His Stolen Princess - MINK Page 0,27

over me. Before I can turn, I feel myself falling forward. The air leaves my lungs as I’m shoved against the wall. My hands are gathered behind my back. I feel cool steel snap into place. I open my mouth to scream, only to have a cloth shoved into my mouth.

I try and fight him off. He’s too big, and with my hands cuffed behind me, I’m not getting anywhere. A fear like I’ve never known runs through my body. Not for myself, but for Carter and Cato.

“I’ve got her.” I look over my shoulder at Nico. He’s got a phone pressed to his ear. “Hurry the fuck up, or we’ll all be dead.”

He’s right about that. Cato is going to kill all of them. I stare at Nico and wonder why he’s doing this. He has to know he’s a dead man walking. Cato will show him no mercy.

He pockets his phone. “What the fuck are you looking at?” he bites out. Then his eyes roam down my body. “You got a magical pussy or something? Cato never keeps a woman, but here you are getting free rein over his house. He puts up with you talking back, and you even hit him. You should be dead.”

He crushes me against the wall with his body. I close my eyes when I feel his hard on press into my ass. Oh, God. This isn’t happening. This is the second time someone has tried to grab me from Cato’s home.

“I should have a little taste.” I feel him smell my hair, and everything inside me curdles.

“Fuck.” He steps back and answers his phone. My heart races. How am I going to get out of this? “Yeah. I’m coming out.” He grabs the cuffs and pushes me back toward the door. I almost fall, but he yanks up on the cuffs, sending pain shooting into my arms as he keeps me upright.

“You try to get away, and I'll cut your finger off.” His cold blade pushes against my throat. “Got it?”

I nod.

He shoves me out the door with such force that I finally lose my balance and hit the ground hard. With my hands behind me, I fall face-first, and my hip takes the impact. My side throbs with pain.

“Watch it, Nico. He wants her in one fucking piece.”

I look at the other man who is sitting on a four-wheeler as Nico yanks me to my feet. I don’t recognize him.

“Get on,” Nico orders.

“Cuff her in the front or she’ll fall off.” Nico lets out a curse but does what he says. He lifts me, shoving me onto the seat. There’s no way Cato doesn’t know I’m gone by now.

I grab on to the man's shirt when he floors it, and we take off. I push the rag out of my mouth, knowing he can’t shove it back in right now.

“You’re a dead man,” I whisper in the guy's ear before I pull my knife out of its hiding place and stab him as hard as I can in the back. These assholes may look at me as a weakling, but the Simonetti blood still courses through my veins. I will fight until my last breath to protect the ones I love.

He cries out and hits the brake as hard as he can. The four-wheeler jerks and sends us both flying off.

I can’t think. Where am I? My head pounds as I try to open my eyes. But when I look up, I see Nico standing over me.

“You’re next,” I whisper before the darkness takes me under.

16

Cato

“Where is she?” My roar sends bats soaring off the hillside near the villa.

“What is it?” Santino rushes from the house, Carter and Flavia behind him.

“She’s gone. Find her!” I try to calm my tone for Carter but fail. I cut my gaze to Flavia. “Take him inside. Keep him safe until I return.”

“What is it?” Carter’s big eyes meet mine. “Is Appy going to leave me, too?”

I shake my head. “No. We won’t let her.”

“Come now, little boy,” Flavia chirps. “I have some cookies fresh from the oven.”

“Chocolate chip?” He turns to her.

Soldiers run around the house, my yell shaking them loose from their posts, and Flavia leads Carter back into the house.

“Find her. Now.” I glare at the empty pool. She was just here. I checked not twenty minutes ago, and then I got a feeling. A tingle in the back of my mind, as if some primal part of me knew something was