Page 43 of Leave Me (Touch of Death 2)
“Ah, ah, ah. No, principessa.” Enrique breathes over the side of my neck.
I thrash and struggle. “You…asshole,” I spit. I try to jab him with my elbow and stomp on his foot and even throw back my head to smash him in the face. It just makes him angry. He grabs me around the throat and tugs me back against his chest. Firm fingers twitch over my artery, threatening to cut off the blood supply to my brain. I suck in frantic breaths as my vision spots. The sight of my sister like this is terrifying, and fear is driving me toward blind anger. My worst fears are realized all at once. I came here, to him, to save her from something like this.
“Did you know?” he growls against my ear.
“Know what?” I hiss.
He huffs a humorless laugh. “Your dear sister here has taken something of mine.”
My mind stumbles over this newly imparted information, and my eyes meet Gabriella’s. With one look, I know it’s true. She went up against him. How could she be so stupid? I’m handling it.
Enrique’s grip shifts until he grips my jaw, squeezing and twisting my head to the side. “Are you working with her, huh? Are you here as part of a plot, principessa?”
“What? No. I don’t know anything about this.”
He trails his nose up the side of my cheek and inhales a deep breath. “Such pretty lies on your lips.”
I want to scream. Weeks I’ve been here, all in a bid to stop this exact chain of events from happening. Now Gabriella is in his grasp, and whatever sliver of trust I ever hoped to gain from him will be blown to dust.
“I don’t know anything. I’ve been locked in my room until two days ago. I’ve had no contact with anyone.”
“She was at the engagement party. I saw you speak with her…and Matteo Santori, a known ally of your family.” He sounds positively unhinged, and I know I need to tread carefully.
“He was passing on his congratulations, and Gabi is my sister. Of course, I spoke to her.”
Enrique drags in a breath, and his anger and agitation is a palpable thing in the room, but all I see is Gabi, bleeding, beaten.
“Please let her go,” I beg.
“I’m not feeling terribly obliging in that regard. You see, your sister here won’t tell me where my fucking guns are!” He yells the last few words, and his fingers tighten on my neck automatically. “It seems she needs a little incentive.” He presses his cheek to mine, making me want to recoil, and I swallow heavily. “Where are my fucking guns?” He snarls through gritted teeth.
The gag from Gabriella’s mouth is pulled out by one of Enrique’s men. “I told you, I don’t know,” she gasps before sucking in panting breaths. She winces each time, and I’m sure her ribs are in a bad way.
Tears prickle my eyes, and I force them back. They won’t help her here.
Enrique lets out an exasperated sigh, and then I feel something sharp scratch over my cheek, leaving a burning trail. Warm liquid trickles down my skin. It’s not until I flinch that I see the knife. Fear warps all sense of calm, and I panic to get away from him.
“Where are my guns?” he asks again.
“I. Don’t. Know,” Gabriella says through clenched teeth.
“I’m going to marry Adelina,” he says. “But she really doesn’t need ears or eyes. I don’t have to look at her face to fuck her.”
My heart beats so fast I start shaking. I meet Gabriella’s eyes, begging her to tell him. Surely, she’ll tell him. She won’t let him mutilate me for business. Her lips remain firmly pressed together, and my heart breaks a little.
“Very well.” He grabs my hair and wrenches my head to the side, and I struggle and thrash. “I wouldn’t move; otherwise, I may accidentally sever an artery,” he says.
I don’t still though. I can’t. Instinct drives me to fight him tooth and nail. Then there are two sets of hands. One of his men grabs my skull in a vise-like hold, angling my head. Enrique brings the blade to the top of my ear, and I can’t breathe. Blind panic consumes me. He presses the tip into my skin and slices over my flesh, tearing a scream from my throat.
“Stop!” Gabriella’s voice is my saving grace. There’s a pause, and warm blood fills my ear. “I don’t have your guns. I can’t tell you where they are.”
Enrique shoves me away, but my freedom is fleeting before the same man cuffs my arms in his thick hands. His man stands behind me, imprisoning me. Enrique walks over to Gabriella, that knife sitting precariously clutched in his hand.
“When your men stole my trucks, they didn’t account for traffic cameras or street CCTV. I know it was you, Gabriella. And now, I have you. There’s only one way you leave here alive.”
