Page 128 of Lips On My Soul

Chapter Nineteen

Josephine

“RUN!” I scream again, finally breaking through their frozen minds. They grab each other’s hands and run for the front of the building to the exit. My feet race forward to catch up to them. A shot rings out and a metallic ting with sparks flares out on the metal siding of the building over our heads.

“Go to the right,” I instruct. My sister tugs my mom to the right and down a corridor of stocked shelving units stacked with cellophane-wrapped pallets, shielding them from view.

Another shot rings out over my head right before I follow the same path, I quickly run the opposite way—Lorenzo isn’t interested in them, but me. I need to lure them away from my family.

Shots are fired near my feet, sending shards of concrete dust and rock shrapnel into the air around me. Startled, I drop the gun in my wake and sprint faster to the shelving units on the other side.

“Don’t shoot her!” Lorenzo growls out. “That’s my fucking fiancée.”

Shit, shit, shit.This guy is completely mental if he still wants me. I need to figure out a way to get back to my truck or get my family to my truck to escape. I round a corner of stacked merchandise and freeze when I see Lorenzo less than ten feet away.

His blood-coated face spreads into a villainous grin. “There you are.”

Spinning on my heels, I back-track around the other corner with Lorenzo in pursuit. I manage to get far enough ahead to have a row of stacked shelves between us, but he sees me between the gaps of wrapped merchandise. We both slow to a stop and catch our breaths, gauging to see how the other will react.

“Pina,” he purrs in a sickly-saccharine voice. “How I love your spirit. Did you know you have given me a gift? Do you know what it is? You have given me the greatest challenge in winning your heart, and I fucking love it. And you know what I’ll love more? Breaking your spirit.”

“Stay away from me,” I warn, trying hard to hide my fear.

He laughs. “This is fun, no? This game we play. I admit you got me good back there.” He grabs at the bridge of his nose. “You may have reset my nose,bellissima.”

Movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention. I see my mom and sister on the far side of the building, waving for me to come to them. I shoo them, waving my hands frantically for them to get the hell out.

“And as much as I love playing cat and mouse, we need to be on our way,” Lorenzo says.

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I hiss, my heart racing from the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

Lorenzo snarls. “You came to me. You wear my ring. You will have my name. Make no mistake, Giuseppina, you’re mine!”

He makes a wild grab for me through the gap between the shelves. I narrowly jump out of his reach and start sprinting again. I skid to a halt when I see Luca pointing his gun at me from the other end of the aisle.

My heart is pounding so hard I can hear it pulsing in my ears. I spin and practically collide with Lorenzo’s chest. His arms snag me in a vise-tight grip. “Gotcha.”

I hear my mom and sister scream, seeing me in the clutches of a mad man.

No, no, no!Images of Jacob flood my mind. The horror, the fear, the vulnerability. No, I won’t go through it again. I refuse.

Remembering Maceo’s defensive instructions, I drop my weight. Putting my arms out to push against Lorenzo’s hips, gives me the space I need to knee him again and again in the gut. With each thrust of my knee, it loosens his hold ‘till I have enough space to punch as well as knee him.

Cursing, his hands lose their hold on me. I race under his arms in the other direction, sprinting for my life. When I circle the corner, I see my mom and sister racing toward me.

“Get to the truck,” I yell.

Mom and Simone slide to a stop before racing to the exit again, only to be stopped by Paolo, holding his wounded shoulder, and pointing his gun at them. They retreat and come racing back my way. There’s nothing between us but open air and Lorenzo’s Lamborghini.

Well, fuck. It may be our only hope. Mom and Simone must have the same idea as me because they hightail it to the sports car too. They reach it first—mom climbing in the driver’s side and Simone in the passenger’s.

Nearly out of air, I reach the driver’s side door. “Move over.”

“No, climb over me,” my mom shouts back.

I don’t argue. I jump over my mom and straddle the center console. These damn cars aren’t meant to hold more than two people. My arms and legs are twisted with theirs, packed like sardines.

“Do you even know how to drive stick?” Simone cries.

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