Echo, p.26
Echo, page 26
Alizarin Crimson.
Then I thought of the force of Erico’s fist, and all at once, I was back in the garden nine years ago as my own blood pooled in my mouth and pain ruptured across my face before I was forced to the ground and….
Shoving down the memory, I tried swallowing past the sudden lump in my throat, but air had stopped reaching my lungs, and the room started to spin as I choked on too-small, rapid breaths.
Panic seized me.
“Goddamn it.” Anger stared at me. “Take a breath, Sancia.”
My fingers tingling even worse, they curled in on themselves like arthritic claws as my knees started to shake.
“Motherfucker.” Bloodstained hands reached for me.
“No!” My toes curled, my air gone, my head spinning, I tried to step back, but my legs gave out, and I collapsed.
Huge arms wrapped around me, breaking my fall.
Then his palm slammed over my mouth, and I could not breathe at all.
Echo
She fucking hyperventilated.
Her hands twisted, her legs gave out, and I grabbed her.
No choice, I slammed my bloodied hand over her mouth and pressed my thumb to one of her nostrils as I eased us to the floor. “Breathe, Sancia.” I was going to fucking kill Caio. “Breathe.”
Panicked, she struggled in my hold.
“Stop choking her,” Caio yelled.
“She’s hyperventilating. I’m not fucking choking her, asshole.”
“Put her down!”
I threw him a warning glare. “Stop fucking yelling, you’re scaring her.” Focusing back on her, I held firm but tempered my tone. “Come on, bella, breathe through your nose.”
“Let her go!” Faster than he drove, Caio lunged, grabbing the grip of my 9mm.
A split second.
That’s all I had.
A fucking split second to make the decision as I felt my Glock leaving my holster.
Drop her and grab my gun, or let Caio take it.
There wasn’t a decision.
I held her.
The gun left my holster, my glare cut to my brother, and rage like I’d never felt hit.
“Put the goddamn gun down, now,” I warned.
Hands cuffed in front of him, beat to hell, arms shaking, Caio aimed at my chest. “No.”
“You better fucking think about what the hell you’re doing. You have two goddamn seconds to drop your aim.”
With a stilted breath, she shook in my arms.
Caio’s crazed gaze cut to her. “I’ll shoot you, Erico.” He looked back at me. “I swear to God, I will.”
His hands shaking worse, the stronzo was going to fucking shoot her by accident. “You pull that trigger, I will end you, Caio. Do you fucking hear me? End you.” Calculating the trajectory of the bullet, shoving her down in my lap, turning to give him a wider target of my chest, I tried to get her head out of his range.
“Stop it! What are you doing? Let her go, let her go!”
I fucking lost it. “PUT THE GODDAMN GUN DOWN.”
Caio pulled the trigger.
The bullet ripped through my chest.
The impact slammed me back.
I dropped my Principessa.
My head hit the floor, and an angel screamed.
The lights went out.
Sancia
A deafening boom exploded, wind whipped past my face, and giant arms fell away from me as Erico jerked back and landed hard on the floor.
Then dark red was rapidly spreading across his chest.
The front door slammed open, heavy footfalls rushed in, men shouted, and I was on my knees.
“No!” NO. “Help!” Pressing my hands to the gunshot wound on his chest, I cried. “Help him!” His eyes closed, his chest not moving, he was not breathing.
He was not breathing.
Vance grasped my arm. “Come on, love. Let’s give Talon a little room to work.”
A blond-haired man I had never seen before appeared in my line of sight and flashed me a glance with his green eyes. “It’s all right, darlin’. I got him. Let me see what I’m workin’ with.” Grasping my wrists, he gently took my hands off Erico’s chest as Vance pulled me away.
“No, stop!” Hysterical sobs crawled up my throat. “He will bleed. He needs a hospital!”
“It’s okay, darlin’. I got him. Dealt with a few gunshot wounds in my time. I know what I’m doin’.” Grabbing a black bag with one hand, the blond-haired man dialed a cell phone with the other before tucking it between his shoulder and ear and unzipping the bag. “Ambulance needed.” He recited an address. “GSW to the chest, male, no exit wound. Weapon and scene secure. Domestic accident. No active shooter…. Copy. Security will meet them in the lobby.” Hanging up the phone, he ripped open a packet and pressed a large gauze pad to Erico’s chest as he glanced back and quickly scanned up and down my body. “How you doin’, darlin’? I only heard one shot fired, but you got blood on your face. You good?”
“No….” Erico’s eyes opened, and he coughed. “No fucking hospital.”
The blond-haired man quickly looked back at Erico and chuckled. “There he is. What up, Repeat? Felt like gettin’ shot today? Thought I was here for a patch up, not a GSW.”
“Motherfucker,” Erico swore. “I’m gonna kill him. Where is she? Sancia? Sancia?” He turned his head toward the door.
Pulling out of Vance’s grasp, I dropped back to my knees and threw my arms around his neck. Then Italian and fear and sobs were all rushing to get out. “I am sorry. Do not die. Please, I cannot watch you die. I need you. I need you.”
With a firm hand, he gripped my hair and pulled my head back. “Stop.” Then I was staring into green-and-gold eyes. “You hurt?”
Biting my lip, trembling with fear, I shook my head.
Erico looked past me. “Where the fuck is he?”
“Delta and Whiskey took him,” Vance replied. “Figured we should get him out of sight before anyone else sees him.”
“Go with them, but don’t take him far,” Erico ordered Vance. “I’m not fucking through with him.”
“On it.” Taking out his cell, Vance left.
Still holding on to me, Erico looked at the blond-haired man. “Get the bullet out, Talerco.”
Talon, or Talerco, chuckled. “This ain’t the front lines in the middle of a hotbed sand trap, Repeat. I ain’t diggin’ a round outta your chest while you lie on your kitchen floor. Suck it up. Hospital. You’re goin’. Paramedics will be here in three to five.” He looked under the gauze pad. “In the meantime, stay still and try not to do any more damage.”
“I’m fucking fine. I’m not going to any….” Erico tried to sit up, then roared out in pain and anger before dropping back down and cursing. “Goddamn it.”
Talon grabbed a syringe from his bag. “Like I said, bullet’s still in there.” He shoved Erico’s shirtsleeve up.
Faster than Talon could bring the needle of the syringe to Erico’s arm, Erico grabbed Talon’s wrist. “Don’t you fucking dare shoot me up.”
Talon held the syringe out for Erico to see. “Same as you carried in your med kit downrange, SEAL. A little painkiller ain’t gonna hurt ya.”
“I didn’t dope then, and I’m not doping now. It’s one goddamn bullet. You shoot me up, I’m returning the favor, SARC.”
“Nothin’ doin’, Repeat, nothin’ doin’.” Talon tossed the syringe back into his bag. “I hear ya, loud and clear.”
“I need a favor.”
Talon chuckled. “You mean besides savin’ your life?” Looking at me, Talon winked. “Don’t worry, darlin’. He’s gonna be fine. Just givin’ Repeat a little flack. Like the Italian, by the way. You from there?” The question was so casual and he spoke so rapidly, I was about to answer when Erico intervened.
“No questions. Need to know only. Call Christensen. Get her to a safe house or one of his secure properties. Both of you escort her. Vincenzo’s on her ass. Do not let him get near her. You hear me?”
Talon immediately dropped his good-natured attitude and turned serious. “Copy. Saw him downstairs when I came up. Wasn’t sure if it was a coincidence.” He grabbed a cell phone from his bag. “Security after we get her relocated?”
“Loop in Conlon, tell him perimeter, twenty-four seven. But make sure wherever Christensen puts her already has a system in place. No one goes in or out except one of our staff for supplies. Conlon will know who I want.”
Talon frowned. “Not Alpha?”
“No, Conlon,” Erico replied adamantly.
“Roger that. Crazy Train Twin’s leadin’ the charge.” Talon shook his head. “Your funeral.” Quickly looking at me, he grinned. “Just joshin’, Sophia Loren Junior. No funerals, promise. Like I said, Repeat’s gonna be fine.”
“Quick fucking calling me Repeat, and her name’s Sancia.”
“Sancia, Sophia, got it.” Talon glanced at me as he dialed his cell phone. “For the record, and at the risk of gettin’ shot, you’re prettier. Now keep Repeat still while I make this call.” Winking again, he stood. “Vikin’, what up? You miss me?” He walked a few meters away.
I gently pressed my hands over the bandage on Erico’s chest, but I could not look at him.
“Hey.”
“Stay still.” Please, please let him be okay.
“I’m good.”
“I know.” I did not know. He was shot. There was a bullet in him. He was going to the hospital. I was going to some other house with men I did not know. None of this was good.
He tugged on my hair. “Look at me, bella.”
Tears fell. “Do not call me that. You accused me of sleeping with Caio.”
“That’s why I need you to look at me.”
Like the foolish woman I was, I looked.
A hazel-eyed, wounded Enforcer looked at me with regret. “I’m sorry.”
Fear fell down my cheeks unchecked. “I did not sleep with him.” What if this was the last time I got to hear his voice? What if he did not come back from the hospital, and this was the last time we spoke?
“I realize that now.”
“You almost killed him,” I accused, but God help me, I did not have any force in my words because they were not the ones I truly wanted to be saying.
Erico’s voice turned lethal. “He pulled the fucking trigger while you were in my arms. He’s lucky he’s still alive.” His tone lowered with even more deadly force. “He’s in love with you.”
“I am not in love with him.” I only loved one Mantovani brother. “Caio only loves racing.”
Still with the threatening tone, Erico issued me an order. “You’re not seeing him again.”
My hands were covered in Erico’s blood. After what Caio had done, I did not want to ever see him again. But Ademaro’s words haunted my soul, and I could not come between any more Mantovani brothers. “Caio is your brother.”
“Don’t care. After I deal with him, he’s dead to me.”
“Eri—”
“No. Not open for discussion. That’s twice now he’s taken shots while you were in range. I don’t fucking forgive that.” He repeated himself. “You are not seeing him again.”
Terrified, my heart bleeding out as surely as the wound on Erico’s chest, my voice broke. “I only care if I see you again.”
His chest rose with a shallow inhale. His jaw tightened with pain, and he briefly closed his eyes. When he looked back at me, I was already falling. Then he spoke, and I was breaking.
“I’m sorry.”
A commotion came from the hallway outside the front door. “Paramedics!”
“No.” No. “Please,” I begged him. “Do not do this. Do not send me away again.”
“Talerco!” Erico yelled.
“Here,” Talon answered as he came up behind me.
“Get her the fuck out of sight. Now.” Erico released his grip on my hair.
“Copy that.” Talon shouldered his bag.
“No,” I cried.
Fists pounded on the door. “Coming in!”
“Talerco,” Erico warned.
“On it.” Faster than I could protest, Talon picked me up and was striding down the hallway of the penthouse.
He walked into a bedroom.
The paramedics rushed in.
Talon shut the door.
And I fell apart.
Sancia
“Hey, hey, now, darlin’. It’s all good. Repeat’s gonna be okay.” Talon set me on the bed, then squatted in front of me and put his hand on his heart as his scent, something tropical and reminiscent of the beach floated around us. “But I can’t have you cryin’ on my watch, Sophia Loren Junior. This ole heart can’t take a lady in distress.” He casually looked at the side of my face where I had felt the hot wind from the bullet before it struck Erico. “Mind if I check somethin’ out?”
Glancing at the door, trying to stop my tears and choke back sobs, I heard the paramedics asking Erico questions. “A-are you a doctor?”
Talon chuckled. “Nope. Don’t even play one on TV.”
I looked at him. “Y-your bag. I-it has a red cross on it.”
He smiled. “You got me. Former SARC.”
“I-I do not know what that means.” Erico should not be alone.
“Combat medic,” he answered by way of explanation. “Mind if I check that graze wound on your cheek, darlin’?”
I had to stop crying. “Y-yes.” Inhaling once, then again, I looked from the door to him. “If you are a medic, you should not be in here with me. You should be with Eric—” I caught myself. “You should be with Erik.” The name felt wrong. This room felt wrong. Everything felt wrong.
Talon’s smile turned to a grin. “Erik, huh?”
“Please.” I held back another sob. “Go to him. Right now.”
His expression turned serious, and his unusual accent disappeared. “Are you going to try to leave?”
Forcing the sobs to stop, I looked directly at him. “No.”
Nodding once, he stood. “Be right back. Stay away from the window, and don’t touch your cheek till I look at it.” He stepped out the door and closed it behind him.
My hand went to my face.
With trembling, bloodstained fingers, I gingerly touched the area where I had felt the wind.
Burning erupted across my whole cheek.
Quickly dropping my hand and crossing my arms, I rocked forward. “No, no, no.” This was not happening. Not again.
He was leaving me. He had said I’m sorry. Those were his last words to me after I had said I only wanted to see him again. Why was he doing this?
Talon walked back into the room with a man behind him that was even taller than Erico, and Erico was the tallest man I knew. As big as him, as lethally imposing, the new man had eyes the color of ice and an expression to match.
Taking me in with one glance, the new man scanned the room and said something to Talon in a language I had never heard.
“Copy that,” Talon answered him before smiling at me. “Repeat’s all good, darlin’. He’s en route to the hospital, and they’ll fix him up, but we need to go. Me and Vikin’ are gonna get you outta here, but we need to move real quick once we leave the penthouse.”
I glanced at the new, imposing man. Unlike the other men who worked with Erico, he did not have a gun on him.
Talon smiled again. “Sorry, darlin’, forgettin’ my manners. Sancia, this is Neil Christensen, aka Vikin’. Vikin’, this is Sancia. No last name.”
Mr. Christensen said something in his different language again.
“Don’t know,” Talon replied absently to Mr. Christensen as he leaned down to look at my cheek. “Was told it’s need to know.” He reached for his bag. “Darlin’, you got a small graze wound on that cheek. I’m gonna put some antiseptic on it. You with me?”
Mr. Christensen switched to English and focused his piercing gaze on me. “Do you have luggage?”
Opening a small packet and then dabbing a strong-smelling wet cloth on my cheek, Talon answered for me. “Didn’t see anythin’ in the livin’ area or bedrooms.”
The antiseptic stinging, I flinched back.
“Nothin’ doin’, darlin’, nothin’ doin’.” Focused on my cheek, Talon grasped my chin and wiped again. “Almost done.”
Still staring at me, Mr. Christensen asked another question. “I have a remote estate that is unrenovated or a penthouse similar to this one. Preference?”
“All good, darlin’. Let it heal on its own and you shouldn’t scar, but it’ll look worse before it looks better. Coupla weeks and you’ll be good.” Releasing me, Talon walked into the bathroom and tossed the pad and the small packet in a trash bin. Coming back out, he headed for the door. “I’ll grab ya a clean shirt to change into, then we can hit the road.” He walked out of the bedroom.
Mr. Christensen spoke low and quiet again in his English that had a very different accent than Talon’s. “Are you a Mantovani or a Vincenzo?”
Every muscle in my body tensed, and my heart stalled before starting again at a pace so rapid, it hurt. Forcing myself not to react, I averted my gaze and said nothing.
As if he heard something, Mr. Christensen abruptly turned toward the door and blocked it.
A moment later, I heard the man’s voice from the cold room at Mr. Trefor’s offices.
“Christensen,” November stated in a monotone.
Tipping his chin, Mr. Christensen stepped back and let November in.
Walking into the bedroom, November’s detached gaze went from my hands to my cheek to my eyes. He held a thick envelope out to me. “Everything’s secure. You’re safe to use them.”
Taking the envelope, I glanced nervously behind him as Talon walked into the room.
“What up, Hacker Boy.” Talon tossed a shirt on the bathroom counter before slapping November on the shoulder. “You comin’ to join the party?”
“Give us the room,” November ordered the other two men.
To my surprise, without comment, Mr. Christensen then Talon walked out of the bedroom and closed the door behind them.
“What’s wrong?” November demanded.
His presence as frightening and as intimidating as Mr. Christensen’s, I did not know if I was more on edge or relieved for the reprieve of having so many commanding men in one room.
