Page 43 of Dangerous Kiss
Chapter Seventeen
As they walked hand-in-hand back toward the manor, Biba looked over to the trailers. She could see a faint light coming from the largest, and she knew Stella was sulking in her trailer. She nudged Cosimo. “I’m going to go make peace with Stella,” she said. “I feel bad about our argument.”
Cosimo sighed. “Baby, Stella needs to grow up some and realize not everything is about her.”
“I know, but I feel bad.”
Cosimo stopped. “Want me to come?”
Biba kissed him. “I think you being there might make matters worse. I knew she wasn’t okay with us. I think that’s what her tantrum was about, really.”
“She’ll have to get used to it.” Cosimo leaned his forehead against hers. “I love you.”
Biba smiled. “I love you, too, Cosimo DeLuca. Thank you for a perfect birthday.”
“Don’t be too long.”
“I promise.”
The rain had begun to pour down now, and Biba walked quickly toward the trailers and made her way through the maze of them to Stella’s. As she turned towards it, she almost fell over a prone figure on the ground. “Hey!”
In the dim light, she saw it was Rich. “Man, how much did you have to drink, Richyboy?”
He was lying face down and didn’t even groan when she poked him with her toe. “Rich?”
She managed to hoist him over onto his back—and gasped. The front of his T-shirt was covered in blood. Biba recoiled. “Oh my God… help! Somebody help us! Rich? Rich, c’mon man, wake up.”
Then she heard Stella scream, and in horror, saw a dark figure wrestling a naked and screaming Stella out of her trailer.
“No!” Biba launched herself at them, her body knocking the figure away from her boss. The rain made it slippery, and the attacker stumbled as Biba pounded on his back. Stella was frozen in horror.
“Stella! Run!” Biba screamed it at her as the attacker threw her off and reached for Stella. Biba wasn’t about to let her boss be snatched, and she body-slammed the attacker. She heard shouts coming from the direction of the manor. “Stella, run! Cosimo’s coming…”
The assailant grabbed her by the throat with one hand and slammed her back against the trailer. He drove his fist into her stomach twice—vicious blows—and Biba crumpled, the wind knocked out of her.
She dragged in some air into her lungs, watching the attacker clutch a crawling Stella and drag her away. When Biba tried to rise and follow them, her legs would not work. She could hear Cosimo shouting her name.
“I’m here…” but her voice wouldn’t work either, and now a wave of dizziness hit her. The pain from the blows wasn’t dissipating at all—in fact it was getting worse. Biba managed to stagger up and lurch a couple of steps just as lights came on, and Cosimo burst onto the scene. Biba saw the horror in his eyes, and she pointed to Rich. “Help him.”
But Cosimo was running towards her, screaming her name, and Biba looked down. Now she knew why his face looked so full of horror. The hilt of a knife protruded from her belly, her white dress turning red and pink. She looked up into Cosimo’s distraught green eyes as her legs finally failed her, and he caught her as she fell.
“Hestabbedme?” she said, incredulously, and shook her head. “He’s taken Stella, Cos. He’s taken Stella.”
The pain was growing worse, and black spots danced in her vision.I’m dying. We had no time, no time.
“I love you,” she said, touching Cosimo’s face, and then all was silent.
