Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 105734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
I decline his invitation, taking a step back. He accepts my challenge, walking inside along with three of his bodyguards. The apartment isn’t big enough for all of us, and the bodyguards must shuffle around to find room.
Harlan puts his gun down now that I’m outnumbered. Sofia stands up, reaching for my hand. I supply it for her, easing her back into a corner because it’s the only place out of reach of Andretti’s goons. I place myself right in front of her, providing the only protection I can now.
“And this must be the girl who has been causing so much trouble,” Andretti exclaims. He shifts his center of balance so that he can see Sofia clearly.
She puts a hand on my shoulder, and I can feel her heartbeat through her palm. I know she’s scared, but she’s doing a great job of holding it together. I’m not afraid, only angry. I wish there was a way to seize Harlan’s gun and turn it on our attackers. I wouldn’t mind killing them all right where they stand. I could ask my father for the cleaners’ phone number when I’m through.
“Don’t talk to her,” I snap.
“Why?” Andretti asks, breaking eye contact with Sofia so he can threaten me. “What are you going to do about it?”
“I’m going to kill you and your men,” I swear, sounding just like a blockbuster action hero without the special effects.
Andretti laughs. “Good. You get right on that. In the meantime, I’m going to tell you what is really going to happen.” He pauses, looking around at the apartment as if seeing it for the first time. “Crowded here,” he observes.
“I guess I don’t pay her enough to get a real apartment,” Harlan jokes.
Sofia digs her fingernails into my shoulder, not amused. I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that they’re going to kill us, or that they insist on insulting us beforehand. Either way, I’m going to make them pay.
“So, you followed in your brother’s footsteps,” Andretti muses. He’s talking through me now, as if I don’t even exist. “Well, you’re going to experience everything he did, in exactly the same way.”
“I told you not to talk to her,” I growl. There’s not a damn thing I can do about it, but I’m furious that he insists on trying to scare my girl. “You have to deal with me.”
“Yes,” Andretti says, taking a step closer. That’s as far as he can come without bumping into me. “I’m surprised you allowed yourself to be taken hostage twice.”
“It’s all part of my plan,” I respond.
“Interesting plan,” Andretti replies. “If you wanted to die, why not just let me finish you off the first time?”
“I’m trying to draw you out in the open,” I say, hoping to sew a seed of doubt in his mind.
“Clever,” he says, not taking the bait. “But I don’t believe you. I think you followed your prick over here, in the hopes of saving your little girlfriend. Lucky for me, I get to kill two birds with one stone.”
“I think it’ll take two stones, boss,” one of the henchmen says.
Carlo glares at him, obviously upset that his wit isn’t appreciated. He turns back to me, giving me a lazy smile. “I’m going to enjoy getting my revenge on you before I go after your father.”
“Why do you care so much?” I ask.
“Your stepmother’s family killed my brother,” Andretti responds.
“You’re still hung up on that?” I say, hoping to buy us some time.
Andretti snarls and punches me in the gut. It hurts like the devil, but I’m trying not to show it. My torso doubles down though, due to the strength of the blow. It’s not something I can control as the wind leaves my throat in a rush.
Sofia screams, wrapping her arms around me desperately. It seems like we might not make it out of this after all. I can’t continue my act of bravado if all they’re going to do is beat me to death. I realize that there might be something worse than being killed after all. What if this is just the beginning of a long and torturous experience? What if Andretti manages to do everything he plans? I suddenly find myself hoping that my father stays far away. At least then I wouldn’t drag the entire family down with me.
CHAPTER 38
SOFIA
The moment Carlo Andretti lands his punch, I feel something break loose within me. I’ve been walking on eggshells since Harlan trapped me in my home, but now it all seems pointless. They’re going to kill someone I really care about, not with guns or weapons, but with their bare fists. I can see it all playing out a moment before it happens.
Frankie doubles over. He’s not the kind of mafia strongman that Andretti’s goons are. He may or may not be intimately involved in his family’s business, but that doesn’t mean he’s a fighter. I know he’s doing his best, but I realize I have to chip in. I need to get past Andretti’s bodyguards to tackle Harlan and retrieve the gun.