Once upon a time I’d allowed the woman I’d fallen hard for to slip from my fingers. That would never happen again.
Sophia Lazarro had always been mine.
I stared at him for a few seconds then nodded. “I’ll leave within the hour. And don’t worry, Dar. I will bring Sophia home.”
Even if I had to burn down Paris to do so.
CHAPTER 15
Two days earlier…
Sophia
Panic.
I’d been prone to panic attacks for several years, hiding them behind a fake smile and a pretense that I was a good girl while my insides were churning. There were always reasons for me to look over my shoulder, less in the recent months, but that didn’t mean I didn’t follow my instincts. Every. Single. Time. At least usually. Why did it suddenly feel as if I’d gotten too careless?
After all, I came from a wealthy, dangerous, and brutal family with dozens of enemies in every corner of the world. Yet I refused to remain a pampered pet, living behind closed and locked doors in Italy. Paris was the only city where I wanted to live. At least it was far enough away from my past.
And someone I was determined to hate.
Just thinking about Mattia and his possessive nature made me cringe and my heart flutter at the same time. I hated him. I wanted him. The dichotomy continued to drive me crazy even after all these years. He’d wanted control over me. I’d refused. He’d been my first.
And my last.
Maybe that meant he had control after all.
I glanced into the rearview mirror, trying to keep my wits about me as I weaved through heavy traffic.
My father had tried to protect me, as much as the savage beast could do. My sister had hidden me away from as many horrors as possible with our family. And the bodyguards who’d remained with me over the years had been a shield from assassins and other thugs. Sadly, they’d both retired, the two new guys about as animated as concrete statues. Still, they’d provided a level of comfort, two shadows allowing me to enjoy my life.
Now I almost wished that I’d allowed Mattia to keep his men in the background. Shit. Why was it that any time I felt uncomfortable or worried that I was in danger, the larger-than-life man rushed into the forefront of my mind? I’d shoved him out of my life completely after realizing he’d entered into business with my father years before.
Or so it had seemed even though it had never been confirmed. However, what Lucia had told me about when D’Artagnan had lost his family had been enough to enable me to realize the man was pure evil.
Too bad my body continued to crave him.
I shoved aside the thoughts, forced to accept he wasn’t here to save me. I had to do so by myself. I’d trained for this, had worked hard to maintain an anonymous persona, known as the Spider for my ability to get inside the most secure computer systems. While I adored working with art, my bread and butter was working in the middle of night, hired by various sources to hack into mainframe systems. My fee was significant, but there were plenty of people willing to pay the exorbitant sum. I’d gone to great lengths to maintain my anonymity, including leaving clues every so often that had allowed a magical mystery identity to form across the dark web.
I was seen as a man living in the United States. Even the Feds believed that to be the case.
But there was something wrong. I was certain of it. As if I’d been discovered. How? If I was right, there wouldn’t be any second chances. I’d played a game of Russian roulette and this could be the last bullet in the weapon.
My skin crawled from the knowledge, tremors skating through my system. As I glanced into the rearview mirror again, I didn’t see the SUV that usually followed behind. While my bodyguards had been told in no uncertain terms to keep their distance, this was ridiculous. I’d tried calling both numbers provided in a case of emergency. The calls had gone straight to voicemail.
I had to get back to my apartment where I kept a weapon. I didn’t hesitate to jam my foot down on the accelerator, trying to keep my wits about me as I drove through the streets of Paris. I loved everything about the city including the festive atmosphere, the food, and the Parisian people. While I missed being in Italy where I grew up, especially my sister Lucia, I’d been there so rarely that I considered France my home now.
Liar. Liar.
The little voice hadn’t pestered me in months. Okay, so I was lying to myself, doing my best to keep my distance from Mattia. If I didn’t, I wasn’t certain I would be able to keep my resolve around him.
College was far behind me, but I’d parlayed both the significant time spent away from my family and my education into a multimillion-dollar regime of my own. I didn’t need the family fortune or their connections, enjoying all that Paris had to offer. Unfortunately, I sensed it was all coming to a crashing halt. Maybe I’d been living in my bubble for far too long, refusing to acknowledge that dangers existed all around.
Especially for a girl from a savage family.
My thoughts drifted to Mattia again. The man had been a shadow in my life until recent years. I’d grown accustomed to seeing him on corners and inside bistros. It had been almost a game of cat and mouse. Now even he wasn’t here to protect me.
My breathing labored, I did everything I could to keep from fainting, which is what happened when I was overwrought. My fingers were white knuckled around the steering wheel as I drove, ignoring the speed limit. I was shocked that I didn’t once see the SUV trailing behind as usual, just another day in my life, their service done without complaining.