Page 20 of Knot your Princess
Having watched Sophia and Nico disappear through the door at the back of the gallery, I swing around and go on alert. Not having noticed anything out of the ordinary, up until the shots fired, of course. Pissed off that Nico completely took over and overruled me, when I was specifically placed on Sophia duty, I grit my teeth and scan the area. We are the only ones who seem to have noticed the commotion going on up the road. Everyone else is going about their business, but we knew something was going down.
This is an absolute disaster, and I knew something would happen. I justknewit. I mean, this is the first time Quinn has given me responsibility over his daughter, so, of course, it’s all gone tits up. I’m deader than dead if I don’t find his Sugar without a scratch on her. Suddenly, the door is bust in, and a voice bellows over the top of the chatter in the gallery.
This is not good. Whoever just burst in is not the police, which means we’ve landed right in the middle of something else entirely.
Turning, I see a man dressed in full-on TAC gear, talking to one of his team in a low voice, as a group of uniformed officers take control of the gallery. His back is towards me, so I can’t make out his face. I wonder why they turned up. Nothing has even happened in here…yet.
“Listen up!” he suddenly barks, taking a step back to address the gallery patrons. “There is a situation in the area,” the leader says. “We need you all to leave immediately and follow the diversion to the end of the road, where you can then be on your way.”
He stalks off to the front door leaving the remaining officers to get everyone into a queue to file out of the gallery, with everyone wondering what the hell is going on. Still seeing no signs of Nico and Sophia, I assume they left out the back before this team of government officials turned up.
Heading quickly toward the door, behind the slow-moving patrons, no one in much of a hurry to leave. They all want to know what’s going on or see some action. To my annoyance, I see that the van isn’t parked where I left it. Thanks to the Taskforce, or whatever they are, that burst into the gallery not that long ago, it has been moved along several hundred feet up the road.
Finding Luca in the driver’s seat, I slide open the back door and climbing in, I slide the door shut.
“Where is Franco?” I bark at Luca.
“Gone round the back. What the fuck is going on? We tried to get inside, but those assholes wouldn’t let us.”
“I wish I knew. Nico left with Sophia, I assume, they’re on their way home, which is where we need to be going.”
Luca slides his dark eyes over me before turning back to the front. He fires up the engine and skids away from the curb, around to the back of the gallery, where we meet up with Franco.
I’ve got a terrible feeling about all of this in the pit of my stomach. Sophia could well be in danger. Whatever happened up the road that Quinn was involved in, or knew about at theveryleast, is a threat to her, and I’m here separated from her while I should be protecting her from all harm. Nico set it, so we split up. I just need to figure out why, and what Sophia has got to do with us.
Luca swears loudly and swerves up onto the curb. “Cain,” he says, his tone urgent. “You need to check this out.”
I glance through the front windscreen, taking in the scene on the side of the road. A smashed-up van, a bleeding body, and tyre marks burned into the road.
“Fuck.” Climbing out of the van, hurriedly, I yell. “Sugar?”
ChapterEighteen
Sugar
Uncle Lorenzo is regarding me as closely as I am him. I remember suddenly that my head is bleeding and put a hand to it, dabbing my fingertips against the wound. It’s sticky and warm but doesn’t seem to be pouring out, which is good because I lost my cloth in the struggle.
The van veers, and we pull over, coming to a stop. The door opens, letting in a gust of fresh air, which I inhale deeply before a man climbs in, an alpha dressed like he belongs in a TV show about the police force. The van wobbles, and he slams the door shut.
“Enzo,” he says before his eyes catch mine.
Blue eyes that I’ve seen in two different faces today already.
I groan. “Seriously?”
“What?” he barks out, sitting on the floor, like the rest of us, but a bit further away from me.
“You,” I hiss. “I’m sick of your fucking face today.”
“Huh? Have we met?”
He appears genuinely confused for a moment before he shakes his head and glares at my uncle.
“Trent,” Lorenzo says. “This is Sophia. My niece.”
Trent’s glare comes back to me. “Oooh,” he drawls before he looks back at Lorenzo. “So, did you get it?”
Lorenzo nods and pulls something out of his pocket, giving it to this Trent guy. I see it’s the cameo from the envelope.
