Page 36 of Love Me (Touch of Death 3)
Footsteps come down the corridor and into the kitchen. Adelina. I can always tell by her gate, as though she’s in a constant hurry. She places her phone on the breakfast bar and slides it beneath my nose. My eyes skim over the message on the screen.
Your seven days are almost up, principessa. Twenty-four hours. Tick tock.
“Enrique,” I say his name aloud, though it doesn’t need voicing.
Adeline chews a thumbnail, her shoulders so tense they’re almost hiked to her ears. On an exhaled breath, I slide the phone back across the breakfast bar.
“Have you found him yet?”
“No. He’s not stupid. He gave you seven days. That ultimatum could just as well be for himself. Seven days to kill him. He’s hiding.”
I can see the anxiety crawling over her. She fears Enrique in a way that only a woman who has suffered his abuse first hand can. Every time I close my eyes, I see him holding her down, taking what she does not give willingly. Killing for me has always been a matter of professionalism. I do not enjoy it; I’m simply good at it. For Enrique Bianchi, I will make an exception. I’ll enjoy every moment of his death, knowing that it was me who ended him.
“Enrique said…he said I wouldn’t like the consequences if I don’t come to him.” She shakes her head. “I have to go.”
“No.”
“What option do I have?” she shouts, her palms slapping against the breakfast bar.
I push to my feet, my temper spiking in a way only she can induce. “He is controlling you, Adelina. The first threat he makes and you’re ready to buckle.”
“You don’t know what he’s like! He doesn’t make idle threats.”
“Men in power rarely do. You tried to kill him, malyshka. Go back there and you are never leaving.”
She drops her head forward, her expression tortured. “I don’t know what he’ll do if I don’t go. And I’m terrified of what he’ll do to me if I do,” she whispers.
Stepping forward, I place a finger beneath her chin. Glassy eyes meet mine, and something uncomfortable settles in my chest. “I’ll protect you, malyshka.”
“You can’t protect me from him,” she chokes.
“He’s one man. One man with a bullet waiting for him.” I reach out, swiping my thumb over her bottom lip. “Trust me?”
She sucks in a ragged breath. “I do.”
“I will find him, and I will kill him, but you need to speak to Gabriella. Warn her. You and I both know that if he wants to hurt you, she’s where he’ll start.”
She nods, chewing on her lip. “I think it might be better coming from you.”
I frown. “Why?”
“Because I’m her little sister. If I tell her she’s in danger, she won’t listen. And…she has a weird rivalry with Enrique. He made a mockery of her. I think she’ll try to stand her ground on principle.”
“That would be unwise.”
“I know! Please, just talk to her.” Adelina sighs. “You have her respect. Ever since you rescued her from Enrique.”
Truthfully, I think Gabriella has too much of a chip on her shoulder to listen. Adelina is right. Her sister has developed a rivalry with Bianchi, and she feels she has a point to prove, but she will lose, and right now, her pride puts Adelina in a compromised position.
“I’ll talk to her.”
“Thank you.” Adelina places her hand on my chest and pushes onto tiptoes, her lips brushing my cheek. “She’s in the office.”
I turn and leave the room, making my way to the office.
Gabriella is sitting at her father’s desk, head bent over a laptop. Jet black hair hangs in front of her face, blocking me from her view. I linger in the doorway a moment before knocking on the wood. Her gaze collides with mine.
“Sasha?”
“Gabriella.” I step into the room, and she closes the laptop. “I need to speak with you.”
Her eyes pinch at the corners ever so slightly. “Okay.”
I drop into the seat on the other side of the desk. “You need to leave town for a while, Gabriella.”
Her brows snap together. “What? Why?”
“Just trust me. You’re not safe here.”
“Because of Enrique Bianchi?”
“Yes.”
She folds her arms over her chest and leans back in her chair. “I will not run or hide from that man.”
I knew this would be difficult, but her childishness has my pulse ticking up. “You have had dealings with him before. Do you really want to be faced with him again?”
“I’m not scared of him!”
I fight a smile. “Why are you lying to yourself?”
A pink tinge meets her cheeks, and her lips press into a flat line before she shoves to her feet. Her palms slam down on the desk with a bang. “I am not my sister! You forget who you’re talking to.”
I cock a brow. “I don’t care who you are, Gabriella Ricci. Your pride will get you killed, and it will be Adelina who has to pick up the pieces.”
