She's looking for love, but he's dead set on revenge.
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Scarlett Winters has had great success in her career as a therapist, but the same couldn't be said about her love life. Every date ends in disaster, and just as she is on the verge of gi...
My eyes dart back and forth, struggling to make out anything beyond the tip of my nose. It's pitch black. Well, not entirely. A few stray beams of light break through the treetops, hitting the path at odd angles. I hiss as I step on a rock. Playing up the pain, I collapse to the ground, clutching my bare foot.
Luciano grabs my arm and tries to lift me. "Get up!" He barks when I don't budge.
"I can't. I t-t-think I stepped on glass." The quiver of my voice helps sell the lie. It was a risky move. One that could easily backfire, but I had to do something.
Luciano circles around until he stands in front of me. "If you're lying, you're dead." He warns, tapping his gun against my forehead as he stoops down.
I suppress the urge to gulp and keep my head low. But the faint rustle of fabric brings it up with a flash as I slam it into his chin.
While he cries out in pain, I scramble to my feet and rush to get away. I make it all of two steps before I'm yanked back by the skirt of my dress.
"You fucking bitch!" He growls, flipping me into my back. I wince as he jams the gun against my forehead and grounds out through blood-stained teeth. "I-"
"Luciano!" Booms a familiar voice as a beam of light hits him square across the face.
Luciano looks upward and out toward the light through squinted eyes. "Officer Collins, you have really shitty timing, ya know?" he says after a few seconds have passed.
"Nah, it seems alright to me."
Luciano snorts and tilts down the brim of his cap.
"Put your gun down and let her go!" Chance orders.
Luciano looks down at me with his lips twisted in a snarl. "I can't do that."
My breath falters at his softly spoken words while his black, inky orbs hold me in a deep trance. It's broken a few seconds later when Luciano gets tackled to the ground, and the gun flies out of his hands. Chance appears by my side and helps me up as one of his fellow officers restrains Luciano.
While his rights are being read to him by another officer, a pair of strong arms wrap around my midsection, embracing me tightly from behind. I look over my shoulder. And when I see Maddox's face, I turn around, throw my arms around his neck, and hug him back.
"Scarlett, are you alright?" He asks, close to my ear. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"
I pull back a bit, suddenly remembering the others. "I'm fine. I'm fine. But he has a partner. A-and he's holding two other women." The words leave my mouth in a single breath, but somehow Maddox understands them.
"We know. We got him. We got him." He says while cupping my cheeks and looking deeply into my eyes. "And the girls are safe too."
"Oh, thank god." I collapse against his chest, feeling more relieved than I've ever been.
"It's over now." He whispers, his lips brushing against my hairline with each word. "It's all over."
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