Page 121 of In Ruins
I try to stay down as much as I can with a big belly in the way, but it’s difficult. I hear gunshots coming from behind us, and when I manage to lift my head and peek through the back glass, I see our men leaning out the window while shooting behind them.
They swerve, and I see at least four other sedans following us. Shit! This does not look good. Umberto leans out of the passenger seat and begins to shoot as well.
Fuck! I’m so scared and not just for myself but for my baby, Giana, and all our guards. I grab my purse and manage to pull my phone out to call Enzo, but as soon as it’s in my hand, something slams into our SUV from the back, knocking it out of my hand.
I hear it clatter to the floor and have no idea where it went. But before I can even look for it, another violent jolt slams into the side of the SUV, and all that can be heard is the sound of metal crunching and glass shattering.
I let out a scream as my body is thrown sideways, causing my head to slam against the door, a gasp tearing from me as my world tilts sideways for a second. I look over at Giana; there’s fear in her eyes, and I’m pretty sure the same is reflected in mine as I try to protect my stomach as much as I can.I cannot freaking lose my baby! I’ll fucking die if that happens…
Bruno manages to right the SUV, but then we take another hit. The tires screech as he loses control. My pulse is thundering in my ears. I have no idea what is happening or why.
I hear more gunshots around us and duck down instinctively. I turn to look behind us, but don’t see the SUV following us.Well, that’s not good…
A moment later, I have to move quickly, bracing my hands against the seat in front of me as another sedan cuts us off from the front, and Bruno slams on the brakes. Fuck! They have us boxed in.
A dozen or more men—I can’t really tell—step out of the sedans, surrounding us. Jesus Christ! This attack was precise and coordinated. Somebody planned this shit! But how did they even know I was going out?
I mean, they had to have been watching to know I was out today, since I rarely leave the penthouse. Two of the men in front of us lift their rifles and begin shooting.
A scream leaves me when the front windshield explodes inward, covering Bruno and Umberto in glass. The assholes don’t stop there because they keep shooting. Both guys shoot back, but from the groans they’re both letting out, I can tell they’ve been shot. I try to make my body as small as possible, hiding behind Umberto’s seat so I don’t get hit with a bullet.
I take stock of myself. I think I may have sprained my wrist and even somewhere on my foot because it hurts like a son of a bitch! It also hurts to breathe a little, and my chest feels kind of sore. I hear a groan from next to me, and when I look over at Giana, I see red seeping into her top.
“Oh my God! Giana!” I scream, tears pouring down my face as I slip off my seatbelt and scoot over to her. I try to press my uninjured hand against her abdomen, wanting to put pressure on her wound, but I don’t know if it will help. My hand is shaking so bad, and I’m starting to feel a bit dizzy. “Please be okay. You have to be okay. You can’t die and leave me!” I sob.
I’m not sure if she can hear me because her eyes are closed now, and she’s no longer making any sounds. She’s either passed out or d-dead.
I don’t hear a sound from Bruno or Umberto either. God! I hope they’re still alive. Before I can even think about what to do next—not that there’s anything I can do since I’m surrounded—the door to my side of the SUV is wrenched open.
Hands grab for me, the asshole rough as hell as I kick and scream, twisting while trying to get away from him, but he uses his strength to drag me backward.
“Get off me, you asshole!” I scream, my nails digging into the fabric of his jacket, but it’s no use. The brute doesn’t seem to be affected at all.
“Move!” he snaps, angrily. His face is nothing but a mask of coldness, as if he has no soul.
“No!” I snap. Even though he looks like he really wants to kill me right this second, I can’t just make it easy for him and go with him, you know?
I should have known the asshole would use brute force, though. My heart slams against my ribs—which is currently hurting—as he hauls me out of the vehicle. I scream at the top of my lungs, begging for someone to help.
“Scream as much as you want. No one is here to help you,” my attacker sneers.
“Wait. Please! You don’t have to do this! Please let me go, and I’ll pay you whatever you want,” I try to reason with him.
“I’m already being paid generously for taking you,” he says, a sinister smile on his face.
“I can pay you more,” I say. I mean I know for a fact Enzo would pay as much as this asshole wants just to get me back.
“No thanks. Now, let’s go before the cops show up. My boss has been waiting for this day for quite a while.”
“What does he want with me?”
“Stop fucking asking questions and walk!” he snaps.
I feel like I’m on the verge of a panic attack as my breath starts to come out fast and uneven. Without thinking, I bite the asshole on the arm. He lets out a grunt, letting go of me for a second, and I take the opportunity to run. Though I’m not successful because something is wrong with one of my legs.
Trying to run while eight and a half months pregnant and injured…I do not recommend. As you can tell, I don’t get very far. He catches up to me in two strides and grabs me by the hair before slamming his fist into my face.
I’m dazed and dizzy, feeling like I’m about to throw up. Fuck! I think the earlier adrenaline has worn off, and now I’m feeling all the pain in my body.Dear God, please let my baby be okay.
