Page 48 of Tease

Arlo was going to hate me for this, but I couldn’t allow that to stop me. No one would change my mind. I was doing this for my father. He’d sought to protect his family by leaving the mafia life behind. So it only felt right that I take a leaf out of his book and protect my family too.

Seventeen

Arlo

Flipping the kettle on, I leaned against the counter and stared at the floor. I wasn’t sure what I could do for Rina right now. She didn’t want to talk. I could understand her need to go after Emmett, but I wasn’t about to allow her to do it alone. Zayn would kill me for putting his cousin in danger, not to mention my need to keep her safe flared in my chest.

I tugged out my phone and was just about to dial Zayn’s number when I heard a noise in the hallway. Frowning, I made my way over to the kitchen door because there was no one else at home except me and Rina. As I got to the door, I saw the front door clicking shut. It spurred me into action. I ran down the hallway and ripped the door open. Stepping outside, I looked left and right. A few feet down the street, I spied Rina diving into the back of a car before it pulled away.

“Fuck!”

I knew exactly what she was doing. Going after Emmett herself. I should have fucking known she wouldn’t wait. Rina was far more determined and resourceful than anyone gave her credit for. And I knew this was about her need to keep her family safe. She shared those protective instincts with Zayn. Those two were more similar than I realised. Every Villetti I knew had a reckless streak.

I rushed back inside, running upstairs to get the address Emmett had given her before I ran back downstairs and shoved my feet into my shoes. If I didn’t go after Rina right away, who the fuck knew what would happen. My need to protect her fuelled me, even though I knew going without backup was a huge risk. I didn’t have time to think about it, acting on pure instinct. Rina needed me. Emmett had made it very clear this whole thing wasn’t over. He was going to kill her. I was sure of that much. There was no fucking way I was allowing that to happen to the girl I adored with every inch of my being. We might not have been together long, but Rina meant the whole fucking universe to me. I couldn’t let her down.

Grabbing my keys, I flew out of the door, locking up behind me and running down the street to my car. I got in and turned the engine on before stabbing the address into the satnav. Then I set off, knowing I was only minutes behind her.

The whole way to our destination, I fretted about what would happen. It occurred to me I could have rung Zayn on the journey, but my thoughts were solely for Rina. Besides, it wasn’t even that far away either.

I pulled up outside a group of abandoned warehouses with graffiti sprayed across the sides of some of them and swore when I realised I had no idea which one they’d be meeting in. There was no sign of Rina. I would have to go searching and that would eat up precious minutes.

Reaching over to the glove compartment, I dug out my knives and stashed them in their hiding places. Then I got out of the car, slamming the door shut before I locked it and stuffed my keys in my pocket. Scanning the buildings, I wondered if there was a clue to where they were. I noticed one of the doors banging in the wind and immediately made a beeline for it. It might be super obvious, but there were no other signs of life, so I had to check it out.

I slipped in through the door as it opened and scanned the area. There were rows and rows of shelves as if this had once stored goods. The windows had been blacked out, so the light was low. I took one step forward when a voice echoed through the space.

“Didn’t think you would actually come alone.”

Keeping silent on my feet, I moved in the direction of the sound.

“I-I-I’m here, s-s-s-so you c-c-can s-s-start talking.”

My heart fucking hurt to hear her struggle to speak. I knew it would be tough on her, and I fucking hoped he wouldn’t comment on it. Rina had been through enough already. She didn’t need this fucker making her feel worse. I hated him for putting her through this. I sympathised with the fact his family was dead, but it didn’t mean he had any right to take it out on Rina.

“Oh, Rina, did you really think I asked you here to talk?”

“N-n-no, but y-y-you c-can tell m-me why y-y-you won’t let this go.”

I moved closer, trying to stay silent so as not to alert Emmett to my presence.

“He took my family away. I’m going to take his too.”

“That’s n-n-not going to b-bring them back.”

“Your family took everything from me. Every-fucking-thing. I should thank your cousin for ridding the world of Gennaro, but I don’t have it in me to be remotely grateful to anyone who calls themselves a Villetti. You’re all scum.”

As I got to the end of the shelves, I could see them through a gap. They were standing in the middle of a cleared area. Rina was far enough away from Emmett that she could run from him.

“You’re n-n-never going to s-s-stop.”

“No. I’m not. All of you deserve to die.” He drew a knife out of his pocket. “And I’m going to start with you.”

Rina looked between his face and the knife. Just as he took a step towards her, she turned and dashed away down past the shelving next to her. Thank fuck, my girl had some sense of self-preservation because coming here alone was a stupid idea. And I was just as stupid for not coming with backup. However, I wasn’t about to let him go after her.

I stepped out from behind the shelves, sliding my knife down from my sleeve.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” I ground out as Emmett looked ready to run after my woman.

He turned his head slowly. A smile spread across his face a moment later.

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