Chapter 194 194

Chapter 194 194
Except the doors have been forced open, and broken splinters of wood litter the hall. I can hear voices coming from inside the room, but no gunshots, and no scuffles.

Oh God. What if they’re all dead?

I know that I should go back, find a room to slip into, but the thought that Gabriel might be lying lifeless on the ballroom floor makes it impossible for me to do so without at least looking first. I approach the door, navigating between chunks of wood and glass, and peek my head around the corner.

My heart sinks. Gabriel’s men and their wives have been rounded up in the middle of the ballroom floor. They are sitting with their hands tied behind their backs, guns aimed at their foreheads. There are about two dozen Cartel goons hovering around the room, either chatting with each other or actively antagonizing their captives.

Then I see the woman—the one who started this all. Felicity Huffman is standing with her back to me, facing the captives. She is wearing an elegant, snow-white gown, as though she were planning on attending this soiree herself. She’s tall with a blonde pixie cut, but I can’t see her face from here. She seems to be talking to someone.

But where is Gabriel?

“You’re just like your father,” I hear Felicity say, and I realize she must be talking to Gabriel. “Weak. Easily fooled. Pathetic.”

“I’ll kill you for this,” Gabriel replies.

The sound of his voice is a balm to my soul. I am still shaken by the attack in the hallway, and all I want to do is disappear into his arms. But now is not the time for that. I need to be strong.

Felicity steps to the side a little, and I catch sight of Gabriel’s face for the first time. Black blood is caked around his nose and mouth, and one of his eyes blushes with a fresh bruise. He looks like he’s been hit by a bus.

I can’t help myself—I gasp.

It’s the worst thing I could have done, because it immediately draws the attention of no less than four of the hostiles in the room—including Felicity. I duck behind the doorway, but it’s too late.

“I know you’re there, Alexis,” Felicity drawls. “Why don’t you be a big girl and come on out?”

I don’t move. I’m trying to think of an exit strategy, but it feels like the adrenaline has turned my brain to sludge.

“Okay, darling,” Felicity calls again. “Let me put it this way. If you don’t come into this room right now, I’m going to shoot your boyfriend somewhere I’m sure he’d really rather not be shot.”

Fuck. Okay. It’s not game-over yet, but I need to be really careful about the next moves I make. I wedge the gun into the back of my dress and walk into the room, holding the cell phone aloft.

33

Alexis

Felicity is sophisticated and beautiful, with bright blue eyes that are a carbon copy of my own. Her pink lips curve into a smile I can only describe as welcoming, which throws me off entirely. She looks friendly. Sweet.

“There you are, my darling,” Felicity purrs as I step into the room. She points to the phone in my hand. “And what have you got there?”

The Cartel men all turn to watch as I enter, but they don’t bother aiming their guns at me. I’m a little offended.

“All I need to do is press the call button, and backup will swarm this building in a matter of minutes,” I tell her. I’m bluffing, of course. I have no idea what number to call to summon the troops—something I’d definitely like to know for the future if we get out of this.

Felicity laughs. She starts to approach me, and I stop dead, rooted to the spot. She cocks her head to the side, as though I am some sort of circus curiosity, and smiles languidly.

“That’s cute,” she says. “I bet you have a lot of questions, my angel. It must have been a shock to learn that the mewling buffoon you thought was your mother was just some stranger.”

I stiffen. “Don’t talk about her like that. She was my mother. Just because she didn’t share my DNA doesn’t change that.”

“So you’re of the ‘nurture’ camp in the ‘nature versus nurture’ debate?” Felicity asks, eyes flashing. She stops only a couple of feet in front of me. The gun is cold against my spine.

I glance past her to Gabriel and the others. All the Cartel eyes are on my interaction with Felicity, and none of them seem to notice that their captives have started struggling against their bonds. I don’t know if they can break free, but if I can distract Felicity long enough, they just might be able to. Gabriel’s eyes meet mine, and I try to communicate wordlessly that I’ll keep her talking as long as I can.

I stare Felicity down. “That woman raised me. She looked after me. Where the fuck were you?”

“I moved on to bigger and better things,” Felicity replies. “Harry was only ever a stopgap for me. The fact that I had you was…” She shrugs. “Inconvenient.”

My throat is painfully dry. How could the woman who birthed me be so cruel? So callous? I want to put my hands to my ears and shut out all of her venomous words, but I need to stay strong. I do not let any of my distress show and instead glower at her with distaste.

“So, you left us?” I say.

“It was all very amicable,” she says with a simpering smile. “I was always too strong of a personality for your father anyway. He wanted a woman he could control, someone pathetic and weak. We both thought your mother was a suitable choice, the kind of meek creature that could keep his plate full and his bed warm without asking any questions.”

Bile rises in my throat. I stand taller and tighten my jaw.

“You may have thought of my mother as weak, but she did not raise a weak daughter,” I say in an even, razor-sharp tone. “If you harm the don of the Bellucci crime family or his woman, you will be hunted for the rest of your life. And when we catch you, we will make your death a spectacularly painful affair. So if I were you, I would make the smart choice and leave this apartment now.”

Something like pride flashes in the depths of Felicity’s sapphire eyes. Her lips draw into a feline grin.

“Oh, my angel. How delightful.” She turns back to Gabriel. “I hope for your sake that you’re not as much like your father as Alexis is like her mother.”

I panic when I realize that in looking back, Felicity and the Cartel guns might see Gabriel or the others struggling with the ropes. I need to draw their attention back to me, and quickly. I whip the gun out from the back of my dress and press it against Felicity’s pale throat, heart hammering.