Page 98 of Luciano (Belles & Mobsters 1)

The fog in my brain started clearing, and I heard a small whimper, like a one from a wounded animal.Is someone crying?

And then sounds of the waves crashing against the shore. Why did it smell different than our little villa? I couldn’t hear any Italian words carrying on the breeze like I usually could. The smell of the sea was vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place it. It wasn’t Italy.

I kept my eyes shut too long, my brain and thoughts distorted. What was the last thing I remembered? The haze in my head made it hard to recall the events before I went to sleep.

Finally mustering enough strength, I forced myself to peel my eyelids open. The second I did, a severe headache shot through my temples. Through a blanketed, cloudy haze, my vision slowly cleared.

Darkness clouded my sight and waves of nausea hit me. I closed my eyes, focused on my breathing and forced down the bile in my throat back.

Concentrate on your surroundings, the facts.Peeling my eyes open again, a glimmer of the moonlight peeking through the small window highlighted the outline of the room. I focused on the moonshine, waiting for my brain to clear the fog sloshing through my thinking process.

Every corner of the room was enveloped in darkness, the moonlight unable to reach them. The room was warm, too warm, and a metallic smell invaded my nostrils. A small part of me recognized it but my brain was too slow to register it.

Blood.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I forced myself to remember how I got here. Anything from before…

Ella and I left the house, Luciano arguing with me about my outfit. Cassio was there too. They both wore tuxedos.The gala!

We went to my grandmother’s fundraiser. I played the piano and my uncle showed up. He threatened to have Roberto blow up Luciano’s mansion with his father in it unless I went with him and Grandma quietly. He didn’t mention Matteo, but my grandmother hinted to my little family. They knew about Matteo. I had no choice but to go with him or risk Matteo and his grandfather being killed.

Memories flooded back in a rush, and the choking fear was the only emotion lingering in my veins. Ella and I were hustled through the maze. I pulled the trigger on my grandmother. I killed her.

I think. I hope so.

Man’s hands around my throat, against my mouth, sharp prick into my neck. The pain. Ella’s screams. We were trapped - like a moth against the blinding light. Except this light would kill us.

Ella and I have been living on borrowed time.

Hushed murmurs penetrated my brain. I tried to move, but my body felt too heavy. Like I had been drugged. My heart thundered painfully, my skin felt clammy and cold, my head pounded.

Soft murmur and a whimper. A painful grunt escaped my lips, and I twisted my neck in the direction of the soft voices.

“Grace.” A soft whisper.Gabriella.

I blinked back my tears and forced myself to keep my racing heart together.She is alive.

Frantically, I searched out for the familiar face. I could hear her, but couldn’t see her. I scanned the darkness, and that’s when I spotted her. Ella’s small body slumped in the corner, her arms around her knees, her face pale and cheek bruised with long messy blonde hair surrounding it.

My chest squeezed. Ella was here; she was still breathing. Although right now, I wished both of us were dead. What awaited us was worse than death. I squeezed my eyes shut again, my body tired.Maybe this is a nightmare.

“Grace, please wake up,” a whimpered voice. I forced my eyelids open and found Ella’s honey gaze on me. We had to be strong. “Oh my gosh,” she cried softly. “I was so scared. You’ve been out for so long.”

I opened my mouth to comfort her but my throat was so dry, no words came out.

“Here, take a drink.” She crawled over to me, twisted and reached out to a single table in this prison of ours. Bringing a glass of water to my lips, she whispered, “Open your mouth.”

I did as she requested and sipped down some water. “Where are we?” I rasped the question.

“Benito King’s men got us. Do you remember?”

I closed my eyes again. Yes, I remembered but wished I didn’t. We were so stupid, made ourselves wide open for my family’s taking. My temples pounded so hard, making this headache unbearable. At least my grandmother was dead. Too bad we didn’t kill my uncle too, but he stayed behind when we pushed through the maze.

“I heard them say that your uncle is dead,” she whispered as if she heard my thoughts. “Luciano killed him.”

Relief.My uncle was dead and my husband finally got his revenge. And hopefully, my aim was deadly when I shot my grandmother. If only Ella and I didn’t have to pay with our own lives.

“More water, please,” I asked.

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