Page 11 of Broken Princess

At first, I tell myself I'm being paranoid. I keep walking, but then I see a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye further up ahead.

Okay… he's definitely following me.

My heart quickens at the realization. My first instinct is to head home as quickly as possible, but I quickly dismiss that. I don't want this creep knowing where I live. And in a city as big as this, I highly doubt calling the police to explain that I think someone might be watching me on a public street is going to go super well.

Especially not considering the fact that I am a mob boss's daughter. The rules apply differently for people like us, even if the chances of me being connected back to Dad are slim. They're still there.

Okay, I really need to calm down. I need to think logically about this.

If this guy is watching me, and I don't recognize him from Adam, that means someone paid him to do it. The most likely suspects are clearly my dad or Lorenzo. If that's the case, he's not going to hurt me. But if they know where I live, my freedom is as good as gone.

There is another, even more troubling possibility, which is that Lorenzo was right and someone else has figured out where I am. Someone who has reason to want to hurt me, or at the very least, to get at my father through me.

No matter how unlikely that seems, I can't discount the possibility, so I know I have to play it safe, even if it does mean risking my newfound freedom.

I take a deep breath and turn down the opposite street. Exhausted as I am, the safest bet is to go to a crowded place and wait out my stalker while I figure out what to do next.

I still can't believe I'm having to deal with this shit. I barely even got settled in and haven't had nearly as much time to catch my breath as I would like. Best-case scenario, if it is one of Lorenzo's goons, now I have to worry about how to get him off my back.

Worst-case scenario, well… I don't even want to think about it right now. I don't have the emotional bandwidth.

A glance over my shoulder reveals that this guy is still following me. Holy shit, he's persistent. Maybe he really does work for Lorenzo.

I reach into my bag for the pepper spray I keep in it, realizing I might have the chance to use it sooner than later. The street is quieter than I would like, but the fastest way to a more populated area is through an alleyway up ahead. I've cut through it a few times, going around town, since it leads behind a small cluster of shops and restaurants.

Shit. Going into an alleyway is just about the last thing I want to do, but the street behind me is not exactly bustling this time of day, and the guy was moving fast last time I saw. I'm sure he's made even more headway now.

Really wishing I had considered packing more heat than just pepper spray for the trip.

In a split-second decision, since I can hear his heavy footfalls on the sidewalk behind me, I run into the alley and tell myself I'm just going to get through it as fast as possible. And screw my earlier trepidations, I'm going to the police.

A second after I round the corner, I hear it. The click of metal. I'd know that sound anywhere, even if my only experience with it is on TV.

A gun. And it's pointed right at the back of my head.

CHAPTER 6

AMELIA

"Don't make a sound, or I'll shoot," warns an unfamiliar man's voice.

I can feel the barrel of the gun pressing harder against my head and swallow instinctively. There is a lump in my throat I can't even begin to dislodge.

Is this really happening?

I raise my hands, but they're already trembling.

"Hands down," he growls. "Act natural and do what I tell you. Start walking."

I nod shakily, putting one foot in front of the other, all the while trying to wake up from whatever awful nightmare this really is.

The feeling of terror and the gun now pressed to my back are all too real, though. I keep walking further into the alleyway as my attacker pushes me forward. He nudges me to turn the corner, where a car is waiting at the curb.

My heart starts beating like a drum in response to the command. I know well enough what a bad idea it is to let anyone take you to a secondary location, but a quick glance around reveals that there's no one anywhere close. I could scream, but that could be a mistake that turns fatal.

I have to think about this logically. There's no way this is just a run-of-the-mill mugging. It's too much of a coincidence.

This has to be about my father, which means these guys aren't just going to kill me. They probably want to use me as ransom, if not bait, and my life might well depend on them thinking I'm a hell of a lot more important to my father than I really am. If they just wanted to kill me, they’ve had plenty of chances already.

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