Page 15 of Stealing His Christmas Present

I was out.

My heart still pounded like crazy in my chest as I hurried down the hallway. There were so many doors, but the one at the end was cracked open. Taking a peek through it first seemed like the safest option, so I padded toward it.

A dim stairway led up.

I climbed the stairs as quietly as possible and reached yet another door. When I tried the handle, I expected it would be locked.

But it wasn’t.

Hope filled my chest as I pushed it open.

I was in a huge empty room with a stone floor, and what looked like the front door was just across it. Carried by the adrenaline, I broke into a run.

Someone grabbed me from behind, lifting me off my feet.

I yelped, my heart jumping into my throat because I hadn’t seen anyone or heard anyone approach.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Pablo whispered into my ear, his warm breath tickling my ear and sending shivers down my spine. “You’re mine now, princess.”

“You?” I met his gaze as he spun me around, his grip on my arms tight and keeping me in place. “You kidnapped me?”

I was no match for him as I tried to get free.

A smile spread across his lips, his eyes filled with something I’d never seen before in them.

Rage. So much bottled-up rage.

“I said, you’re mine, and you’re not getting out of here.” He dragged me back the way I’d come.

“Don’t do this. Let me go. My family will find you and kill you. But if you release me now, there’s still hope for you.” I glared at him.

Why the hell was he doing this? What did he want from me? Or from my family? Did he not know both my family and the Lombardis would be looking for me?

“No, they won’t.” His cruel smile widened. “They don’t know where you are or who took you.”

“They’ll figure it out.” I gave him a defiant look as he yanked me with him downstairs.

He pushed me back inside the cell, and I barely managed to keep myself on my feet as he locked the door.

“No, they won’t,” he repeated, and pulled a phone out of his pocket.

He tapped his finger against the screen. The phone let out a static hissing sound.

“It’s those fucking traffickers!” Lorenzo shouted. “They have her.”

“Are you sure?” my dad asked.

“Yes. Who else would it be? We pissed off Benjamin Romano with our last move against him.”

“I agree,” Dante said. “We go after Benjamin and his thugs, and we’ll find her.”

Pablo turned off the recording.

My throat constricted. “What do you want? Your boss will be pissed when he finds out you kidnapped me. My family might be confused right now, but they’ll figure it out. They’ll come after you. All of you.”

“I don’t have a boss anymore. I’m the boss.” He grinned.

I stared at him. “You don’t have to keep me in here. I’m not an animal you need to keep in a cage, okay? Let’s talk like human beings, and whatever you want... I’m sure we can find a way to get it to you.”

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