4

Gianna

I scream and scramble back until I hit the wall. "Who... who are you?" I gasp at the stranger standing in the doorway.

"Frederick Nielsen, at your service." He tips an imaginary hat and grins at me with a British accent. He's of medium height, slightly overweight but muscular, with a bald head and round face. His thick neck and the way his jacket stretches over his biceps suggest he's stronger than he appears. He's dressed in black pants and a button-down shirt. These guys seem to have a thing for formal attire.

The door bursts open behind me as Vincenzo storms into the room. "What the hell, what happened—?" He spots Frederick, and his expression turns cold. Vincenzo straightens to his full height, towering over Frederick.

"Frederick fucking Nielsen." Vincenzo strides toward the stranger, who quickly pulls out a gun and fires.

I scream again. Vincenzo freezes in his tracks. My heart pounds in my chest, adrenaline racing through me. I glance at Vincenzo to see he's unharmed, the bullet having missed him. I exhale sharply. Vincenzo's face hardens as he stares down Frederick.

"Next time, the bullet will be in your chest," Vincenzo warns.

"And next time, I'll get to you first," Frederick retorts.

With his hands still raised, Vincenzo moves to stand between Frederick and me, shielding me from view. Is he protecting me? That arrogant jerk is actually trying to protect me?

"What do you want with us?" Vincenzo demands, lowering his chin.

"Oh, there's already an 'us' here, isn't there?" Frederick's grin widens. "I knew you two would hit it off."

"What the hell are you talking about, idiot?" Vincenzo's shoulders tense, radiating tension. I peek around Vincenzo to see Frederick's gaze locked on him.

"You Lombardis are so predictable, aren't you? A pretty face crosses your path, and you're instantly smitten. And not just that, but you're all ready to protect them. Quite different from your father. Your Nonna did a good job raising you lot, huh?"

Every muscle in Vincenzo’s body seems to coil. "Don’t talk about my Nonna, youfetente."

"What a tragic way to go." Frederick shakes his head. "I’m sorry for your loss, by the way."

"You... You were behind the shooting at her place that took her out?" Vincenzo’s shoulders seem to grow even bigger. The biceps that stretch his T-shirt sleeves bulge further.

Frederick laughs. "You have to admit, it was a smart move to shift the blame to Fabio. "Who’s Fabio? Who’s Frederick referring to? And is he responsible for the death of Vincenzo’s grandmother?

"I’m going to kill you," Vincenzo growls.

Frederick chuckles. "You can try. But it would be a shame to harm you, considering my plans for the two of you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Vincenzo snaps.

Frederick glances past Vincenzo and sizes me up with his gaze. I instinctively try to shrink back against the wall, but then I stop myself. Showing fear will only encourage him. I straighten my shoulders and meet his eyes.

He blinks, then waves his gun in my direction. "You two are going to provide me with plenty of entertainment."

"You're incredibly dull, you know that?" Vincenzo retorts.

Frederick tightens his lips. "Don't forget I'm armed."

"If you were going to shoot, you would have done so already," I say defiantly, lifting my chin. "Since you haven't, I have to assume you don't intend to harm me, you—"

Frederick fires. The shot echoes through the room. I scream and cover my ears. Bits of plaster drift down from the wall where the bullet struck.

"That should make it clear how serious I am," Frederick says softly.

"What do you want from us?" Vincenzo demands.

"To make you suffer. Your father made my life miserable," Frederick replies.

"You do realize I had nothing to do with my asshole father's actions?" Vincenzo's voice is low.

"The sins of the father will be visited upon the son... In this case, you."

"Okay, now I’m confused. What did my father do to you, anyway?" Vincenzo widens his stance. "Weren’t the two of you partners?"

"The crime of the century was my idea, and he took credit for it."

There’s silence for a beat, then another. Finally, Vincenzo asks, "You’re referring to the kidnapping of the Seven in the UK?"

"An idea I came up with. An idea that your father appropriated and took credit for. Thanks to that, theCosa Nostrawas, once again, taken seriously by organized crime syndicates around the world. It was my idea. Mine!" Frederick slaps his chest with his palm. "And your bastard father walked away with all the glory."

Vincenzo’s shoulders rise and fall. "So, you’re pissed about it. It’s understandable. But that’s the kind of snake my father was. You should have known that, getting into an agreement with him. He wasn’t exactly known for his honesty and straightforwardness."

"And then, you deprived me of the satisfaction of killing him," Frederick scoffs.

"Yeah, sorry about that." He raises a shoulder. "My brother, Fransesco, beat you to it."

"And now, you’re going to pay the price for it." His eyes gleam.

"O-kaaay. So, that’s me. What’s the deal with her? Why is she here?" Vincenzo stabs his thumb over his shoulder.

"I needed to get you a companion for what I have in mind." Frederick’s lips curve.

"Your problem is with my father. I have nothing to do with it, but she...” He nods in my direction. “She has even less to do with it than I do."

"On the contrary, the scene I have set needs a female to accompany you. It so happens, this one fits the bill for the woman I need, so…" He glances past Vincenzo, and his gaze intensifies. "She’ll do very nicely for what’s coming."

My skin crawls with revulsion and my stomach churns. I feel like I’m going to throw up, but manage to swallow down the bile that boils up.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Vincenzo’s voice is tinged with anger. He takes a step forward and Frederick raises his gun again.

"Don’t take another step forward."

Vincenzo stops.

"Enough with the posturing. Why don’t you come out and say what the hell you have in mind?" he snaps.

"Don't tell me you haven't figured it out, considering..." Frederick nods toward the ceiling camera.

"You're a damn voyeur, you son of a bitch," Vincenzo growls.

"So are you," Frederick chuckles.

Vincenzo freezes. Anger radiates off him in waves, and the tension in the room escalates. My nerves are on edge, and I feel like I might faint any second.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Vincenzo asks in a deceptively calm voice. It's not good. He's about to lose his temper... and do something that he and I will regret. He's going to lose his temper... and get himself shot, after which that asshole Frederick might shoot me or do something even worse.

I edge closer to Vincenzo, trying to hide behind him as much as possible.

"I'm talking about how you enjoy being watched while you're with your women," Frederick explains.

Vincenzo shrugs. "So what? I've never hidden that. My life is an open book. But her? She has nothing to do with this. Let her go."

"Hmm, you might have a point," Frederick muses, tilting his head.

I hold my breath. Is he going to let me go? Is he?

"But you know what? Nah. Where's the fun in that? Especially after all the effort I put into bringing both of you here to this remote place, where no one can hear you no matter how much noise you make."

Fear tightens in my stomach. What is this madman planning? What does he want us to do?

"And about your phone... I know you had a tracker in it. We used it to mislead your brothers into going in the wrong direction while we brought you here."

"You moved me from where you found me?" Vincenzo's voice is hard, with a dangerous edge that makes me flinch. His fingers are clenched so tightly, his knuckles are white. They took him from somewhere else and brought him here? My head spins trying to piece it all together.

"Exactly." Frederick nods his head. "The last thing you probably remember is us finding you in the house where you tracked my men."

"I fought you off," Vincenzo says hotly. "You motherfuckers drugged me."

"Just a whiff of chloroform. Admittedly, you put up a good fight. You did take down one of my men; managed to wound another. But four to one is too many, even for a man your size. You were out like a light; and then we brought you here."

"Why don’t you fight me face-to-face, youstronzo, and then we’ll see who wins." Vincenzo takes a step forward. He throws up his fists, and Frederick raises his gun. That’s when I close the distance to Vincenzo and grab his arm.

"Don’t," I whisper-scream. "If you antagonize him, he’s going to shoot you."

Vincenzo growls deep in his chest. The sound is so rough, so abrasive, that a hot sensation swirls in my underbelly. My pussy clenches, my thighs quiver, and moisture beads the space between my legs. Damn, we’re fighting for our lives, and all I can think of is how I want to throw myself at this guy, wrap myself around him, press my nose into his skin, and draw his scent into my lungs. I press my face into his back, and the hardness of his muscles is a shock to my system. What am I doing? I step back, putting space between us, but my touch must have distracted him enough that he lowers his arms to his sides.

He draws in a breath and seems to get control of his emotions. "What do you want from us?" he asks in a voice laced with steel. "And cut the crap, Frederick. Just tell me what that warped mind of yours has dreamed up."

Frederick chuckles. To my relief, he lowers his gun.

Some of the tension drains from my body. I step up next to Vincenzo. "Yes, tell me why you brought me here. Also, whatever it is had better not take too long. I need to be back at Palermo for the premier showing of my musical in two days. I really can’t afford to miss it."

"Afraid it’s not that simple, because firstly, we’re no longer in Italy."

"What? We’re no longer in Italy! Then where are we?"

He shakes his head. "Can’t go revealing that to you now, can I? Suffice to say, we’re far enough from the mainland that you’ll have a tough time getting back. Secondly, it’s clear I chose well because the chemistry between the two of you should help the proceedings."

"Proceedings? What proceedings? You, motherfucker, better come clean or else..." Vincenzo’s voice trails away as Frederick once again glances at the camera, then at us.

A shiver rolls up my back and stiffens the hair on my nape. Vincenzo must realize what the bastard is suggesting at the same time that I do, for his entire body tenses.

"No fucking way," he snaps.

"Oh, yes." Frederick laughs delightedly. "You’re both performers.” He directs his gaze at Vincenzo. “Being in front of a camera fuels your kink. All I’ve done is provide the perfect setting for you to enact your favorite acts."

Vincenzo leans forward on the balls of his feet. "Fuck you," he snarls.

"Not me. Her. And you’d better do it well, because the intensity of your performance decides how soon I’m going to let the two of you go free."