46

MILLIE
Confusion momentarily shadowed his face before morphing into agony. He released me, my legs buckling, yet Valerio caught me, replacing the man’s grip. My eyes darted around for Harper. She stood beside Valerio, worry etched across her features. Dario was swift behind my attacker, his knife sinking into the man’s upper thigh. “You’ll follow us. Attempt escape, and you won’t live.”
“Take her drink,” Valerio instructed Harper, “but don’t drink it.”
Valerio’s arms supported me as we navigated through the dimly lit corridors of the club. Descending a flight of stairs, he swung open a door that led us into what appeared to be an office space. The sight of Sebastian rising from his chair greeted us, his curiosity evident. “What’s happening?” he inquired, his tone laced with confusion.
“It’s probably roofies,” Dario offered, his grip on the man he held becoming more assertive.
“I’ll fetch Gio,” Sebastian stated, a twisted smile playing on his lips. He disappeared through another doorway, and in a matter of moments, Gio strode into the room, radiating his usual commanding presence. Dazed and pressed against Valerio’s chest, I observed from my half-conscious state. Gio’s narrowed gaze shifted between me and the man Dario restrained.
“What’s the situation?” Gio’s voice dripped with anger as he demanded answers.
In an instant, Gio was beside me, sweeping me up into his arms. My head lolled against his chest as I gazed up at him through my haze. He gently placed me onto a nearby couch, and Harper knelt beside me, clutching my hand in worry. “What’s happening to her?” Her distressed cry filled the air.
“Roofies,” Dario repeated grimly. “This sick guy was trying to drag her out.”
Gio confronted the man who had targeted me. “You spiked my wife’s drink with roofies, Melvin?”
The revelation that Gio knew this man sent confusion swirling in my foggy mind.
“Wife? I had no idea she was yours. I swear, I didn’t know!” Panic quivered in the man’s voice as he spoke.
With a swift motion, Gio disengaged from Dario’s hold and grasped the handle of the knife still embedded in Melvin’s leg. He twisted it, prompting a piercing scream from the man. Dario kept him upright by gripping his arms. “What were you planning to do with her once you got her outside?” Gio’s voice remained eerily composed, his expression devoid of emotion.
Harper’s grip on my hand grew tighter, almost painful. I swallowed and cleared my throat, finding my voice amidst the confusion. “I’ll make you pay,” I murmured weakly.
Gio’s attention snapped to me, his face inches away from mine, a proximity that triggered an unexpected surge of desire within me. Was it the effects of the roofies or something more? In that moment, I harbored an intense longing to kiss him, to tear away his shirt…
“What did you say, Millie?”
The words that slipped from my lips surprised even me. “I’ll make you pay. I’ll make you scream. I’ll make you bleed.” Gio’s gaze locked onto mine, a muscle in his jaw flexing as he processed my unexpected declaration. Before he could respond, Harper suddenly lunged forward, launching herself at Melvin. Her blows struck his face, her foot finding its mark on his groin. Sebastian had to struggle to control her, pulling her away from Melvin’s battered form.
“You’ll pay with your life!” Her furious scream reverberated through the room.
Gio’s posture stiffened, and Harper froze in her tracks.
“Release me,” she hissed defiantly.
Sebastian’s amusement was evident as he queried, “Do you promise to behave?”
Harper nodded, her eyes still fixated on Melvin. Sebastian relinquished his grip, and she composed herself, adjusting her disheveled attire. “They will make you suffer,” she spat coldly. “And I hope they subject you to unimaginable agony.”
“Harper,” my voice came out in a rough whisper, carrying a mix of pain and urgency. She responded immediately, coming to my side and settling down on the couch beside me. Her presence brought a semblance of comfort as her fingers gently intertwined with mine, a reassuring touch in a moment of turmoil.
Amidst the charged atmosphere, Sebastian’s unwavering gaze remained fixed on Harper, a silent intensity that spoke of his determination. “I’ll make him pay, Harper,” he declared with a fierce determination in his tone.
But Gio’s voice cut through the air, a firmness that brooked no argument. “No,” he asserted firmly, a sense of responsibility in his words that sent ripples of relief through Melvin, whose anxiety was palpable. “He’s my responsibility.”
A shared look passed between Sebastian and Gio, a silent exchange laden with unspoken understanding. Then, a nod from Sebastian, an acknowledgment of Gio’s claim over the situation.
Gio’s face drew close to Melvin’s, their proximity charged with tension. The words that spilled from Gio’s lips were laden with an anger that seemed to pierce through the room, resonating deeply. “You dared to entertain thoughts of my wife? To imagine her cries of pleasure?” His words seemed to cut through the haze enveloping me, sending a shiver down my spine. The wrath in Gio’s voice was a force unto itself, a side of him I had never witnessed before. Melvin’s head shook frantically in protest, a desperate plea for mercy. “No, please.”
And then, with a sudden and startling motion, Gio’s hand closed around Melvin’s throat, a grip that lifted him from the ground until he teetered on his toes, his face turning an alarming shade of red. The release was as abrupt as the lift, Melvin hurled away to collide with the wall before crumbling to the floor in a broken heap.
A venomous snarl twisted Gio’s lips. “You must have quite the appetite,” he hissed, a threatening promise hanging in the air. “I’ll make sure you’re well-fed, starting with your own filth.”
Even as this exchange unfolded, Sebastian’s authoritative voice sliced through the tension. “Take the girls to the car, Dario.” Gio drew his knife, its glinting edge a chilling reminder of the danger that hovered. And with careful arms, Dario lifted me from the couch, Harper following closely behind. Dizziness clouded my senses, and I pressed my face into Dario’s jacket, seeking some grounding amidst the turmoil. His body tensed at my touch, a reaction I barely registered in my haze.
Harper’s scoff broke through my disoriented thoughts. “Do you think Gio would maim you for a casual touch while you were unwell?”
A low, dismissive reply from Sebastian was lost to my foggy mind, but it centered around Gio’s possessiveness and authority.
“Help me with her,” Dario’s voice was gentle, a stark contrast to the events that had unfolded inside. I was lifted and carried, the world swaying as the door to the outside world was pushed open. I found myself placed on cool leather, and Harper’s touch guided my head onto her lap. Her fingers worked through my hair, a soothing gesture amidst the chaos that had unfolded.
“That man will face the reckoning he deserves,” Dario’s words were a murmur, a reassurance that was both chilling and comforting in its own way.
My eyes fluttered closed as weariness and shock settled upon me. Regret coiled in my chest, a heavy weight brought on by the realization that my words had sealed another man’s fate. A pang of guilt and fear gripped me, as I grappled with the truth that I had just witnessed my first murder.
A tender interaction unfolded between Harper and Dario, their voices a soft backdrop to the tumultuous emotions that churned within me. “Your protector dares not to share a confined space with us,” Harper’s voice carried a mix of sarcasm and bitterness. “Gio is a force to be reckoned with.”
“Dario keeps vigil,” I managed to whisper, my words a fragile tether to the conversation.
“Of course,” Harper’s voice held a skeptical edge, laden with unspoken thoughts. As the car’s motion lulled me into a fitful doze, I was only vaguely aware of the door being flung open and Gio’s entrance into the scene.
“How is she?” His voice was a balm, a warm presence that pierced through the haze.
A sharp note of alarm colored Harper’s tone. “You’re covered in blood.”
My eyelids fluttered open, struggling to focus on the world around me.
“Only on my shirt,” Gio’s voice carried a hint of exasperation, a testament to his enduring irritation.
There was a rustling, a movement that was barely perceptible in my state.
Harper’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Your modesty knows no bounds.”
“I’m shedding my shirt, not disrobing entirely. Is silence a foreign concept to you?”
“Here you go, Boss.”
Through blurred vision, I watched as Gio discarded his blood-stained shirt in favor of a fresh one. “Dispose of that and handle the aftermath, Dario. I’ll take the wheel.”