Page 78 of Ruthless Beast

“He’s gone. We have to go, Emily. If we stay here, we’ll die.”

My first instinct is to stay in the car. But I’m sure Lucas would want me to listen to Damon, so I nod.

I reach into the car for my purse, but Damon pulls me out.

“Leave it. We have to go.”

“But I…”

“Leave it, Emily!” Damon yells at me forcefully.

I follow him as he holds my hand. We’re running down an alley that’s unfamiliar to me. Where the hell are we? My feet are hurting from the heels, so I kick them off and keep running.

“Where are we going?” I puff.

“I know a place where we’ll be safe.”

“Is it far?”

I’m feeling sick, and I know that if I keep running, I’m bound to throw up.

“Here,” he says suddenly, ducking through a door.

We stop running. I’m out of breath and on the verge of hurling. I imagine the pregnancy and the shock of what’s just happened are culminating in the mother of all storms inside my body.

“Are you okay, Emily?”

“What’s happening? Who shot at us?”

“I don’t know.”

“We have to call Lucas!”

“We will. But right now, we have to focus on staying out of sight.”

“I’m going to be sick.”

I move away from him so that I can throw up with a bit of dignity. It feels as if my insides are spilling out. I eventually stop once I reach the dry heaving stage.

Damon is on his cell phone. I don’t know who he’s talking to, but it doesn’t sound good.

“What?” he yells into his mobile. “Are you sure?”

“What’s wrong?” I interject, but he holds up his hand to silence me.

“Okay. Call me when it’s safe to come back.”

Damon hangs up. I’m staring at him in anticipation.

“What is it?”

“There’s been an attack on the estate too. It’s better if we stay out of sight.”

“Oh, Lord. Call Lucas. He’ll know what to do.”

“You need to trust me, Emily. Mr. Lucchese can’t help you now. I’ll protect you.”

I'm trembling all over. This is exactly what I was afraid of. How did I get myself mixed up in all this? And now I’m carrying a child too. I can’t possibly bring my baby into this lifestyle!

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