Page 78 of Tortured Hearts
“Gianni!” I struggle against the iron-like grip on my arms. “Let me go, goddamn it!”
“Calm down, Dr. Brennan,” a firm voice says behind me.
“No! He’s still in there. I have to help him.”
“I can’t let you do that. Gianni’s orders.”
My heart contracts.What? Why?Confusion melts into irritation as the harder I fight, the tighter the hands hold me. I’m rabid now, shaking from shock, fear, and denial.
He hauls me through a side door. “I saidcalm down, Dr. Brennan. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee you’ll make it out of here alive.”
“Is that a threat?” I hiss, because why wouldn’t I challenge another kidnapper? It’s worked outsowell for me thus far.
“No, it’s a fact,” he growls in my ear. I can hear his patience thinning, which means so is my luck. “Those men in there aren’t socialites. They’re mob bosses, and you’re an unwelcome, uninvited enemy. Why the hell do you think Gianni wanted you to run?”
My jaw drops. “You’re with him?” The minute he sets me on my feet, I whirl around to find yet another older man with gray hair and tired eyes. “Wait, are you Anton?”
He gives me a flat stare. “If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be dragging you out of here. I’d be carrying your body.” Wrapping that iron hook of his around my upper arm, he not-so-gently nudges meforward. “Now, move.”
We’re halfway across the estate when I hear the rush of footsteps behind us. “I was waiting on the east lawn when I heard shouting,” another man says. “What the hell happened?”
Anton nods to me, his grip tightening. “She happened.”
“I have a name, for god’s sake, it’s…” I trail off as the familiarity in the other man’s voice slams a fist into my gut. “You…” I hiss, twisting so hard Anton releases me.More lies. More betrayal.Clenching my fists, I spin around, ready to swing. “Owen Holmes.”
He looks different. Blond stubble dusts across what I remember to be a clean-shaven face, but it’s his eyes that steal my breath. The curious, amused spark that had stared back at me that day at his office is now as dark as the night sky.
“Actually, it’s Owen Henley,” he states flatly. “U.S. Marshal.”
U.S. Marshal.
The words land hard, sending me stumbling into quicksand.
“Don’t let her out of your sight,” Anton instructs, pushing me toward him. “I’ll meet you at the car.”
I hear his retreating steps, but I don’t turn to look. I’m too consumed with the man in front of me. “Are you going to hurt me, too?” It’s a ridiculous question. No monster warns you before ripping out your throat. “Like your friend, Henry?”
The harried glaze in his eyes curdles. “Henry Saddler was no friend of mine. He was a disgrace to the badge. He deserved what he got and more.” For reasons I can’t explain, I believe him. But trust doesn’t cleanse lies. “Look, I promise to explain everything…” He stares over my head at the now silent estate. “But now’s not the time. The police will be here any minute.”
“Good. Maybe they’ll make some sense of all this.”
“The cops are the least of your problems,” he clips. “You’re an outsider, Dr. Brennan, and as of thirty seconds ago, a witness. As far as the men in that room are concerned,you owe a blood debt. They won’t stop until it’s paid.”
But it’s not my life that holds all my fear.
“Is Gianni dead?” The words sound flat and robotic.
Owen’s silence lasts a bit too long, but I’m too heartbroken and numb to care. After everything that’s happened, it’s easier to assume the worst of people than to bother looking for the best. “Gianni can take care of himself,” he says cautiously.
I’m so overwhelmed it doesn’t occur to me to be concerned at how unbothered he is. I let him lead me to a plain black sedan parked two streets away where he ushers me into the back seat just as Anton returns wearing a tight expression. The doors close, and the two men murmur in hushed tones. I don’t bother eavesdropping. I’ve had enough truth for one day.
Bowing my head, I reach inside the bodice of my dress and pull out the ace of spades, gripping it tightly in my hand as Gianni’s harsh words ring in my ears.
“Are you going to kill me, too, Gianni?”
“No. You’ll go home as long as you behave.”
Home is a place that holds nothing for me but a broken heart, a destroyed practice, and a foundation of lies. As the estate fades away in the distance, one thing becomes painfully clear…
