A comforting snore comes from underneath me as I slowly wake up in Nico's room. I smile as last night comes floating back into my mind. I'm falling for him hard if I haven't already.
I slide out of his arms and escape to my room. I get dressed in a daze as I try to process my emotions. By the time I emerge and make it to the kitchen for breakfast, Nico is already there in a heated debate with Luca.
"It's no longer safe," Luca argues.
I clear my throat. "Sorry for interrupting."
Nico places a plate on the island, "No apologies needed. We are done discussing it. I made this plate for you. Enjoy." Luca and I share a confused look as I join them, and I dig into the eggs and bacon.
After Luca leaves and I finish my plate, I turn to Nico and ask, "What was that about?"
"Leave it," Nico warns.
"No. I'm sick of being out of the loop."
Nico watches me for a moment before sighing and running his hand through his hair, "It's about your ex."
"What about Matt?"
"He's," Nico pauses as if searching for the correct word, "causing trouble."
"How?"
"I can't go into details."
"Fine, but promise me you'll be safe?"
Nico seems unsure how to feel about my concern, but nods before leaving.
***
Nico and Luca leave a little while later and I busy myself with the gym and pool until retiring to my room for the night. I hear a knock on my door while reading The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.
I'm expecting Nico so imagine my surprise when I open the door and it's Enzo. "Hi," I say confused.
"You need to come with me urgently. We need to get you into the safe room." His whole body is stiff letting me know this isn't some joke. I nod and follow him.
"What's happening?" I ask while we rush down the stairs.
"Someone has infiltrated the building." My heart is racing as I try to remember to breathe.
When we reach the bottom of the stairs, the elevators open and five men dressed in all black come filing into the penthouse, but quickly split up as Enzo begins shooting at them. He grabs my arm and pulls me behind the stairs, and we're joined by Giovanni, the newer guard that joined the ranks recently.
They take turns firing off shots at the men and peek to see at least one man down. Enzo pulls me back. "Listen, remember the button we showed you in the security room that opens the safe room?" I nod. "When I tell you, you're going to make a run for the security room." I eye the room and see it's at a slight angle behind the stairs. I can possibly make it without getting shot.
I shake my head, "Not without you two," I argue.
"Callie!" Enzo grabs my shoulders, "You are our top priority, now we don't have time to argue, or we'll all get killed. We can handle this better without you involved."
"Fine."
"Ready?" I nod as my heart threatens to explode out of my chest. "Go." I run faster than I have ever run in my life to that security door.
I reach it and slam the door shut behind me then lock it. I find the safe room button and go to press it when I hear my name shouted in a familiar voice.
"Callie!" My heart drops as I spin towards the cameras and spot him standing in front of the elevators, my ex, Matt. Giovanni is lying unmoving behind the stairs and two men are holding a bleeding Enzo. "I know you can hear me. If you want this man to live, you'll come out willingly. Otherwise..." He didn't need to elaborate. Tears fill my vision as I try to breathe through the panic. I know one thing for certain even if it is beyond stupid. I can't leave Enzo to die after he risked his life for me. This whole time, Matt's been pulling the strings, and I can't keep running and hiding from him.
I try to steady myself as I unlock and open the door before entering the hallway. I rush over to Giovanni's side to check on him and he's dead. As I round the corner where the stairs are, Enzo curses and Matt smiles. Once that smile brought me joy, but now it creeps me out.
"My beauty, how I've missed you!" Matt calls out with open arms.
"Matt, what are you doing here?"
"I came to rescue you of course."
"I don't need any rescuing."
"Of course you do. Now come on, I don't have all night."
"I want to stay."
Matt sighs then aims a gun at Enzo's head, "Then he's a dead man."
"Okay," I hold up my hands in a surrender motion. "I'll come. Just...let him live."
"I'll let him live only because I know it's not him that you've been seeing behind my back." He's talking about Nico. "Yes, I know all about your whoring ways with that bastard Nico. I mean you had to choose the baddest mafia bad boy you could find, didn't you?" Matt comes closer to me, and I must fight the urge to bolt in the opposite direction. "I mean you have to know men like him don't settle for just one woman." Matt laughs at my expression. "My poor, baby." He traces a finger down the side of my cheek before I feel a pinch of pain in my arm. I look down to see him removing a syringe.
"What..." Blackness starts to cover my eyes.
"Just a little something to help calm you down." I feel him catching my body as I pass out.
YOU ARE READING
The Vipers Temptation | Completed (edited)
RomanceAfter a failed attempt at a relationship, I try to make it on my own. However, I end up with a new neighbor who exudes charm, danger, and sexual energy as if it's a job. To make matters worse, I find myself semi-kidnapped by the same dangerous, foul...
