I scaled the fire escape up to the roof at Lorenzo’s club. I never thought I’d do
this again. I stayed in the shadows making my way carefully to Victor’s room. I
opened the door quietly. It was dark. I got that cold feeling on the back of my
neck. But too late. In my haste and need to see Victor, I’d
ignored all my intuition.
The
door snapped around,
catching my right arm. It hurt but the steel shunts in my brace took the brunt
of it.
“Get in
there, bitch, he’s waitin’.”
I was
pushed forcefully into the room. What was happening? Was he so angry with me he
was finally going to retaliate? This didn’t make sense,
though. I knew even if he despised me, he
wouldn’t hurt me. This was all wrong.
There
was a man seated in a chair in the far corner of the darkened room. I focused in
on him as two goons grabbed my arms.
“Holly
Cambridge.”
Lorenzo! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I was beyond fucked! “Lorenzo,” I
greeted levelly, not showing the panic and dread I
felt.
“Are
you disappointed, princess? Got all wet expecting my brother to be here waiting
to fuck your brains out? Yeah. You two spent a lot of time here. Didn’t you?” He
looked over at the bed and my skin crawled.
“Pull
off the great escape, Lorenzo?” I asked as if we were just having conversation.
He
grinned. “You’d like that,
wouldn’t you? At least then you might think you had a fighting chance to make it
out of this alive. Hate to disappoint you again, sweet-cheeks, but no one is
looking for me. No APB’s. No SWAT teams coming to save you. I’m out. All
legal-like. I made bail. Good for me.” He stood and approached. “Bad for
you.”
He
gripped my chin tightly. I glared at him.
“He
always did like the pretty ones.”
“Ya
want us to leave ya, boss?”
I
tensed. I’d rather have my brains blown out right now then endure that.
I
wasn’t going to go down without a fight. I was armed. But I’d have to plan
correctly. There were three of them. Lorenzo must have remembered our last
meeting, and he
anticipated some kind of action—or he read it in my eyes. He
stepped back.
“No.
Not here,” he answered his henchman’s question. “I’ve got other plans for her.
Get her down to the car. Try not to attract too much attention. She’s slippery.
And you,” he addressed, me pointedly. “Behave yourself, or
it’ll just be worse for you later. Don’t scream,” he
warned.
“Sorry
to disappoint you, Lorie, I’m not a screamer.”
He
chuckled, and
sickly, it
reminded me of Victor.
The two
goons started to drag me out and down the stairs as he followed. I’d behave.
Until we got outside. That would be my chance.
Brenda
was behind the bar. She eyed me as they escorted me out. Her mouth opened slowly
as if it was just dawning on her who I was. I was blonde and green-eyed
now—she knew me as a blue-eyed
brunette. And my picture had been plastered all over every newspaper, newscast
and over the Internet for months now. She knew what was about to happen to me.
She bowed her head and continued drying a glass.
Unfortunately, when we got outside, there
were two more wise-guys and a driver waiting. I still had to try. I had nothing
to lose. If I stayed with them, I knew
I would die.
I
stamped on the instep of the guy to my right. He howled and his grip loosened. I
yanked my braced arm out of his grasp and I punched the other guy in the
face.
Lorenzo
grabbed a fist full of my hair from behind and shoved me against the SUV. My
breath rushed out painfully. I was trapped between the vehicle and his big body.
He
pulled on my hair. “I could end you right here.”
“But
you won’t. What would be the fun in that for you? You have other plans for me.
Cat and mouse time, Lorie?”
“Smart
mouth. You really are a surprise, Holly. Back in the day, I would never have
thought you had any life in you at all. Miss Priss that you were. I like this
much better. It’s too bad,
really. I might have enjoyed you when Vicki grew tired of you. He would
have, you
know. Eventually. He’s not a one woman kinda guy.”
I don’t
know why it hurt me, but it
did. It had his desired effect, but I
didn’t let him know he’d gotten to me.
He
ground his hips against my ass. To my revulsion, he had an erection. I swallowed
convulsively and tried not to shudder. “And if we’re going to play cat and
mouse, sweetheart,” he said, his hot breath scalding my neck. “You get to be the
pussy.”
I felt
sick to my stomach.
“Now
you be a good girl and get in the car.”
One of
the guards opened the door. Lorenzo kept a tight hold on my hair as he twisted
my right arm painfully behind my back. He guided me into the SUV and pushed me
into a sitting position.
He got in beside me and his bulk pushed me farther
over. Another man got in the other side. I was trapped between them. Lorenzo
pulled my arms out.
“I
guess I should have taken the time to pat you down, sweet thing. Might have been
fun. I don’t trust you. Take her arm.” He told the wise-guy beside me. The guy
promptly snatched my wrist and held it tightly. Lorenzo seized my right hand and
slid it into his crotch. “Aww, I get the fucked up hand? Geez, I was hoping to
get a good hand job before our little trip was over.” He took my fisted hand and
ground his hard-on against my brace and fist. I gritted my teeth trying not to
make the sound of disgust that was climbing from my
throat.
“What
ya got in that thing, cupcake? It’s nice and hard, just like
me.”
I
didn’t answer. Along with the steel spines that made up the brace, I had a
weapon. But there were too many of them and only one of me. I’d only be able to
wound one and by then the rest of them would be on me. I was well and truly
fucked!
Leave a comment below along with an email address for a chance to win a copy of the first book in the Always Cambridge Series. I will pick a winner at random on Friday the 4th of July.
** This Contest Has Ended!**
The Always Cambridge Series chronicles the life of Holly Cambridge
through her tumultuous childhood and violent teen years and the
consequences that stem from being the daughter of mob boss, Bill
Cambridge.
~
He is her guardian, but she’ll do anything within her power to
protect him. His only duty is to keep her safe, but he can’t save her.
Holly Cambridge is just a typical kid, or so she thinks, until one
day, she takes a good look around and realizes her friends don’t have
bodyguards dogging their every step.
At the age of sixteen, Holly is assigned a new bodyguard, Randy
Phillips. He is a tall, muscular, God-like force in the young,
impressionable and lonely girl’s life. He is her friend, her confident,
her conscience, and the older man she adores beyond reason.
Randy Phillips is fully aware of his young charge’s adolescent crush
on him. Although he is flattered by the adulation, he maintains a safe
distance and professional demeanour until Holly is wounded in a rival
family blood feud, and the course of both their lives is changed
forever.
Coming August 1 Book Five Afterlife
