Chapter 68: Chapter 68

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◇ KEL  ◇

My breath halted.

The guy sprung up right in front of me in mere seconds, his loud exhalations warming up my bare skin.  He slicked his hair back, baring his brawny arms and broad shoulders.  His taller body and bulging arms just made my muscles feel like they were shrinking in inferiority.

He just watched me tense up against the edge of the pool until his breathing steadied.  "Now that we're finally alone..."

His alcohol breath and bloodshot eyes were enough to ring alarms in my head. My limbs went numb.

He wasn't here for a swim.  Oh shit.

What now? Should I push him away?  Run?

Leandro grinned at my speechless state.  He seized the moment and leaned in till he came dangerously close that I could smell the strong wine on his tongue.  He placed his legs on either side of me. "Why Belgrade?" His heavy hand grabbed my arms, the impact shocking enough to render me immobile.

Alone, cornered, and hardly tolerating the painful grip he had on me, I tried to push him off.  I pulled back and hit my head on the edge of the pool.  Drowning to death was my second worst nightmare.  "Wait—"  Out of panic, my gaze darted around the open space behind him.

No guards.  No maids.  No Enzo.

Shit.  I might just die out here, and no one would even notice.

"Who told you to go there?" Leandro threateningly placed his palm around my throat, his other hand restraining my wrists against his muscled chest. His hips pinned me against the cold, tiled wall, his noisy breaths fanning my taut skin.  "Why Belgrade?"

"We just...I met up with someone."

"Non mentire. Scoprirò se spari balle."

Shit.  Intoxicated and fuming with paranoia.  Worst combination ever.

Should I just tell him why Enzo and I were in Serbia? Wouldn't that put me and Niccolo at grave risk? The overwhelming fear of drowning left my mouth agape as I tried to weigh the pros and cons of telling him the whole truth.

Leandro might just snap my neck in half if he found out that I met up with Niccolo, the guy who spied on him and his business to expose the dark side of the Tomassini clan.

"Just an old friend, Signore—"

"I'm the last person you should be lying to, Mykaela."

"I'm not—"   Now my lungs felt like they were burning.  With labored breaths, I tried kicking him off again.

Useless.  He was taller, more agile, hopping mad, and even more muscular than Enzo.  Right now, I felt pathetically undersized. "They pay you well?"  Leandro grinned.  "You like snitching, huh?"

"No! I'm not—"

"Are you one of Stefano's whores? Or do you work for the other side?"

"Stop—" I gasped for air and writhed.  "No! Please— Don't."  I couldn't die out here. Not tonight.

"Si limiti a rispondere alla domanda," he murmured to my lips. His weight and undeniable strength continued to pin me against the tiles.  "Does my stupid brother know you're using him to spy on me?"

"I'm not s—"  I groaned and stopped struggling. Freeing my arms from his deathlike clasp would require divine intervention. He hadn't strangled me out of consciousness yet, but my vision was starting to blur.

Calm down.

Breathe...

If I kept fighting him off, I'd just burn up what's left of my energy.

Relax. Just think of a plan. You're not gonna die tonight...

It was my only hopeful thought.  I could still escape.  Make it out of here alive.  I just had to give him the answers he wanted.

In my mind, the image of my lifeless body floating in the pool all night scared me shitless.  My insides shivered at the thought.  My chest felt uncomfortably tight now.  I feigned calmness, as if surrendering to his wrath.  I clutched onto his hand on my throat, mustering the courage to glare back into his ruthless obsidian eyes.

Only then did he stop.  His calloused fingers finally left my neck alone.  But my relief didn't last long.  And then he laughed.  Loudly.  A maniacal sound.

It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"Great. A fighter." His lopsided grin raised the tip of his dark beard.  "I see why my brother likes you."

"Let go,"  I choked out. A quick prayer in my head didn't quite help.  The asshole clasped my arms again.  His grip on me remained, and his hold on my wrists were tight and steady.  I waited in silence as he grinned with malice.  "Let me go."

"Why shoud I?"

"I'll leave now, and I won't tell anyone—"

"Don't fucking tell me what to do—"

"I'm not lying to you! Let go!"

Slap!

Shit.  That hurt.  The sharp contact stang my entire face.  The asshole just slapped me.  There'd be a bruising handprint on my cheek first thing.  Surely.

In reply, I spat on his face.

Smack!

This time, my entire head snapped to the side.  He hit me so hard my vision actually went black.

Taking advantage of my dazed state, Leandro dragged me out of the water.  He pulled and pulled.  His stiff arm bound me against his tensed body while I imagined the worst.

The splashes got louder, which told me we were near the shallow end.  His sheer strength enabled him to lift me out of the pool in just seconds.  He hugged my limp figure to his broad torso, my back touching his hard chest, both of us dripping wet on the poolside.

"Enzo!"  I kept calling out every chance I could, but Leandro's hand kept covering my mouth.  I knew better than to try to push him off—or run.  I might slip and hit my head on the pavement.

Or worse—he'd do it himself.  His palm stifled my screams better than duct tape that I could barely breathe.  I kept squirming, digging my nails into his strong forearms, grazing his skin until I drew blood.

I even tried begging.  Twice.  Thrice.  But, no use.

Leandro took me to an enclosed shed in the dim, quiet garden, far from anyone's peering eyes and curious ears.  He shut the door behind him and flung my trembling body into the corner.

My back hit something hard. "Shit."  Hardwood walls.  Ominous streaks of moonlight passed through the cracks.  It was a small storage area.

Tools littered the dark, narrow space.  A rake.  Some rusty metal chairs.  And shovels.  Different sizes.

Oh shit.

Death by shovel.

Shit.

No.  Just no.

This paranoid asshole wasn't kidding around.  And at the moment, death by asphyxiation sounded better in my head.

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