Page 41 of Unbreakable Connection (Connections Duet)

“You’re welcome, and I’m sorry about this,” he gestured to the rope. “I can’t take any chances of you escaping before your man arrives to rescue you. Isn’t that what you’re hoping will happen? I’m sorry to destroy the fantasy, but that will not happen. You see, he spilled blood on my family, which I need to avenge.”

“The car bombing, was that you?”

“Yes, an unfortunate mistake on my part, and one I’m sorry for. How do you say? The right frame of mind? I acted impulsively. I thank the stars you weren’t hurt.”

“Oh, my god! The right frame of mind? You are out of your fucking mind because any rational person would not have done what you have. I was hurt, and so was Kyle, and you’re hurting me right now. I’m sick and need medicine. I doubt I can walkfrom one side of the room to another, so why do you bound me like this? Please, if you care about me, you will let me go.”

“Why would I do that when holding you here is so much fun? I promise you, sweet Cara, once I kill Edric George, I will take you far away from here, and soon, you’ll forget and start a new life with me.”

“Paolo, you must listen to me, please?” I begged him until my voice became hoarse, and he finally looked at me. “I trusted you to safeguard my clinic and the staff. We were friends, and now I’m bound to a chair, begging for my life. What is the end game here? Because if you don’t already know, let me summarize it for you. You will not come out of this alive; deep down inside, you must realize that. You may believe you have it all figured out, but Edric is better, and he will not hesitate to take you down to save me. Please, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“You are a liar and would say anything to save that pretty ass of yours; maybe I should go a few rounds with you before your beloved arrives.”

“Over my dead body, will you have a chance to touch me?”

“We shall see beautiful Cara; I can wait a little longer.” He crouched before me, touching my face and proving his point that he could while I was in no position to fight back. “You see, no one is here to stop me,” he mockingly said as his hand glided down my chest to my breasts. He was making my skin crawl.

“Stop it!” I shouted and then spat right in his face. He hauled back and slapped me across my cheek in a knee-jerk reaction, making my head snap back. I tasted the copper on my lip, knowing it had split wide open from his assault.

“Don’t make me angry; it’s not you that I want to hurt.”

“What about those boys that you brought into the clinic? Did you mean to hurt them?”

“They were a means to an end, and it gave me just the right amount of attention to bring your man back here.”

“You honestly believe you are the one who brought Edric back to me? You are more delusional than I first believed. The only reason why Edric returned to Italy was for me, and anything beyond that fact is not true. If he had been aware of the violence surrounding my clinic, he wouldn’t have waited four months to come for me. You were the one that brought death to my doors because there were never any rival gangs in the province. Right?”

“No, not a single one.”

“Then why, Paolo? I don’t understand. You speak in riddles but tell me nothing. What is your real motive for kidnapping me? You said earlier that blood had been spilled. Who was it?” I watched his expression change coldly, and then he walked over to the door, and before opening it, he turned back to look at me.

“He killed my brother, the only family I had left,” he whispered, lowering his head. “Others convinced me that my brother died by his oath, and it satisfied me for a time, but then his killer showed up one day and took another person I love away from me. So I vowed to stop him, and I will, beautiful Cara.”

“Who did he take from you?” I could barely voice the question since I couldn’t stop shaking.

“Don’t you know?” he asked in a menacing tone.

“No, I don’t know, and I certainly don’t understand this,” I shouted back at him.

My outburst didn’t bother him, and he grabbed my chin again and said, “It’s you, sweet Cara. You see, at first, I wanted a life for a life and to spill blood in return for what I lost. So, I would wake up each day and sleep at night, dreaming of ways to make Edric suffer for killing my brother. But then I realized once I did that, it would only be a fleeting moment of enjoyment. And, I came up with something better.”

“Me? I was the better idea?”

“Hmm, and what a sweet idea you are.” He touched my face, causing me to feel sick.

“How? When I’ve never given you anything but friendship? If you believe I will ever return your feelings, you are completely out of your mind. I love Edric, and he will find me and kill you for hurting me.”

“Hmm, I’ll take your warnings under advisement, but don’t worry, sweet Cara, I’ll take my chances.” He touched me again and then walked out, leaving me in this disgusting and dirty room. “I must leave you now, but I promise it will all be over soon. Once it is, I will take you far away from here. As for loving me? I’m a patient man, Cara, and you will learn to love me in time. If not, I will have to take a different approach you may not like.”

The minute he left the room, I began to cry and silently pray for Edric.Please find me and get me out of here.I had no idea how long I’d been here. I couldn’t feel my arms; although the restraints were looser on my legs, they were numb too. I looked for anything in the room to help me out of this chair, and then I spotted a piece of jagged metal sticking out of the wall. I just needed to get over there and somehow use it to cut me out of these ropes. Against all odds, I was determined to free myself and fight with everything I had left.

My parents never gave up and fought for their lives until the end, and I would be no different. They live and breathe inside me, and I will fight no matter what. I bounced up and down until the chair began moving forward, not knowing how much time I had before Paolo returned. Once close enough, I shoved forward with all my might and fell to the cold and damp ground. I inched closer and closer until the metal was against my wrists. Finally, I could move just enough to begin cutting through the ropes and prayed I wouldn’t slice my wrists open.

I could feel the blood trickling down my arms, but I was almost free. I jerked my body until my hands snapped apart, and then I quickly untied my legs. I leaned against the chair for support until I stood on my two feet. I felt weak and shaky but was free, and now it was time to get out of this place. The door was locked, but there was a window that I could climb out of and run for help.

In a life-or-death experience, you somehow find the remarkable strength to do the impossible; this was mine. I hoisted myself up and forced the seal open just enough to get through. I made it out and was in total darkness, forcing myself to rely on my instincts. I didn’t know where I was or what dangers awaited me, but anything was better than Paolo. I knew I could run fast, and I would use whatever energy I had left to escape.

Please, Edric, find me before it’s too late.I prayed silently to myself and then heard the sounds of gunshots and a warning to stop, but I didn’t and continued running for my life.

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