Theirs to Protect - Julia Sykes Page 0,43

wasn’t a trap, my plan was going as well as I could’ve possibly hoped: my Naples contact had come through for me, and I had a meeting confirmed with Elio. Now, I had to convince him to get his brother in line. If Elio decided that killing Ciro was the best way to make that happen, I would do it myself if he asked me to. I would do whatever it took to make Boston safe for my family again.

I eased away from Ashlyn when I heard the rattle of the lock in the next room. “Joseph?”

I knew it wasn’t my best friend in the instant before the door swung open. Only a few minutes had passed since he’d texted me to let me know he was at the restaurant. And the scrape inside the lock wasn’t the smooth slide of a key. Someone was forcing their way in.

I flung my body in front of Ashlyn’s just as three men burst into our bedroom. I grabbed the bathroom door, ready to barricade us in, but their guns lifted in unison, aiming at my heart. If I went down, Ashlyn would be exposed.

My heart thundered against my ribcage, dumping adrenaline through my system. But I couldn’t move. I barely dared to breathe in case one of them decided to pull the trigger.

I quickly assessed the men: all dark-haired, one bearded, and another with a distinctive scar on his neck. I didn’t recognize any of them, but their confident posture and the familiar way they handled their weapons let me know that they were from my world.

“Where’s the other one?” the scarred man demanded.

“There’s no one else here,” I said, shocked at how calm I sounded. My insides roiled with rage and fear for Ashlyn, but years of practice kept my demeanor outwardly cool and aloof.

“Don’t get clever with me,” he warned. “The other one. Where is he? Your lover.” He spat the word.

Fuck. They knew about Joseph and me. There was only one reason they would’ve come here: Elio decided to eliminate me instead of working with me to take down his brother.

After all my careful planning to protect her, I’d put Ashlyn at risk. My heart felt bruised as it hammered against my ribs, ready to either burst or splinter my bones.

“Like I said,” I repeated, gesturing at the empty suite. “He’s not here. Let’s talk outside.”

He sneered. “You want us to leave the girl. Well, she’s part of the deal. And so is Russo.”

“He left nearly half an hour ago.” I could feel Ashlyn trembling at my back, but she touched my shoulder, offering support and comfort. “I’ll come with you. I’m the one who set up the meeting.” Ashlyn’s fingers froze. Something crumbled at the center of my chest, and I swallowed against the lump in my throat. I’d hidden my plans from her, and now, she was paying for my secrecy.

The scarred man glowered at me and addressed the bearded man, who was clearly a subordinate. “Gian, contact the boss. Ask what we should do about Russo.”

Gian lowered his weapon to pick up his phone, but the other two guns remained aimed at me. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t fight. I couldn’t protect Ashlyn. My jaw clenched almost hard enough to crack my teeth as I waited in agonizing stillness.

A few seconds later, Gian received a reply to his message and relayed it to his leader. “Boss says bring De Luca and the girl, Domenico. We’ll get Russo later.”

“You will not touch her.” My pent-up aggression ripped up my throat on a snarl, and my entire body shook with impotent rage.

The scarred man—Domenico—narrowed his eyes at me. “Yes, I will. How much it hurts when I touch her is up to you. You’re coming with us. Both of you.”

My muscles practically vibrated with the need to punish them, to protect her. But they were armed, and I wasn’t. The only way to protect her life right now was to do what they said and not make any sudden movements.

“It’ll be okay, princess,” I murmured, silently promising myself that I wasn’t lying. “Stay behind me.”

I lifted my hands, and my phone dropped to the floor. I hadn’t realized I was still holding it. Everything in my world had narrowed to keeping my body between Ashlyn and those guns.

“Where do you want to go?” I asked, stalling and seeking information. Maybe if I gave Joseph enough time, he would come back to check on us.

But if he did that,