Page 61 of Captured Innocence

“That’s not going to happen, Mattia.”

The truth was I needed manpower.

“Goddamn it. Then stay quiet,” I hissed, trying to catch my breath. We were lucky to be alive, but in truth, with the number of soldiers who’d suddenly appeared, we should dead by now, which led me to believe the enemy soldiers had been given direct orders to ensure both Sophia and I were left alive. If that was the case, it added more credence to the notion one of our own had betrayed us. The thought pushed my anger to an entirely surreal level.

Hearing nothing else, I jerked to my feet, grabbing her arm and dragging her backwards. Within seconds, she pulled away, ready to lay into me. Thank God a slight flash caught my attention or both of us would be dead. I lunged toward her, dropping her to the ground then firing off another round. The body dropped but not before the man’s itchy trigger finger popped several shots from his assault rifle into the air.

“Oh, God.” Her whimper sounded as if she was finally clueing into the fact this was no picnic.

Seconds later, I rolled over on my back, taking gasping breaths. Maybe I was getting too old for this shit. “You’re going to stop fighting me, Sophia. We have one last chance of getting out of here alive. Do you understand me?”

“I can take care of myself. Isn’t that obvious?”

“What’s obvious is that your reckless behavior stands a chance of getting us killed. Not on my watch. I will tie you down if necessary.”

Her laugh was coated with bitterness. “Try it, big boy.”

The girl had a boulder on her shoulder. Admiration aside, she’d already become a liability. I’d need to figure out a way to control her or our safety would be constantly placed in jeopardy. It was apparent that whoever had abducted had plans on using her to their advantage. It was my role to find out what and who the fuckers were. I’d heard different accents, several languages including English. For about a million reasons, I sensed she had a strong feeling about why she’d been taken.

My thoughts drifted back to the computers.

“Don’t push my buttons, Sophia. Not now. You’re fucking coming with us quietly and without any additional trouble. If you try and act out or handle this yourself, I will punish you.” I wiped sweat and dirt from my eyes, the oppressive heat taking a toll.

“Is that a threat?”

I struggled to my feet, yanking her by the arm. When she was crowded next to me, my body’s immediate reaction was exactly as it had been before. I had an instant hard-on. “Hell, no, princess. I thought you’d learned years ago that I never make threats. I only issue promises.”

“You mean like the one you issued when I was eighteen? The one you forgot all about?”

As soon as she’d spouted off the words, I could tell she regretted them. Was she unhappy, angry, or pissed at herself?

“Trust me, little girl. I will follow through. No matter how long it takes or how many fires I need to walk through. When I told you that you were mine, I meant it. No more fucking around. Come on.”

Thank God she didn’t continue fighting me as I dragged her through the forest to the waiting Humvee. At least something had gone right in that the vehicle we’d taken great pains in hiding was still where we’d put it.

“I checked the undercarriage. No bombs,” Vincenzo said then wiped his face. “Luis is inside. I don’t like this shit, boss. I think we’re about to be ambushed.”

Yeah, well, I didn’t like it either. In my mind, the entire setup had been a conversation starter and nothing more. When an enemy laid his cards on the table, that meant the situation would get bloody quickly. He or she meant to torment us, pushing us to our limits in hopes we’d become careless.

There was one certainty. The lovely woman who was soon to be my bride was being used as a pawn.

I’d locked down every business quickly prior to leaving but would need to put additional controls on them to ensure we wouldn’t be in for heavy losses. In my mind it was prudent to stop certain transactions at least for a waiting period. Lucia would also need to put a halt on the diamond business for the foreseeable future.

Why did I have the distinct feeling our actions up to this point had been calculated carefully? That kept my anger at peak level.

“Get in, princess.”

“You’re an arrogant SOB.”

At least the feisty girl made me snicker. “So fucking be it.”

She glared at me but followed my orders, still carrying the weapon she’d secured. Why was it that my goddamn balls ached from the sight of her carrying a gun? There was nothing sexier than a badass woman, especially when I hadn’t expected it.

However, what in God’s name had the girl thought she was doing? Sophia could have gotten herself killed. Whoever had trained her certainly wasn’t a part of the DeLuca family and I had no doubt D’Artagnan had no fucking clue either. What I did wonder was if her sister, Lucia, had been in on her sister’s training. That wouldn’t bode well for her marriage to my brother.

After climbing in, I didn’t waste any time powering through the trees at excess speed, heading toward our destination. Vincenzo sat next me ready to take on anyone who dared get in our way. We were exhausted, being taken by surprise taking a toll.

And we were out for revenge.

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