Page 65 of Cruel Heir

The man laughs, his hand on my arm tightening, and I feel that icy fear creeps into my bones.

“You’re no virgin, prettyprincipessa,” he murmurs, his voice a lustful snarl. “And no one will know the difference, when we bring you back.”

“My father will once I tell him.” I try to jerk free again, even asfear threatens to turn me to liquid. The sound of Andre’s once-hated nickname for me on this man’s lips makes me want to be sick. “I’ll tell him, and then—”

Another laugh, and the man drags me up against him, close enough for me to feel the hard outline of his cock through his fatigues. “Something tells me your father isn’t going to think too much of your word these days,principessa,” he growls. His hand fists in my hair, the other reaching for my ass, and then—

Blood and things thicker than that spray over me in a hot, sickening splatter that sends me reeling backward, just in time to realize that there are no hands holding me any longer. The man who was gripping me a moment ago crumples downwards, a mass of shattered skull and meat where his face was a moment ago. I tumble toward the other four, but they’ve already whipped toward the gunfire, and I fall hard to the floor. My chin smacks against it, my teeth clacking together, and pain lances through me.

“Staydown, Lucia!”

Andre’s voice cuts through the air, a furious lance. This time, I obey, keeping myself flat against the floor as deafening gunfire fills the air, and I feel another spray of heat across my shoulders, soaking through my robe. More bodies hit the floor, and I bury my face against the backs of my hands, shaking in a way that feels as if it will never stop.

Someone grabs me, and I jackknife against their hold, screaming. Fear tears through me, blurring my thoughts and making it impossible for me to think of anything but escape, even as a voice tries to soothe me. I don’t realize that it’s Andre until he turns me, his gaze searching mine wildly.

“Are you hurt?” he demands. “Lucia, are you hurt?”

My knee is aching, and my jaw burns, and my teeth hurt, but none of that is what he is really asking, so I shake my head. He stares at me as if he’s never seen me before, and then before I can utter a word, he scoops me into his arms, shouting a command that barely registers through the ringing in my ears as he carries me up the stairs.Below, I can still hear the fighting, and I remember, dimly, how I got caught in the first place.

“Celeste—” I mumble, and Andre’s face darkens.

“More of my allies are here. She’ll be safe.”

“Are you sure—” The look on his face tells me that he’snotsure, but I can also see that he cares about nothing other than me at this moment.

“What I’m sure of is that you disobeyed me.” His voice is a whip crack, and for a moment, I feel a sinking sense of horror, a feeling that Andre has gone back to the man he was before. That all of this meant nothing, after all. That he’s going to punish me for my disobedience, and nothing will have changed.

He pushes open the door to the bedroom, kicking it closed as he carries me in, all the way to the bathroom. I push at his chest, frantic, as I come back to myself out of the haze of fear and pain.

“Celeste, the others—Andre, my father’s men, they’ll follow us up here—”

“No, they won’t.” He sets me down, his gaze raking over me again as he starts to strip away my clothing. “Amalfi, Di Falci, Luisi, their men are here. Your father’s men will be finished, even if it takes a little while to hold the mansion against them. Your maid will be safe, and—”

“What about Gaeta?” I stare up at Andre, confused—and more than a little horrified at the thought that he might have lost one of his allies. Once, the idea that his force wasn’t strong enough to stand against my father would have bolstered me. Now, it’s terrifying.

“His wife was the one who found your pills,” Andre says sharply. “He had her spying, I believe now. Looking for cracks in my plan, proof as to whether or not I was worth allying with. He did not answer the call for men to help, which suggests—”

“He’s broken your alliance.” It hits me like a weight. “Andre—”

“You are not going to worry about this tonight.” He stalks to the shower, wrenching the tap angrily to turn on the hot water. “Youdisobeyedme! You could have been killed—” He shakes his head, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. “What were you thinking—”

“I thought my father would be here,” I whisper, and that last small hope that my father is not the man that Andre told me he was comes crashing down. “I thought he would come to see this through. I thought I could convince him—”

Andre stares at me as if he’s never seen me before. “Ofwhat? To let me go?” He shakes his head, as if he can’t believe how foolish I’m being. Shame rips through me, because Iwasfoolish to think that—that my father would deign to show up here instead of having Andre and I brought to him.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “All I could think was that you were in danger, and that there might be something I could do to help. I’m so sorry—”

Andre looks down at me, his jaw working for a moment, as if he’s swallowing back his anger. And then he puts a hand on my back, turning me towards the shower. “It’s all but over now,” he says. “As soon as Antonio—”

I hear the sound of the door opening, and I go stiff, fear coursing through me. But it’s Antonio’s voice that carries through the room, calling to Andre from a respectful distance.

“Don Leone. It’s all clear downstairs. I’ll debrief you when you’re ready to come down.”

“Give me a few minutes!” Andre calls back, and he turns to look at me, his gaze sweeping over me as if he doesn’t see the gore I’m covered in—only me. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” he says quietly. “And back in bed.”

My stomach roils with nausea as I strip away my blood-soaked clothes. Andre hovers, his gaze watchful, as if he’s waiting to see some injury or other proof that some of the blood is mine. My jaw feels tender, and I have a feeling it will be bruised by the morning, as will my knee.

“I have to go down and talk to Antonio.” Andre looks hesitant, as if he doesn’t want to leave my side. “I’ll be back up before long,dolcezza. Wait here for me.” The words come out as a command, but a moment later, he adds softly, “Please.”

---