Dangerous Beauty: Part Two: A Mafia Princess (3 page)

“And if you do?” he asked.

Carter didn’t know how to answer this one, so she just went with the first thing that came to her mind. “I die?”

“Wrong! I thought you said you were hard to kill, Carterina,” he said sharply.

“I … I am,” she said nervously. She heard her father’s footsteps.

“There may come a time when you make a mistake during a battle. Your enemy may succeed in hurting you, and at that moment, they will think they’ve won, that they’ve gotten rid of you— they will think that you’re dead. This is where a different type of battle begins. Listen to me closely, baby. No matter how bad it is, you fight … You fight like hell. And when you come back, you will be stronger, faster, and more determined than ever to make sure it never happens again.” Carter heard a drawer open, then close. “We are only human, Carterina. There isn’t much room for mistakes when it comes to survival. I will allow you one. No more, no less— just one. Whether I am dead or alive, you will live. Do you understand me?”

“Yes,” Carter replied without hesitation.

“And when you survive, you will be?”

“Faster,” Carter said firmly, preparing herself for what was coming next. Trust your senses, she told herself, and don’t open your eyes until he says to.

“What else?”

“Stronger.”

“And …?”

“More determined than ever to make sure it never happens again.”

“How many mistakes do you get?” The words shot out of his mouth quickly, and Carter knew something was coming, She also knew that when it did, she had about a half a second to save herself.

“One!” she yelled, and then she heard it and felt it coming toward her.

A knife!

And it was coming fast, straight toward her face. Carter kept her eyes closed and focused on the sound of the knife flipping through the air.

Now!

She turned her body and used her arm to block the large knife, sending it straight up into the air. It flipped and then began to descend quickly. Carter caught it and dropped into fighting position. She felt the cut on her arm, but she didn’t surrender to the pain. She knew that would only disappoint her father. She kept her eyes closed and remained in fighting position as her father stood in front of her.

“Very good, baby girl,” he said proudly. “Stand-up,” he ordered.

Carter stood up straight, remembering to keep her eyes closed until told otherwise.

Her father leaned in and kissed her forehead. “You know how much I love you, don’t you?” he asked.

“Yes, Daddy,” she replied.

“I am teaching you all of this for your survival, honey. I want you to be strong, Carter. You are a fighter. Weakness is not an option. You will be faced with many obstacles merely because you were born, but you will survive every time. Do you understand? You will not let the enemy win. Say that you understand,” he commanded in a firm tone.

“I understand, Daddy,” Carter replied.

Her father kissed the top of her head. “I’m so proud of you, my beautiful girl … So proud … You will be just fine. Do you hear me?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“You are the most important person in this world to me. I need you to always remember that. I promise I will never hurt you again.” he whispered.

Carter nodded her head and fought off her building emotions.

“Are you ready, sweetheart?”

“Yes,” Carter said.

“Good girl,” he whispered. “Now, open your eyes, Carterina, and go back home…”

Five days later.

Carter opened her eyes.

Everything was blurry … and it was bright as hell in this room. She tried to lift her hand up to cover her eyes, but it wouldn’t move. It was as if something heavy was weighing it down. Her second effort to move was successful, and she pulled lose from the weight. She shielded her eyes and sat up in the extremely comfortable bed, blinking, trying to figure out where the hell she was. She looked around the room. It was gorgeous. The large, cream-colored window curtains were open, and the sun was bright, lighting the whole room. There was a gorgeous assortment of flowers decorating the massive bedroom that, in Carter’s opinion, was decorated perfectly. Carter noticed that she was lying in a very large, king-sized bed, and she was covered with an extremely soft comforter.

The place was magnificent, but it wasn’t her room. Carter looked next to her, saw a large tanned hand, and frowned. Why was there some white guy sleeping next to her?

She leaned forward to see what the sleeping man reclined in the large chair looked like, but she couldn’t see his face. It was covered by a quilt, and she was pretty sure the man was in a deep sleep. As Carter pushed the comforter down from her body, she caught a glimpse of her hand. She saw an IV— and next to the bed there was medical equipment.

What the hell?

She didn’t understand what was happening. Why was she here? Who was this man next to her? Why the
hell
was she hooked up to these damn machines?

One second, she was sleeping and dreaming about her father as she always did, and the next second, she was in this huge room full of what she was sure was very expensive furniture. Furniture she couldn’t afford and would never be able to afford. This was not her room. Her room had very cheap décor— décor fit for a waitress living a “normal life” in Hope Beach.

Where the hell am I?

Carter didn’t like not knowing where she was, or who she was with. She also didn’t like the feeling of the IV in her arm. She had no idea what was being put into her body. Carter slowly pulled the IV out and quietly pushed the comforter down her legs.

She looked at what she was wearing and raised her eyebrows. Silk? A dark purple silk pajama set, shorts with a matching top. Carter didn’t understand. These weren’t her pajamas, this wasn’t her room, and this wasn’t her apartment. And where the hell was Jenna?

She slowly began to climb out from under the comforter, not looking back and careful not to wake up the man in the chair next to her. She figured he was supposed to be watching her— she just didn’t understand why.

Had she been drugged? That was the only explanation she could come up with. Panic began seeping into her at that thought. Had someone kidnapped her? If so, who the hell would do that? No one even knew she was alive— or existed, for that matter. The thought of some unknown person abducting her both frightened and bewildered her at the same time. She couldn’t figure out what anyone would want from her. She had nothing.

Carter frowned. She needed to get the hell out of here.

She crawled down the bed quietly to avoid waking up the guard in the chair. Seriously, this guy needed to find another job because his boss was going to be pissed when he found out Carter was gone. She stepped down off of the large bed and checked herself for injuries. She didn’t know what they might have done to her. She ran her hands up and down her whole body, checking for sore spots, but she felt nothing. She was relieved they hadn’t hurt her— it would be difficult to get away if an injury held her back from killing any and all who got in the way on her way out of here.

Carter looked behind her to make sure the guard was still sleeping. She shook her head when she saw he was. The guy really sucked at his job.

She crept toward the door.

Jesus Christ!
All of her muscles were tight as hell, and she felt a little dizzy. She had no idea how long she’d been out, but she really needed to loosen up before she ran into trouble. Carter stretched her muscles and took a deep breath, preparing for whatever was on the other side of that door. She didn’t really feel her best, and her body was weak, but she pushed forward anyway. She needed to be strong and get back home before her abductors noticed she was gone. She flipped her long hair over her shoulders, then paused and ran her hand down the long strands.

When the hell did my hair get this long?

Carter usually kept her hair cut to the middle of her back, but now it was touching the top of her behind. Seriously, how long had she been knocked out? The thought of having been in this place for reasons beyond her knowledge for who knows how long made Carter want to storm over to that sleeping guard and rip his head off for keeping her here against her will. But she chose to skip the idiot move, and she continued to the door of the room. The guy in the chair was huge, and she didn’t need that delay. She was ready to get the hell out of here and get back to her life.

New life
, Carter thought. Now she was going to have to leave Hope Beach and start over somewhere different! This was such bullshit!

Yep. That thought did it. Now she was pissed.

She opened the door, hoping someone was there so she could break their face, but no one loomed outside. The huge room she had been in was at the end of a long, wide hallway— a gorgeous hallway. Whoever lived here had a bad-ass decorator, not to mention a shitload of money. Carter still couldn’t figure out what the hell they would want with her. But she was sure it had something to do with her father.

Oh Shit!
Carter tensed. What if she was in the home of the people who had put a hit out on her father? What if they wanted something from her? But how would they find out that she was still alive? Nothing made any sense.

Carter walked quietly down the hallway, passing other bedrooms in what she was sure was a mansion. The place was incredibly decorated, and Carter noted that it was decorated the exact way she would decorate it if it were hers. Warm colors, homey country style furnishings, fresh flowers. Whoever owned this had great taste and a kick ass florist. The house looked as if a happy family lived in it.

Carter’s thoughts about the décor were interrupted when she heard men talking. She neared a large staircase with plush carpet and a cherry wood railing to hear her captors better.

“What other business do we have in Italy?” a man asked. His voice was very deep, and he had a thick Italian accent.

“Nothing else, brother, I handled everything. You don’t need to worry. Just focus on being here for my nephew and future niece,” another man said. His accent was thick, too.

“I’m worried about her. She was in the medically-induced coma for two days. They kept her in the hospital one day more after that. Her injury is healing well, and she’s healthy. The doctor gave the okay, so they flew her home two days ago. He said it’s just a matter of waiting until she’s ready to fully wake up. She woke up yesterday muttering about her father, but then she was out again. What she went through was quite traumatic, and the doctor thinks she may experience some psychological effects from this.”

“She’s strong. Brother. She fought hard to stay alive, and with each passing day, she’s getting stronger. The doctor said her quick recovery amazed him. He said she should be back to herself in no time. There was no brain damage, and she seemed fine— but out of it— when she woke up on her last day in the hospital. If the doctor says we no longer need to worry, I believe him.”

“I do, too, Angelo,” another heavily accented man added. “She’s Spook’s daughter, you know. She made it out of that hit job alive, so this is a piece of cake for her,” the man said, and Carter could hear the smile in his voice.

Carter frowned and started descending the stairs to hear the men better.
What the hell was going on? Who are these men and how do they know her father?

“Is she still here?” a man asked.

Carter made it to the bottom of the steps and finally got a visual. There were four men sitting in a beautifully decorated living area. All of them wore glasses and were looking down at what Carter assumed were very important papers in their hands. They were about forty-something, and quite good-looking, if she did say so herself. There were two on the large, plush, tan couch. One man had inky black hair and frowned as his sky blue eyes perused the papers in his hands. The other had brown hair and thick eyebrows that Carter found simultaneously attractive and comical. On the opposite side of the room sat one man on a smaller couch. His thick, black hair was pushed back from his handsome face and ended at his shoulders. Carter paused to admire his striking, gray eyes. They were so familiar, but she couldn’t think of where she could have seen them before. She looked at the long-legged man sitting in a single chair at the head of the room. She didn’t know who he was, but his presence was the most dominant of them all, so she was sure he was the man in charge
. This must be his house,
Carter thought as she continued to look at him. His face was also familiar— Carter couldn’t understand why because she was pretty sure she’d never seen any of them before. But looking at him, she felt something— she just didn’t know what. The man had black hair, but he was looking down, and she couldn’t see his eyes.

“Yes. She said she isn’t leaving this time, but I don’t know. Last I checked, she was in the garden. She hasn’t spoken, not to me at least. I can tell she’s hurting, but you know Ana. She chooses to be alone instead of asking for comfort,” the boss said to the inky black-haired man.

Carter frowned
. Who is Ana?

She didn’t understand how these men knew that Spook was her father, but she wasn’t going to stick around and find out. She didn’t know these people, and she didn’t want to be here anymore. Since the room was full of bone crushers, Carter decided she would just sneak out the front door and pray to God there was no security in front of the house. If she ran into security on the way out, she’d just kill them. It’s not like they didn’t deserve—

“Carter?”

She heard the deep voice say her name, and her head snapped in the direction it came from. A man with black hair and gray eyes quickly moved her way. Every man in the living room shot up from his seat upon seeing her standing at the bottom of the staircase.

“Jesus Christ, child! How did you …? How …?” The boss stared at her in shock, and Carter frowned.

Why weren’t they trying to attack her? She had just escaped, dammit!

The young one came closer to her, a look of concern on his face. “Carter, when did you wake up? How did you get down here?” He reached out to touch her and Carter backed away.

“Who are you?” she asked as she moved toward the door.

The young man frowned, “What do mean? It’s me, Luc—” Suddenly, his mouth dropped, and he drew in a slow breath. “Oh, God, sweetheart,” he whispered. “Please tell me you remember.”

Carter had no idea what this man was talking about. She just wanted to get out of here and go back home. “Remember what? Why am I here?” she asked softly.

“Oh, God— no,” the boss said, and he began walking toward her with concern and sadness in his gray eyes. “Don’t worry, child, we’ll help you,” he said tenderly.

Carter didn’t know why, but fear rushed over her. She didn’t know these people, yet they were acting as if they knew her, acting as if they cared for her. She knew this was bullshit. They were screwing with her, and she didn’t like it one bit. These sick assholes were acting like they were family, but Carter didn’t have any family. Hers had died five years ago.

The boss came and stood in front of her, “Darling—”

“Stop calling me that!” she snapped. She didn’t know this freak, and she didn’t want him talking to her like he knew who she was. “Who are you, and how the fuck do you know my father?”

“Child, there are many things we need to talk about, but you have to—”

“Answer my question.
Where the hell am I?
” Carter kept her tone low even though she was beginning to get irritated.

“This is your house, child,” he said calmly.

Why is he being so nice?
“Bullshit!” she said sharply. “I don’t live here.”

“Yes, you do, Carter, this is your home,” the young man said moving toward her.

“Stop!” she shot “Stay away from me! I don’t know why you have me here and I don’t care enough to find out. I’m leaving right now.”

The boss stepped forward once again. “Sweetheart, calm down. We just want to help you.”

“Don’t talk to me like I’m some fucking mental patient!” Carter said, outraged. “Unless you’re going to put up a fight, I’d suggest you get the hell out of my way,” Carter said. She was prepared to fight, even though— for some unknown reason— she didn’t want to hurt this man or any of the others in the room. The thought of hurting one of them made her chest tighten and her stomach turn. The whole thing was starting to unnerve Carter. She really needed to leave.

The boss spoke again. “Carter, honey, just … Carter!” he shouted when Carter bolted past him and out the door.

She figured running away was her only option. She couldn’t understand what was happening, but she pushed back her panic and focused on her escape. What did they mean, this was her house? She couldn’t even dream a place like this. There was no way it could be hers. If she lived in a place like this— she’d never forget it.

Carter ran fast, hearing the men running after her, screaming her name. She needed to get out of here and disappear. She needed to be alone so she could think. It felt like she was alone, in a pit of darkness with no light to guide her. The thought of being alone had her fighting back tears. The voices of the men chasing after her sounded worried and scared. She looked back and saw the boss gaining on her, his eyes filled with concern. It was as if he wanted her to stop running and come back— but it didn’t make any sense!

Carter focused forward again, stopping abruptly when a man suddenly appeared in front of her. “Carter, stop!” he yelled.

She gasped. His face was so familiar but she didn’t know him.

Carter didn’t hesitate this time. She saw a gun holstered close to his chest, and after a quick move her father had taught her, she had it in her hands, pointed straight at his face. “Get back!” she yelled frantically.