Page 384 of Under Her Skin
Inca made a strange noise, like she was fighting for breath, and then her eyes closed and her head slumped to the side. Stella knewinstantly.
Inca wasdying.
Then Stella too started to scream forhelp.
Raff wasout of the restaurant in a second, his face yellow with terror, his phone to his ear. Enda followed him, trying to call Ama, but the phone was engaged. As he reached Raff, the other man was talking to someone on the phone. He looked at Enda, and there was untold grief in his greeneyes.
“Oh god, no, please …yes, yes. No, I’m coming now …god, please, Stella …tell me she’s still breathing …thank god …I’m on myway.”
He turned to Enda, who was still trying to call Ama. “Inca was stabbed. It’s bad, Enda. It’s so bad …god … I have to go. Get to Ama,now. This is Jackson. I knowit.”
Enda drovelike a madman back to the villa, still unable to reach Ama on the phone. As the car screeched to a halt outside, he could see his security team in disarray, and it was only when Ama flew out of the house and into his arms, obviously healthy and apparently safe, that he could breatheagain.
But Ama was hysterical, and he couldn’t understand what she was saying atfirst.
“Baby, calm down. Tell me. Calmdown…”
“He has her, Enda …he has mysister…”
Oh god …Selima…Enda was staggered at the scope of Jackson’s revenge plan. First Inca, nowSelima.
“What does hewant?”
Ama looked like she was about to pass out. “Me. He told me he will kill her unless I go tohim.”
“No …no …not going tohappen.”
“Enda, I don’t have a choice. Do you honestly think he won’t go through with it if Idon’t?”
Enda closed his eyes and thought about Inca.No …Jackson would happily killSelima.
Just like he would, without a doubt, murder Ama the moment she went tohim.
There wereno happy endingshere…
Ama saton the cold tile of the bathroom floor, her head in her hands. Thankfully, the nausea that had attacked her so suddenly in the night had passed. Enda tilted her head up gently and pressed a cold flannel to her burning forehead. Her eyes were puffy from lack of sleep and crying, but Enda was concerned about the utter despair inthem.
Jackson had taken Selima and had ordered a hit on Inca, who was fighting for her life in a local hospital after two of Jackson’s men had brutally stabbed her and left her fordead.
Raff’s voice on the phone had sounded like it coming from the grave. “They’re still operating …they said she’d been stabbed nine times …oh god…I thought that part of our lives was over. I don’t know if she’ll make it, Enda. I really don’t.” He soundedbroken.
She’s going to die …Enda pushed the thought away.Come on, Inks …you can survive this …youmust.
When he’d told Ama about Inca, just after she’d had the news that Selima was abducted, she’d collapsed, screaming and sobbing great, wrenching sobs. Enda knew she blamed herself, but now he was more concerned by her silence than herscreams.
The police had told them to sit tight while they contacted Olivier, and an hour later, Olivier had calledthem.
“He’s obviously been planning this for months,” Olivier said, sounding as desolate as they did. “He emptied his accounts and sold most of the stuff from the house. When they went there tonight, it was on fire. It was gutted …the house is gone, man. All dad’s stuff. Enda, he’s got unlimited funds. He can hide anywhere in the world and he won’t stop until Ama’s in hisgrip.”
“Not going to happen,” Enda said grimly. “He’ll kill her the minute she goes tohim.”
“Agreed. Look, my suggestion is to stay there. It’s too dangerous here, even though I don’t think Jackson is even in the States anymore. He’s gone underground. Someone, somewhere surely will have to see him sometime, right? I’ve already sent out a team to scourCalifornia.”
Enda sighed. “Good. I’ll do the same here. Listen, Tommaso Winter said the same thing. We need to cover the globe. He spoke to Raffaelo—you can imagine what hesaid.”
“How is Inca?” Olivier’s voice was soft; he loved Inca as much as the rest ofthem.
“Not good, brother. Not good at all. God, poorRaff.”
