pointing my gun at someone who approaches, until I realize it’s one of our own men.
I’m quick to update him in our native Italian tongue. We don’t have many men on the grounds, but fortunately, because of Ara’s pregnancy, Luca has been more reasonable in my demand for heightening security. Two more members of the security team race down the hill as I run up and am greeted by Luca, who stands at the opening of the French doors that overlook the usually serene view of his private beach. Now it’s in chaos, with flames spreading quickly.
“What the fuck happened?” Luca demands, the muscle in his jaw ticking. “One car did all of this?”
“Yes, sir,” I inform him as I see Ara pacing behind him, two guards at her back.
“Lily!” Ara snaps into motion, and I’m reminded that Lily is still hanging over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I’m quick to put her down, but her legs go weak, still dependent on me to hold her up, seemingly nothing but an incoherent, pale-lookingdoll. Her sarong has long been lost, and she looks shell-shocked as she stares at nothing in particular, goose bumps all over her skin. She keels over and vomits again, this time right on my fucking shoes.
“What happened?!” Ara demands as she runs to her friend's side, and it’s the first time I’ve seen the boss's wife reveal any form of panic. A woman like Lily Taylor isn’t cut out for this type of world, and I’m not surprised whatsoever that within a split second, her world has been flipped upside down as she discovers that stories of boogeymen under her bed are, in fact, living and breathing things.
“There was a man…” Lily says quietly. “Am I dreaming right now?” she asks Ara, looking up almost pleadingly. My jaw tightens, because despite my being desensitized to these types of things happening, I pity her and feel guilty for not entirely being able to shield her from seeing the ugliness of a world she most likely didn’t even know existed.
But the only thing that matters is my boss's safety and his next direct order. I report quickly, still holding the shivering woman up.
“We can’t stay here, Luca,” Ara insists. “Look at Lily.”
Luca reluctantly turns his attention to Lily, and I can tell without him even saying it that he doesn’t give a flying fuck about her—he only cares about his wife and unborn child. I’m also certain he doesn’t want to elaborate that this "babymoon" was also meant to provide him time to check on business on his own turf. I think this is enough of an answer as to how his return has been received.
But who the fuck would be so bold? The Armanis own this territory. Anyone to attack him on his own property is idiotically audacious.
“The car definitely swerved for Lily, possibly mistaking her for Ara since they were attacking on Armani property. I’ll gatherinformation as to who is behind this. Give me more men, and we can flip every corner of the families and?—”
