Page 94 of Mafie Trials

“Hello there, my sweet girl. It is so good to see you on your feet and smiling again.”

She squeezes him tighter.

“Next time we go back to Russia, you’re coming with us. I won’t be spending that much time without you again. Got it?”

He nods and chuckles at her authority. They pull each other into one last embrace. I watch as the girl I’m learning to love opens her heart to another person that I can see truly cares for her. She rounds my desk and kisses me on the cheek before leaving.

“See you in an hour or so,” she calls back. She knows that’s way too long to be running this close to her recovery. A minute later, I get a text and find out why.

Princess: I’m not running for that long, Daddy. I want to go sit by the cliffs and breathe in the sea. Don’t worry.

Alexi: That’s my good girl.

I put my phone face up next to us should an emergency arise and get down to business with Angelo. I offer him a raise to help with the added labor. I will need him patrolling the water, and I also give him a bracelet that can be tracked. If he goes too long without checking in, I can review his movements and we will know if anyone breaks through. Evie has done a good job at keeping her uncle at bay, warning him that the island is on strict lockdown. I can only hope it’s enough to keep him away.

My phone starts ringing, Evie’s name popping up on the screen. I answer right away, assuming she wants one of us to pick her up after she pushed her run too far. But when I answer, the sound of a gunshot echoes through the line and a panicked voice rips my heart open.

“Cliffs. Now.” she says panting heavily.

Another shot rings through and I listen as it connects with her flesh, feeling as if it hit me too. “Motherfucker!”

That’s all I hear before the line goes dead.

Chapter 37

I remember thinking it was going to be a good day. We had plans nailed down with Arrow and got our new suite. I came downstairs to find the guys exploring, the girls moving in, and gave them all a wave as I headed out for a run. The one fucking time I actually put both headphones in to just enjoy the adrenaline rush in my veins, of course, is the time I need to be paying attention. Now I’m running through the dense forest that sits near the cliffs, clutching my arm where the asshat shot me.

I rub some blood on the bark, making it look worse than it is in hopes that I can trap the man chasing me and catch him off guard. I rip the bottom half of my new shirt that Alexi got me and tie it around the wound on my arm, careful to make sure the blood stops so I can set my trap.

Backtracking, I keep my steps even, making sure to sell the idea that I’m exhausted by adding knee prints here and there. I paint blood trails further down the bark as the path goes, so it looks like I’m having trouble staying upright.

I wore shorts today to make matters worse, so every branch and tall blade of grass is cutting at my flesh. My new tattoo hasn’t been messed up, but the asshole pissed me off far worse than he realized. Hell hath no fury like a woman who’s very protective over her new ink.

I work my way back and listen carefully. I can hear twigs snapping. He’s close by. I quickly scale the tree next to me and move above his line of sight just in time for him to fall into my trap. A maniacal smile stretches across his face when he sees the trail I created.

What a fucking idiot, believing everything right in front of him. He creeps forward, trying to keep his steps silent. I take the time to control my breathing and settle my heart rate back down so that I’m no longer panting for oxygen.

I dropped my phone when his shot grazed my arm, but I still have on my bracelet, which means my psycho, control freak of a boyfriend has all he needs to find me. Not that I need him, I just need his car to get the bastard to the shed once I take him down.

I wait until my attacker’s eyes are fully locked onto my trail as he creeps underneath me.

This is practically child's play for an assassin. Really, it’s like the men sent after me have no idea who I am. I trained with the best. Yet, they are all quick to assume I wouldn't know how to hide if I was really that injured. They believe I’d actually just lay down and lead them directly to me.

Fucking amateurs.

I jump down, allowing gravity to use all my body weight as I land on the back of his neck, knocking him out for just a moment. Long enough for me to grab the gun from him and toss it to the side. My knee goes firmly to the center of his back. Quickly, I get his hands secured behind him with the extra scraps of my shirt. I’m not usually attached to clothing, but the things my boys get for me are priceless, and this asshole ruined it.

My attacker tries his best to get out from under my weight, but I hold firm, adding extra pressure so his face is crushed into the dirt while I pull his legs up to effectively hogtie him. He pushes to the side, knocking me off balance and getting more dirt on my shirt.

“I’d really prefer not to kill you, but I will if you ruin another thing on this outfit.”

These shorts were cute, and I will not have his thrashing cause me to rip a hole in them. His body goes still underneath me just as the sound of many footsteps come racing towards me. I let out a breath I wasn’t aware I was holding and the moment Damien comes into view, I stand up, abandoning the man on the ground.

“Are you okay?” he asks urgently as Lev comes up behind him, a medical bag in his grip.

“I’m fine. Where did you get that?” I ask Lev.

He smirks at me. “I figured with you being a permanent part of my life this was going to be a necessity.”

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