Chapter 72

Chapter 72
L A N A

I wrench my arm free and bolt, my heels skidding against the floor as adrenaline floods my body, carrying me faster than fear ever could. The sounds of chaos fade for half a breath and then surge again as I push through another doorway without thinking, my shoulder slamming into it as I burst through.
I emerge straight back into madness.
Bodies are everywhere.
Men are falling mid-step, shouts cutting off abruptly as gunfire tears through the space, and I scream as I dodge around them, my hands flying up to protect my head as something shatters nearby and showers the floor with debris. The air tastes like smoke and metal and panic, burning my lungs with every breath as I struggle to keep moving.
I drop low without thinking, scrambling across the floor on my hands and knees, my palms slick with something warm that makes my stomach twist violently as I realise what it is. I don't look. I can't look. If I look, I will freeze, and freezing means dying here.
I crawl until my knees scream in protest, then force myself back to my feet, my dress torn and clinging, my heart slamming against my ribs so hard it feels like it might break through. Then my eyes scan wildly until I see it...
An opening. A door.
And I don't waste any time.
I run for it.
I am seconds from passing through it when I feel a set of hands grab me again, yanking me backwards so hard my breath leaves me in a sharp gasp, terror crashing over me as I twist and cry out, my nails scraping uselessly against a sleeve I recognise instantly.
No. Not again.
I recognise the men immediately, the same faces from the lounge, the same suits, the same empty expressions that make me feel as if I am nothing more than an object to be recovered. I stare up at them fearfully, my chest tightening as despair threatens to swallow me whole.
This is it.
"Nowhere to go, pretty lady..." One of them says to me and begins dragging me in the opposite direction, just as I begin fighting, kicking and screaming.
"N-No! I won't go back!! Let me go!!" I scream as they continue to carry me, as if I weighed nothing. That's when we finally turn a corner, and on the other side... we are faced with something none of us were expecting...
In the wide hallway stands a group of armed men, walking beside each other and coming to a halt as soon as they see us turn the corner.
And that's when I see him...
Don Dante Valencia... standing at the front of the group...
He stares back with me curiosity, a gun in his hand and the top buttons of his suit ripped open, his dark hair a mess as his chest heaves, but begins to slow down once his eyes land on us. He stares at us with a deep frown, focused on the men still holding onto me. Then his expression slowly changes once he turns to me, becoming much darker and immediately causing a series of chills to pass through my body...
"Let her go. I will only tell you once."
The command silences the chaos as the men holding onto me hesitate, each of them looking at each other and being completely unsure of what to do. It is clear they fear him; I can feel it in the way the man holding onto me trembles.
I give Dante one last look, my eyes pleading for him to help me somehow. I watch as he exhales slowly, his eyes finally turning away from me and focusing on the man holding on to me.
"You had your chance." He lets out, and in a split second, he raises his arm up, his aim focused on the man and fires in an instant. A muffled gunshot goes off, and beside me, I hear a pained grunt, followed by the grip on my hand loosening. I gasp and turn to my side, watching as the man who had been restraining me collapses to the ground, lying flat on his back, a bullet hole right at the centre of his head as a pool of blood forms at the back of his head.
 And that's when all hell breaks loose yet again.
 Gunfire erupts again, wild and frantic, forcing me to the floor to take cover. Dante fires at the guards, each shot hitting a target and causing their bodies to jerk violently before collapsing forward, lifeless, crashing to the floor inches away from me.
I scream, scrambling backwards on the ground, my breath coming in broken gasps as I stare at the bodies lying around us, blood spreading beneath him, seeping across the floor like it has a mind of its own.
That's when I shut my eyes and cover my ears, continuing to scream outloud as tears spill from my eyes.
I don't know what I ever did to deserve this, to be betrayed by my fiancé at my own engagement party, only to be kidnapped by a mafia leader, and now becoming caught up in a war I never signed up for.
If this is how I go... then I'll die knowing that I did everything in my power to be good, to live my life to a certain standard...
I say a prayer to God, hoping to see Him on the other side, but before I can finish, I realise that the room has gone completely silent through my muffled ears.
I slowly take my hands off my ears, confirming what I was thinking. The room has indeed become silent, all except the sound of shuffling and soft footsteps.

"It's okay... You can open your eyes." I hear his voice again, immediately making chills pass through my entire body. That's when I slowly open my eyes and begin to look up at the person who just spoke...

Dante Valencia...

I stare up at him, mesmerised by how handsome he is, but only for a moment. That feeling is slowly replaced by fear once I realise that he is responsible for killing all these men...

I begin to drag myself backwards, fear flooding me anew, my back hitting something solid as I shake my head without realising it. I pleaded for him to save me, but not even I know what exactly that means. I don't know what he will do. I only know that powerful men do not intervene like this without a reason...

And I need to find out what his reason is.