Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 52105 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 261(@200wpm)___ 208(@250wpm)___ 174(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52105 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 261(@200wpm)___ 208(@250wpm)___ 174(@300wpm)
Something is wrong. Something is seriously wrong.
“What the fuck is this?” Bryant booms as he holds up his phone to me as if I can read what’s on the screen.
I’ve yet to look at my phone, but Harrison rushes by my side and whispers in my ear, “Lyriope was taken from El Boro. The Sidorovs walked in and kidnapped her. They’ve just sent out the texts to all parties that have shown interest in her that there will be an auction tomorrow night for her, highest bidder wins.”
“You better start explaining,” Bryant shouts. “What the fuck is going on?”
“How the hell should I know?” I answer, feeling my head spin as I swallow back the bile in the back of my throat. “Those fuckers entered my property… motherfuckers…”
My ears are ringing as I look at my phone so I can actually read the words sent out by the Sidorovs myself. I see missed calls from Cora and 911 texts as well.
“Cora?” I ask Harrison, ignoring how the Morellis are glaring at me for answers.
“Calling her now,” Harrison says as he moves to a far corner of the room to give himself some privacy.
Lucian is on the phone with someone, and Bryant is staring at me. “This won’t be forgotten, asshole. When we get Lyriope back, which we will do, you are to stay the fuck away from her. I don’t ever want to see your face again. Are we clear on that?”
I can’t focus on anything until I see Harrison nod at me and give me the thumbs-up as he speaks into the phone. Cora is okay… Jesus fuck… I need to hear that to be able to take my next breath.
“We’re leaving now,” Bryant says as his son follows. He looks over his shoulder at me. “I mean what I say. I’m done playing nice. We aren’t in Wonderland anymore. You are in my world. Mine.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Lyriope
I walk hesitantly up the long walkway toward a winery about an hour or maybe two from El Boro. It takes all my might not to run toward the rolling hills and vineyards in hopes of escape, but I also know that if I were to get caught, it would only make things worse. The sun is rising, and I wonder if Nick has returned from Wonderland yet and noticed me gone. Would Cora call him and tell him the truth? Would she lie and say I ran away?
It breaks my heart thinking of how hurt he’ll be if he believes I ran off again, leaving him. I hope to God Cora doesn’t tell him I just ran. Anything but that.
“Why isn’t she tied and gagged?” a man, who I can only assume is the leader of the Sidorovs, asks as we enter the room.
“Cora told us it wasn’t necessary, sir,” the Sidorov holding my right arm answers.
The boss raises an eyebrow. “And since when do you take orders from Cora Pillar?”
I can feel the men who are flanking each side of me tense.
“Sorry, sir. We’ll tie her up,” the man on my left says. I can smell his nervous sweat.
“Leave,” he commands the men holding me. “I’ll handle the Morelli bastard myself.”
No sooner has the last man walked out the door than the boss takes hold of my collar, bunching the fabric with his clenched fist. His other hand holds my arm behind my back painfully. Struggling with me, the man forces me down the hallway and into the front room that serves as an office.
“You owed me quite the debt,” the man says, slamming me in a chair and binding my wrists with a cord.
“Which was paid in full,” I counter, trying to control the pitch of my voice so I don’t show the panic I feel.
“But did you pay it?”
“Does it matter?” My voice quivers and I hate that it does.
“It seems you’ve become quite the desired asset. You’re not just the scammer scum like your mother that I believed you to be. I thought you were just a hustling whore. When in fact, there is a hidden gem inside of you.”
I hold strong against him, showing no signs of weakness or surrender, yet I struggle to maintain my temper as well as my composure. I can’t fight him physically, so all I have right now is to figure out how to go to battle with him mentally.
“I have,” I answer him. “And you just made a huge mistake. You just pissed off some powerful men who consider me their desired asset.”
I’m going to use not only Nick Hudson as my threat, but I’m finally going to use my Morelli name to my advantage as Sasha has lectured me time and time again to do.
The man studies me, looking me over from head to toe. “Why has Nick Hudson been helping you so much? The man collects favors, and I find it hard to believe that you have anything worth offering him in return.”