Chapter 97

Lucky

The bastard has kicked me so hard it felt like my insides were pushing through my back and the witch holding my head like that, needs to be shot. I am praying with everything I have, that Nico is close by. There has to be an end to this and not my ending. My mother didn’t bring me into this world to die from a bullet.

I will not, I repeat. I will not die in the dirt like this. They need me if Nico hasn’t paid up yet. Don’t they?

“Get up, you wanted fresh air. Now you have it,” Yelena tells me. Only, it’s not easy to get up right now. Everything hurts, my ribs will be bruised for weeks. It’s even possible that I have a broken rib. The pain is lancing sharply through my body. My hands are in the dirt; my fingernails have dirt under them.

Spitting dirt from my mouth on the ground, I will myself not to be at her mercy and to get up onto my feet and soak in the fresh air. It’s dry all around me. We are surrounded by a majestic display of mountains that dominate the skyline. The sky is the perfect shade of blue, not even a cloud in sight as the sun lashes down unnerving in its brilliance.

“Where are we?” I ask her for the second time today. I don’t honestly expect her to give me the location. Not that it matters anyway.

“Far, far away from your home, Lucky. He will never be able to find us here.” Oh, the confidence she exudes in her belief that my fiancé will not come to me.

Ha! That is what she thinks. Nico has an army of men and women who can find him. For a start, Aurora his personal hit-woman will be able to find me. She has a nose like a bloodhound. Her loyalty is to Nico. Her team will be on this. That in itself gives me some hope. That is all I have. Hope.

“It looks like Spain, maybe the desert. Mexico,” I mutter. She pulls me up with force by grabbing my hair.

“It is none of your concern where we are, Princess. Enjoy your few moments of freedom before you are locked up again. And may I remind you that your prince is not coming through with the deal. It looks like this might be your last moment of sunshine on your face.”

My body begins to tremble. Lack of food, lack of sleep and the sheer fear of my life ending if Nico doesn’t abide by her terms.

Usually, I am confident, upbeat and optimistic. This situation, however, with a lunatic is not stirring any of those things inside me. What if this is my last time to feel fresh air and sun on my face?

Focus, Lucky. Focus. There must be a way out. You are unbound and free.

I take in a deep breath and take a look around now that the bitch has let go of my hair. She pushes me forward with a hand to my back. My legs almost give way underneath me. Again.

There is no way I am going to let her win. My life will not be in vain because of this woman. I am strong and fierce. I am intelligent. I have been trained by the best of Nico’s men. Only, there are two big guards with machine guns at the entrance to the building. It’s made of red brick; I can’t see the roof without having to tilt my head back.

In front of me are two more guards, dressed the same as the other two and with equally big machine guns. This seems a little over-kill for keeping me hostage. Something tells me they are expecting action. I mean, come off it. Four guys, four machine guns for one woman.

They know my man is coming. They know he won’t leave me to be killed in the desert with the sun already making me sweat. At a guess, I think we are south. Possibly Mexico. She will have taken me as far from Nico as she could to make it difficult for him and to bide her time. Smart bitch, even though I detest having to admit that.

I need to think like her. I have to get inside her head.

“Stop shoving me,” I glare at her. She laughs sardonically.

“You have no say in what happens to you, Princess. Soak up the sun and make the most of it. Whether he comes or not, you end with a bullet to your head and to your chest.”

“He’s coming, Yelena. You know he is on his way. What? You think Nico won’t come for the woman he is going to marry? The one who he has fallen in love with?”

She laughs louder. The guards turn and look at her. She waves a hand at them dismissively.

“You think that man knows what true love is? Oh, Princess you are dumber than I thought. And there I believed you were intelligent. Your own parents did not marry for love. It was arranged. And Nico, he only loves his money, his organization. He lives and breathes being what he thinks is being the King of New York City. He has no heart; you are misled Lucky.”

Fire burns in my stomach. My side is killing me making it difficult to stay upright. I won’t touch it to show them how bad it is.

“Whatever you say, Yelena. Only, with all these guards around it seems to me you are protecting precious goods. Anyone would think you had some major deal going down. You are expecting him, otherwise you’d be holding me on your own with possibly just the one guard.”

She kicks the earth and spits. “You know of nothing, Lucky now keep your fucking mouth shut,” she says vehemently and slaps me across the face. I turn the other cheek, ignoring the sting on my skin.

Yelena does nothing only narrow her eyes at me.

I will not let her win.

Nobody breaks the spirit of Lucky Gianluca.