Page 66 of Veil of Vengeance

The hallway is wide enough for Mara to walk past me, hunched over, to avoid bumping her head on the low ceiling.

“How long will it take for us to get outside?” I ask as I follow behind her. The farther we go down the hallway, the more damp the walls appear.

“I can’t go with you the whole way through, but I’ll get you past the confusing hallways that span the entire estate, and then you’ll be on your own till you reach the outside. Once you see the outside light, you’ll be just outside the estate gates, so be careful. Even though there aren’t any cameras installed over there, there’s still a chance my brother’s guards will catch you,” Mara explains as she continues to walk ahead of me. My nerves rachet higher at the possibility.

“What do I do when I get to the dock? I know you’ve already done a lot for me, and I’m grateful, but I’m not familiar with New Hampshire,” I ask, pushing a stray strand of hair out of my face.

“When you get there, a boy with cotton-colored hair should be waiting for you at dock number 6. He’ll take you anywhere you’d like to go.” Mara stops in front of me before turning her head to look at me. “This is as far as I can get you. If I’m gone any longer, they’ll find us.” She nods ahead of her. “Keep going forward, and you’ll reach the exit in about twenty minutes. I’ll try to create a distraction.”

“Thank you, Mara. I’m so grateful for your help. I understand that you’ve put yourself in an awkward position with your family just to help me, so thank you so much.” I step closer, and we both hug each other in the small space available.

“Go, you need to leave as soon as you can. Be careful, the hallway becomes narrower than this, but the ceiling gets higher,” she whispers into my hair, which urges me to move around her and start walking toward my freedom from this world. I can make out her retreating steps and then the silence.

I grip the wall of the hallway, as it is getting hard to see anything. Squinting, I finally make out the shape of a door with some light peeking through the sides. Hope fills me with energy and something else like excitement and nervousness for the future. I wish I didn’t have to choose between running away from the grasps of the Outfit, the Camorra, and my family. But I guess that isn’t in the cards for me. Once the Camorra returns me to the Outfit, there will be no way in hell that I’ll be able to get away. Security was already tight before the attack and now I can’t imagine how hard it would be to even breathe without that being reported.

I hate this shit, I hate it so much. Why do the men in our family get to do whatever the fuck they want? How come the Camorra can establish themselves as ruthless rulers, but treat their women better than the Outfit, who pride themselves with their honor? The hypocrisy that has prevailed within our family will be the end of the Outfit itself. Dad is trying to prevent it, but going with the same old traditions will only intensify the destruction. He may not realize it, but the Outfit will get what’s coming its way. And I’ll relish the destruction of the very foundation of their ancient traditions.

As I stop in front of the door that will lead me to my freedom, my breath catches and I look back at the hallway.Bye, Emiliano.I push on the latch, and the door slowly creaks open. Orange, I’m surrounded by a forest of trees, leaves crunching beneath my feet filling my ears as I run in the direction Mara directed me. It’s a blur from there. When I come to my senses again, I’m in front of the road, a bike hidden near the tree to my left. I don’t waste any time thinking as I pick it up and take it to the roadside. I debate whether that’s wise, then instead take it back to the grass area, making sure that I stay close to the forest edge.

I ride the bike for what seems forever, but I don’t stop. Everything around me is a blur as I cycle faster and faster, my chest rising so quickly I’m scared I’ll collapse. In the distance, I can see the ocean, which means I’m close. When I see the entrance of the dock, I slow down and relief fills me, but that is soon crushed.

Because right in my line of sight, I see a red Maserati. And who is leaning on the red Maserati, with a lit cigarette in his mouth? Who else other than Emiliano Folonari?

With my pulse pounding in my ears, I drop the bike and make a run for the dock. Maybe I still have a chance at getting away from all this crazy shit. That hope is crushed in less than a minute as the breath is knocked out of me when Emiliano’s arm wraps around my waist and he lifts me effortlessly.

“Be a good girl and follow me to the car like a civilized human being,” he whispers into my ear. His tone is harsh, cold, and uncaring.

“Let me go, Emiliano.” I don’t look at him, my eyes still longing to see the man with the cotton-colored hair, my salvation. “Please?” My voice breaks on the word, but he doesn’t answer me.

“I’m sorry, ragazza mocciosa, but you know I can’t do that.” He presses his lips to my ear, a sweet caress if only my eyes weren’t filling to the brim with tears. My nails dig into his arm as vengeance singes my blood. I don’t know where to direct my anger.

Emiliano practically drags me to the car, throws me in the back passenger seat, and slams my door, locking it. I sit there, shaking and numb, as he slides into the driver's seat. His eyes cut to mine before they return to the street, and he starts the car without saying a word.

We don’t speak the entire way back to the mansion, and soon enough, the gates are only a couple of feet away and they creak open for us. The car comes to a halt, neither of us making a move to get out. I can feel Emiliano’s eyes on me, and I return his gaze in the rear-view mirror.

“How could-” He pauses before starting again. “Do you understand the danger you put yourself in when you decided to run away?” His eyes are hardened, but a gleam of vulnerability shines there. I swallow the sudden guilt filling my veins like a traitorous poison.

“What you don’t realize, Emiliano, is that you and my Dad are the real dangers to me, so no, I don’t understand.”

I catch the hurt in his arctic eyes before they become vacant of all emotions. He gets out of the car, and then he’s dragging me to his room.

The door closes with a click, and I am back to exactly where I started. Emiliano advances on me like the predator he is, a determined look on his heavenly face. How can someone so devilish look so angelic? The backs of my knees hit the couch. and I tumble backwards with his arm encircling my waist, his face inches from mine.

“You think I’m a danger to you?” Emiliano’s voice is full of emotion, which takes me by surprise. Anger and something akin to hurt there as well, maybe sadness. “I would never hurt you, Valentina.” His voice is low with his admission, as if someone will hear him. I rest my palms against his rising chest, his heartbeat a drum that matches my own.

“I am your enemy. That is the reason you took me from my family,” I remind him, and his eyes soften as they take in my face.

“You are so much more than that,” he says before turning cold and distant all over again. “But you tried to run away.” Emiliano shoves me onto the couch. “It’s time for your punishment.” His words confuse me, and then he kneels in front of me, his hands pulling my jeans down along the way.

“What are you doing?” I ask him, nerves making my voice raspy.

“If I make you feel uncomfortable, or you no longer want to do this, then just say ‘twist,’ and I’ll stop. You won’t come until I allow you to, and if you come without my explicit instructions…let’s just say, you’ll regret it.” He yanks the jeans and panties down, ignoring my gasp.

His tattooed hands part my legs, lips leaving a blazing flame across my thighs as he kisses his way to my center. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sexier man in my entire life. Jesus, why does this man look this exquisite on his knees? He blows a breath over my pussy. And a small chuckle leaves his mouth when I suck in a sharp breath. Brushing two fingers over my wet folds, I whimper as I move my hips upwards to push his fingers in.

“So wet for me, and here I thought you fucking hate me,” he says, amused. “Move another inch, Valentina, and I’ll spank you till your ass is covered in blood.” I don’t know why, but his warning causes goosebumps to skitter across my arms and down body, my stomach clenching at the timber in his voice.

Bringing his face forward, he flattens his tongue against me. The slow laps along my wet folds drive me to the brink of madness, and I fight the urge to push myself farther into his face. Instead, I lace my fingers through his silken hair, my head falling to the backrest of the couch.

---