Page 15 of Taken By the Underboss

"Considering what I do know about your world so far, I wouldn't imagine that would be a very easy task."

I was surprised by her honesty.

"But I think that it would be worth a try, don't you?"

She hesitated and I held my breath, wondering what rational person would even think twice about saving their own life.

"I can't leave the city. My father has dementia. He's in a nursing home nearby, and I'm all he has," she said quietly.

"You're leaving here one way or another." She started to speak but I held up a hand to silence her. "You are either leaving the city in a private jet with me, or in a cloth sack dumped into the ocean. Either way, your time here in this city is over."

All color drained from her cheeks, and I hated the fear that ignited behind her eyes when she looked at me. I needed to make sure that she realized the gravity of the situation and that she would know her very limited options.

"Now, since you don't want to die, and I don't want to have to kill you, I think it's time that we leave. Don't you agree?"

Chapter 6

Sienna

He doesn't want to have to kill me.

That didn't mean that he wouldn't, but I tried to hold onto the hope the first part of that gave me.At least he didn't want to, which meant as long as I didn't give him a reason to, he wouldn't… right?

Unless whoever he worked for had other plans.As we rode down the highway toward a local airstrip, I set my mind to what I needed to do.

I'd bide my time, go along with Alessandro. Since he didn't want to kill me, I wouldn't give him a reason to. But I had to find a way to escape before we reached the man he worked for. I didn't know that man or if he would even hesitate to kill me.

Ideally, I'd escape before getting on the jet because once I was in their territory, I wouldn't know where to go and the chance of finding help would be slim.

Alessandro led me out of the office and into the parking lot where large black SUVs waited like something from a CIA movie. He kept a firm grip on the back of my neck as he guided me to the backseat and placed me behind the driver's side.

He reached over to drag the seatbelt across me, but I stopped him. "I can handle that on my own," I snapped but I wasn't sure why the action irritated me so much.

His brow lifted but his expression was otherwise unreadable. "You can. But this time, I'm doing it."

He pointedly leaned over me to buckle my seatbelt, crowding me with his massive shoulders. The masculine scent of him wafted to my nose, overpowering my senses, and I breathed in deep.

He pulled back, leaving me in the backseat but he didn't join me, instead, he took the front passenger seat. I tensed as the man they called Gino opened the door. I'd seen him leering at me before and he made me uneasy but instead of climbing into the seat next to me, he helped Luca in and shut the door.

"Just because I was shot doesn't mean I can't get into a car on my own," he complained to Gino before shutting the car door.

"You lost a lot of blood yesterday and while Alessandro's donated blood helps, it's going to take your body time to replenish the red blood cells. So, let people help you, at least for a few days,” I said gently.

"Alright," Luca sighed dramatically. "Just for you, doc."

He flashed me a charming smile and I found myself smiling back at him despite my current circumstances. I was glad that I'd been able to help save his life. Of all the men in their group, Luca seemed the kindest.

Alessandro cleared his throat from the front. "Let's get on the road. We don't have a lot of time."

We drove from the vet's office to a small motel off the side of the highway and pulled into the nearly empty parking lot, around to the back of the building.

"You guys head on in. Get your stuff and get the other guys out here. I'll stay with the doc and Luca," Alessandro ordered and the men obeyed.

"Don't you need to get your stuff?" I asked curiously and Alessandro looked at me suspiciously.

"My stuff is still in the back. I never had a chance to unpack. But that was a nice try."

"A nice try for what?"

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